1-28-10

LETS EXPLORE WHATS ON THE
OTHER SIDE OF THIS CREEK








BAMBOO FOREST






BLUE JAY WAY

BIRD HOUSE

















AIN'T NO STOOP IN BROOKLYN








AARON FINDS WEIRD ARTWORK
IN A DESERTED BLUE VAN

Jeff owns over 200 acres of property in this area. This afternoon we took the opportunity to go exploring. The sunshine was nice and we found some geodes (crystal-filled rocks) along the creek. The creek is pretty wide and deep in parts and crossing proved challenging. We encountered a fallen tree, which served as a bridge for us to cross. Luckily we both won gold medals in gymnastics at the Beijing Olympics so we flew right across the "balance beam." We did some unbelievable back flips into cartwheels, but sadly the camera only caught us treacherously teetering in the middle, desperately trying to keep our balance with the aid of long walking sticks.

Each year Jeff hosts a party for the Summer Solstice where about 1300 people show up and celebrate for days on end. There are several stages for bands to perform on and lots of open spaces for people to dance, party, and pitch tents. We ventured into some of these areas today and found an abandoned blue van with some weird art, canned goodies, and field mice. We hiked up more hills and found the orchards where apples and pears are sadly not growing right now. The view is quite nice though and we can only dream of the lush beauty other seasons provide.

We finally got a hold of our host in Georgia (we planned to go Feb 1) at Rise N' Shine Farms and bad news for us: he's backing out and can no longer host us. Major bummer as we don't want to stay in the intern cabin for 2 more weeks. We're scrambling to find any other hosts in Georgia or Florida who might need our help. We're also crossing our fingers for availability of a house on Amelia Island, off the coast of Georgia. Guess our plans will take shape in the next few days. To all you faithful wwoofingpattap followers, if you are in an office and you are bored, check out wwoofusa.org and help us find a farm that wants to host us!

Tomorrow forecasts 4 inches of snow...guess we'll see about that. Seriously, we came South to avoid the Northeast winter and find warmth. So much for that idea. There is a historic district here in Red Boiling Springs that is home to the last mineral baths in Tennessee. We plan to visit one tomorrow for cleansing and revitalization.