Jones Gap

Not far from where we live, about 30 minutes, is a grand wilderness State Park called Jones gap. The only camping available is tent camping, and there are a large number of trails going in and around the area. When we moved up here, we had planned on hiking some of the trails, which I am now unable to do, but I am putting that on my "when I get well" list for now. We went there for a visit today, taking the dogs and the camera. It's a beautiful place, which I hope the readers who are not from SC can see. The Middle Saluda River runs through it, and further down into to South Carolina, the North, Middle and South Saluda rivers come together to make a large river called, simply "The Saluda River! :) How creative, don't you think?

The structure on the left is an enclosure for Brown, Rainbow and Brook trout. It has a run off, which flows back into the Middle Saluda. The dogs evidently found some very interesting smells in there!

These are Jewelweed plants, with individual flowers in the preceeding pictures. It's common name is the Wild Impatien, but I don't think they look very much like impatiens!

Asiatic Dayflower, commonly called "Mouse Ears"

Moss growing on a rock

The log across the river is a tree which evidently recently fell in a storm, and they are cutting it up.

John and the girls! (That is a lead around both of their faces, not a muzzle, otherwise they could not open their mouths)

Greenville County has a proclivity of renaming streets with the word "old", when they redirect the road because of growth in an area. For instance, there is Buncombe Road, and right near it is Old Buncombe Road, or White Horse Road, which is straighter than Old White Horse Road. But I always thought this designation was the ultimate in this time honored tradition - Old Old Hwy 11. Highway 11 is a Scenic Highway through the Upstate, but why they had to label this is beyond me. It only runs about 100 yards and both ends are on the current highway. It isn't used, there isn't anything on it, but there you go, anyway!

Now I am hoping that I did not use up all my spoons and then some today!!

(If you don't understand that, click here.)

(Click on any picture you wish to see closer.)

Come see my latest postcards I've received on Postcards Buffet!

Tag Tuesday - Number 7; And a Story: THIRTY YEARS

The theme for this week is the number 7:

Industrial #7

(click for details)

I had a lot of fun making this tag! If you want to know what I used, or to join in on the challenge, please go to Blog Challenge Garden.

THIRTY YEARS

22nd in the Tuesday Story series

Yesterday, my husband John and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary! I remember how hot is was the day we were married and how handsome John looked. I remember the little brick house we first lived in and the cherry red carpeting which showed any and all lint and debris - it never looked clean, even right after vacuuming. That house had an oil furnace with one large vent in the hallway, which was supposed to heat the whole house. Thankfully, Charleston rarely had really cold days, because the heater did not do well beyond ten feet of that vent. I remember that the last winter we were living in the house, the heater had to be repaired, and the fan was set too high so that when it ran, we had a layer of soot over everything, including the dishes in the cupboard! The old refrigerator in the kitchen kept that room warm in the winter and unbearable in the summer, because it poured out warm air from the bottom from running the motor. We had two window unit air conditioners on either end of the house, and they did not do very well in Charleston's hot and humid climate. But as a young married couple, we took it all in stride.

20 June, 1981

We had planned on going to Scotland, or Ireland, or elsewhere to celebrate this 30 year milestone in our marriage, but because of my illness, we realized last year that we would not be doing anything like that. We then hoped that perhaps I would be able to travel somewhere closer to home, but as June approached, we knew that was not going to happen either. Instead, we drove up to Saluda, North Carolina for lunch, which is about a 30 minute drive from where we live in South Carolina. It is a lovely drive, through the Greenville County watershed and the mountains. There is a sweet restaurant in Saluda where we've eaten before, called The Purple Onion, and we celebrated our anniversary there by dining outside. The weather was excellent, the food was delicious and we were content. We talked about our lives, the blessings the Lord had given us and that we were just happy to be together.

On our front porch.

The little restaurant in Saluda, NC.

The view from our table.

Another special treat was the gift our daughter gave us. She was at our house when we left, and had brought over an anniversary gift. It was a glass jar with 30 folded slips of paper inside, each with a special memory written on it in different colors of ink. We read them on the way to Saluda and they were all so special and heartwarming! We will keep the jar by our bed for a while and read one or two to each other before we go to sleep. 

It was a wonderful day! Even though I may pay for the travel with exhaustion over the next few days, I am so very grateful that I had the stamina to do what we did today.

 Thankful for all of our blessings! 

Rebecca