TRAVELS

We've been traveling forever, it seems. We went to north Georgia and Atlanta four times in the past six weeks.

Right before Hurricane Matthew came by, we rushed home from the state capital (where my guy took his photo to be hung), gathered up important papers, washed clothes and packed them up, and went back up to Atlanta to escape the storm (and for an eye doctor appointment). Before those two trips, we had gone up south of Atlanta to housesit/catsit for relatives. And our last trip was up to the foothills north of Atlanta for a family dinner/reunion.

Coming home from the dinner, we stopped at the Taliaferro (pronounced Tolliver) County courthouse so that I could get a copy of my grandfather's death certificate. It is a beautiful old building, with hardwood floors and a minimum of staff. Going inside is like stepping back fifty years into small town Georgia. The people are helpful and so pleasant!

And I can't forget Putnam County, home to authors Alice Walker and Joel Chandler Harris. The courthouse in Eatonton is lovely.

And the people there are just as nice as the ones in Taliaferro County. One of them suggested a cafe across the street for lunch and what did we find on the wall inside?

Yep, a Jack Daniels guitar. And on the corner of the courthouse lawn, we found this statue, a tribute to Br'er Rabbit and the Briarpatch.

What fun we had taking more pictures to add to my courthouse collection!

SWEET MEADOW FARM

Last week was busy. Relatives came to visit Monday and stayed till Friday. Then we had to travel up to North Georgia for another relative's wedding Saturday which meant a six hour drive.

Sweet Meadow Farm, in Tallapoosa, caters to weddings and is a beautiful place for nuptials. It was outside...luckily it didn't rain...and had sweeping lawns, fenced pastures, and a meadow across the pond where benches were set up under a tree for the ceremony.

Here's a view of the farmhouse up above  as we headed toward the pond.

Turning around, you can see the pond below. If you have good eyes, start at the top's middle and look down about a fourth of the picture. Those little white specks between the trees are the benches for the ceremony. We walked down and across a little bridge to get to them.

Here's part of the crowd sitting on those benches, waiting for the ceremony to begin. You can see the farmhouse in the background by the tree, and to the right behind another small tree is the stable where the reception was held.

Coming back over the bridge and up to the stable, this is the side we saw in the photo above.

And here is the other side, where tables were set up and a dance floor was laid out. By this time it was dusk. A bar and hors d'oeuvre tables were placed inside, as later were the cakes. There was also a photo 'booth' so guests could paste pix into a book and sign for the happy couple to enjoy later.

These next two photos of the tables were taken earlier in the day as we headed down to the meadow beyond the pond for the ceremony.

And this one was taken after dinner, waiting for the toasts to begin.

We left after the toasts and cake cutting. Evidently we missed out on some really good dancing and other revelries but alas, we were exhausted from our six hour drive that morning.
.
If you're planning a wedding anywhere around Tallapoosa GA, this is a wonderful setting. Everything from the catering (great food) to the golf carts taking us to our cars went smoothly. The people were friendly and helpful. And the views were spectacular.

Here's their website: http://sweetmeadowevents.com/ in case you want to find out more.

And no, I don't know them and don't get a commission from referrals!

TRAVELS

We've been traveling again. Had a family reunion up in north Georgia and made a trip out of it. While we rode through some of the small towns, my guy took some pix of county courthouses.

My light mystery, TAXED TO THE MAX, features a courthouse murder. When I get the ebook rights next year, I plan to self-publish. My talented guy has been learning to do covers so I'm excited that he'll be using one of his photos for it.

Here are a couple he took on this trip. The first is in Washington, Wilkes County, GA. Built in 1904, the top part was destroyed by fire in 1958. Repairs gave it a flat roof and allowed it to be used until an approximate restoration of the top portion was done in 1989. The original clock tower was taller.

And this one in Lexington, Oglethorpe County, GA was constructed in 1887. It is the oldest Romanesque Revival style courthouse in Georgia :

COURTHOUSE PICTURE

I've put several pictures of old courthouses on my blog before, so I thought I'd add this one that we passed in our travels last week. I love the old buildings in so many of the Georgia counties. Their old clock towers must have seen a lot of history in their times. They were part of the inspiration for my Taxed To The Max mystery.

This one is the Fayette County courthouse that we passed in our travels last week.

TRAVELS

Went to a class reunion in north Georgia. We'd stayed at a chain motel the last time we went, but it wasn't the best experience. The only other lodging in the area was Serenity in the Mountains, a small spa/resort -- like thirteen rooms -- but the price was the same. I figured we'd try it and at least we'd know which one to stay at the next time. I had no idea it was featured in an issue of "Everyday with Rachel Ray" some years back. Was I surprised!

Didn't look like much on the outside because it's right in town, crammed in behind a gas station. No view, no swimming pool, no exercise room, no complimentary breakfast. Just the rooms on the lower level and the spa on the upper. A one-way driveway on one side to register, and another drive on the other side to park.

But the rooms weren't rooms. They were suites. Condos, actually. We walked in and gaped. To our left was the kitchen (photo was taken standing in the living area):  

The dining area was on the right and the living area was straight ahead. Note the fireplace and you can see the edge of the large screen TV. A rocking chair is also just out of sight. The door leads to the bedroom:

The bedroom boasted a hanging TV not in the photo but easy to view lying in the king-sized bed. Guess you can see we'd already had a nap! But hey, it took us seven hours to get up there. We were pretty beat. And also not seen in the photo is the door to the right leading back into the bathroom.

