Southern Living
- The weather has been beautiful. Warm and sunny, with plants blooming and lots of meals on the deck. Weather like this makes you want to live here.
- This country here in the hills is beautiful and scenic. Mountains, rivers, lakes.

hummingbirds on the backporch
- People here are generally friendly and open. Nice vibe where people ask and actually want to know how you are doing. They ask in a thick drawling accent without much regard for grammar, but that's aiight.

nearby Jonesborough, Tennesee
- Motorcycles have enjoyed a renaissance here to the point of taking over. Harleys in particular. Bikers everywhere. Swannanoa - a tiny country town near Black Mountain - has a Harley Davidson store that is the size of a Wall Mart. There is also no helmet law here; I guess this is Darwin's way of thinning the Redneck population.
- Monster Trucks are as popular as ever.

The "Pork Chop"
- One local business advertises: 100% USA Hillbilly Owned
- The Wall Mart is always packed. The parking lot is full every time I have passed, morning or evening.
- The food here is seriously rich. No healthy options. Huge portions, cooked in grease, covered in sauce. Even the few veggies on offer.
- The average person's size is proportional to the uber-caloric nature of the food.
- Went on a jetboat ride with my family. We did 360's in the lake. Yee Haw, coo coo coo.

Goin' native.
- Visited great old college friend Mike Knoblauch and wife Barbara Jane and family in Atlanta for a very nice weekend. Mike has his pilot's license and took me up for a cruise around in the Cessna.

Pilot Mike

Lake Lanier from above.
- Also in Atlanta, I also got to see other great old college friends! David Fowler and his wife Amanda hosted a very nice BBQ at their lovely David-designed home. Anne (Blakely) Sciarrone and her husband Chris were there, as well as Mike and BJ, and a wild roaming pack of child-like creatures. Brigitte Birk made an appearance by phone from Montana, and was sorely missed.

(l to r) David, Chris, Anne, BJ, me, Mike
- Great to see my family again! It has been wonderful. Thanks for everything.
