The joy of waking to this view each morning is just so wonderful. Even if the camera sees all the distortions from the window screen, I easily ignore them. Many of these green trees stand near or by the Animas River which flows through the town.
Linville Falls lower falls...you can't get there from the Blue Ridge Parkway yet , and many of the trails are still damaged. Photo from Facebook.
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Way back photos of my last visit to Linville Falls, upper falls:
October, 2020
Helen and I did selfies with the Upper Falls behind us.
October, 2020. We'd become a society of wearing masks, due to COVID. This wasn't quite as crowded as the photo makes it look.
The upper end of the chute going to the lower falls (can't get there from here!)
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Times that challenge us physically, emotionally, and spiritually may make it almost impossible for us to feel grateful. Yet, we can decide to live gratefully, courageously open to life in all its fullness.
I did early voting last Tuesday. The line outside the early voting site at our library was spaced well, and moved people right along. There were plexi screens as we talked with the people who had laptops to take our names and then print the appropriate ballots. Yes paper. There were 10 standing booths and 2 sitting ones. And a poll worker went around after each booth was used and sprayed disinfectant to clean it. We put our marked ballots into a big automatic machine, and didn't receive a sticker this year, because the poll worker said it was a hands off voting. Thanks to all the poll workers that are coping with pandemic needs! I have high hopes that Biden-Harris will take North Carolina's electoral votes this time!
Governor Cooper just extended our Stage 3 COVID status due to the recent increase in cases in North Carolina.
Our selfie of the day included a bit of horsing around on the part of Helen...giving me rabbit ears no less. When I shared it to Facebook, lots of people enjoyed our shenanigans. I took off my mask, but Helen thought hers too pretty to remove for a photo. There were only a few people in the crowd not wearing masks, thank goodness.
The viewing area was a bit smaller than 2 years ago...a fence has been put up to keep folks from going closer to the falls for a photo. But one guy climbed over it to get his photos.
In case you're tired of looking at waterfalls...here's a bit of something different!
take a break and listen to 5 minutes of classical guitar music...AnnaVidovic plays Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Francisco Tarrega
This is what "retired Helen" looks like...wind in her hair, and she closes her eyes when a camera is pointed in her direction! There was also a great spray of mountain water as it splashed over the rocks. Fortunately we could smell it through our masks! So that tells me that particles of exhaled moisture from coughs and sneezes might also pass through our masks. Get that 6 foot distance!
I'm so glad we took this trip on Thursday, while the sun was shining and there were still a few leaves in color on the trees. Sorry if I've posted some of these photos more than once...I tried to cull out ones that were of the same view...not very effectively I'm afraid.
Today's quote:
Every time we talk to someone, there comes back to us a map of expectation as to how we should respond...
We share a confusion: we are often given direction.
We share a pain; we are often given instruction.
We share a desire; we are often given a plan.
The power of these unspoken maps should not be underestimated. For the endless gravities of expectation we move in and out of govern most of our thinking and summons most of our energy in denying them or complying with them.
In actuality, underneath all the plans, pressures, and expectations, underneath all the subtle guidance and nudging, the next step is truly unknown...
Thus, our spiritual charge is to maintain the wonder of the singular explorer that each of us is...
The freshest step has always come when we are brave enough to land at the end of what little we know, breathing in new air, in reaction to no one, in wonder at what is...
It was nice that many people were masked. This is the rocky area where we could view the upper falls to the left, and the chute of the river going to the lower falls to the right. And here are some photos I posted several years ago visiting the same spot. (More here too.)
There are rock walls around the viewing area on 2 sides. And fences on the other side open to the water. Here's the beginning of the chute.
The chute going down to soon make a 90 degree turn.
A few golden leaves above the rocks and water.
Coming down the last stone stairs to the viewing area...one way traffic.
In the shady area to right, the water disappears around the 90 degree bend.
Upper falls as we went down hill.
At top of steps where I had taken the last photo above.
We waited our turn to get to the fence to see the upper falls closer, and take our selfie of the day! More tomorrow!
Today's quote:
"Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past, Wisdom is of the future." ~Lumbee Native American
"We'll get there early...at 11:15...and they won't be crowded." WRONG. Tables were close together and had 4 people at each one (mostly) and there was only ONE poor waitress taking care of everyone.
Helen and I kept our masks on...finally got to give the one waitress our take-out order of vegetables...and then had 30 more minutes to wait. It was because that one waitress was busy...and then we had the nerve to ask for plastic forks to go with our lunches...so the gal had to walk all the way back to the back to get them.
I don't think this was a working phone, because when one rang, another woman came along looking for the cell phone. Waitress said she didn't know where she put it. The other woman took our money and we left...and more people were coming in the door.
They had some nice seasonal decorations too.
Also, see the little green sign hanging from the ceiling? It tells where the border of one of the 3 counties goes...yes, the restaurant sits on that junction, and has a sign for each county. I posted about this restaurant several years ago on another day-trip HERE.
We took our lunches, found a spot in the crowded parking lot at Linville Falls, and pulled our 2 folding chairs out of the trunk of the car. As we were heading up to a sunny spot, the woman who was sitting at the picnic table helped us and invited us to sit at the table...so we happily did while she waited for who she was meeting. Her 2 children were playing with leaves and bugs nearby.
There were thousands of people going to see the falls (over the whole day I imagine that many, maybe we saw only 50.) We hadn't been for 2 years...and there certainly hadn't been this many people before. On a Thursday no less!
Going down hill, we stopped frequently as Helen marveled at mossy logs...and people passed us by.
There were beautiful trees and leaves overhead.
And roots on rocks frequently. That's Helen further down the path.
Our first view of the falls. Again, stopping meant people would pass behind me on their way down.
There were places where only one person could go at a time. So the pedestrian traffic blocked up going one way or the other.
More tomorrow on the falls!
Today's Quote:
When external factors shift, we have an opportunity to rediscover our core, the only truly safe place to call home.
...this one near Linville Falls...though technically their address is Spruce-Pine, NC.
(There's a Louisa's here in Black Mountain (breakfast and lunch only))
Helen checked out the menu, while I took a pic of the byline on the cover...
This restaurant straddles 3 counties, Avery, Burke and McDowell! What a hoot.
And it's good and it's reasonably priced. I had home-made apple sauce with my Calabash shrimp and a double size portion of fries, and Helen had home-made cole slaw after her BLT hold the B. Simple fare, but good.
The way we decided to eat there was the crowded parking lot.
October, 2020. We'd become a society of wearing masks, due to COVID. This wasn't quite as crowded as the photo makes it look. 
The upper end of the chute going to the lower falls (can't get there from here!)