Did I say bathroom? A Jacuzzi tub and an open shower with a tiled seat. I'd trade the cats off just to have that shower in my house! You can see the shower head on the left if you look hard. The towels (used; yes, I waited till we'd settled in to think of taking pix) are hanging off the glass half-door and surrounding wall.

Of course there were the obligatory bear pictures (even one over the toilet paper roll) and other trappings of a mountain cabin. There were also robes in the closet for our free visits to the steam room/sauna. The other spa features had to be paid for, but alas, we had no chance to enjoy any of them. We got in, rested a half hour, showered, went off to the dinner, came back, crashed, got up and left early the next morning for a family reunion further down the road

Nice we could do both reunions in one trip, though. We'd have had to skip one otherwise.

But our stay at Serenity in the Mountains was great. Bet we go back. I can't wait. Maybe we can get there a day early to fully enjoy the services!

MORE LOCAL CRIME

The crime blotter keeps enthralling me. Today a couple of women heard a bunch of people outside their home and came out to see what was happening. A man struck both in the face, but neither woman knew the man's name.

And another woman had her car window broken. The pregnant woman suspects another woman pregnant by the same man. Evidently, she knew the second pregnant woman's name but still, no arrests were made.

Ah, this is as good as a soap opera. Our local newspaper can't give up its print version! These things just wouldn't read the same on the computer!

As an aside, we're off on our travels tomorrow so won't check in for a few days. Birmingham, here we come!

TREE

A friend came to visit and we were out doing touristy stuff. On the way up to Fort King George, we stopped at Hofyl-Broadfield plantation. This was a rice plantation that remained in the same family for five generations though a lot of the land was sold off when rice became too unprofitable. Still they stuck with it until 1913, when the family turned to dairy farming to save their land.  In the 1970's, the youngest daughter of the last family to occupy it (a spinster) died, and she willed it to the state of Georgia. They're making it into a rather nice park, with a walking trail and visitors center added to the main house and outbuildings. The museum has paintings and photographs and a film that tells about its history.

One interesting thing about the place is that the house is filled with eighteenth and nineteenth century things as well as more modern furnishings. All original to the house. Seems the family never threw anything away, just shifted it up to the attic. A guide takes you through and points out things like the chair Miss Ophelia, the last descendent, died in. He also tells stories. Like the chandelier given the family by the noted du Ponts, friends of Miss Ophelia's. (She was evidently a gadabout in her youth who went to Europe and other places as a guest of her wealthier friends.) She disliked the chandelier so much that she only put it up when the du Ponts visited. As soon as they left, she had it taken down and stored till their next visit.

And the grounds are wonderful. The house faces the old rice field--marshes--and is surrounded by large old trees with Spanish moss hanging from them. A lovely place for festivals and other celebrations the Friends of Hofyl-Broadfield put on to raise money for its maintenance and care.

Here's a photo I snapped. It's one of the largest live oaks I've ever seen and it stands near the house. You can kind of see its size by the person standing under it. If you ever travel near Hofyl-Broadfield, be sure and stop in. Wear your walking shoes, because it's a ten minute hide from the visitors center to the house.

TRAVELS

Setting off again for north Georgia. We plan to visit relatives, go to the shooting range, and see our tax guy.

Yes, the dreaded income tax deadline is getting nearer. We heard the IRS didn't have its computers tuned up for the latest tax changes at the first of the year, so we've put it off. I hope they're ready for us now.

I took a course in figuring income taxes once and vowed never again. It seems to me, if we have to give up part of our income to it, the government could make the whole thing easier. Like just taking our blood to sell or something.

But then I guess the CPA's and tax firms like H&R Block and Hewlett Jackson would be out of business. Not to mention all the government employees.

Oh, wait! Then we'd have to pay to support them!

Never mind.

And here are the babies, crushed that we're leaving them. They actually woke up from their nap long enough for me to record their devastation.

Not. They're looking forward to seeing the catsitter. She thinks they're perfect.

ANOTHER FUNERAL

Well, another beloved relative died this past week, one day before her 98th birthday. Aunt Sara was soft-spoken, kind, and the kind of woman who's easy to be around. We're leaving tomorrow, going up to Atlanta for her funeral where she'll be laid beside her daughter who died way too young.

This has been a really bad year for deaths of people close to us. I hope next year will be better. Otherwise, people may start lopping us off the friends list!

And of course, the cats have spotted the suitcases and are beginning to show signs of displeasure. They'll be expecting extra wet food to make up for our absence. We'll have to leave the heat turned up for them, too, because they hate cold, and the temperature today didn't break fifty. A big change from the seventies we were enjoying two days ago.

But it always happens when we have to travel. At least snow isn't predicted where we're heading.

Now I'll finish packing. If I can get this clingy cat off my foot...

TRAVELING IN ALABAMA

My guy and I went to visit relatives in Birmingham and Cropwell, Alabama. We drove through hard rain amid lots of eighteen-wheelers on I-20. He called it 'white knuckle driving' and as far as I was concerned it was 'white knuckle riding', too.

Had a wonderful time though. Ate too much barbecue and too many fried catfish.

We're back home today and we're going on a diet!