Summer Mountain Respite

What a day! I'm sitting by a creek enjoying dinner and wine... nut seed crackers, haverti, hummus, avocado, roasted garlic and gournet olives.

There is no phone signal here at all, so I'm handwriting this in my spiral notebook.

This morning was leisurely. I made my smoothie, cooked up some farm fresh eggs and kale, washed up my dishes in my makeshift outdoor kitchen, and took off up the road.

I wanted to pick peaches at the peach farm, but they are not open until 2 pm on Sunday. I planned to stop at winery on my way up to the next stop, but about an hour into the drive, I thought about Gray, Georgia and wondered how far away it was.

I looked up and it wasn't too far off the path, so I redirected. I went to Find A Grave website to look to find out where my ancestors are buried. My
ancestors (Grandparents, Great Grandparents and Great Great Grandparents) are from Gray, Georgia. There are 50 cemeteries in Gray.

I know very little about my ancestors. Longevity has not been a family trait. Growing up the only thing that I knew about my ancestors beyond my Grandparents was that my Great Grandfather's name was John. My Grandfather died when I was 8 and my Grandmother died when I was 20 months old.

I found Gray, Georgia a quaint Southern town, the county seat for Jones county. Highview Cemetery sat adjacent to the Baptis Church with the ocunty courthouse across the street.

I parked in the First Baptist Church parking lot, already emptied from Sunday church service. I walked up a steep enbankment to the cemetary. There were graves from every era and decade, two freshly dug with red clay visible and no stone yet placed. Many of the tombstones wer so old and worn that the engraving was illegible. I walked through the entire cemetary looking for my family name. My maiden name is Souther. My Grandmother's maiden name was Bradley, and my Great Grandmother's surname was Jackson before she married a Souther.

I spotted a large tombstone that read "Souther" with two graves: John W. Souther July 23, 1880 to Oct 18, 1921 (age 41 at death) and Allie J Souther March 7, 1887 to Nov 3, 1968 (only 2 years before I was born). These must be my Great Grandparents, but I'm not 100% certain.

Then I found a tombstone for "Bradley" and wondered if this was my Grandmother's parents (my Great Grandparents). She is was Gray, so it would make sense. It could be her uncle and aunt, I suppose. J Greeley Bradley (1872-1954) and Sarah Lela Bradley (1874-1957).

There were quite a few Jacksons buried there.

Tonight I'm staying at the Magical Mountains Resort in Hayesville, North Carolina. It a cute campground with whimsical cabins, tiny houses and buses converted to tiny houses. Decorated in an Alice in Wonderland theme the place is whimsical and fun. When it gets dark the magic begins. The solar powered lights come on and the place down by the creek where I am staying lights up and comes alive.

I arrived about 6:30 pm and wasn't sure where I was supposed to go. I was looking for an office, but ended up all the way at the end of the property without find it. I turned around in a tight space on a significant slope and ditched my right rear tire in a culvert. I was stuck. Within 5 minutes, there were 6 people there to help me. Rocks were wedged up under the van with the propane line and the storage compartment in the hitch only 3 inches from the ground.

One man got a jack, another lay on his belly in the culvert for 20 minutes banging out rocks from underneath the van and jacking it up to get the last rocks out. Once all of the rocks were removed, we used my tire leveling ramp wedges in front of the tire to provide leverage to roll out of the hole that I was in. It worked. 30 minutes later, I was free and setting up camp down by the creek.

The first thing I did was change into my swimsuit and go bathe in the creek. After eating, I walked around, swung in a swing by the creek, and laid in the hammock.

The couple next to me are Tom and Pam and invited me to join them at their bonfire. They travel in their 32 to 38 foot Class A and pull behind an enclosed trailer that houses their 3 motorcyles (the Harley and 2 dirt bikes that they use for off road). Alas, they tell me that there is WIFI here via Starlink. Once I was connected, it works super fast! Very impressive.

As dark fell, the magic began. The lights sparked everywhere and creek bubbled all night long.Read more