This is the South? #81-02

January 1, 2008 (Tue) Mars Hill, NC (3) Happy New Year! - Well the New Year's Eve party turned out to be an old folks celebration, we all went to bed early. The rousing game of dominoes remained unplayed. We started out with much gusto - drinks and lively conversation. Joe and Kay, our hosts, kindly opened their home to semi-strangers - we, Mark and Joy, had met them only a couple of times in the past - and served a delicious lamb roast dinner. But as the evening wore on the guests faded, first in energy then in presents. We ourselves were in bed by 11:00. We were relieved to learn, this morning, that 2008 arrived anyway.

I neglected to mention in yesterday's entry that one of the highlights of our time in Asheville was coming across an exhibit of gingerbread houses - actually a small part of a much larger exhibit from an annual contest sponsored by The Grove Park Inn, a local luxury resort. They were the most elaborate gingerbread houses imaginable - houses, churches, castles, etc - most set in scenery as in dioramas. We went to the Grove Park Inn to see the rest of the models but could find no place to park, even a car. The Grand Prize is pictured.

Today was a day of recovery. We spent the morning doing just about nothing. This afternoon and evening was a dominoes marathon. With a roaring fire in the fireplace we played one game right after another breaking only to eat dinner. It's been a perfect day for this kind of activity - the temperature in the low 30s and going down. There is snow in the air and much more in the forecast - several inches tonight. And it's expected to get very cold. That's not North Carolina weather in my book.

January 2, 2008 (Wed) Mars Hill, NC (4) - This is the South? 14° and and 2 inches of snow last night. Fortunately Q has a land line power connection so we didn't have to listen to the noisy propane furnace all night. The little electric heater we bought on the way home from Alaska a couple of years ago was able to keep the temperature just above 50°. We were very comfortable under the down featherbed we thought to put in this time. It continued to snow all day, but it was a light misty snow that added another inch or two to the accumulation. The temperature never got over 19°

While Bob and Pat went to Asheville for doctor appointments, we hung out here reading, napping, working a jigsaw puzzle (Joy) and playing the guitar (Mark). After dinner it was dominoes in front of the fire.

January 3, 2008 (Thu) Mars Hill, NC (5) - 11° last night! We never thought that we'd ever camp in weather much below 30°, certainly not below 20°. 11° is beyond the pale! And it's expected to go down to 8° tonight!! There is a lot to consider when it gets this cold. Besides ourselves, for which a small heater and plenty of warm blankets work well, there is the pluming and and food supply that are tucked away in walls, under floors, in cupboards, closets and storage bins that must be kept from freezing. Fortunately this is not all that difficult. It's just a matter of turning on the holding tank heaters and leaving appropriate doors and hatches open. The problem is remembering all the places where there is liquid or where liquid is stored. In the middle of the night and this morning we each remembered a different bin we'd forgotten. Nothing was frozen that we could find.

This afternoon we all went into Asheville to see the movie The Kite Runner. It was wonderful! Aside from the sad and tragic story, this movie should be seen for the graphic portrayal of life and conditions in Afghanistan. We are so very fortunate to be living in the United States where we live somewhat comfortably and have some control over our lives.