Georgia

So, what is a Dialect Vlog Hop? It is where you record yourself in a video saying a list of words, and then read some questions and answer them. The idea behind it is to see how people from different parts of the country or the world, say the same words differently. Annie from Mamma Dweeb is hosting this vlog hop. I am from Georgia, and I sound like it. I have tried to NOT sound like it, but I still do. Here is the list of words and questions:

How it works:

You read the list of words and answer the list of questions on a vlog. Then, you upload the video to your blog and link up here so we can all go and see how we say things the same or different! It is amazing how many different ways there are to say something and really fun to hear the different accents (or lack of accents) from different places.

The Words:

why, outside, chic, boutique, February, Right of way, Porsche, Behind, Tomorrow, Bye, Organization

The Questions:

Pin & Pen – do you same them the same or different?

What do you call a place you go that serves mainly alcoholic beverages?

What is the grey tape that can fix any broken object?

What do you call someone that isn’t “cool”?

A phrase your grandparents always said?

What do you call a girl that acts silly and unintelligent?

Slow as ______

Quick as _________

Happy as a ________

And here is my video: I am sitting over by the edge of the Grand Canyon and it is windy, so you may not hear some things clearly, and I have a cold right now, but you get the idea:

I have been sick for almost a week and sleeping most of the day. I have gotten up long enough to take my medicine, do only the most necessary tasks, then back to bed. Finally, I am feeling better. Strep throat is no fun.

I have so many things I have wanted to write about, so this first post is going to be about some good things that have made me say  Wooo Hooo! lately.

First, our friends, Lynda and Charlie were here for not long enough, only two days, but while they were here, I showed Lynda my rash, that YES, unfortunately has come back and was still itching. I knew if anyone would know what the heck it was, it would be her. And sure enough, she did. She took one look, and said, “Kid, that’s ground itch.” Now, I had never heard of that, but looked it up, and it does sound like what I have been experiencing.  And the first doctor I went to in Flagstaff prescribed something that is recommended to cure it, so he was paying attention when I went to him in April. Lynda said to paint it with clear nail polish. So, I painted the area with nail polish and it has cleared up some. Talk about old fashioned remedies! but, by gosh, WOOOO HOOOO! it is helping me.

We had been talking about looking for a volunteer position in Oregon for next winter, but we have also been talking about buying a little house in Georgia. After talking with several lenders, we have come to the conclusion that if we are going to buy a house in Georgia, we’re gonna have to BE in Georgia for a little while to pull it off. So, we started looking for a winter volunteer spot in Georgia, and last week we confirmed with the volunteer co-ordinator at Unicoi State Park. We’re going to be there from November 30, 2011, through April 10, 2012.  And before we head up into the mountains in the north of Georgia, we’ll be spending the month of November at an RV park in west Georgia near our daughters. So, there ya go, another WOOOO HOOOO! Actually three of them, one for BEING in Georgia, one for BEING NEAR our kids, and one for having our volunteer spot BOOKED for next winter already!

I have always loved hair combs–not the kind you use to comb your hair, the decorative kind you put in your hair to be pretty. It may be because I always admired the way they looked in my Aunt Ada’s hair,but, my hair is thin, and combs have never stayed in. A couple of weeks ago, I found this cute little hair gadget at the grocery store. It has two combs that are attached to each other with elastic strands. You put them in and they sort of pull on each other to keep them in place. I am LOVING them. They look so pretty to me.

When we went to Georgia the last time, we were in Best Buy, so I decided to upgrade my phone on my “new every two”  with Verizon. So, I picked out just a regular cellphone. It was a decent phone while we were in civilization, but the farther out in the country we went, the less signal it had. By the time we got to the trailer, I had no signal at all. My old phone would at least make a call here. So, the next week, we went to Tuscaloosa and tried to return the phone. Because I didn’t have my old phone with me for them to reactivate, I couldn’t do it.  So, a week later, we went back up there and took the phone back. I told the guy at Best Buy that that phone wouldn’t get a signal if I was sitting under the tower!  After that transaction was completed, we went over to the Verizon store, where I got a Droid X!

I never thought I would be the person who had one of these things. All I ever wanted my phone to do was make a phone call, period. But I have to say, this thing is great! I can get my emails, Facebook stuff, look things up on the internet, play games, and on and on and on. I walked out of the store not even knowing how to make it make a phone call!  It took me about a day to figure things out, but Wow! This thing will even get me on the internet with my laptop through a USB connection! And, if I wanted to pay an extra $20 a month, it can be a 3G wireless hotspot! WOOOO HOOO! to that!

