Friday, May 30, 2014
Monday, May 19, 2014
Carolina Zip Lines Canopy Tour and Hanging Rock Mountain Area, NC
Nestled in the foothills of Stokes County, N.C. is my beloved mountain, Sauratown Mountain — specifically Hanging Rock. Many a morning I would head out to run errands only to be distracted by the blue black shadow at the fork in the road. Minutes later I would be lying flat on a cliff overhang near the falls.
Hanging Rock State Park host’s; waterfalls’,hiking trails, vista's and tundra that take the breath away, a pristine lake with sandy "beach" front, cabins, campground, canoeing and fishing. A stones throw away and you could be zip lining, Dan River tubing or horseback riding. It is often tag lined "The mountain away from the mountains" in comparison to the looming silhouette of Blue Ridge Parkway in the distance.
A country mile or two down Hwy 66 you can taste award winning wines and view phenomenal art at Germanton Art Gallery and Winery.
Don't leave the area without a step back into time at Priddy's General Store in Danbury. The store has been in operation for nearly a century. Pop a Cheerwine bottle top and rock in the rocking chairs on the porch or pull out the checkerboard for a slow game. Don't miss the laid back bluegrass picking on Friday nights. Buy yourself a RC Cola and a Moon Pie and drive a quarter mile to the Danbury to watch the old man Dan River slip over the rocks and bends at Danbury State Park.
All this and more hidden in the side by side sleepy little towns of Danbury, Germanton and Walnut Cove. All are located off of NC Route 66, not the infamous 66, but I can’t imagine a stretch worthier to be included. Towns where vegetables are left on colored tablecloths’ by farmers with a sign that says "Take some, leave some."
If you want to pick up the pace a tad, a short drive north you have Pilot Mountain and Mount Airy — Andy Griffiths proposed Mayberry and hometown. A 30 minute ride east and you are walking the centuries old cobble stoned streets of Old Salem, the historic Moravian village in Winston-Salem.
Don and I lived in the valley of Walnut Cove ten minutes from that summit before moving back to Charleston almost four years ago. We returned this past fall to go zip lining at Carolina Zip Line Canopy tours. It was bittersweet pulling into our old hometown. We fell quiet as both of us dealt with an inconsolable loss of sorts. It subsided as we drove those familiar switchback turns off of Hwy 66. Majestic poplars in gold and crimson canopied above and spread petals as a flower girl would in lieu of our arrival.
Rubbernecking the beautiful drop offs and deep valley's, we almost missed the dirt drive at Nickell Farm Road. We were greeted first by the bleating goats and clucking chickens in their barnyard near a centuries old stable house. A rocky clay path led us to the Welcome Center of Carolina Zip Lines Canopy Tour. Before we got to the door we heard a noise that sounded like a huge bee was coming through the trees right at us. Overhead a zip liner whizzed by to land on the platform.
We were warmly greeted inside by owner Keith Bollman who told me that Barbara would be down in a bit. We went through instructions, harnessing and greetings with the other zippers.
Barbara Bollman came in and welcomed us with a broad beautiful smile and the hug of a neighbor. Keith and Barbara are equally jovial and fun. Their love for each other and the life and lives that they have created in these hills is evident. The Bollman’s have 12 children and scores of grands.
Barbara gave me the back yard tour excitedly telling me of their plans for the zip line and property.
Lea McQuinn and Seth Boyette were our tour leaders. We felt confident with their expertise and knew we were going to have a good time. The two had a rapport that kept the entire gang giggling with them all morning, they’re practical jokers as well.
Safety and instruction were thorough, but not so elongated that you felt you spent your morning in monotonous orientation. In minutes we were headed to the tree's. It was a nice uphill hike through dense leaf paths to our starting point. A couple of the Bollman family dogs guided as well, but their curiosity had them deserting us minutes in. Once in the trees’ and platforms we talked with our new friends while awaiting our turn to zip.
What an awesome feeling as we glided through the canopies. Lea tells us that many times they have glided alongside deer in the valley by the creek. It is just beautiful and the zips aren't so fast that you can't enjoy the loveliness of the slide show. The finale of our zip was a two cabled race to the bottom. Lea radioed in to Keith and he skipped out to come catch. There is always a guide at the other end to keep your face from splatting a tree. Lea and I raced down on side by side cables...over the valley. I think she let me win.
We dropped our safety belts and said our goodbyes. As we left another group was coming in, they searched our face for gestures of experience— like we do when the crowd lets out of a movie we are going to see.
My husband and I both enjoyed the zip line tour and the crew immensely. I have new friends there. In Barbara's words "Ziplines Canopy Tour was constructed by Universal Zipline Technologies (UZT) who builds worldwide from the USA, Canada and throughout South America. UZT also inspects, certifies and provides guide safety training. These standards follow ACCT standards and certifications. Our guides are the best in the industry. Not only do they have hours of training, and safety, they are also the most enjoyable people to be around. You will feel safe and secure, not to mention having the time of your life with our staff , your friends and family. You will also make new friends on your tour that sometimes go beyond your two hour experience as you exchange pictures, videos and memories with each other.”
