1985 - Washington DC

I think we had gone to a college friends wedding in the DC area. On the way back, we got on a subway and traveled into DC proper and did some sight seeing. We were only there for the day, so Lee and I just walked around.


The Whitehouse - It's beautiful!

Me and President Ronald Reagan: This is my favorite picture. It looks like I'm standing with President Ronald Reagan. When I was upset with Lee B, I cut him out of the picture. Hate I did that now. Just because he had to go off and search for himself....breaking my heart, I'm pretty sure I'm over it (and have been for a long time...LOL) Love it. Ronny looks like he is saying "Well......" and going off on a long story.







The Washington Monument

As one can tell from the majority of the pictures, we just walked around instead of going up close or going into the actual monuments. That and its been a really long time so I'm not sure what I did go see and what I didn't. I want to go back sometime soon. I actually had a chance to go next weekend (Columbus Day Holiday) for a ServiceNow Meeting. My car won't make it that far and I didn't relish the idea of going alone. Since I'm not going, two of my coworkers are going and I wish they'd offer for me to go with them. C and I could have shared a room. She probably wouldn't mind. However....my Bank holidays are very special to me too. If I went, I would go up early on Monday so I could do the tourist thing. I'm sure my camera is much better than the film camera I had in 1985, even my phone camera is better. :)

The Capital Building - Theatrical Politics at it's worst.
Who would think this building would house some of the worst of the worst people in the world. Greedy, selfish people who are only there to make themselves more rich and powerful. This is my thoughts of today (2017). I didn't think of politics much then, but I hate politics and most uber liberal politicians.

Lee taking a rest. We'd been in the DC area for a few days. Joyce F had gotten married and we'd gone to her wedding. We stayed at a hotel with Gail, and Anna (Honya). Joyce worked at a place called "Stombolies". It was my first Italian Stromboli food. HA HA. I ate that and antipasta salads. I ate so much of that (it's really heavy food) and then we go to the wedding and the food at the wedding is....Stromoli's. LOL. I was in some pain for a while.

Jefferson Memorial

Smithsonian Museum (One of them)

Lincoln Memorial

Edgecombe County, NC - Deeds - Varnell (Jim) & Sharp (Theresa) to Webb & Phillips, 1916

Edgecombe County, NC - Deeds - Varnell & Sharp to Webb & Phillips, 1916

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

North Carolina
Edgecombe County

This deed made this 12th day of December 1916 by James Varnell, Trustee of
Edgecombe county, North Carolina and Theresa Sharp of Wilson County, North
Carolina parties of the first part to Essex Webb, Kinchin Webb, Jet Webb,
Earnest Webb, Roney Webb, Oscar Webb, Bettie Phillips, and Elwell Webb all
of Edgecombe County, North Carolina parties of the second part, Witnesseth:

That Whereas in the last will and Testament of William Varnell that appears
by will in Book H pages 415, 416, and 417 of the Edgecombe County Registry
the said William Varnell devised the tract of land hereinafter described to
James Varnell Trustee for the use and benefit of Theresa Sharp; and Where
under the terms of said will it was provided that upon the death of Wiley G.
Sharp, husband of Theresa Sharp the said James Varnell should convey the
said land unto the said Theresa Sharp; and Whereas the said Wiley G. Sharp
is now dead and the said Theresa Sharp desires to convey said tract of land
to the parties of the second part.

Now therefore in consideration of the premises and of the sum of Thirty-One
Hundred Dollars ($3100.00) in hand paid the receipt of which is hereby
acknowledged the said parties of the first part have bargained sold and
conveyed and do by these presents bargain sell and convey unto the said
parties of the second part their heirs and assigns, that certain tract or
parcel of land in No. 9 Township Edgecombe County, North Carolina adjoining
the lands of Frank Webb on the East, Elwell Webb on the south, and John
Wallace on the West, and North containing 60 acres more or less and being
the tract of land described in Item 8 of the last Will and Testament of
William Varnell which is recorded in Will Book H pages 415, 416, and 417
in the Clerks Office of Edgecombe County to which will reference is made
for a more definite description.

To Have And To Hold the above described tract of land to them, the said
parties of the second part, their heirs and assigns.

And the said parties of the first part for themselves their heirs and
personal representatives covenant to and with the said parties of the
second part their heirs and assigns that they are the owners in fee and
have the right to convey the above described tract of land in fee simple;
that the same is free and clear of any and all encumbrances whatsoever,
and that they will forever warrant and defend the title to the same
against the lawful claims or claims of any and all persons whomsoever.

In Witness Whereof the said parties of the first part have hereunto set
their hands and seals the day and year first above written.

James Varnell (SEAL)

http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/edgecombe/deeds/varnel01.txt

1976 - How to be embarrassed by your pastor

I started going to Grace Free Will Baptist with my family when I was 14 years old. In fact, We were all baptized by Rev. D on a cold winter night in a baptismal that had no heat. My Mom was 31 and my Dad was 34. Yes - my parents married 'off the farm' Mom was 16 when they got married in March (she turned 17 in August). Dad was 19 and turned 20 in December.