While I was at it, I upgraded my Wireless Aircard to a MI-Fi. This little thing is about as big as a credit card, and lets us both get on the internet at the same time! And,even when the phone doesn’t get a signal, this does. I am so amazed by it! I was sitting in the woods, in the middle of nowhere, updating my status on Facebook. Now THAT is connected! WOOO HOOO!

That’s about it for now. What Woooo Hoooo moment have you had lately?

It seems like we just got here to Alabama, but it was time to jump in the truck and leave again. This time, we went to Georgia to visit some of our family. We drove about 100 miles through the Alabama countryside before we got to I-20:

We saw this chemical lime plant in Calera, Alabama–everything in the area was covered with a thick layer of white dust. I wouldn’t want to live nearby to that:

We made it up to I-20 for the next 100 miles. The fall colors were still hanging on to the trees up there:

We crossed the Georgia state line:

Then into the Eastern Time Zone:

and finally to our hometown:

I grew up in Douglasville–my family moved there when I was 13. I lived there until we sold our house in August of 2000. The town is nothing like it was back when I was a kid–there are so many people, so many cars, new businesses and a mall. You can’t get out of people’s way in the stores or on the road. If we didn’t have friends and family there we wouldn’t go there at all.

The first night in town, we met up with my daughter Emily, son-in-law Thomas, and grandson, Spencer at Longhorn Steakhouse. Mmmm, we used to go there about once a month. After dinner we went to the mall to walk around and look at stuff. I bought a couple of sweatshirts that I wound up taking back the next day. Emily got some bar stools for her new house that she also wound up taking back.

On Sunday, we went over to Emily’s new house:

They bought this house a few months ago–it has three bedrooms, 2 baths, a huge kitchen and dining room, front porch across the entire front of it, on six acres, with a barn, for $110,000. They got a great deal on it. Spencer loves the big yard and tire swing.

From Emily’s house, we met our daughter, Becky, at her beauty shop and got our hair cut. Then, FabGrandpa and Becky went to a movie, and Emily and I went to my mother’s house. Then, we all met up at Red Lobster for dinner–there was me and FabGrandpa, Emily, Thomas, Spencer, Becky, and our nephew Daniel and his family–Alicia, Brodie, and baby Katherin. We were so glad to see Daniel–we haven’t seen him since before Brodie was born and he is 3 now. Spencer and Brodie got along so well, and the baby was passed around and loved on by all of us!

Seems like all we did was eat eat eat, but that is not really true. We drove, ate, visited, slept, and did it all over again for four days. On Monday, we drove up to Cleveland, Georgia to visit FabGrandpa’s Mom and Dad.  They live a hundred miles from Douglasville. We had a very nice visit with them–didn’t get any photos there though. We spent the night at the Days Inn in town, then went back for a second short visit before heading back to Douglasville for one last night there.

And it always surprises me that even though I lived there for so many years, went to high school there, and was the service unit director for the Girl Scouts there, I NEVER run into anyone I know anymore. Except–FabGrandpa and I went to dinner on the last night there at our favorite barbecue restaurant. It was very crowded, so we squeezed into a booth. When I sat down, the man sitting at the next table reached over and put his hand on my thigh. I was mortified and couldn’t speak for a moment!! It turned out that he was one of our friends we used to hang out with when we lived in Douglasville, and haven’t seen in 10 years.

Wednesday morning, we finally loaded up all our stuff and headed west, back to Payne Lake in Alabama. It was a whirlwind trip, four days and nights of rush rush rush–I am glad it is over and we are back home to sleep in our own beds. And the only traffic we see is this, right outside our door:

In the winter of 2008-2009, we decided to start looking for a house to buy in the West Georgia area. As we were looking through the listings online, we found hundreds of houses like we want: 2 bedroom, 1 bath frame ranch on 2-5 acres, for under $40,000.  But just try to buy one! We have been told that because we live in an RV, we have to buy a house as a second home. REALLY!?  That means, instead of paying $1,000 or so for a down payment and the closing costs, we will be required to pay 20% down. And because we live in the RV, and we would be buying that little house as a second home, we would not be able to take advantage of that tax credit they were offering last year.

