The Garden cometh!

Meet Charles! Charles works with Paul and he has a tractor, amongst other heavy machinery, of course! Paul & Charles barter back and forth with "helping hands" and ended up over here with the ability, time and energy to till us up a space for a garden (for food) ... so ... today was dedicated to getting that space ready. Although today isn't a good day for planting (according to the Farmer's Almanac), the dirt is ready ... so tomorrow and next weekend will be deemed "planting" days at the Glover's ... and in a couple of months we hope to reap whatever we've sewn!!! We will, of course be keeping you posted on this endeavor. So far, it's been a great project. And of course, Paul is metal detecting before we plant just to make sure everything is safe ... and there is no metal hazard in our garden! We have found old pottery pieces, many glass pieces which have come from mason jars and jelly jars over the years ... and a couple of pennies! Will keep you informed if Paul comes across that big stack gold bars we're looking for in the back yard! ;-) Hope your 4th of July was a safe and happy one and your weekend this weekend is fun ... and hopefully relaxing. There is a goat outside "hollering" his guts out ... best go check on things. Until next time ... Paul & Cheri

p.s. I seem to like sideways pictures these days ... please adjust your viewing! Thanks!

On the A.T. again !!

For those of you who are not familiar with The Appalachian Trail hiking system, the white blaze on the tree means it is, in fact, the A.T., and you are on the right path. Essentially if you decide to hike the A.T. from Georgia to Maine (or visa- versa) you simply follow the white blazes! A kin to the "yellow brick road" theory, I'm sure! At any rate, we had 5 or so glorious hours of following the white blazes through some of the most gorgeous forest around. This is only about 20 minutes from our house! We crossed over the yellow mountain pass (actually, more like climbed up!) and saw vistas and views that were vastly soul quenching, to say the very least! There are wild flowers in bloom every where, and the blackberries are just about to bust out in full force! So ... fortunately our journey only included spotting a couple of deer ~ one doe in particular who really held us in her sight for about 2 minutes and left trumpeting her little heart out! I'm hoping she was warning all the bear to hide, because we know they're out there right now ... and I'd rather we just NOT see them!! We see the evidence ... that's enough! At any rate, the red "barn" you see is an actual A.T. shelter, built in 1980's according to the info. It was a great weather barrier, but not good for bear shelter like the ones further south. They are actually made of stone on 3 sides, and a chain link fence and locking gate on the 4th! It was a SUPERB day and it only took us from October to now to get out there! But hopefully, now that we've found our way .... nothing's going to stop us now!

Happy 24th Birthday to Melissa!!!! Hope all your birthday wishes come true this year!

Dancer's Pointe dancers, parents and staff, our thoughts are constantly with you this week! Good luck!

And now, believe it or not, I must leave for the studio to teach a hip hop class! Love to all!

