Day 10-May 7, 2013

        I made the greatest discovery today.  It's called taking time for yourself.  I didn't know I could sit still as long as I did today without hanging onto a keyboard.  I actually sat outside the bus in beautiful sunny weather, surrounded by green meadows and woods. 
         I also did something I never have enough time to do.  Let me see if I can remember what it is called.  Oh, yeah, I read a book.  Really!!  A book.  Not manuscript pages.  Not on a Kindle or computer.  How cool was that?!?!
          Bonnie and Little Roy had some friends over for dinner.  I made a Spanish-style shrimp and instead of rice which would be the tradition, I made creamy grits made with half and half and garlic herb butter and parmesan cheese.
          All that resting and slow moving has worn me out.  More tomorrow.

Until next time,
Dolores
          

Day 9--May 6, 2013

          As I’ve mentioned several times, we stayed in Elijah Clarke State Park in Lincoln County, Georgia.  Besides being a beautiful 474-acre state park located on the J. Strom Thurmond Lake, it is also a memorial to Elijah Clarke.  He was born in 1742 in Anson County, North Carolina.

Elijah Clarke (1742-1799)

In 1773, this area belonged to the Creeks and Cherokee Indian nations.  After 1773, a treaty was signed with Europe.  Elijah Clarke and forty other families settled in the area.  He was a frontiersman, a Continental Army Officer and Revolutionary War hero.

After the war, Clarke was elected to the Georgia legislature.  In 1794, he organized the Trans-Oconee Republic, several settlements in counties of Georgia in the traditional Creek Territory.  From there he attacked several Creek villages, but was restrained by the Georgia government.

 

Houses built with dog-trot construction (a central open hallway divides the rooms of the house) were common during this time.  A newly renovated log cabin displays furniture and tools dating back to 1780.  The house had four rooms.  Two of the front rooms were paneled in maple, which was unusual for the time.  Windows were barred and also had shutters for even more protection.  Gun ports were in every room through the outside walls.  Because it was hostile territory, Clarke knew he had to protect his family.  He also used the central hallway to house cows and horses by stretching rope across each end to keep them safe.  The cabin was known as Clarke’s Fort. 

In the house, their beds had ropes under mattresses drawn tight in place of springs we have today.  The ropes were kept tight for comfortable sleep.  That is where the expression “sleep tight” came from.  If someone over-stayed their welcome, Hannah would loosen the ropes to make for uncomfortable sleeping so the company would leave. The mattresses were made from hay.  Expression “hit the hay” came from this.

The kitchen is in a separate house.  Hannah believed a real lady cooked inside and not over a campfire.  Breakfast would be corn meal mush, apple cider.  Lunch was usually a stew made from whatever meat the men killed.  Last meal of the day would be cold leftovers.

 Clarke’s wife, Hannah, was a Virginia lady, who followed her husband into the frontier.  She made all their clothes.  It was important to her that each of her eight children have two complete sets of clothing—one to wear, one to wash.  On a loom, she produced linen for two shirts for Elijah, which she was very proud of.  When the Tories started over running the settlements, she hid the linen shirts under the smoke house floor.  When they got to their home, the Tories asked the kids where all their treasures were hidden.  They led them to the shirts.

Hannah helped fight in several Indian attacks.  Once, when Elijah was gone, the Tories took over their home and burned it.  Hannah escaped with all eight kids.

Elijah Clarke died on December 15, 1799.   He and his actions served as one of the sources for the fictional character of Benjamin Martin in The Patriot (a 2000 Mel Gibson film).

The park is also the site of the graves of Elijah and Hannah Clarke.

Until next time,

Dolores

Day 8--May 5, 2013

          Today has been a catch-up day.  The torrential downpours finally stopped late in the morning.  Absolutely nothing exciting going on except for quick visits with a few friends.  Tomorrow we will leave Elijah State Park and move to Miggie Lewis' home for the next week. 
           I'll be doing some research for the guest ranch series I'm working on.  I'll let you know if I come upon anything interesting.
           I have a friend who could really use happy thoughts and prayers.  Nancy Quartrano had climbed onto a counter to get something from a high cabinet.  She slipped and fell onto her back on the floor.  They say she was incredibly lucky because three 3 vertebrae (T1, T2, and T3) were basically crushed and she had bone fragments that could have easily caused paralysis on her right side.
           Friday night, she was taken into surgery and she will not be paralyzed.  She damaged her should where she'd had surgery for a rotator cuff.  I know they keep saying she is lucky, and she is, but in the midst of the pain and anguish, I'm sure she did feel very luckly.
           Hope you are up and around real soon, Nancy.  {{{HUGS}} Love ya.

