Turkey Day and then some!

We spent Thanksgiving with my family at my aunt and uncle's home in Virginia.  It was about an 8 hour drive which we broke up by staying in a hotel for the night.  Dinner was amazing!!!!  I love how food and family bring out some of the fondest memories of my childhood.  I miss my Mamaw and Pap Pap so very much, but I must say that it almost feels like they're there with us when we enjoy the Thanksgiving feast as they would have prepared it.  It's a great time to reminisce while still creating new moments to laugh about later. 

After filling up on turkey, stuffing, mash potatoes, and side dishes,  I got to enjoy the deliciously sweet confection of my aunts amazing pecan pie.  There is truly nothing like it!  So yes, healthy eating was set aside for a time, but it was truly worth the indulgence.

We left Virginia late evening and made our way back to Pennsylvania.  Exhausted and satisfied, we slept peacefully in our tiny hotel room.  The next several days were devoted to packing up some our belongings while donating and trashing others.  We are not moving everything down to Brevard this trip, but we did get a lot accomplished.  We have one more day in York and then it's back on the road for the Meile bunch.  Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

Meile Micro-Man Regatta!

This past weekend was dedicated to moving and boat races.  Prior to leaving the campground, we decided to hold the first ever Meile Micro-Man Regatta.  We each made our own boat out of cardboard, duct tape, water bottles and whatever else we could find to make it float!  Each boat was to have its own micro-man (a GI Joe type action figure from the Dollar General).  The winner of the Regatta is the official Meile Micro-Man for future Micro adventures!!!  We were one action figure short for the race so Lauryl drew one for Dave's boat...aptly named Micro-Ray!  

The kids began their designs on Saturday, making several test runs to see if their creations would float.  Dave and I waited until Sunday to put together our water crafts. We all talked a lot of smack, convinced we each had the best boat for our Micro-Man.  All this happened in the midst of moving our stuff over to the cabin we will be living in for the next several months.  We have fallen in love with the little town of Brevard, NC.

So, back to the race.  Lauryl was also in charge of video taping the event.  I went first.  My boat spent more time backwards, but made it a good ways before it got hung up in a strainer.  Lauryl and Grace did not have the same luck. Grace's boat hit the side, flipped upside down sending micro-man to the bottom.  Both boat and man needed rescued!  Lauryl's skateboard design got hung up early too and needed retrieved from the other side.

It was Camden's raft like design and Dave's packing tape kayak that had the most success.  Both made it down the stream with only some minor hang-ups, each taking the lead at different times.  Micro-Ray had the largest cheering section and was declared the official winner, but since he was only paper and slightly soggy following the race, Camden's micro-man took the title!  To top it all off, the kids were pleased to claim school time for the project.  We will now be on the lookout for another micro-man adventure so stay tuned!

As a side note, we completed the move to the cabin and we are enjoying it immensely!  We will be heading back to PA for the Thanksgiving holiday but it is only a quick trip to see friends and family and to pick up a few things. Happy Thanksgiving to all...the adventure has only begun!

Through the Looking Glass

Hi it's Grace, Camden and Lauryl today. Well technically, I'm the one writing it but they each had input. On Monday we went on an outing with our rock climbing club. The trip was to Looking Glass Rock in Pisgah Forest.  We went there to go bouldering. 

When we first saw Looking Glass we couldn't believe it!  We probably didn't have the best view on Monday because it was overcast and rainy, but it was still impressive. There were only three other members of club team there so we got a lot of help from the coaches. After a bit of a hike, we reached a field of boulders at the base of Looking Glass. Everything was kind of soggy so we were limited in what we could do, but it was still fun. To quote Camden "It was awesome!" 



Now technically Lauryl hadn't joined the team so she couldn't really climb, but she wanted to sooooo bad that afterwards she decided to join the club too.

The bouldering was interesting because we were probably only 2 feet off the ground most of the time. We spent most of the time just trying to work our way up the side. After practicing on some boulders we took a hike up to the actual base of Looking Glass.  It was really neat!  About five feet of it was climbable but everything above that looked like you'd have to be spider man to do. We stayed in a five foot area, but we did a lot of traversing.  Traversing is when you move side to side along the rock rather than up and down. Our coach also put some white chalk in certain areas so we could try to reach there. By this point in the trip, even Lauryl was trying to do some climbing.  She just couldn't resist!