Yesterday, we were told by a bank that because we don’t have any income in Georgia, they could not approve a loan for us, even though we qualified for the loan in every other aspect. And then today, I learned that banks won’t finance a property that is priced at under $50,000. A lender even asked me if we were willing to pay more so that we could get financed! I could not believe my ears!

Since we as a nation have just been through foreclosure hell, with lots of people losing their homes because they couldn’t afford to make the payments, doesn’t it just make sense to look for something that will not put pressure on the bank balance to buy?   If we, as the buyers, have decided that we want our payment before taxes and insurance to be $200 or less, why would a lender suggest that we buy something more expensive? Isn’t that what got the housing industry into so much trouble? And yes, we COULD afford a higher payment, but we do not want to be strapped in the not too distant future when we are on a fixed income. It’s called Financial Planning, people.

And yes, I COULD pay 20% for down payment, but I don’t want to. Why should I sink all of my available cash into buying a little house? As much as I would like to have a place to go to in the off season, it just doesn’t make financial sense to me to do that.

So, how are people buying these little houses? How are they getting financed? or are all of them just sitting there empty while would be buyers are closed out of the housing market?

The FabGrandpa and I crawled out of the woods last weekend and went down to the big city to spend the night with Becky. This is the view from her balcony:

She lives in a high-rise condo (with no guest room, as noted earlier) right on Peacthree Street in downtown Atlanta. She took us out to dinner at The Vortex, an ecclectic place with posters of biker chicks on the wall and loud rock music blaring from a juke-box.

It says right on the menu that The Vortex is an “Idiot Free Zone” and that they are not politically correct. They had great cheeseburgers (I had mine sans bun). It was a fabulous place to start the evening. Here are Jim and Becky at The Vortex:

After that, we drive over to Blind Willie’s. It is billed as Atlanta’s finest blues bar, and I agree. I love the slogan on their website “It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Sleazy”, but I did not find the place to be sleazy. When we got there, the place was packed, so we had to share a table with some young guys. They were quite friendly, even bought a round of drinks for the whole table. We stayed there through one set, then sashayed down the block to 10 High.

Now, Becky had been telling us about this great karaoke bar she has been going to, and we have been thinking to ourselves that we could not believe she would like karaoke. Jim and Becky pictured here post Jaeger Bombs at 10 High:But let me tell you, this was not your father’s karaoke bar! At 10 High, there is a live heavy metal band, Metal-some. Our niece Emily, Becky, and me at 10 High:The people who sing karaoke are on stage with the band, with back-up singers, and it is dang good! I have never seen anything quite like it. Well, I have seen movies with night club scenes where you had to work your way through a sea of people to get to the bar, but I have never been in a place like that until Saturday night.

So, yeah, after a night of bar hopping, we were up bright and early on Sunday afternoon, going down to Dekalb Farmer’s Market to eat lunch and do some shopping. I stocked up on herbs and spices: I love that place, it is like no other place I have ever been. Part farmer’s market, part grocery store, part cafeteria.

They sell no paper goods, cleaning products, or sodas. But you can get gluten free flours, all kinds of vegetables, and herbs and spices in huge containers cheap. There is a fish market, a butcher shop, a deli, a bakery, and a dairy section. I always spend too much money, but how can you resist the swiss chard, the kohlrabi, the gulf shrimp, the fresh mozzarella cheese, the basil, the—well, the everything! I got out of there for under a hundred bucks, but I got so much stuff.

Now we are back in the woods, but eating such elegant foods you wouldn’t know it unless you looked out the window. Last night we had bruschetta, with fresh mozzarella and basil. Tonight it will be sauteed shrimp and swiss chard with gluten free quinoa spaghetti. I can hardly wait.