Boy's Room/Bunk House

Some befores and afters ... the first picture is the closet ... which was an open eve to the house until 2 weeks ago. The back wall was not there ... just opened into the rest of the attic (a little scary if you're of that persuasion) ... and the inside was merely studded out, no walls or shelves, etc. So Paul, the genius and maker of closets around here, fixed the boys right up with a closet that can double as a fort if need be! The rest of the room was a complete mess as we finally tackled it! There were acoustic ceiling tiles all over the ceiling and walls,(2nd pic above) which were installed over some paneling, which was installed over some wallpaper and cardboard backing, which was glued on with some wicked glue that stained and completely (and so sadly) ruined the beautiful tongue and groove walls that were originally built. And this room was apparently built in 1930, because the builder of this house (D.K. Jobe) signed it (carved his name and the date in the wall we couldn't paint so we wouldn't lose the signature) by the bedroom door and the closet. Other than that little wall, we stripped, scrapped, scrubbed and painted most of it. Paul replaced some paneling that was abused (just the right size for a fist to have gone through some of the places!) that was around the area where we installed the bunks. There are now bunk beds along one wall and a single bed on the opposite wall from that in the little alcove ... However, even though everyone had their own bed when the boys were here ... they all played musical beds and mostly found a bunk mate. :-) It would've been interesting to see who woke up where, but they were always awake before us! Only Cade gave me the pleasure of waking him up one morning ... at 10:40 AM!!!! That morning everyone slept until after 10 AM. It was GREAT!!! I still need to trim out the room (paint the trim and door knob - can't seem to get rid of that horrible pepto-bismo pink!) and get some kind of window treatment up in there - not to mention some posters and wall hangings. We were trying to get the guys to help us out with what they're "in to" ... but there was little to no suggestion there! We laid some carpeting for the noise factor ... and it all seemed to be just perfect for our little guys! So, one more project off the list. But I'm sure the paneling will eventually be painted and the room will look much more "together" in the years to come. With the fellas being so young, they were thrilled ---the room will grow with them, I suppose! I'm REALLY hoping the bath tub will be the next thing to come off of the "to do" list(as well as off of the front porch - good grief!) ... my fingers are crossed! Then maybe we can put up a porch swing and join in the swinging summer evening fun!!! I think we're in for some real down to earth fun this coming weekend with all the July 4th stuff coming up. Everyone around here is getting real excited about it and there are fireworks displays advertised every where. Paul wants to go up on top of Carver's Gap and watch from there ... panoramic fireworks!!!

Our afternoon and evening thunder storms have been very reminiscent of Florida's weather ... just about 20 degrees cooler! I'm hoping Paul will actually get to golf this weekend ... and have a moment of relaxation and joy! Then I can talk to him about the tub! Anyway, the rain is supposed to let up and go completely away for a few days. We needed it so desperately that we daren't complain, but it's getting soggy now! So, dry for a couple of days would be delightful!

Hope everyone is well and happy and enjoying a bit of summer time fun! Paul & Cheri

Good Luck Dancer's Pointe!!!!

All of our Dancer's Pointe friends are currently preparing to enter the mania of National Competition and we are sending all of you our very BEST GOOD LUCK WISHES!!!! We know you will be beautiful and kick bootie as always. But we wanted to make certain you know we are with you in spirit for the entire event (even the workshops, girls ;-) )!!!! Fingers are crossed and all that!!! Travel safely, mind your manners and good luck in Vegas! Hugs and kisses to you all, Mr. Paul & Ms. Cheri

Sure is quiet around here!

Jon came in Saturday afternoon and we had all kinds of sports activities going on! There were baseball games, soccer games, made up games and some pouting games! But when the darkness fell, there were some sleepy little boys! We had a big dinner and baths and bedtime for a final night at Nana and Paul-Paul's house. So ..... Sunday we all went down to the falls to use up some energy before the 5 hour car trip home! Must've been a good thing, Jon said they slept hard as he maneuvered down the mountain and onto I-85 toward Atlanta. Our house was so very quiet yesterday afternoon ... I took 3 or 4 naps ... Paul went metal detecting. But the thunderstorms came rolling in and the wind picked up to about 50 mph, so he came home and we spent a very quiet evening together. This morning the house is so still and quiet it's almost lonely! The cats are even wandering around looking for the little "noise makers" ... and all the extra breakfast food that has been on the floor for the past several mornings! I'm sure we'll get used to it.

This week will be back to work and back to some level of normal activity for us ... as soon as we get a little rest under our hats! The boys were great fun. Thanks to the moms and dads who let us play with them. Having them here has been absolutely replenishing for our hearts and spirits and has reminded us to enjoy each moment and love life. :-)

Happy Anniversary to my sister and her husband (Cyndie and Paul) tomorrow, June 26th!! Hope y'all have a lovely day and a wonderful year to come. My brother, Wayne will turn 60 on Sunday ~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, Wayne!!! I'm sure you'll be riding your Harley and enjoying every breath you take!

Chris and Rick, congratulations on your new house and the ease with which you've gone about selecting it and buying it! We so hope you're happy in it for years to come! We'll be thinking of you on Wednesday as you close, and hope for a smooth and uneventful transition!