Until next time,
Dolores

Day 7--May 4, 2013

          Since this is the last day of the Little Roy and Lizzy Music Festival, I thought I’d take some time to tell you about Lizzy Long. 

(Little Roy, Me, Rebekah and Lizzy)

Lizzy was born and raised in Lincolnton, Georgia, just down the road from Little Roy Lewis.  Back in the early ‘50’s the Long Family and the Lewis Family played music together.  As Lizzy explains it, when it was decided that the families should go on the road, the Long family were farm workers and couldn’t leave their farms.  The Lewis Family were factory workers and could set out on their own.

At first, the group was called the Lewis Brothers.  Later, when the Lewis sisters joined their brothers, they became the Lewis Family.  Later they would be known as the First Family of Bluegrass Gospel and go on to win many awards, including the prestigious Dove Award.

Richard and I followed the Lewis Family from the time we started dating in 1974, but we didn’t become personal friends until at least ten years ago.

The first time I saw Lizzy Long perform on stage with the Lewis Family was at a New Year’s concert at Jekyll Island, somewhere around the year 1999 or 2000.  She came onto the stage and began to play her fiddle.  I’ll never forget how impressed I was with just the few songs she played.  I remember the whole audience going crazy with laughter when Lizzy slipped her shoe off and placed her foot onto Little Roy’s shoulder.  Neither performer missed a beat.  They continued to play as if it was the most normal thing ever.

A couple of years later, we got to know them, and Richard and I consider Little Roy, Bonnie and Lizzy good friends.

When Lizzy was fifteen there were problems at her house that caused the state to intervene.  Little Roy and Bonnie became Lizzy’s foster parents.  Lizzy performed with the Lewis Family for a short time.  She then went to college at Glenville State College in West Virginia.  There she was part of the College Bluegrass Music Scholarship program.  While there she started her own bluegrass band, Mountain Fury, and her identical twin sister, Rebekah played bass in the band.

After college, Lizzy moved to Nashville, Tennessee.  She was mentored by Earl Scruggs, Buddy Spicher, and Mac Wisemen.  Little Roy and Bonnie were very involved with their foster daughter’s life.  I’ve heard Lizzy play so many different instruments that I believe she could play a washtub and make it sing.

A few years ago, the Lewis Family retired.  Little Roy showed no signs of slowing down, and it seemed like the most natural next step in his life for him and Lizzy to team up.  They tour all around the country as the Little Roy and Lizzy Show with a great collection of musicians backing them.  Al Hoyle (Mayor of Elijay, Georgia) plays guitar, his sister Lisa plays bass, a great guy from North Carolina, Nathan Stewart plays mandolin.  All the members sing, also.

(Me, Al and Lizzy)

        Nathan, Lisa and Me

Lizzy Long is one of the most talented young ladies I’ve ever had the opportunity to meet or hear play.  And, yes, that talent impresses me, but what moves me most about Lizzy is when I see her following in Little Roy’s footsteps with helping young people in their quest to learn to play banjos, guitars, fiddles or whatever instrument they desire.  Little Roy and Lizzy take their time to share their musical skills.  I look at that as a twist on an old saying.  Lizzy and Little Roy Play It Forward.

Until next time,

Dolores

Day 6--May 3, 2013

            Today’s weather was not the best.  It rained all morning and was in the lower 50’s.  I played catch up in the bus.  Sure it’s fun to think you are on an extended vacation, but when you travel in a motor home, you bring all your household chores with you.  No matter what, clothes need washed, groceries need bought, meals need cooked, and toilets need clean.  Yada Yada Yada.   But it’s worth it.

Richard had a few outside chores to do.  So maybe my inside duties weren’t so bad.  We went to a local seafood place—Soap Creek seafood which used to be on Soap Creek, but now is located in Lincolnton.  I had crab legs.

In 2008, while we were in Alaska, Lyle West asked us to bring a BIG piece of Brazilian Rosewood to Little Roy’s house.  We did.  Lyle then came to Lincolnton and took the wood to a man who lives in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia (I swear I did not make that up).

 That man is Wayne Henderson, who specializes in the crafting of handmade, custom acoustic guitars and he’s a friend of Lyle’s.  The wood we had carried across the nation and then he transported it to Virginia would be used to make several guitars.  In 1995, at a White House ceremony, Wayne Henderson was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship in recognition of his extraordinary instrument-making. Also, the book Clapton's Guitar: Watching Wayne Henderson Build the Perfect Instrument (2005) outlined the process by which Henderson built a guitar for Eric Clapton.  Richard read that book while we were on vacation last summer.  He thought it was very interesting.  In 2008, Wayne was the subject of an Appalshop documentary, From Wood to Singing Guitar.