I am excited to say that many of the plans that Keith and Barbara anticipated for the Carolina Zip Lines Canopy Tour are coming to fruition. There are hiking trails being built and Disc golf courses.
Oh! They now have helmets with cameras on them and the sd card is included in your tour! Oh let's see, new accommodations’ are coming, Tipi's! Yes stay the night in a Tipi on the property or — if the comfort of a bed in a century old home on site is more your cup of tea, you can saunter right on over after your zip line tour. in the Bed and breakfast in their previous home.
Life is good in the tree's.
http://carolinaziplines.com
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow Part II — Nicolo Paganini
The year was 2002, I was still learning about generations before me through objects passed through countless hands’only to end up in garage sale bins and bazaars.
On one particular Saturday morning, I strapped on a fanny pack filled with; dollar bills, a roll of quarters and one Ben Franklin for that "prize" find. I sloshed coffee all over my console as I rode though town braking and going and braking and turning around while looking for the little square and orange yard sale signs — I caused many a Christian to stumble behind me.
Although the search was always fun, it hadn't been a productive morning. One last stop before going home was the Moravian church bake sale/bazaar. I had promised my 88 year old friend that I would buy some of the Moravian Pies they had been baking all weekend. "They're going to go fast" she told me. And — that was exactly what I wanted them to do. Like, be gone before I got there. Don and I had tried their chicken pot pies the year before and literally spit them out into garbage after taking a bite.
Thank God, the pies were gone! I feigned disappointment and browsed the bazaar sale items to spend an equal amount to add to the church ladies auxiliary fund. My loot consisted of beeswax candles, a few tin smith pieces, a super buttery brownie and a beautiful old wood picture frame with smelly cardboard backing.
I dumped the items on the kitchen table when I got home. Well — all but the buttery brownie.
Let’s examine the frame; ornate, gold gilded and about 12 inches tall. I loosened the hinges on the back of the frame to remove the glass and cardboard. One conclusion I've come to? For whatever reason people hide things, or —maybe they aren't hidden at all, maybe they are safely tucked away for the sole pleasure of the owner. Either way, I have discovered flowers, centuries old four leaf clovers, letters, hair and —Egads, other unidentifiable preserved matter pressed into the binders of old books and the backs of frames.
When I lifted the cardboard backing from the frame, I realized there were actually two pieces. I gently separated the two and gasped!
A woeful musician stared up at me. I touched the painting on canvas, the raised strokes told me it was hand-painted. I pulled out my magnifying glasses and tried to find a artist signature. None. The only markings were a quill pen date of 1832 on the back.
Internet search time. Ok, it's an oil painting of a violinist who in some rendering's looked like Edgar Allan Poe. After a few searches, I concluded the painting is of Nicolo Paganini, violinist and composer, considered to be the greatest violinist of all time.
Nicolo was said to be so extremely talented that it wasn't humanely possible to be so. He must have made a pact with the devil! His following was immense despite the demonic whisperings. Many a accomplished musician left his concert breaking their violin's in anguish over their knees.
It was definitely him. I found a few prints similar, but no oil painting to value it. I spent hours delving deeper into this mysterious violinist. I was captivated by his story, his passion, his darkness—like many composers and artist's over the ages he battled demons with gambling, womanizing and alcohol and finally death.
His death could actually explain the reason I found his image portrayed upside down. In one story I read that in many European cities people came out onto the streets and mourned Nicolo’s passing for days. Prints and likenesses of Paganini were turned backwards at his death— to view no more. After a little more digging, I learned the practice of turning photographs over to be customary practice at death for many reasons. http://genealogy.about.com/od/cemetery_records/a/burial_customs.htm
Anyway, the more I thought about this, the more I thought that this particular painting should go back to the family. Hmmm — or was the truth that I was scared eebie jeebies would jump on me for exposing him to daylight and then selling him on E-bay? I truly believe the latter to be a product of living in the south.
No. Truthfully, I liked the fact that the family at that time still maintained a page on the internet for Nicolo. After initial contact and several communications with a family member, I released the picture for the sum of fifty dollars and mailed the package to it's final home in Italy. See pic of first contact transmission (one of the few successful attempts to find communications from my old Ebay sales.)
Even though I don't treasure hunt anymore, I still leaf through old books and frames at bazaars. I laugh when I think of the treasures that will be unearthed after my demise; A pocket of M&M's, a penny, movie tickets. When I skid in sideways into those pearly gates (after further review from the booth) there won't be regrets of a life not spent, of a fortune hoarded or treasures left in books, frames or hidden in boxes. I use my good perfume, I burn my candles.
I don't know how this painting ended up in a Moravian church bazaar unbeknownst even to the hands that placed it on the table and attached that fifty cent label, but I am grateful for the story and the life I was able to peek into and learn from.
Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (27 October 1782 – 27 May 1840) Italian violinist, guitarist, and composer. The most celebrated violin virtuoso of all times.
http://www.exploratorymusic.net/Hernandez%20page/woodland/Paganini.html
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