So, just what is it that a volunteer camp host does? And why do we do it? Here at Unicoi State Park in north Georgia, we are required to work 24 hours per week. The things we do vary from week to week, depending on what they need done. Most often, we do the normal campground duties, like cleaning out fire rings at the camp sites. We are amazed at the number of people who burn their trash in their fire rings. It is hard to believe that they enjoy the aroma of burning plastic. We wind up cleaning out all the leftover paper and plastic debris, so that the next person who uses that site won’t get toxic fumes in their wieners and marshmallows.
We also pick up all the trash left behind. All of this rubbish came from one site. I know to some people it doesn’t look like a lot, but if everyone left this little bit behind and it wasn’t picked up, the campground would soon look like a dump. And no, those cigarette butts don’t break down and disappear. They are still just as ugly to see next year when you come back if someone doesn’t pick them up. And what about all those little bare feet running around next summer? If they stepped on those bottle caps it could ruin a nice vacation.
One of the camp hosts does a site check twice a day to document which sites are occupied and by whom. We give this information to the front desk at the lodge, so when they have new arrivals they will know which campsites are available, and so that they will know where each guest is camping in case they need to contact them.
The is always a project list of little things that need to be done. Here, Jim is attaching colored reflectors to the sign posts so that campers will know what color campsites are available on each road in the campground. The sites are color coded to designate what utilities are available and/or how long a of a camper will fit into the site.
In the camp store, called The Trading Post, there is always something to be done. Keeping the t-shirts folded and neatly stacked, stocking shelves, and sweeping the floor are things that need to be done every day.
The volunteers who are assigned to the trading post also ring up sales, give out trail maps and hiking information, and directions to other points of interest in the area. We meet a lot of people who come in for the day or to camp with us over the weekend.
The park hosts a huge arts and crafts show every year. The show takes place in a couple of weeks. Getting ready for it means a lot of very important, but little, tasks need to be done. We stuff envelopes, make name tags, and prepare parking passes for the show.
Although not a part of our official duties, we like to help guests when they need a hand. This young couple, Brian and Jude and their cute little dog, Russ, hiked down the mountain from Anna Ruby Falls, a 5 mile trip one way. It was getting late in the day, so Jim and I drove them back up to their car at the top of the mountain. They are a very interesting couple–she is from England and he is from Atlanta. They are getting married soon, and going to the Phillipines where she is going to teach in a British school there. Cool!
We do a lot here, but the Georgia State Parks give us a lot of perks, too. In addition to that spiffy black hat Jim gets to wear, and a certificate good for five free nights of camping at any Georgia State Park, we get a very nice full hook up site. We use the Toro cart to get around the park while we are on duty.
We get to use the laundry facilities free of charge to wash our clothes, and we get a 50% discount at the lodge restaurant, where the buffet features fried trout every night of the week. And, oooh, that dessert bar is quite yummy, too.
Best of all, we get to work with all the nice people who are on the paid staff. This is Scott and Ellen. Ellen is the person we go to with any questions, and who assigns the jobs we do. We have already signed up to come back next winter. They have five camp host spots here, so if anyone wants to come, let me know, and I’ll send the info on how to sign up. Oh, and did I mention that we get to live in this beautiful place for a few months, where most people only get to visit for a day or two?

Phyllis and Wanda are my two best friends in the world. I have known them for more than 16 years, having met them when I worked at BellSouth in Atlanta. We used to go to lunch together every day, sharing our joys and our heartbreaks over some of the best food in the south. We always went to Mary Mac’s Tea Room at least once a week when the weather was nice so we could walk it off coming back up the hill on Ponce De Leon to West Peachtree Street.

I was the first one of us to become a grandmother, so when Michael made his entrance into the world in San Antonio, they made the road trip with me over those 1,000 miles to go hold my grandson for the first time. How could you NOT love friends like that?

When Jim and I sold our house and hit the road, I was worried that I would never see my friends again. I shouldn’t have worried about it though, because these girls have shown up in some interesting places. I don’t see them as often as I would like to, but they are just a phone call or an email away. And we still sort out all the worlds (at least OUR worlds) problems whenever we get together.

They came to visit us on Saturday at Uncoi State Park in Helen, Georgia. Not a very long road trip, but they do live a couple hours away. We went to lunch at the lodge, where they have a buffet three times a day. After that, we acted like tourists in Helen, going to Nora Mills, Mark of the Potter, Serendipity Stained Glass, then coming back to walk around town looking in all the shops. Dinner was at the Troll Tavern, right down on the Chattahoochee River. (mmmmm, German bratwurst platter!) All too soon it was time to say goodbye, but not before we made plans to meet again at least one more time before we Jim and I leave here at the end of March.

Here we are after lunch at Unicoi Lodge on Saturday
(Wanda, Me, Phyllis)Yeah, we did let the guys come with us. Here they are, checking out the trout in the Chattahoochee at Nora Mills.

Rick, Jim, Jeff