Hey Thar'. Lookin' fer Aunty's MCW entry? It's over at Ether Capacious. Theme this week is "worst sequel."
Meanwhile, iffin' ya wanna see why I'se been scarce, it's on account of this road trip (below)
NEW on Back Porch: VFI Report
Road trip this time wuz up to Chattanooga fer the
Head of the Hooch!
1500 boats, 5000 meters: the second largest crew regatta in the nation. High school, collich, an' club boats.
A few well named boats....
These younguns is such a treat to watch--energetic oncomin' adults, fit an' smart an' dedicated.
(So's they mamas an' daddies!)
Folks git set up fer a long day of competition...has this much equipment ever been hauled over so many miles fer jes' one day of merrymakin'? The atmosphere rustles up yore blood: high spirits, camaraderie an' friendly jostlin'.
Sleepyheads
includin' coaches
yep, sleep is big in this festival of organized chaos
Crew cuisine
We noticed how many rowers is redheads-- ain't seen so many lovely haids of hair in a coon's age--or mebbe ya needs to be Scottish to be a good oarsman/ oarswoman?
Chattanooga coexistence
Sweet thangs, it were jes' the most lovely time we had.
The weather, sunny but crispy cool, favored the weekend. Thar's still some good color in the foothills...
Drivin' aside the Ocoee
Along the way, we traveled some back roads, dodged all the fast food-poison, took our vittles in out of the way dinin' rooms, like this one heah, in an ole mansion-- our hostess wuz a defectee from Tampa, an' gracious enough to feed a stray pair at 3: 00 in the afternoon.
Three Graces, Tifton Georgia
We made a point of surveyin' BBQ shacks along the road, wood stacked at the ready
Oh Dillon, thas' amazin' pulled pork! (Fer the record? I is suspicious of any self-professed Cracker Lady that ain't as happy wif' a pulled pork sandwich an' slug of Orange Crush as wif' an' homard a l'americaine an' sip of Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame 1996. Jes' sayin'. )
So wuz the Georgia BBQ brisket on the road home ( moan, groan....)
We seen cotton in the fields, the Bonnie Blue, grand ole' homes standin' sentinel on oak shaded lawns, moss swayin' ...it felt like turnin' the pages in a yellowed book of days long lost.... we did miss out on Twila Faye's Southern Special when we sped through Bollingbroke on 41, an' Buckner's famous fried chicken over on Bucksnort Road jes' nawth of Macon. Reckon I will catch them next trip 'cause I does aim to pay homage to
Idgie Threadgoode eat at the
Whistle Stop Cafe in Juliette. Thas' whar'
Fried Green Tomatoes wuz filmed.The thang ya notice right off is how comfortable these folks is, tucked back in heah whar' time belongs to the man, not the industrial maw.
They choose to be less affluent iffin' that be the price of livin' this life. So Dillon done give up his 9-5 to make the best BBQ in south Tennessee, ain't that a good decision? Who is to say which be the better choice?
Onc't Uncle came through the door, yanked loose his tie an' slumped in his chair. "Belle, I seen I man today, worn ole' coat but freshly barbered. He wuz jes' sittin' on a park bench in the sun, feedin' the critters an' gazin' at the flowers. We locked eyes fer a minute as I waited fer a parkin' space to free up. I ain't sure which of us had the better day."
A Black community church advertised Pastor Ebenezer and Brother Willie at the Zebulon Road pulpit. They chillens' wuz all dressed fancy, a blur of pastel dresses an' ruffles as we whizzed on by...
Thar's still la hamlet or two whar' a Piggly Wiggly hangs on... Why resist it? Get yoreself a
"I dig the pig" tee shirt. We found ours in Ducktown Tennessee.
Wanna' say it did mah soul some good to git off grid an' take a look at how some folks is quietly defecting in place, they ain't goin' fer the digital dawgfight, the
M1 meltdown.
"You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you odd."
—
Flannery O'Connor
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