Tag Archives: Tennessee

Piney Flats, TN

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This visit was my first to Piney Flats. It’s in the NE corner of Tennessee, a rural area dotted by small towns and criss-crossed by winding country roads. It reminded me of the countryside of North Carolina I drove through between home and college. Mom gave me an excellent tour of her stomping grounds. We saw a 225 year old family home, Boone Lake, and more farm structures near collapse than I have ever encountered. My stay reminded me that Southerners will wait until gravity has the last laugh before declaring a structure unfit for use. Southerners also still understand courtesy, hospitality, and how to construct and locate grand homes. The images here were taken near my Mom and Step-fahter’s home at Boone Lake outside Piney Flats, TN.

Mom & Pop Tour 2006: Week 2

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Last week was laid back. This week has been busy. First, I am the enabler of my co-workers. Because this laptop belongs to work, I am checking my work email everyday. Not good. Second, my Mom and I have been running around Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina. During this week, I have been to a mountain and walked a mile high swinging bridge. Then toured an historic TN town… twice! One tour was during the day and the next at night on a guided ghost tour. Today, we head to Asheville, NC and the Biltmore House. If I had insisted, we would have seen a cave in Virginia as well. I am going to tuckered out from vacation, but I am going to have a collection of images for the time. You can see those in other posts.

I am actually tuckered out. The next vacation I take will be in some place with beaches and no technology (okay, the second part is a stretch). Visiting with the family is good. It reconnects me to them and grounds me. I remember where I came from. With a rested mind, I can get a clearer sense of where I am going. With the free time, I was able to work on my website, add a lot of images, and see new things. The last is especially important for the visual mind. This last two weeks may get me motivated again to create some new works. If nothing else, it has gotten me a lot closer to family again.

I spend so much time away from them that I forget their mannerisms and tastes. Dad and I can sit in silence for hours and miles. We enjoy the same shows and have many of the same habits. Mom and I…well we are decidedly different animals. A little idle conversation always travels around the room. When I am in my introspective mind, I have a hard time wanting to come back out. A long drive with Mom reminds that not all the world can sit in silence like I can. She re-socializes me. Instead of sniping at her for a little quiet, I worked my way out of my “brood”. This was the time I wanted to spend with her. She just wanted to engage me.All said and done, I go home today a little tired, refreshed, and ready to see what is next.