We went to GFWB for several years. During my teen years, I spent every available moment I could at the church. If the doors were open and the young people were there, I was there. I had more friends there than I did in school. I had friends at school but they were more like acquaintances. Except for Beth Peed. She was my bestie and even though I don't see her much today, she still is. :)

So a friend of mine, Carol, was getting married. We bridesmaids had these yellow dresses made for the wedding. Mom paid someone $75.00 to make my dress. It was cap sleeved, scoop necked, tied below the breast area, had a big wide ruffle on the bottom outer layer of fabric. I believe it's satin or taffeta. It's two layers yellow and white on top. I had to go home the night after the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner to add some lace on top of the bodice.

It's Friday night and Carol and Pete are getting married on Saturday. I went to the church wearing my nice (well nice for polyester) twead purple/pink with cuffs at the bottom dress pants and a nice top. When I got there, Carol told me that instead of being a bridesmaid, I was now moving to stand at the front and hand out the bulletins, while her cousin was going to be a bridesmaid. $75.00 for a dress to be made to stand at the front and hand out bulletins. But, it was done. I guess the cousin was put out that she wasn't asked to be a bridesmaid, so since I wasn't the closest to Carol, I was put out front. That hurt. But I forgave her. It was her wedding and nice Charlotte didn't believe in causing a scene. Little did I know, shortly thereafter I would cause a crying scene.

We were all standing around down below the pulpit and Rev D was behind the pulpit pulling us together to pray and then have the rehearsal. That man was as diplomatic as a donkey. Out of absolutely no where, he shook his bible at me and in front of all my church friends, he said "I don't ever want to see a woman wearing pants in this sanctuary again". I know I had a smile on my face as he started to speak and then it slowly disappeared, as I was absolutely mortified. He finished without skipping a beat, saying. "Now let us pray".

I didn't pray. I couldn't. I could only stand there with my eyes WIDE OPEN staring at the man who at that moment was the devil himself. How could he embarrass a 16 year old girl that way? Couldn't he take me aside and let me know without tearing my dignity to shreds? Nah - wasn't his speed. Keep in mind this was a man who thought we were supposed to wear dresses everyday; even if we were skating. Know what guys would see if I was skating wearing a dress? Uh huh... you got that picture? I was not the best skater. I should have known better but I was thinking since it was Friday night and not a true church night, it would be ok.

I somehow made it through the rehearsal. Well crap, what did I have to rehearse? Here's your bulletin???

The two hurts coming within mere minutes was too much for me. The rehearsal dinner was just after the 15 minute rehearsal. I stayed about 15 minutes before I exploded in tears. I can forgive a lot of things and I know I was a sensitive soul; but I just couldn't hold it. I asked someone to let Carol know that I was going home and would be there tomorrow, as I didn't want to ruin her rehearsal. You see - it's all about her and Pete that night...not me.

I drove home, crying the whole way. 10 minutes later, I walk in the back door at West Mount and Dad is siting there watching TV. I am almost hysterically crying....I walk over to where he is and this 16 year old girl climbed into my fathers lap and cried until I could explain the situation to him. Once I stopped crying, I got up and told him I had to put lace on the dress I was wearing tomorrow. I was in the foyer standing there feeling like death warmed over, my face swollen and blotchy, stuffy, eyes watering, head hurting and I'm ironing the hand sewn lace on the dress bodice. I figured Dad was still watching TV, but evidently; this was worrying him.

Out of no where I hear my Dad say "Rev D, This is Paul V and I'm calling to find out what the hell you said to my daughter tonight to upset her". Once again that night I was floored. Dad explained to him how I'd come in crying and hurt from being treated the way he treated me in front of my friends. And he explained that that was the incorrect thing to do to anyone. They talked for a while and I got the impression that Rev D was back peddling. Didn't matter, he wasn't sincere. He never thought he did anything wrong, and was his job to point it out, to hell with your feelings". I'm standing there in the den feeling faint and Dad says "Rev D says he would like to see you tomorrow after the service as he wants to apologize to you". Then, "Now Rev D wants to know what you would like to say to him". I told Dad "Tell him I'll be there tomorrow at church for Carol's wedding as I promised to do that and I won't make a scene, but after that service is over, I'm leaving and not coming back to the church".

Rev D stated he understood, but still wanted to see me and apologize and shake my hand. I didn't want it. After the service was over; I walked out of the church. I didn't shake his hand and I didn't go back until 1995, when Billy K contacted me. They pulled together the old youth singing group. Ronny and Lynn came from Georgia. Most of the rest of us were still around Rocky Mount. We got together and sang. I shook his hand that night and said hello but didn't spend any extra time with him, and I haven't been back since.

