Rainy Day in Cades Cove

A Rainy Day in the Smoky Mountains pt. 2

More Scenes from Cades Cove on a stormy day in spring:

There is something about an old country church that pulls at my heartstrings.  The church here on the mountain (where I live now) was an old white one like this. It burned in the 1950s and was replaced by the brick church that stands today.  These old country churches are beautiful.  How many weddings have they seen? How many funerals? How many tears were shed at the altar? How many romances were started by a sideways glance across the aisle?  How many recipes were swapped at dinners on the ground?  How many souls were saved? Churches like this were the heart and soul of a southern Appalachian community. This was the social center. Schools were often held in church. There were ice cream socials, box supers... How many memories are contained in these walls?

I love old cemeteries. If you take the time to read carefully and pay attention, they have many stories to tell.  Read carefully. Look at how the graves are placed in proximity to one another.  Do the math...
I met an old gentleman in a cemetery in the woods near Cosby, Tennessee some years ago. I commented on all the graves of children there. He told me that, in addition to lack of medical care, there was another reason for infant mortality in the mountains. He told me that, when a mother had twins, she often did not have the milk to keep them both alive.  She had to (his words) "Lay one down so the other one could live". If she tried to nurse them both, both would die. Can you imagine this?

 Beneath each of these stones lies a person with hopes and dreams just like you and I. I once read that, every time a person dies, it is like an entire library burning down.. Think about it.

The next time you find yourself near an old country cemetery, stop and look around. You might learn something.

Rainy Day in the Smoky Mountains pt 1

Since my daughter and I were out for Spring Break this week, we had originally planned a family camping trip. However, as the week wore on, it became evident that we were in for some cold (below normal) nights and some stormy weather. Now, I don't know about you, but cold nights with a five year old plus storms in a pop-up camper does NOT sound like my idea of fun. My husband only had a couple days off, so we decided to make a quick trip to the Smoky Mountains instead.  That's the cool thing about living so near the Smokies- we can be there in less than three hours.  I called one of our favorite, inexpensive "weekend trip " places- Johnson's Inn- and we were good to go.  It was a last-minute trip and we had no real plans- just to get away from it all.
I didn't take as many pictures as I usually do, but I did get a few.  We took a drive out to Cade's Cove.  Half way through, we were caught in a hail storm. That brought a quick end to the Cades Cove exploration as we hightailed it back to Gatlinburg for the Wing and Rib Fest. Unfortunately, the storms had caused the Wing and Rib Fest to be cancelled as well. :( Oh well... as soon as the rain ended we walked down to Crawdaddy's and had crab legs on the balcony as we watched the world walk by below.
All's well that ends well, I guess. :)

These first two were taken in White Oak Flats Cemetery. (Gatlinburg was originally called White Oak Flats.)  This is right in the middle of town, but most people don't know it is there.  I love to walk up here to get away form the crowds and noise. I like exploring old cemeteries and reading old grave stones.  I know some people think cemeteries are creepy, but I don't.  They are actually very interesting.

 We stopped by the sinks on the way to Cades Cove. This place has always fascinated me and terrified me at the same times. They have a lot of drownings here. Now, look at this place and tell me- would YOU try to swim in this? Not me!  The roar of the water is so loud here.  It's a beautiful place.

The rest of the pictures were taken in Cades Cove.  I've visited this place for years- in every season. I always find something new.  Every season here has its own beauty.  Today a storm was coming, so it shed a whole new light on familiar scenes.

 I took this one (above) because of the white path running across the field.  I wonder where it goes?