Life In Our World 2002

The year began for us with the family in Lakeland Florida

Bush Gardens

Fort De Soto Beach

Bringing out the big guns at De Soto

and the Parrots at Fort Pulaski

a cold Savannah Beach

we return to find our next door neighbor, the French Broad River
running full under leaden January skies

and the trees full of Mistletoe

Exchange Students hike our trail in January
Japan, Kurgistan,Costa Rica, France, Thailand, Germany and Australia are represented.

We visit our neighbors the Vanderbilts again

.. and stay at the new Inn up there on the hill

a wonderful idea for Valentine's 2002

Our room looked out toward our house about 5 miles upriver...

Happy Valentine's

We explore Crooked Creek in early February beginning our quest for De Soto.
My web page project for the spring was to trace the Conquistadore's passage through my mountains...

a quest that takes us to Cattaloochee in the Great Smoky Park by March

to Lake Douglas, a TVA lake pulled down for the winter

Out there De Soto found the Indian nation of Chiaha in 1545

De Soto led us to the lower French Broad at Knoxville, and to the McClung Museum at UT

and then to the Nolichucky at Embreeville TN.

Back home in late April we enjoy the classics with the
Asheville Youth Symphony, Simon's at the back left

Our lower yard in the Spring 2002

In early June we are back at Joyce Kilmer and Santeelah

On Lake Santeelah June 2002 in a rented Pontoon Boat.

Richard, Steve and Simon at Joyce Kilmer with some of the many "Big Trees"

Soon we are off up the well remembered trail from Wolf Laurel Trailhead above Joyce Kilmer

to find a campsite at the Bald high above

Robin at Bob Stratton Bald

The day ends in a glorius spendor...

Breakfast at Bob Stratton

in mid June we hike the AT to Grassy Ridge with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy

what a wondeful spot !

Then in late June we are on the trail again...

This time to Table Rock above the Linville Gorge

Oh what wonderful sights ...

Some say De Soto passed this way, but I doubt it ..

Baby Doll

we visited Mom in July, that's the Memorial to Dad at Keowee Key

The Girls In The Music Room July 2002

At Boone July 20 we picked up Simon from Music Camp, Mom met us there

in his 30 days there he mastered the Euphonium

before July was out Brandi flew in from Florida to visit

Brandi spends a few days with Robin at work

and a few more "river ratting" with Robin in our backyard

and posing with Mama at the upper pasture gate

before we have her fitted up and off with us to the lower Thompson Gorge

here we're still fresh as we cross the Whitewater River on the fancy steel bridge brought in by Helicopter a few years ago

but five miles of rugged trail finds us a bit "woodsy" by breakfast next to the Thompson

it's nothing the cool waters can't cure however

especially when ...

Swimming at the pool at the foot of Unknown Falls on the Thompson

Brandi Heads For Home

Leaving us to while away the rest of the summer...

Simon's 18th Birthday in September brought him a new "pet",
a new Euphonium, the object of his dreams...

As summer wained the river drew lower and lower

Soon rocks and bars never before seen made an appearance

The new and temporary environment was just fine with Mariah, who just loves to wade ...

and is always in the mood for a new experience.

of course she's not the only one !

Before too long Football is upon us, and the T C Roberson band is in our life again.

These guys are set to go, to the Sugar Bowl that is (Simon on the Xylophone) ...

All year the goal is perfection .. 'cause all eyes will be watching at half time in New Orleans

Hands in motion.

As Fall arrives Robin's hour-long commute each day offers Picture Post Card views

around here the most mundane of travel can be a mini vacation in Fall

Even our daily walks in our "backyard" do the same.
3 miles per walk, and about 340 times a year for the last two years... That's over a thousand miles a year, and our collection of worn out boots prove it!

In October the sad occasion of my "favorite" uncle's death draws us back to "The Land",
the object of our dreams, located out in Clay County 120 miles from our home.

I promise Robin there we'll someday soon we'll emulate my Uncle Buck and return to the country.

Halloween comes and our family tradition brings us my sister Cindy's 16th annual Jack-O-Lantern party.

a spectical probably better appreciated in the dark..

Simon has become quite the Pumpkin Carver over the years. He cannot remember a year without this "goulish" affair.

We soon find ourselves as proud members of the audience at the Asheville Community Band concerts, as Simon finds his way into to this illustrious group seeking opportunity to play his horn.

He's out there in the middle, among the retired Band Directors, Engineers and other professionals.

November 25th finds us out on "The Land" again, this time to camp in 20 degree F. weather... That's Brasstown Bald the highest in Georgia out there.

The views from the top of the property down the valley where my Mom grew up are spectacular...