It's full out summer up here in the high country, gorgeous, green and luscious! (and the summer solstice was last Thursday, so we're right in line with the calendar for a change!) The weather is so very lovely, 50's and 60's in the evening and high 70's or low 80's at mid day. Feel free to drop by and visit! Happy Summer!!! Paul & Cheri

Pictures worth thousands of words

We're too tired to write ... but wanted to show off our boys. We've been to the Tweetsie Railroad and played Cowboys and Indians (and met some real ones), we've been to the Valle Crucis Park and exercised our monkey skills, we've been to the Roan Mountain State Park for swimming ( learned how to see-saw and counter balance) and even saw some wild deer out to feed ... we also went up to Carver's Gap and hiked a couple of miles to the top (5,824 ft.) of Round Bald Mountain and have eaten our way through the local geography! What fun these guys are ... and they remind you how simple life can be! Enjoy our pictures ... we enjoyed taking them! Happy Trails (for real) Paul & Cheri

Grandparent's adventure day 1&2

The boys arrived about 11 AM on Sunday ... in full glory!!! We are having the best time watching them and celebrating Austin's 7th birthday! There is nothing quite like turning 7 years old! He's so grown up now ... and being the oldest of the pack, he's certainly exercising his "being in charge" rights! I took him to pick out his cake today (ninja turtles) and it was so sweet to just have time with him one on one. The other fellas get their time by demand and need, as they're still a bit young. It was delightful to have conversation and time with the grown up one! We had a fun little birthday party for Austin this evening with a hot dog feast on the patio and a cake and ice cream feast in the dining room (without the bugs!). The three of them took a piece of cake to Bruce (our next door neighbor) for his contribution to the birthday gift pile. It was pretty cute watching that delivery! They all three seem to have pretty sweet hearts and adventurous spirits. Although on the adventure thing, Christian is definitely the city boy amongst them!

As you can see, we went down to Elk River Falls today (in Paul's Saab!!! such fun!) and let the boys swim in the river. They were blue in the lips by the time we headed home, but had a great time and were invigorated enough to play baseball (ok, t-ball ), swing on the rope swing that Paul-Paul put up Sunday afternoon, and help Paul mow some of the yard. Cade seems to be the one who enjoys learning hands on stuff. Austin and Christian are more the "engineers" of the bunch, which works out good. It is always good to have some figure out HOW to make "it" ... and others to actually put "it" together! They all seem to be very close, and even though we have 3 beds for them, they all end up sharing and switching around and about. It's fun to watch them, have I mentioned that yet? Anyways, just wanted to send a brief update as it gets pretty busy and I'm afraid I'll forget what all we've done! If you don't get personal e-mails from us this week, please understand... we're just a bit preoccupied!

Oh, and by the way, the second show (recital) went very well and we were extremely pleased with the outcome of the entire thing. Whew! So, next week we might try to get back to normality ... if there really is any such thing ... but for the rest of this week, we are basking in grandparent hood ! To these children's moms and dads, thanks so much for sharing your lovely children - and congratulations on a wonderful job raising these healthy, happy boys.

And we do hope all of you fathers out there had a WONDERFUL father's day ... and a day of rest and relaxation. We understand Paul's dad had one heck of a work day on Father's day, so perhaps the coming up weekend will be a calmer time of it! :-) Mel, if it makes you feel any better, Paul started working at 8 AM on the boy's room ... we finished about 8 pm (with interruptions and meals, etc). Perhaps there is comfort in knowing you weren't alone!

We're hoping to get to the Tweetsie Railroad, the Blowing Rock Park made for little boys with climbing walls and such, the movies if there is anything for their ages, the local horse ranches and the Roan Mountain State Park camp ground (in no particular order) ... but mountain weather is very unpredictable so that is what dictates our schedule. Will keep you all posted!

Cheers to all, Paul & Cheri

One Down, One to Go!