Once we finished our bouldering trip, we went back to the rock gym for club practice, and by the end of it we were all exhausted. Now Lauryl didn't actually come to the rock gym because she still wasn't a member, but she did go to zumba with my mom.  It was a super fun day.  Tonight we have club again in the gym and Lauryl will be joining us.  We all can't wait!!!!

Learning life in Brevard

Yesterday I had the privilege of talking to someone who lived their whole life in this area of North and South Carolina.  I learned that the neighboring town of Rosman is actually prounounced "Rozman" by the locals.  It reminds me of how we can tell a non-local when they call Lancaster "Lang-caster" or "Land-caster".  I also got some good local history.  Brevard use to have two major manufacturing plants in town, Dupont and Ecusta Paper Mill.  Both left several years ago and therefore there are not nearly the jobs available that use to be.  According to my source who worked 35 years for the papermill before it closed, part of its demise was due to "that Glatfelter plant in Spring Grove.  After looking into things further, I learned from an old article in the Associated Press that the mill had been sold to Glatfelter in 1987 and they in turn sold it to Purico in 2001.  After a bitter labor dispute, Purico closed the doors to the Ecusta plant.

Today we took a 9 mile bike ride on the bike path through Brevard.  During our trip we passed the huge empty field that once held the Ecusta Paper Mill.  It's a strange moment when the life I knew growing up intertwined itself with this new place I am only beginning to experience.  As a teenager I toured the Glatfelter plant, and just a few short months ago, I watched my niece play soccer on the Glatfelter soccer fields.  Today, I got to experience just another moment in their timeline.


Our bike ride also took us into the Pisgah Forest along the Davidson River.  The Davidson is suppose to have wonderful trout fishing, although it is only catch and release in some areas.  We had a great ride and we weren't even tired when it was all said and done.  I don't think there is a bad view in the county.  It all is truly breath-taking.

For those of you who may not have heard, we will be renting a cabin here in Brevard starting in little over a week.  We will be up on a mountain nestled in the woods with a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  It will be the place we call home until the end of March.  Today we had the privilege of meeting the owners of the cabin and they seem like truly lovely people.  We also discovered that there is a mountain biking trail into Dupont State Forest only a mile or two up the road from where we'll be.  The only caveat will be based on the amount of snow we get this winter.  Our road is a series of switch backs up the mountainside.  It could make for interesting blog updates in the months to come.  We will at least be well stocked in our beer and wine.

My last update is on our activities and social life thus far.  I went to my first Zumba class at the Rec Center here and it was wonderful!  Everyone introduced themselves and I felt incredibly welcomed.  The instructor was wonderful too. She is 61 and no slouch.  She kept me sweating the entire time and I have no problem becoming a regular in her class.

All three kids tried a session at Brevard Rock Gym.  It was both challenging and fun for them, but Camden and Grace especially enjoyed it.  They are planning to join the youth club the have and we will going on a boulder outing with the club this Monday.  Camden said he already started making friends.  Grace's hands are sore and she is looking forward to the challenge of it all.  Lauryl is sticking to dance. She is scheduled to start a hip hop tap class at Pisgah Dance Academy on Monday.  She is so excited!  She got to take dance when we were in Destin and  she has missed it over the past month or so.

So that is life in Brevard thus far.  Dave has made some connections with some local kayakers and he is anxious to get on the water this weekend.

I'm sure we will have much more to post in the days to come.  Thank you for continue to follow our adventures!

.

Music in Brevard

Hey people who read this blog. This is Grace, and I get to tell you all about what we did yesterday. It was amazing. After we finished school we went out to see a piano performance done by Craig Nies. He is on The Vanderbilt University music faculty, and teaches for the Brevard Music Center. He played seven wonderful pieces starting with Mozart and finishing with Chopin. It was really amazing to hear. Also, in case anyone would like to know, they hold free concerts the first Monday between October and May at Brevard College.