We pull out our "old faithful", our 15 year old 3 season tent comes out of retirement. It has been from Portsmouth Island on the Outer Banks to Cerro El Toro in Puerto Rico, from Red River Gorge in Kentucky to Monteverde in Costa Rica, and is soon to go to Blue Mountain Peak in Jamaica. This is a "shakedown" trip for that adventure.

Here on the "peak" overlooking "The Land" we stay warm in spite of the temperature and have a wondefrul night. "Old Faithful" passed with flying colors. We are off to Jamica in two days!

And sure enough we were, on December 3d we were at at Silver Sands, a "hideaway" on the North Coast half way between Ocho Rios and Montego Bay.

I was told that on this day an ice storm hit the Southeast and Simon was out of school for two days. We had Satellite TV but never turned it on and so were oblivious to the happenings to the north.

Silver Sands was a dream come true, a collection of mainly Jamaican owned vacation villas with a quaint 1950s "beach club" ambiance, it was the perfect vacation spot.

We had Silver Sands virtually to ourselves, and it was absolutely wonderful!

Isolated little beaches stretched eastward from our "cottage" that sat 100 feet away from the surf...

The Nutshell.

venturing westward on foot we discover "Fisherman's Beach"

a thriving community of "Artisan's Huts"...

and we make a bunch of new Jamaican friends. That's Ramone, Cansell, Sonny and Sonny's brother polishing his masterpiece, a wooden fish.

and Ringo, who Robin contracted to carve a pair of Turtles for her sister for Christmas.

For my Birthday we are off to the Blue Mountains. The Police Station at Mavis Bank is as far as the van with its low clearance and two wheel drive can go.

Then we are off on an incredible hours long ride up "cow paths" in the back of a Land Rover, a world class "coaster-like" trip that Robin called "Mr Toads Wild Ride" took us to Whitfield Hall. We made it, a credit to the skills of the Rastaman driver Royelle...

Whitfield Hall is an ancient coffee plantation house turned adventurer lodge high in the Blue Mountain coffee country.

From there we set out on the climb to Jamica's highest peak ...

a mountain that is part of the Ridge of the Blue Mountians.

It is a place set deep in Jamaica's Blue and John Crow Mountain National Park, a National Park accessable only by foot.

on a mountain trail through deep wilderness

eventually, after about 3 1/2 miles of "up" on a trail appropriately called Jacob's Ladder we arrive at the isolated park headquarters at Portland Gap.

from there we press on another 3 1/2 miles to the distant Blue Mountain Peak, 7402 feet elevation

Words can't describe, and our cameras failed to capture, the beauty of sunset over Kingston and the Caribbean far below. From the peak one can see the Caribbean on three sides, a mile and a half in elevation below, and about 25 miles away. To the south the lights of Kingston after dark merged with the stars out over the distant ocean and the moon and planets above to form a unforgettable "mental picture" for us.

Morning caught us on the peak in a windy driven rainstorm. The dog, who followed us the day before from Whitfield Hall, spent the night in the vestibule of "Old Faithful" at Robin's insistence.

As we descended the mountain fair weather returned and presented a whole new set of prospects.

Back in Mavis Bank, our backpacks tossed aside, our hearty band of adventurers pose in a picture taken by Royelle in front of his truck.
Bellvitt, Michael, Robin, Yours Truly and Prem.

Needless to say we were happy to be back "home" at Silver Sands after the greuling hike. We left Jamaica on the 10th and were so sad to say goodby.

Home again we find the river has not only filled back up, but has backed up into Beaver Creek, our bridge there is underwater for the second time in 5 years.

That doesn't discourage us from finding our way to our special refuge at "The Window", we backtrack and take the high trail there. With the river so high it's like being on an island.

The family gathers in South Carolina at Mom's home the weekend before Christmas

Simon and Cyrus

We miss those that can't be here with us ...

Back home we gather Christmas morning

For that wonderful traditional ritual, culminating in Robin's own home cooked meal of baked ham.

The whole thing just wears Mariah out.

The year's end finds us back on "The Land" again, this time seeking the southern property line. A study of the plat has indicated where it might be, so we are here to find an iron post set in 1941 that determines the extent of the property.

We search across snow speckled valleys and coves ...

and across sunny ridges

To our suprise we discovered that the object of our quest was festooned in surveyor ribbons, the marker had been discovered by an adjacent landowner. Its location confirmed, to our delight, the belief that a high knob, or little mountain, that we had seen and loved was well within the property...

After finding the post, we climbed to the summit and declared the height to be forever known as
Maebur Top
in honor of my Mom, who, by the way, owns "The Land".

See You Next Year !