Looking back, I shouldn't have been surprised at HOW he felt that night...still how he handled it, yes. A year or two before that; we had talked Billy K (Youth director) into the teenagers having their own service on Wednesday night. We got approval and started meeting in the oldest sanctuary. After several weeks, the young men asked if they could be allowed to wear dress pants and shirts, but ditch the dress jackets and ties. We all agreed on it and assuming Rev D was OK with it. Weeks later, we girls asked if we could wear dress pants, and tops, dress shoes....not dresses. Seems some of the guys were now wearing sweat pants and sweat tops. So - why were we dressing so uncomfortably. We were allowed to debate this (there wasn't a debate for the guys, just a general..yeah ok, sure we are ok with it) kind of thing. We girls and the guys were in agreement that the girls could dress down some. Here comes the punchline..... So Billy K says, "This is great conversation and if up to me you girls could do this". "We can all vote yes that the girls can dress down at our own private church meetings....but if we vote yes, Rev D is closing down the separate service".

I was in shock. So smart ass that I am asked "WHY DID WE DEBATE THIS?" "IF WE WEREN'T GOING TO HAVE AN HONEST CHANCE AT GAINING ANYTHING" "THANKS FOR NO CHOICE".

One summer before that, Teresa H and I had gone to pick up a birthday cake, and we stopped by the church to see Billy K. We saw him outside as he lived in one of the houses on the property. We drove up int Teresa's Volkswagon SuperBug and I had the cake box in my lap. We never got out of the car. Rev D found out we'd been in the car, in the parking lot and HORROR UPON HORROR, we had on shorts (presentable shorts). I told ya, he expected dresses every minute of every day of each girls life. Needless to say.....swimming was a no-no for us girls. What would we wear? I HATE that kind of oppression.

I loved the Baptist Church for one thing...the music. The Music was so awesome. Singing.... loved it. I HATED the Baptist Church for it's head up the ass Men are superior beings to us lowly females. To this day, those men can kiss my emancipated ass. LOL

1972 and 1974 Ghost Town in the Sky

1972 - Ghostown in the Sky; Maggie Valley, NC

Wikipedia
Ghost Town Village (formerly "Ghost Town in the Sky) is a Wild West-themed amusement park in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, United States that is currently on hiatus. An unusual aspect of this park is that it is located atop a mountain which can only be accessed by visitors via a 3,370-foot-long (1,030 m) chair lift or an inclined funicular railway. These start at the parking area beside Jonathan Creek at an elevation of 3,150 feet (960 m), climbing to the lower level of the park at 4,400 feet (1,300 m), a climb of 1,250 feet (380 m). The recreated "Ghost Town" sits at 4,600 feet (1,400 m), with the highest elevation in the park being about 4,650 feet (1,420 m). The park is located on a ridge extending from Buck Mountain border, an extension of the Chattahoochee Divide, to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park's entrance is located on U.S. Highway 19, the main road through the town. Ghost Town is promoted as "North Carolina's mile-high theme park."


The park is divided into several "towns" located at different elevations of the mountain, each with a different theme. Among these are the "Indian Village", "Mountain Town" and "Mining Town." The heart of the park is the recreated Old West town, complete with two saloons, a schoolhouse, bank, jail and church and various other businesses. Each hour, a gunfight was staged in the street, with visitors lining up to watch on the board sidewalks. The "Silver Dollar Saloon" featured hourly shows of Old West can-can dancers, while the "Red Dog Saloon" featured live country and bluegrass music performances throughout the day. "Indian Village" featured shows about Indian life in Old West days, including a deer hunt and a raid on a frontier settlement. "Mining Town" had areas where people could pan for gold and silver. It also had shows about life in mining settlements. "Mountain Town" featured shows about life in the Smoky Mountains.

At the terminus of the chairlift and incline railway is the "Heritage Town Square," a 2007 addition to the park. This area featured a museum chronicling the history of "Ghost Town", a restaurant, the Freefall, the casino and the Cliffhanger.

Originally opened in 1988, Red Devil was renamed Cliffhanger in 2007 and given a new paint job. The coaster is unique in that rather than boarding the train and being towed up the lift hill, its boarding station is at the top of the hill. Once riders boarded, the train rolled out of the station, around a 90-degree curve and then over the main drop and into its one inverted loop. The rest of the track extends over the edge of the mountain with great views of the surrounding mountains. Cliffhanger's reopening was pushed back through the 2007 and 2008 seasons because of necessary major repairs.

It opened on June 30, 2009, but was closed less than two days later after a ride operator detected something wrong with one of the train’s seats. State inspectors on site discovered a hairline crack in the seat’s frame next to a bolt that attached the seat to the rest of the car. Rotational Motion, who built the custom cars for Ghost Town, was tasked with finding a solution. The coaster began operating again during the last few weeks of the 2009 season with no reported problems.

During a test run the day before Ghost Town's 2010 season began, there was a problem with one of the train's wheel chassis. Contrary to reports, the train did not derail, but came to an abrupt halt. Shiver said that Cliffhanger would be closed until a new train was purchased.

The other roller coaster operating at Ghost Town is a children's small coaster, Tumbleweed. It was originally named Lil Devil, but received a name change along with Red Devil/Cliffhanger.

Above Ghost Town, a section of the park hosts a variety of standard amusement rides and the "Mountain Top Music Hall" and "Indian Dance Hall." All of the rides are situated at the edge of the mountain, with one ("The Gun Slinger") that swings out over the mountainside. A new feature in 2009 was "The House of Terror," a haunted house open during the Halloween season.

