INKLINGS 11/6 | Columnists | Summerville Journal Scene

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INKLINGS 11/6

Published Thursday, November 05, 2009 11:35 AM

By Barbara Lynch Hill
Summerville Journal Scene ®

“The mountains are calling and I must go.”

My sister Cynthia quoted these words of 19th century naturalist, ecologist and nature author John Muir at our recent Girls’ Weekend in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. His words crystallize the lure of these high hills. For the past few years the women in my family have gathered at Cynthia and her husband Jon’s mountain retreat to see splendid fall color and spend exclusive time with each other. We are three grandmothers, two sets of sisters, a daughter-in-law and her mother.

We always go with big plans for three days full of activities. We always stay busy. We also get quiet and oh-so-laid back. This October we began the trip with a wine tasting at one of the 22 vineyards in the Yadkin Valley wine region of North Carolina. We had big plans to eat out our first night, but once we all got there, unpacked and got comfortable, we decided it would be much more fun to just relax and catch up.

The next day we went to Mt. Airy in North Carolina to spend the day shopping. The younger contingent spied a consignment shop and stocked up on fall jackets, slacks and knit tops. The more mature types wandered happily amid dozens of gifts, craft and antique shops and garnered a variety of Christmas stocking stuffers and decorations. We also ate lunch at a haunted brewery where the advertised dismembered ghost (thankfully) did not make an appearance. But we did experience another kind of celebrity sighting.

Mt. Airy is the model town for Mayberry of the Andy Griffith Show. A good deal of the economy of that town is driven by businesses featuring that show and its characters. While walking thought a parking lot we stopped to help an even more senior citizen get into her car. Turns out it was local resident Betty Lynn, the actress who portrayed Thelma Lou, the girlfriend of Barney Fife in the show. She was gracious and charming and we enjoyed talking with her.

We did a lot of driving, taking in local sights. One farmer had a giant bail of hay in the front yard, covered in black and featuring the long hairy legs and snarly expression of a Halloween spider. Cynthia said that it morphs into a full feathered turkey for Thanksgiving and a rotund Santa for Christmas.

We had to laugh at a brightly colored building with murals on the outside and a marquee proclaiming it the “Thunder Road Museum” for race cars. A sign with an arrow pointing to a side door said “Wedding Chapel Entrance.”

That night we had big plans to go to a concert, but decided we’d have a snack supper, don robe and slippers and spend another evening relaxing. All of our daytime doings were surrounded by deep red and yellow leaves at their season’s peak. The next day we made a few more stops and then headed home along that glorious corridor of color. Again, words of John Muir followed us down hill.

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”

Amen.

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