Just a brief note of thanks .... For all of you who have called, e-mail, texts, and otherwise sent us your "good luck" and well wishes for our first show .... THANK YOU SO MUCH! We were able to complete the props, costumes, music edits, and stage scripts and are proud to report that the first recital was a success and is now behind us. We have another show tomorrow evening, which we are hoping will be even smoother (and faster) and then our little grand boys will arrive for their week at the grandparents house! Thanks again for all your good thoughts ... they are MUCH appreciated! More later ... bunk house pics next time ... with little boy's in it perhaps!!! Many thanks, Paul & Cheri

Where do I begin???

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS to the Dancer's Pointe for such a WONDERFUL production last weekend!!! It was so nice to be there to see you all as you performed for and entertained the masses. It was so very comforting to see all the familiar faces and get all those fantastic hugs from everyone. Thank you for such a warm reception! I was sad that the trip so was FAST as I didn't get time to visit with everyone like I would have liked to ... but I'll settle for SITTING IN THE AUDIENCE and WATCHING (!) the show for the first time ever! Thanks, Susi, Kelly and all the teachers and staff! You sure do know how to put on a production!! Also, thanks to the family who hosted my stay ... Valerie and Dan for taking such fabulous care of me and providing the best food and beverages ever ... and to Sam and Vanessa for letting me sew their costumes and take care of their eye lashes and such (and HUGE thanks to Samantha for surrendering her bedroom - THANKS!) And to the kitties for letting me stay in spite of being a stranger. You guys are the best, thanks so much! I seriously recommend staying at the home of a chef who is off of work and preparing for a bash! Great fun!!! Great food!!!

REMEMBER when we were scrapping the horrible cardboard wallpaper off of the guest room walls? Well ... we are doing it again!!! But this time it's in the "bunk house" where we are creating the boy's room! The previous dwellers decided to also add some acoustic tiles to the mix. So you see stacks of tiles that I think we will put on our office ceiling! There must've been a teen age boy in that room ... posters of motocross and such gave it away. I can't decide if he was going for sound proofing ... or not freezing to death. But once again the beautiful tongue and groove wood from the original build out was covered with very distasteful stuff. So, we're doing our best to uncover the grande beginnings and restore what we can. There is an obvious need for some finish carpentry ... but my gosh what a diamond in the rough! THE GRANDSONS ARE ARRIVING on Saturday night (week from right now!) and being the master procrastinator (Paul) ... well, we are now working on the room quite intently!!! It's a HUGE mess ... as you can see by some of these photos. But before pics are always fun to look back at AFTER the fact (we've discovered that in this house for sure!) ... sorry about the pics that are sideways. I forgot to rotate them, and on blogspot, if you delete one pic, you delete them all ... so please just tilt your head sideways and forgive my oversights! (thanks!) We will update these pics ... the boys arrive next Sat. night. ... so the room HAS to be in "occupy" shape soon!

Meanwhile, we're getting ready for recital which is next Fri and Sat night, with tech and dress being Wed. and Thurs. of this coming week. We're busy getting costumes together, painting surfboards, and etc., etc. The dining room looks like a factory for making a mess! But, things are getting done, that's what counts! I am single handedly doing props and costumes as Paul is so distracted with work and flea markets, and all things treasure related!!!! He did find us a cart to use as a prop for the "Be Our Guest" bell hop ... so I applaud his effort!! Someone asked me if he had any starring roles in the show ... he's the lead in "Be our Guest" and also is the assistant in the Ballet 1 piece for about 58 seconds. So he is getting his stage time, thank goodness!!!

The beautiful clawfoot tub is now painted and ready for the pedicure. Then, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will FINALLY get off of the front porch and into the bathroom! It would be LOVELY to take a bubble bath again! I just cringe to think what is going to happen with the "old" one ... I consistently visualize said tub making it's way to the re-store (as opposed to the front porch for flower box purposes or something equally as "deliverance"!). As you can see, we are slowly but surely getting some REAL flower beds put together. Things really are starting to look like home ... and it's great fun to watch it all sprout and blossom!