Ticket Office / Ski Lift & Train

We stayed at one of the motels across the street from Ghost Town. It was fun just watching the people ride the ski lift straight up the mountain. I don't remember staying in a motel before the first trip here. We shared a room with Mom and Dad (2 beds). The rooms at motels had access to the room from the outside, not the inside like fancy hotels. Of course, getting ice from the ice machine and buying cokes from the drink machine, going into the lobby with your parents when they did. That was fun. We had our own box of food so we didn't have to eat out as much. I'm pretty sure we had at least one hot meal a day. After parking and buying a ticket, visitors rode the chairlift or incline car 2/3 of a mile up the mountain, climbing more than 1,250 ft. in elevation. The chairlift could transport 1,200 passengers per hour!

The Ski Lift
Dad and Paula

The ski lift was a blast. I enjoyed riding it each time we went. I'm pretty sure I rode up and down the first time and for convenience sake may have taken the train down the 2nd time. Nothing spectacular about the train. It was just quicker. Of course they took your picture near the top ad we purchased the pictures. I was 14 here and Paula was 9. Mom was 31 and Dad was 34. WOW! So young.










Mom and Charlotte

Mom looks very relaxed but she, like I, do not like heights. But I loved the ski lift, as long as it didn't start rocking too much. There were signs "Don't rock the chair". I just prayed everyone paid attention to that. The view from the chairs going up was interesting, but the view coming down is awesome! We had on our traveling clothes. I love that Mom was wearing a dress.... on vacation.... in a ski lift chair that you had to jump out of before the chair would go sideways and sling you around. That was always a stressor. I feared my shoe laces tripping me. There were always 2 men to help you off the chair. I do remember one time there being a stop of the chairs for a few moments. Gotta love the mountains.





Park Map

The Ghost Town complete with cowboys and gunfights, Saloons, etc.

Ghost Town was divided into several "towns" with different themes, including Indian Village, Mountain Town and Mining Town. The Old West Street is still fully intact, and all the buildings still have their original furnishings. Extra ghostly!

If you want to see it on the big screen, seek out the 2007 movie "Dean Teaster's Ghost Town". Two other films, "Mandie and the Secret Tunnel" (2008) and "Ringside Rosary" (2010) were also filmed there.

The Silver Dollar Saloon

This was always good for some fun. I was reminded of Gunsmoke (TV Show) when I was in the Wild West Town. I don't remember the mining or Indian Land. I know they were there, but just don't remember. Of course, that was 44 years ago. Yikes!





Saloon Girls Dancing

Gunfight

....But those view though....

Looking at these pictures, I can smell the clean fresh air of the mountains. Crisp clean summers. Ice cold water in the springs. How do I know? I step into one once and thought my feet would freeze of (this was at a rest stop).






The Amusement Park

I remember riding the roller coaster called cliffhanger, the scrambler, and a few kids rides. The scrambler was frightening. I would whip you out over the mountain side. Paula was so skinny that she slid across the seat toward me, and then away (centrifugal force) I feared she would fall out. I wrapped my arm around her, my other arm I wrapped around the handle in front, and of course a death grip with my left hand / arm on the handle/rod. I'm almost certain I had my right leg over her legs with my foot pressing the floor on the other side, and my ass cheeks were most definitely keeping both of us in the seat. Once was enough. Never again.... It was scarier than the roller coaster.



The Mystery Slant house

There was no picture of this Ghost Town house on the internet. I found another house that was similar. It looked like a run down shack. It was deceptive as the floor was slanted yet the house appeared to be plum. When you walked inside you were leaning forward and it looks as though you are defying gravity. It was one of my favorite things to do. Mom sat and laughed at us until I thought she'd be sick with asthma. She really loved that house.

These are not people who visited when we did. These people are at another location - looks like the 1950s also. This is what we looked like (slanted) walking through the house. It was truly fun!

Train or Ski Lift?

The Ride Down

I know I've said it before, but the Ski Lift (even with the anxiety of heights and jumping off) is the way to go. Now I will never go skiing. It's ok. When i was young, it hurt my feelings to think about not going skiing....but now I'm ok with it. I don't like snow or ice. I don't like freezing cold. I don't feel like doing anything but drinking hot chocolate, but dang it, I love riding the ski lift in the mountains, during the summer. Sigh.





The Train Ride

The first year we went to GTINS, as evidence by the pictures above, we rode the sky lifts up to the top. I think my mother was not fond of it. My sister was young. The 2nd year they chose to ride the train up. It was much quicker than the ski lift so they were waiting for us at the top. The ski lift was interesting. It was only scary when the lift went over the wheels or pulleys at the top of the poles. There was some shuttering and it made me feel uneasy. Otherwise it was a nice pleasant ride. The ride down was an awesome feeling. The scenery was gorgeous looking out at the mountains. The trip up was not as majestic. I think I remember riding the train down on the 2nd year, to save time I guess.

