Archive for July, 2010

ROAD TRIP TO HAYESVILLE

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

St. Pierre Wood Pottery

My sister and her husband, John, just returned from a week in Hayesville, NC.  They have some friends with a cabin there.  Penny was so excited to tell me about the new places they discovered on their trip.  Since I’m going up to stay at Sunset River Cabin in Blue Ridge this weekend, I plan to check them out.

Hayesville is an easy drive from the Blue Ridge area.  Just drive east to Blairsville on Hwy 515/76 and stay on Hwy 76 thru Young Harris over to Hayesville.  You’ll find a charming little town on the west side of lovely Lake Chatuge, and you’ll enjoy the pretty drive through the North Georgia Mountains.

Along the way, look for Gracie’s Flea Market.  It has quite an assortment of stuff, including yard art made of wrought iron and concrete.  They also sell fresh peaches and boiled peanuts to sustain you on your drive.

Sleepy Hollow is a magical place of more yard art for children of all ages.  It features fairies, elves, playhouses and birdhouses–all made of wood and painted in bright colors.  Penny says they sell some great art supplies as well.

Once you reach Hayesville, go to the old downtown square where you’ll find The Garden Shoppe & Bakery.  It is across from the Library, and it sells beautiful decorations for the home and garden.  It’s fun to just wander around and look.  The bakery is open all day on Saturdays.  The rest of the week it is only open for lunch.  They have delicious quiche as a specialty.  Across from The Garden Shoppe is an interesting Used Book Store, run by volunteers.

Penny and John’s favorite place to visit was St. Pierre Wood Pottery.  Robert St. Pierre, an octogenarian, makes one-of-a-kind vessels from differing species of wood, in all shapes and price ranges.  Each piece is a work of art that can be passed down from generation to generation.  His “pottery” is even on display at the Smithsonian!  He uses only saws and sanders, and puts the wood in a kiln to bring out the grain.  He has a shop attached to his workshop and welcomes visitors.  Sometimes he even shares some secrets.  The shop is open roughly 11-5.  My brother-in-law was happy to buy a trunkload of Mr. St. Pierre’s fine wood “scraps” to use in his woodworking hobby.  Mary, Robert’s wife, is also a craftsman.  She makes wonderful baskets and teaches basketry at the Campbell Folk School in nearby Brasstown.  If you’re in Hayesville, follow Tusquittee Road about 8 miles east to find St. Pierre Wood Pottery.

Posted in Georgia Mountain Attractions, North Carolina Activities | 1 Comment »

I NEED A VACATION!

Friday, July 9th, 2010

This has not been a good week for me.   It started last Friday, right before the 4th of July weekend.  Both our home phone and our computer went out.  Then my 92 year-old Mother, who has Alzheimer’s, suffered a fall.  Luckily, she didn’t break anything, but every time she falls (which happens often), her Assisted Living Home has to call 911 to pick her up off the floor.  The next day she had a TIA (mini stroke–which also happens often) and I spent the weekend with her, trying to justify not sending her to the hospital.  I didn’t want to put her thru unnecessary testing and stress, when sleep was all she needed.  It’s not easy becoming the “parent” to your parent.

Our family Independence Day celebration was postponed until Monday, and that was a good thing.  But, bright and early Tuesday morning, all kinds of monstrously loud beeping equipment came rolling down our street to resurface the main drag of our large suburban subdivision.  Our property lies adjacent to that main drag, so we got all the noise, the dust and the smell of asphalt.  I would’ve left home, but I had to wait on the Cable Guy to show up and restore my services.  Of course he didn’t come that day, as scheduled.  After many calls to Comcast, working thru the maze of computerized questions and being put on hold for eternity, I was finally rewarded by a service call last night.  It took him about 10 minutes to replace a part & fix our problem.  Hallelujah!  Six days without a computer or a phone and I was a basket case.

Today, as I was stuck in rush hour traffic, the weatherman said we broke a temperature record by reaching 101 degrees.  It was hot indeed.  My trusty Explorer’s gauge said it was 103, and I tend to believe it more than some official thermometer at the Atlanta Airport.

All I can think of is how nice it would be in the mountains right now.  It’s at least 10-15 degrees cooler there, and I could be floating down the river, escaping all the problems of the city.  Just yesterday my husband, John, was counting the days until our next vacation .  We leave in  two weeks.  We’re staying at a new cabin to us–Sunset River, managed by Rainbow Cabins.  It’s right on the Toccoa River and it comes with kayaks and tubes.  I’ll tell you all about it when we get back.  In the meantime, I’ll suffer thru the heat, the noise and the traffic–dreaming of our North Georgia Mountains get-away.

Posted in Cabin Rentals in North Georgia, Family Vacations in North Georgia, Uncategorized | No Comments »

DAY TRIPPIN’ TO BABYLAND GENERAL

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Babyland General Hospital

If you are a child of the ’80′s, or if you had a daughter in the 80′s, you are most likely familiar with Cabbage Patch Dolls.  They were quite the craze–like GI Joe or Tickle Me Elmo.  Parents went to great lengths to obtain one for their child.  I know that I did!

Well, those chubby-cheeked, open armed darlings with the weird names, are still alive and well and being “born” regularly in nearby Cleveland, Georgia.  They’re just waiting to delight your child.  It’s a visit of nostalgia for many, and a little creepy for some.  Xavier Roberts, the creator of Cabbage Patch Kids, started his business in 1983 in an old clinic.  In May, 2010, he opened a brand new 70,000 sq. ft southern style home/facility on 650 acres to welcome the third generation of CPK enthusiasts.  The tour is fun, fanciful and free.  But, I doubt you’ll get out of there without buying something.  Those babies are hard to resist.

Expect to be greeted by a nurse who will take you on the grand tour.  There’s a Fathers’ Waiting Room, a re-created turn-of-the-century medical clinic, nurseries lined with cribs, an ICU for Preemies, and a school for the older kids.  The highlight of the tour is the Cabbage Patch under the Magic Crystal Tree, where the CPK’s are “born.”  The birthing process is performed by either an LPN (Licensed Patch Nurse) or a CPD (Cabbage Patch Doctor.)  All the staff are very much in character, dressed in scrubs.  There are CPK babies and kids EVERYWHERE you look, waiting to be adopted.  The original CPK’s are cloth and hand-stitched locally.  They start selling at around $200.  You can, however, buy a vinyl-faced knockoff in the Gift Shop for a very reasonable price.  I think they’re even cuter and more “play” friendly.  This place isn’t just for girls.  I saw lots of little boys and they were having fun too.

Babyland General is open seven days a week.  You can call (706)865-2171 for directions and seasonal hours of operation.  If you’re  in Blue Ridge, staying at a Rainbow Cabin, take a day trip over to Cleveland.  It’s about 54 miles away and an easy drive through the beautiful North Georgia Mountains.  And while you’re over that way, you might want to visit the quaint German town of Helen, home of the famous Oktoberfest.  Unicoi State Park with Anna Ruby Falls is just outside of Helen.  Have fun exploring all that North Georgia has to offer.

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Posted in Family Vacations in North Georgia | 2 Comments »