I wanted to include the picture of "Lawnmower Boy" for those of you who don't believe he actually is mowing and happy about it! We got a basic push mower and take turns having a go at the acre or so we have here. It really is therapeutic, and great exercise! (that's my opinion)

My friend Beth is a home caretaker for a woman named Hazel, (for 1-1/2 years now!) who has been assigned to Hospice care and is working very hard to "pass" through this life and on to the next thing. Please say a prayer and send good thoughts for Beth and Hazel and they work through this time together. It's so nice for both of them to have extra support at this time.

We have so much more to share, but enough for now! After all, tomorrow is another day! Ya'll take good care and be happy! It's finally warm! Yippee!
Paul & Cheri

Introductions and Re-acquaintances

Spring brings with it all kinds of interesting findings. We here in Elk Park have been thoroughly entertained by the weather, the blossoming trees and various flowers, and by life itself. I have just marveled at how exquisite the rhododendron bushes are around here. I've never actually lived in a place where they just BLOOM!!! I've always had to "go to the mountains" to see them. I wish I had pictures to offer here, but that will be for next posting, they're on the desk at the office! Oops!
Anyway, our springs have most recently been filled with recital bliss, as you all know only too well. Now it appears that there are actually other things that happen in the spring time ... who knew!?!?! So I'm being introduced and re-acquainted with things I've long forgotten happen in the spring!!! For example, our grandsons pictured above (Austin, kneeling and Cade standing) have found baseball. Aren't they the most handsome fellas you've ever seen? I just love this picture and really appreciate it being sent to me! I miss these guys and we are very excited that we will get to see them on the 17th of June ... for an entire week!!!! Hope Elk Park is ready for this!!!!

I know you think I'm just trying to show you the trees on the street in the next photo, but actually it is something much more exciting than that! On Sunday Paul hollered through the house, "honey, there's a goat going down the road" ... not the normal topic of conversation, you must admit. So I tried to catch the image of the gentleman pulling the wagon with a goat in the back eating hay! If you double click on the image, it'll bring it close focus ... you might be able to see it if we're lucky. Oh my goodness! The things we just take as normal now! We're not in Kansas any more ... that's for sure!

These two lovely sunshine ladies are the women of Appalachian Specialty Real Estate. Caroline (on the left) is the wife of the guy who sold us our house, and I work for her on Wednesdays. Terri (on the right) is the broker in charge and lives next door to where Paul works now. I work for her on Fridays. We had a great Caribbean mambo open house last Saturday ... food, fun, sunshine ... never a dull moment with these two, as I'm sure you can imagine!

Paul managed to replace the brakes on the Volvo this evening, with the help of our neighbor Mike at Mike's truck garage. Mike has a real trucking business --- runs 18 wheelers down to Florida and back every week. Too bad we didn't know him when we were moving! Anyway, it'll be nice to stop the Volvo without the growling effect ... HA! And it'll be nice to drive it to Charlotte on Friday without the fear of not stopping in the traffic, which we aren't used to any more ... AT ALL!!!!!

I've been in withdrawal all week because The Dancer's Pointe is moving into the theater and having tech rehearsals and etc. I feel like I'm still connected by an invisible cord and I miss the hoopla something terrible! But Paul has been generous enough to send me down on Friday afternoon so I can see the show and support all of my dear friends, past students and their parents. I can't wait to see everyone and see a decent show! It's slim pickins' around here! I'll be coming home Sunday ... so the stay is brief, but welcomed and looked forward to! And I'll get to wish everyone good luck in real time ... but GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL in case I don't see you before the curtain. I know Mr. Paul will be sad to miss the show ... but I also know he's secretly counting the minutes until he gets to play x-box for 24 hours straight. :-)

School of Performing Arts had their recital last weekend and I understand it was just fabulous. I sure did miss dancing with the ladies. From everything I've heard, they were outstanding, as usual. The founding owner and co-director, Ms. Patti (Watson Walsh) is retiring, so there has been plenty of surprises for her from everyone who loves her and has been her students for the past (dare I say?) 30 or more years. I can't think of anyone who deserves to be showered with love and gratitude more in our industry. What a wondrous woman she is! And know she gets to look forward to planting in her garden and enjoying her home, which seems to be more precious to her than ever. So, bless you, Ms. Patti ... and all yours as well!

We hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Memorial Day. Elk Park was filled with American flags through the town center and it was a very powerful feeling, as well as visually beautiful driving through it. It was a pretty impressive set up. I opened the doors to the studio on Monday so that the 3 year old class and I watched the Memorial Day parade go by in Newland. It was nice to have the kids see the parade, but they were mostly interested in the candy that was being thrown to them from every moving vehicle and the policeman who was picking up the candy and handing it to them!!! Things are different here, have I mentioned that? The costumes came in for the recital ... so next week we'll be trying them on and having observation week. It should be a big time for everyone. Please send good thoughts! Yikes! Our recitals are June 15th and 16th at the Avery Middle School in Newland (the town with 2 stop lights).

Paul has been invited to be the host for a Broadway evening celebration at Linville Ridge on Friday night. It's one of the hoity toity communities here filled with rich, fun loving folks. Someone is throwing a great 70th birthday bash for one of the gentlemen there, and Paul is going to be the "red carpet greeter". They've rented a tux for him, hired him for the 2 hour cocktail/reception portion of the party ... and invited him to stay and watch the entertainment and such. So ... he should be well known in the neighborhood after this gig! Driving up in his Saab to boot! Quite a picture, to be sure. They love him here with his accent and his gregarious self. I don't think they understand they are the ones with the accent! HA!

Do hope everyone has a fabulous weekend and is well and happy. Paul & Cheri

The Yocals

WE thought we'd try to introduce you to some of our local yocals around here so you can visualize who it is we're talking about sometimes. Keep in mind, guys in hardware stores don't really like having their picture taken, so these are the best I've been able to come up with to date. People around here still think you aren't supposed to smile at the camera too ... hmmm. Anyway, from the top is Steve Brinkley. He owns and operates Brinkley Hardware, part of a long line of Brinkleys who have had the store since the early 1900s. And his "pa-paw" built a lot of the houses on our street. As you can see in the background of the photos, they sell EVERYTHING and I'm sure it's highly likely there is still inventory in the store from the early 1900s. But, I assure you the prices have gone up with the times!!!! ;-) The second man is David (darned if I know his last name?) who is one of the Floridian transplants from Ft. Lauderdale. I think David and his family have been here for a while. They go back to Florida for a month or so every year when it gets painfully cold around here ... smart!!! The third photo is Mike Davis. He is also our backyard neighbor, and has been most instrumental in our yard staying mowed!! Mike was born and raised here, as was his wife, Kim and their daughter, Kaley. Mike is our local councilman (republican ... in a big way --- don't you know he just loves me!??!) as well. Steve is married to Mike's mom and they collect classic T-birds. (57s in black, white and red so far) They show the cars at the Elizabethon Classic Car rally on Sat. nights. These three gentlemen have "kept us in line" since we moved here, and we've certainly donated plenty to the Brinkley Hardware bank account trying to get this house live-able. The guys have kept us from making some mistakes, and encouraged us to do it their way. The fourth picture is our next door neighbor, Bruce King and his girlfriend, Beth. Between Bruce and Mike, our house is still standing from all the time being empty, and possibly years before that. Bruce is a real local, born and raised in Roaring Creek (the heart of the mountains ... the hurricanes in FL, Ivan in particular, nearly flooded this world here and rumor has it, made the creek's roar even louder than it was originally!) Bruce is also a Cherokee Indian and measures about 3 feet across his shoulders! He is a retired head warden of the TN jail up here. Beth is from NY and we get along very well. She's been here long enough to have developed a very unique accent, consisting of NY and southern all mixed up together. As my son, Jon says, "her accent's all over the place!" He's right!

So ... now you know some of our immediate neighborhood! I'll post more as I get them to give me permission for the photos. These people are very humble, not much for show and tell! But we're trying to pull them out of those shells! Until next time!

Cheers to all! Paul & Cheri