Buy It!
The 250-acre Ghost Town property went up for sale in May 2017 with NAI Beverly-Hanks agent Billy Case that grew up nearby and worked there as a kid. The park is listed for $5,950,000, including 40 buildings on four levels, furnishings and parking for 700 vehicles! There have been many recent upgrades and there are many development possibilities. https://www.romanticasheville.com/ghost_town.htm

Trucking and Accidents

The long and winding road from Virginia to NC:
There were so many miles traveled in my young life. In the 1960s and 1970s; especially in the south, twas the custom to go visiting on Sunday. I guess it was due to the blue light laws. Nothing was open, except essential business like hospitals. Even gas stations were closed. We were lucky, we had gas pumps at Little Easonburg (Hwy 64 Business between Rocky Mount and Nashville NC. These gas stations had a slot in which you could feed dollar bills (never anything larger as it couldn't read the denomination on the bill) and pump enough gas to last you till you could get to a gas station.

Church was where you were supposed to be on Sundays and businesses opened after 1pm on Sunday. NO alcohol was served or could be purchased on Sundays. Southern. Bible belt. Get it?

Back to traveling. In the 1960s we lived in Virginia and we would come down every few weekends to visit my Grandparents. The route between Suffolk and Rocky Mount was mostly Highway 258 which ran through several small towns in North Carolina, including Rich Square and Scotland Neck.

You can't UN-SEE this!
Whenever there was a car accident, it was the norm for other cars to be pulled over and the males would get out and try to help. Females would stay in the car and watch the children. Dad was notorious for stopping and walking up to the accident to see what had happened. He had a natural curiosity about it. He'd come back and give us an update. The G rated version for us kids. One day he pulled over and I don't know what he saw, and I can only imagine. He told us when he came back in that someone had died and that he would never be stopping at the accidents again. As we rode past the vehicles; there was a body under a sheet on the side of the road. Dad was true to his word. He didn't stop again.

Dad was a trucker for many years of his adult life. He went between trucking and owning his own pest control business "Varnell's Pest Control". I was the secretary for his business, even as a young person, pre-teenager, even. I knew to pick up the house phone and say "Varnell's Pest Control" Then the person would ask for Dad and I would say, "He's not here right now, may I take a message". I would then write the messages and the phone number down and the reiterate the name, phone number back to them and let them know he'd call when he returned. I sounded like I was five. I still sound like a child on the phone. But, I did a good job helping out.

Accidents Dad has seen - the car fire
When Dad was working trucking he saw several bad accidents. He arrived at an accident scene one day where a car was fully engulfed in flames. The officer had pulled up and asked Dad and others to stay back. He walked up and looked into the back of the car (from a distance) and could see there were 2 people in the car who had perished from the fire. Dad said the officer reacted, jerking back when he saw it. Dad said it was awful and smelled awful.

The Storm that other Truckers were Ignoring:
Dad was driving in a horrible rain storm one night. Several trucks flew by him but Dad was in no hurry. Sure enough within a few miles the other trucks ran into some cars on the road and Dad had to pass this wreck on the right hand side of the interstate. He knew people died. It was horrible.

North and South Collide
Dad saw another accident scene where one Tractor Trailer rig had been traveling north bound and had for some reason run across the medium and into the southbound traffic and hit another tractor trailer (or Lorrie as they are called in England, but I digress). Dad said there wasn't much left of either truck.

They missed their turn
Back in the 1970s, Dad was driving a truck and I was watching Paula and me while mom worked 2nd shift at Abbott Labs. Dad didn't get home before we went to bed which was unusual. I took the phone and pulled it close to my bed. It didn't ring until after I was long asleep (and I slept through the call). Mom answered the phone and it was Dad. Just after he had crossed the VA/NC line going into Virginia, a car in front of him decided to turn left, and not give him any notice whatsoever. It was a last minute decision on their part; and they paid dearly for it. They turned, Dad hit the breaks causing the truck to jackknife (where the end of the trailer comes up beside the truck). The trainer hit the car and knocked the car into the field. Dad's truck hit the middle tree of 3 straight on. The doors to his truck were jammed shut and he had trouble getting out. See, the main reason on this story is BIG TRUCKS CAN'T STOP QUICKLY. Be aware. As far as I know the people survived and the accident was their fault. I seem to remember they were thrown out in the ditch. Must have been one hell of a scary time for them.

Dad got home really late that night. Not sure how as I'm sure the truck couldn't be driven. Mom was challenged to drive anywhere long distance back then.

Dad's co-driver - hit by car
Dad stopped working pest control and went back to trucking in the 1980s. He worked for a company that carried product from Abbott Labs to other states. Dad had a route that took him up through the mountains up north west. He had a co-driver so they could take turns. One would sleep while the other drove. One of his co-workers had a horrible habit of just walking and never looking around. One night they stopped to eat dinner and their rig was parked across the road. This guy was walking in front of Dad and stepped out in front of a car and was hit. He survived. He was in bad shape and out of work for a long while.