I tell you all this so you realize how special it is to have a guitar made by Wayne.  He had made one for Lyle out of the wood we brought back from Alaska.  On stage tonight, Rhonda Vincent and Lizzy (on behalf of Lyle) presented that guitar to Little Roy.  It was a very special moment.

Now let me tell you one other short story about the guitar.  For years, Lyle has presented people with various forms of shellac and gold dipped moose droppings.  Yes, you read that right.  I believe Rhonda Vincent has 2 pairs of earrings—shellac for day and gold dipped for night time.  Anyway, Lyle had glued these precious nuggets on to the turning keys.  They handed the guitar to Little Roy before the told him where it came from.  He knew instantly if was from Lyle. 

Without missing a lick, Little Roy announced he would be playing that “Shitar” all over the country.  They audience went crazy.  So much fun.

Tomorrow I’ll post some pictures of the guitar.

Until the next time,

Dolores 

Day 5, May 2, 2013

           Not that this is the first time I’ve set this goal for myself, but I have some pretty serious reasons (this time) for getting rid of my excess weight.  Since I’m not really under any stress (okay, I admit being in a 45 foot long motor home 24/7 times 4½ months with my darling hubby could possibly be a tad stressful) I’m going to devote this time to my health and well-being.

As I am analyzing what is my best plan of action to eat correctly and to exercise more.  Okay, I’ll rephrase that—and START exercising; I’m reminded of a Dolly Parton quote (the gal always knows what she is talking about).  She said:

“I tried every diet in the book. I tried some that weren't in the book. I tried eating the book. It tasted better than most of the diets.”

I put my best foot forward today and started on a exercise regime that I believe will work for me. First, this afternoon, I walked .7 of a mile to the ranger station.  Between here and there, are a few stretches that are nothing but woods.  I hoped Yogi and Boo Boo were eating lunch somewhere other than where I was.  By the time I got to the station I was wishing I had run into a bear that could put me out of my misery.

When I got there, I had to rest on a park bench to gather the strength to walk back to the bus.  If it hadn’t been for the Klondike Crunch ice cream bar they sell at the ranger station, which I ate while I was resting on the bench, I’m not sure I would have made it back.

What a great evening this turned out to be.  Little Roy and Lizzy and their band did a bang up job on their set.  They joined Jeff and Sheri Easter for the next set.  I know this won’t mean much to some of you, but to those who know the history of the Bluegrass Gospel group the Lewis Family, Little Roy’s sister, Polly is Sheri’s mother.  Polly has dementia and hasn’t been able to sing in quite some time.

Her most requested song was Slippers with Wings.  Tonight, Sheri sang the first part, her daughter Morgan sang the second part and they played a CD with Polly singing the third part.  Little Roy played the guitar and, just like he had for so many years, he sang the chorus.  I have to tell you, it was so beautiful it reduced me to tears.  One of the most touching things I’ve seen in a long time.

Another pleasant surprise was when I looked out of the concert tent and saw Billy and Merle Hurst strolling by.  They are long-time friends from Jacksonville, who moved to Elberton, Georgia about a year ago.  We had planned to go see them at the first of the week, but I’m glad they made it here to hear some of the music, and then we got to visit for a while.  Richard and I both enjoyed the visit and look forward to seeing them next week.  It’s been a long time since we’ve gotten to do that.

Until next time,

Dolores

Day 4-May 1, 2013

Happy May Day everyone.  We didn’t dance around a May pole today, but that is about all we didn’t do.

Richard’s brother Art and his wife Lucille arrived in the park today.  We had dinner at the favorite feeding place in Lincolnton, The Chicken House.  Absolutely not a healthy choice, but some of the best fried chicken and catfish fillets ever.

Tonight was the official start of the First Annual Little Roy and Lizzy Music Festival.  They had a battle of the bands and the third thru first prizes were $500, $1000 and $1500.  They were all so good, I would have hated to have been a judge.

Lizzy has a twin sister, Rebekah.  She works for Tom T. and Dixie Hall in their recording studio in Nashville.  Last summer, Richard and I visited with Rebekah for a couple of days, and she took us to the studio which is located behind the Hall’s beautiful planation home.  It was interesting to watch how recordings are done, and it was good to see Rebekah here.                     

 

Rebekah (L) and Lizzy (R)

Tomorrow I plan to explore the park.  There’s a log cabin and cemetery.  It’s been a while since I’ve been here, so I’ll have fun brushing up on the story of Elijah Clark and his family.

Until next time,

Dolores