There were pretty sculptures in the hallway and a beautiful pipe organ behind the stage.  He performed on a lovely grand piano which sounded magnificant.

After the show, we went driving around to check out some sport stores. We learned some great information and all I have to say is that you will hear more from me on Thursday...stay tuned! Afterwards, we went for a walk in Pisgah Forest. We walked their exercise trail which winds through the woods along the Davidson River. Everywhere we go it is simply beautiful! We had a ton of fun and everyday there is a new adventure. Right now, I can't wait until  Thursday!!! Write more then.

The Green River Narrows

Hi, this is Grace again, and I get to write about one of the coolest things I've ever done! My dad, sister, and I went to see the Green Race in Saluda, NC. It was a 45 minute drive to where the Green Race would take place. There were lines of cars parked on the side of the road so my dad just parked at the first spot he found. 

We figured we'd just walk up the road to the trail that would lead to the race. Big mistake!  We started walking and walking and still walking. It was interesting though to look at the license plates because a lot of them were from different states. The farthest ones were from Wyoming, Colorado  Massachusetts, and Maine. 

After about twenty minutes, we reached the actual trail to walk down to the river.  We walked along a beautiful trail and it was so much fun. The best part was near the end though, well it was fun for me anyways. At this part we veered off the nice big trail that was fairly easy to walk on and took a very steep hill down. It was great because I love to climb. At the bottom we jumped a little creek and after walking a bit more, we sat down to watch the race. 

It was amazing!!! Now note we weren't watching from the beginning of the race, because it was very crowded, so what we got to see was someone suddenly coming around a corner and penciling down the waterfall. They'd disappear for a couple seconds then suddenly we'd see them again at the next rapid. 

This rapid was interesting because there were three sections of water going down each one with different levels of water rushing through. In one funny instance, a boater reached this rapid and was planning to take the one with the medium amount water,but a previous boater swam there and his boat was now at the bottom of that rapid. So the boater refused to go down there. Then one of the safety guys went over and pulled him over to the rapid with the least amount of water. There was even a boat with a messed up nose.

After watching from that vantage point for a little while, we decided to walk up a little farther. It was so crowded that Lauryl and I couldn't see a thing. So I found the best seat in the house and laid on this leaning tree to watch the boaters go down. After watching for several hours we decided to head home for dinner. Apparently everybody else did too because we got stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of the woods. 

We finally made it back up the hill we originally went down, which wasn't as fun to climb up as down. We then had to walk the whole way back up the trail and the road before we reached the truck. We stopped for dinner at The Waffle House on our way home. When we got home we were all exhausted. I have to say though, it was totally worth it!  You can look up the Green Race on facebook or check out the website at http://greenrace.amongstit.com/ .

Trunk or Treat?

Hey everybody, it's Grace again, and yes I get to write about Halloween!!! I absolutely love Halloween!  You not only get to wear a crazy costume, but you also get free candy. For Halloween I went as the poem, "The Raven," by Edgar Allen Poe, Camden went as Skeletor, and Lauryl went as Pinkalicious. We were extremely excited because we were getting to trick or treat in Transylvania County.

One unique thing we learned pretty quickly was about a tradition called Trunk-or-Treat.  On Halloween night, numerous people park in a parking lot downtown and set up like a football game tailgate.  At each car there was a person handing out candy. It was a really great idea since a lot of people live in the mountains rather than neighborhoods.  By doing it this way, everyone gets to participate and there's an awesome sense of community!

While at the Trunk or Treat, we met up with my parent's new friends to go trick or treating. They have two kids, a six year old girl and a two year old boy.  They were both dressed as pirates. It was so neat because everyone in the county came down to trick or treat right on the streets of downtown. We just walked down Maple Street and it was so crazy.  First of all they actually block the streets off to traffic.  So, at pretty much every house there was a line of kids 10 to 20 deep, waiting for their candy. It was great!  There were kids of all ages too, not just little kids.
It was one of the best Halloweens I've ever had. I loved getting to trunk or treat and trick or treat with some friends even if they were younger then me. Definitely worth doing again. Transylvania..you rock!