Lit up and no need for headlights
Dad was working for Carolina Freight and they moved him down to Atlanta to work. Dad goes down there and he's got a house of his own. One night he is driving out of the parking lot at ABF (they bought Carolina Freight) and it's a dark 2 lane country road. Dad is hit in the drivers side door, by a person who has just left the bar down the street and is drunk and has no headlights on. So - lit up, he didn't need headlights. Dad was in the hospital and Gregg, Mom and I went down to see him. He stayed in the hospital for several days. He had injuries all the way down his left side, including fractures on his hip and thigh. He came back home to recuperate. Greg had worked 3rd shift the night before I found out Dad had been hurt. I was going to drive down to Atlanta by myself and go see Dad, but Gregg wanted to drive and I was ok with that. Mom went with us.

When we arrived at Georgia, we went to the hospital "Grady Memorial" Hospital. When we got there, Dad was in a special unit where each patient had a glassed in room. Dad was hot and had a wet washcloth of top of his head. His nurse was from the 'islands' and she kept asking him about the washcloth on his head in her lilting accent. Dad was ok but he was broke up pretty badly. They ended up giving him a morphine drip.

We left to check on some things. We went to see the car. There was about 6 inches of room between the sterring wheel and the drivers side door. Dad was truly hurt. This idiot driving without lights on, on a dark country road. To this day, it burns me up.

Gregg thought I was stressed so he tried to take my and Mom's minds off of things and we went to Stone Mountain. To this day I must have been stressed out of my head to let him take me away from Dad when that was why we had gone there. But, anyway, we spent a couple of hours walking around the park and went to the top of Stone Mountain. A very nice park. After Dad was better, Paula and I and the three kids went down to stay and visit with Dad That's another story.....

Before we returned to the hospital. Gregg moved the motorhome to the parking lot of the hospital. It was there we stayed the night before coming back to Rocky Mount the next day. We had to drive the Motorhome back to Rocky Mount later, but Dad was staying at West Mount. Rough times for him. But he survived and healed.

1970s - Blue Ridge Parkway - Paula tells a joke (and its a good one)

As stated before, We went to the mountains for family vacations. Dad preferred the cooler temperatures and there was always cool stuff to do up there.

One day we were riding the Blue Ridge Parkway, winding roads through the mountains. I'd told my sister a joke and she was trying to relay it to Mom and Dad.

Paula and I were sitting in the back seat, Mom in the front passenger and Dad driving. Here's the joke.

One day a Rabbit, a Buzzard, and a Weazel were talking.
They decided to buy a farm to grow their own food.
Rabbit was sent off to get fertilizer.
It took Rabbit a long time, and while he was gone, Buzzard and Weasel discovered oil on the property and became very rich.

The built a huge mansion on the property.
After a while, Rabbit returns and see's this huge mansion.
He hops up to the front door and rings the door bell.
A very stuffy butler comes to the door.

Rabbit says "Where are buzzard and weazel"
The butler says "Mr Buh-ZARD is in the back yard". "Mr We-ZELLE is down by the well"
The rabbit thinks for a moment and says "Please tell Mr. Buh-ZARD and Mr. We-ZELLE, that Mr. Rah-BIT is back with the shit".

My sister being about 10 years old, could not say s.h.i.t, so instead she finishes with, "Mr Rah-BIT is back with the bird do".

My mother nearly gave herself an asthma attack laughing at my sister. She laughed and laughed for hours. About the time you thought she'd stop; she would start again. This included laughing tears, the whole nine yards.

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Another time my sister Paula cracked me up. We had been somewhere and Paula had purchased what looked like a train engineers hat. While riding down the interstate, entertaining ourselves, she pulled her long long hair in front of her face, put on my sunglasses,put that hat on. As we drove by cars, she would face them and put up 2 fingers as a peace sign. She looked like "Cousin IT" on the "Adams Family". She got several 2nd looks from the cars to our right. Luckily no one wrecked and hopefully we gave them a laugh.

1983 - Rock City

Wikipedia Information 9/24/2017 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_City_(attraction)

Rock City is a roadside attraction on Lookout Mountain in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, located near Ruby Falls. It is well known for the many barn advertisements throughout the Southeast and Midwest United States that have the slogan "See Rock City" painted on roofs and sides. Clark Byers painted over 900 barn roofs in nineteen states to advertise for Rock City from 1935 to 1969.



A bridge located inside of Rock City.






Rock City claims that it is possible to see seven states from Lover's Leap, a point in Rock City, but this has not been proven.





Events and shows

In 2006, Rock City began having daily bird shows for its visitors. The bird shows focus on birds of prey. The shows are included with paid admission to the gardens. Now, however, the birds of prey shows are Thursdays through Sundays, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm, with an additional show at 4:30 pm on Saturdays.

Every autumn, Rock City creates a maze using crops of corn in the valley below the gardens. The maze can be seen from the Lovers Leap lookout point. From the gardens, you can view imagery and designs that have been cut out within the maze.

Rock City lights the park with Christmas lights and displays every November and December. This is named "Enchanted Garden of Lights" and features booths of food and gifts, as well as seasonal shows such as a lighted telling of the Nativity of Jesus and carolers from all over the region.
History
Panorama View from Lover's Leap



Historical evidence indicates that Native Americans inhabited Lookout Mountain at some point. In 1823, two missionaries (Daniel S. Butrick and William Chamberlain) went to minister to them. Butrick made a journal entry on August 28, 1823 in which he described "a citadel of rocks" on top of the mountain, and noted the immense size of the boulders. He stated that they were arranged in a way "as to afford streets and lanes".

