Surprise Discovery at Sampson

A few weeks ago, my hubby & I went on a long weekend with friends. We camped at Sampson State Park, an old military base on Seneca Lake, one of New York State's Finger Lakes. We all love to go wine tasting & that was our primary plan for the weekend. But the guys took their bicycles and went exploring down the old abandoned roads on the old base.

Down one of the overgrown roads, they found an old family graveyard. It probably belonged to the family who owned the property overlooking Seneca Lake before it went to the government.

The four of us drove over later to take some pictures. This was our first view of the cemetery.

The graveyard had been fenced in at some point, but sadly, many of the gravestones have been broken.

As in many old cemeteries, many of the stones had been worn so badly that the names are not longer able to be read. But many of them still can be.

We wandered the cemetery for a while, reading off names and dates. My artistic friend wished she'd had paper to do some rubbings. While I, the writer, made up stories in my head about the people resting there. We both wondered if there was still family around who knew this graveyard was here.

Sometimes life can throw little surprises our way. Little treasures to spark conversation and imagination.

Have a great week.

Natasha
Plaything - Paolo's Playhouse #4
Silken Canvas - coming Dec 25th
www.natashamoore.com

Escape to Roan Mountain

A hiking trip to Roan Mountain also known as the Roan Highlands is the perfect way to get away. Roan Mountain is 6,285 feet high and stands at the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. A few of the mountains here are natural “grassy balds” which means no trees or only very small shrubby trees grow on top of the mountains. They are natural highland meadows. Once you climb to the tops of these balds you can see for miles around. The Appalachian Trail crosses the top and this is one of the few places where the Trail rises above 6000 feet.

I thought these natural grasses were pretty. They look soft and feathery.

Our hike meandered through the spruce forests where large boulders covered in moss sit beside the trail. I nicknamed one the old man of Roan (after the “old man” rock formations in Scotland.) ;) (Below)
Roan Mountain is comprised of five mountain peaks divided into two sections. Roan High Bluff and Roan High Knob have spruce forests. The natural Rhododendron Gardens lies between these in Cloudland. Parts of this area are called Cloudland because the clouds are literally down on the ground. It was so foggy when we were on this part of the mountain, we couldn’t see very far. It’s a neat feeling to be up in the clouds. The below pic shows Roan High Knob surrounded by clouds while we were hiking on Round Bald.As for the Catawba Rhododendrons, this is the most massive group of the shrubs growing anywhere in the world. The day we went, the rhododendrons were at their peak, and a week ahead of their Rhododendron Festival. The interesting thing about these bushes is they appear to have been trimmed by someone, but they haven’t. The look is completely natural.

The other section of Roan Mountain is called Grassy Ridge. There are seven miles of grassy bald divided into Round Bald, Jane Bald and Grassy Ridge Bald. We hiked to the top of Round Bald. The elevation here is 5,826 feet. From here, we had an awesome 360 degree view of some amazing scenery.

(Above) A view of Jane Bald (shorter and in front) and Grassy Ridge Bald from Round Bald. And another view of it below.

This area lies in a Canadian temperate zone. The temperature at the top of Roan Mountain feels about twenty degrees cooler than down in the valleys where everyone lives. The wind blows like crazy and the air is fresh and crisp. We had to wear jackets, even in June. Alpine plants, such as rare moss and heather, which are generally found much further north and in Canada reside at the top of the grassy balds of Roan Mountain. The climate, temperature, wind, clouds and scenery here reminds me of Scotland.

Flame Azaleas are another beautiful native treat.

“It is the most beautiful of the high mountains… with Carolina at its feet on one side and Tennessee on the other, and green ocean of mountains rising in tremendous billows around her.” ~Dr. Elisha Mitchell

To get you in the mood for Valentine's Day...

My husband decided spur of the moment last weekend that we should take a little trip for Valentine's Day this weekend. Woohoo! Sounds like fun! With impulsive, romantic getaways like this it isn't important how much it costs or how far removed. The excursion might simply be to a place you've never been before, even if only a few miles away. This might be a place of natural beauty, a lovely landscape or someplace with lots of activities and nightlife. Whatever your preference. It's *your* romantic mini vacation, so do whatever you enjoy. Don't cook (unless you really love to). Eat at restaurants with good food. Sleep in. Take nice long showers or baths (with your significant other!) Stock the mini fridge with your favorite beverages and snacks. If you can allow yourself, splurge on at least one rich, sinful dessert. (Recipe below if you're in the mood to bake together.) You might even want to watch a feel-good, romantic movie with your sweetheart.

Now, to get you in a romantic mood...

13 of my favorite Love quotes:

"Some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same."

"It takes a minute to have a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone... but it takes a lifetime to forget someone."

"Do you want me to tell you something really subversive? Love is everything it's cracked up to be. That's why people are so cynical about it. . . . It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don't risk everything, you risk even more." Erica Jong in How to Save Your Own Life (1977)

"Love is most nearly itself When here and now cease to matter." T.S. Eliot

My mind has been the most discontented and restless one that ever was put into a body too small for it. I never felt my mind repose upon anything with complete and undistracted enjoyment- upon no person but you. When you are in the room my thoughts never fly out of window: you always concentrate my whole senses." John Keats (Letters to Fanny)


"There is no greater wonder than the way the face and character of a woman fit so perfectly in a man's mind, and stay there, and he could never tell you why. It just seems it was the thing he most wanted." Robert Louis Stevenson

"When we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness - and call it love - true love." Robert Fulghum

Real love stories never have endings." Richard Bach

"Love is just an abbreviation for everything we have ever wanted to say about that one person who truly means something to us, all wrapped up in a tiny four-letter box." Anonymous

"Love is much like a wild rose; beautiful and calm, but willing to draw blood in its defense." Mark A. Overby

"It has been wisely said that we cannot really love anybody at whom we never laugh." Agnes Repplier

"When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life." Greg Anderson

The world moves for love; it kneels before it in awe". Edward Walker, in The Village

My favorite romantic books are too numerous to name so how about...

A list of my favorite romantic movies:
Dirty Dancing
Ever After
The Lake House
Casanova
Ghost
Sense and Sensibility
Pretty Woman
The New World
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Rob Roy
What Women Want

Pride and Prejudice


Now for a rich Valentine's treat:

Better-Than-Sex Chocolate Cake

1 package chocolate butter cake mix
1 3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 eggs
3/4 cup chopped pecans
½ cup oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup water
1 (4 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 8-ounce carton sour cream

Remove a spoonful of cake mix to coat chocolate chips and nuts; set aside.
Combine cake mix, eggs, oil, water, vanilla, pudding mix and sour cream.
Beat well four minutes with electric mixer. Fold in coated chips and nuts.
Pour into greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 - 55
minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Remove from pan after completely cooled.

Frosting

1 stick margarine or butter
1/4 cup evaporated milk
2 cups 10X powdered sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

Melt margarine or butter in saucepan. Add brown sugar. Cook, stirring
constantly, until bubbly. Add the evaporated milk, stirring until smooth.
Remove from heat and add the powdered sugar, blending until of spreading
consistency. Frost cake.


I wish you and that special person a Happy Valentine's Day!

What is your favorite love quote, your favorite romantic movie, or your favorite sinful dessert recipe? Or if you prefer, tell me where you went for a romantic getaway.

Vonda Sinclair www.vondasinclair.com