B&T Sunshine Tour 2022 - Day 2

You never know how the day will go until well…the day goes. We started out looking for the Hatfield's in Pikeville but B was not really in the mood and we didn’t have a real plan so I didn’t complain. Later, in Tennessee though, we made a stop at a gas station and found a flier for a Hatfield-McCoy Self guided drive through that passes by grave yards and points of interest (killings?). If only we had had that the day before. It would have been a perfect tribute for a Pikeville visit. But we so loved the 23 South experience that we will be back and you gotta leave room to explore for the next time.

B was excited to get back on the road so off we went. Again taken by the beauty of 23 South, we traveled 3-½ hours to Ashville, NC. The cloudless blue skies were stunning against the Appalachian mountains. As I viewed the mountains to my right I kept seeing these stripes that waved along. I thought they were logs at first but turned out they were the tree’s shadows creating these flowing trails. It was gorgeous though trying to take pictures at 60 miles an hour wasn’t real successful.

I find that often I miss the best pictures because I’m in too much awe of what I see before me. This was particularly true of the blue ridge mountains so I downloaded a photo from the web taken by a Michael A Milton that does it justice.

Layers of blue shades lined the bright blue sky. The forests that cover these mountains are predominately made up of spruce and fir trees and they emit isoprene, a building block molecule for many compounds, into the atmosphere creating the blue hue! A moistness glistened my cheeks once again for the gorgeous sites of the world we have been blessed with to explore. I’ve missed it all for even longer than I thought. I flew from place to place for years to other wonderful places while missing so many glorious sites along the way. This trip was eyes open wide!

The Biltmore was a place we had hoped to hook up with B’s brother and his wife who live on their mountain in Vilas, NC. It didn’t work out this trip, but my husband was impressed by the estate layout so we planned to visit the house Day3. We shopped a bit and overheard a constant buzz of ‘You must come, We love to come for Christmas time at the Biltmore!” It was a full moon and a gorgeous night this night! I image it would be magical at Christmas.

Back in our room, we discovered that our nephew, Blake, and his wife, Kate, were only 90 minutes away. They were camping at a KOA in Blountville, TN off I-81. They had been traveling from upper California where they packed up their 6 cats, 1 dog and a snake in an RV to sojourn cross country to their new home in Maidens, VA! Unbeknownst to us, we must have crossed paths around Kingsport, TN earlier that day.

Smiles and sleep were coming much easier these days!

Rocky

We had discussed getting the movie a couple times but without follow through.

This had been a trying year for our family. Logan was 13 and in his first year of middle school. His mom was 48 and in her first acknowledged year of peri-menopause. There were times when Brian’s bug-eyed head turned to view first one of us and then the other; slowly and cautiously.

The school year ended in an academic slump and my son was doing all he could to please his parents while awaiting the dreaded report card to arrive in the mail. His basement ‘lounge’ was clean as a whistle. His demure smiles and loving concerns were sincerely disgusting! After six months of angry frustrations, he and mom were struggling to gain back some ground in their shaken relationship.

A couple of movies were purchased. “Grease” with John Travolta and that Australian sweetheart, Olivia Newton-John. Logan watched in amazement as John T. slicked back his hair and lifted his hip in dance! Not our best success in viewing entertainment together but certainly an opportunity for discussion.

The other movie was the original “Rocky” starring Sylvester Stallone. I must have been in my early 20’s when I first saw it. Now, some 25 years later, I was sewing and glancing up casually as the movie progressed. I had forgotten how this movie along with its powerful, pounding music had gripped the nation. My head lifted as I began to sense the testosterone level rise in the room. The boxers were being introduced into the ring. My son began to pace the floor excitedly; glued to the set, dancing back and forth, renewing the fever that made this movie an instant classic. Logan swung with Rocky, fell with Rocky, and rose to victory with Rocky!

When it was over, he could not contain himself. He had to talk about it. An excited, passionate admiration for this man who made good and beat the odds spewed from his lips and lit up his eyes. He didn’t want the feeling to end. Nor did I. This rebuilding of important family communication, seeing his mind expand and absorb was invigorating for us both. And before I knew it my own mind expanded and absorbed the fact that even though some of the old ground seemed worn and tried, this new gournd sure was fresh and exciting.

Written By Teri Lee
June, 2003