By the time the American Civil War reached the slopes of Lookout Mountain, more people had discovered what was already being called Rock City. During the Battle of Lookout Mountain, both a Union and a Confederate claimed that seven states could be seen from the summit of the mountain. These stories are independent and recorded in their own journals.

Hikers and geologists knew Rock City well throughout the late 19th century, but it did not become the attraction it is now until the 20th century. Garnet Carter's idea was to develop a residential neighborhood on top of the mountain. The neighborhood was to be named Fairyland because of his wife's, Frieda, interest in European folklore. One feature of Fairyland was going to be a golf course, but Garnet decided instead to build a miniature golf course because the original took too long to build. He later franchised his miniature golf concept as Tom Thumb Golf, now recognized as the nation's first mini-golf course.

Fairyland was 700 acres (2.8 km2) and encompassed Rock City. Frieda set out to develop the property into one big rock garden, taking string and marking a trail that wound its way around the giant rock formations, ending up at Lover's Leap. She also planted wildflowers and other plants along her trails and imported German gnome statues and other famous fairytale characters, set up at spots throughout the trail. Garnet realized that Frieda had made an attraction that people would be willing to pay for to see. Garnet made Rock City a public attraction in 1932.

The original clubhouse and 10 cottages are included in the Lookout Mountain Fairyland Club.
Attractions

Rock City features a long, convoluted rock trail lined with gardens containing hundreds of labelled local trees and plants. The trail also leads through a variety of unique and bizarre rock formations, including the 1,000 short tons (910 t) Balanced Rock and Fat Man's Squeeze. Two other sections, the Fairyland Caverns and Mother Goose Village, are rock caves decorated with blacklight-responsive sculptures.
A sign depicting the states you can "see" (The mountains on the chart stand further away than the state line distances labeled in the picture; Mt. Pinnacle, the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, and South Carolina are 150 miles (240 km), 80 miles (130 km), and 120 miles (190 km), respectively)
Tourists stand atop Rock City in this July 1975 photograph

The High Falls of the Lookout Mountain is a man made waterfall in the Rock City Gardens. The waterfall is 140 feet (43 m) high and empties into a base which appears as a small pool.



See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rock City (attraction).

Daniel Sabin Butrick (Buttrick), missionary to the Cherokee Nation who visited the region.

Notes

Tucker, Gregory (September 7, 2009). "Rock City painter left mark on South". The Tennessean. Retrieved September 9, 2009.[dead link]
Interactive, Papercut. "Rock City". seerockcity.com.
Henderson, Barry (26 September 2002). "Oh, Say Can You See...?". Metro Pulse. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-08-16.

There are major errors in the distance claims made at the site of the telescopes
No scholarly survey supports the claim.

The states that allegedly can be seen are Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia. But the claim assumes that Pinnacle Mountain, the nearest point in Virginia, can be seen. Rock City and Pinnacle Mountain have altitudes of 700 metres (2,300 ft) and 758 metres (2,487 ft) respectively and are separated by 150 miles (240 km), not 120 miles (190 km) as claimed. The intervening line of sight would have to pass over several Tennessee ridges rising to 350 metres (1,150 ft). The curvature of the earth restricts visibility, even on the clearest days with the most powerful telescopes. To get a horizon distance (in km), multiply the square root of the height difference in metres by 3.85. From Rock City in the direction of Virginia, that is sqr(700-350)*3.85 = 72 kilometres (45 mi). From Virginia in the direction of Rock City, that's sqr(758-350)*3.85 = 78 kilometres (48 mi). When these distances are added to calculate intervisibility, the distance falls far short. The distances to Kentucky and the Carolinas claimed at the site are also in error, although a few summits in North Carolina are within the viewshed.



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My Memories of Rock City
We had a mountain holiday in June just before I left for 6 glorious weeks in London England. Dad, Mom, Paula and I went to Rock City, to Varnell Georgia and to Chickamauga Battle Field.

Dad NEVER wanted anything extra like bumper stickers on cars. He thought it was tacky. Me too. If you didn't want a bumper sticker, you put a piece of paper on the dashboard and no one would put one of the car while you were in the specific attraction. When we came out, there was a big bumper sticker on the back of the car. We couldn't leave there without removing it. These things are hard to remove as the glue is super sticky.

Inside the park, my least favorite part was 'Fat Mans Squeeze" there were two rock 'entities' that were just inches apart. I know it was feet apart or you couldn't go through it. You would take at least 100 steps going between these two rock masses. Sometimes you had to turn sideways. God help you if you dropped your phone (we didn't have a mobile phone in the 1980s) while walking through.. There would be no way to move it but to kick it with your foot. You couldn't bend over to pick it up. I can say this was too close for me.



There was a lot of walking around and as much as I hate tight spots, I hate high elevations/cliffs. so - I loved looking out to the 7 statues, but I promise you I did not get close to the edge of the cliff. Oh no.. Not this girl.

We had a great time visiting. And Once the bumper sticker was removed from the back bumper of the car, Life was good. There were tons of 'See Rock City' barns on the way to and from the park. LOL

1976 - Southern Baptist Church Convention & ORU- Tulsa Oklahoma

Grace Free Will Baptist Teen Choir/Choral

From 1974 to 1977, I spent a lot of time in church. My family and I went to Grace Free Will Baptist Church. I was very involved in the youth program including the Choir.

By 1976 our youth choir was traveling via church bus to other churches in the area and singing. We had a lot of Bill Gaither songs that we enjoyed singing and we were pretty good. We went somewhere in Raleigh for the finals. We had to change our group type to a Choral group instead of choir because we came in 2nd and they allowed us to change our designation to get there.

The girls also had a song or two that we sang without the guys. We were called a sextant. We won medals for both the choral group and sextant.

The All Night Bake Sale
We won the opportunity to sing at the Southern Baptist Church Convention hosted that year in Tulsa Oklahoma. In order to pay our way, we had several activities, bake sales, car washes, and one very interesting all night coffee stop/bake sale. We were on CB radios talking to truck drivers and other folks and getting them to come get coffee and baked goods. That was fun! There were lots of adults there to ensure we teenagers didn't get in any trouble. People would stop and donate money toward our trip.

We all took turns on the CB radio, talking to people bringing them in. If someone tried to get fresh with the girls, the guys would get on the radio and set them straight. In one situation 13 year old Chris W was on the CB radio (in a car where we were all sitting), and this one woman on the other side of the conversation started hitting on him. His expression was hilarious. I grabbed the CB radio and told her that he was my boyfriend and lay off. Her 'handle' (the name you go by over the CB radio) was "Sweet Nicki from Chocolate City". He wasn't my boyfriend. I was 16 and I was hanging out with his 17 year old brother Lynn.

We also all took turns on the other activities like serving coffee and baked goods to our customers. Taking the donations and providing to some adult there to keep for us. We made enough for all of us to go on the trip. We took some money from our parents or our jobs (if we worked).

The Trip to Tulsa Oklahoma

Day 1 - The Bus Ride to Little Rock Arkansas
That summer, we went to Tulsa Oklahoma. We packed a suitcase and got on that church bus with no air conditioning and headed from Rocky Mount to Tulsa. We had one or two cars following the bus, for some of the adults. Of course, we had some adults in the bus as chaperones.

One of the guys sat in the front of the bus. I remember that he had some small containers of fruit juice and he opened them and then closed them and didn't put them in ice. He basically made him some wine (as the juice would ferment). Preacher's sons. Got to watch out for them.

The route to Tulsa
Day 1 - Left Rocky Mount headed to Oklahoma (drove all night)
Day 2 - Little Rock Arkansas (Motel room - stay overnight)
Day 3 - Oklahoma, Hotel Room, Carnival
Day 4 - Oklahoma, Practice, Oral Roberts University (ORU)
Day 5 - Convention, Competition, Close of convention. Hotel.
Day 6 - Started drove back to NC. Motel room Little Rock.
Day 7 - TN and NC Mountains to home



Preacher D and Youth Pastor Billy K


Preacher D plays leads us in song


Ronny W and Ann T (behind him)


Lynn W and Diane F (beside him)


Anita F and Barbara W (behind her)


Sheila K


Stopping for gas - Rhonda T and Susan T


Susan's Mom and some of the other adults rode behind the bus. The bus had no air conditioning and I actual got car sick (bus sick) on the 1st leg of the trip. I had gotten so hot, that I felt nauseated. We had stopped at a rest stop to eat and I couldn't touch anything. I was allowed to ride in the car for a few hours until I felt better. Its possible it was overnight. The bus driver drove the bus through the night so we could spend less time in hotels. We stopped mid way at Little Rock Arkansas and did get a hotel room that night.

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Day 2 - Bus ride to Little Rock Arkansas
Had dinner and spent the night to get some 'non-bus' rest.

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Day 3 - Travel to Tulsa Oklahoma
Up and out, ate breakfast and went the rest of the way to Tulsa.


Tulsa Oklahoma
Miles and miles of rolling hills, green and lush; landscape dotted with oil rigs.


Just outside city limits there was dam.

As we neared Oklahoma, there was this mass of highways that crossed over each other. With the highways and the exit ramps, it was very confusing and I was glad I wasn't driving.



We verified the location of the Convention Assembly Center and then we went to the motel and got set up.


The Amusement Park
Bell's Amusement Park at the Expo Center of the Tulsa Oklahoma Fairgrounds
At the entryway was the Golden Digger Statue

Bell's Amusement Park was an amusement park located in Tulsa's Expo Square, part of the Tulsa County Fairground in Oklahoma. It operated for 55 years before closing in 2006. The park was especially known for its large wooden roller coaster, called Zingo, designed by John C. Allen and built in 1966–68

Golden Digger


Golden Digger was originally built in 1952 by the Mid-Continent Supply Company of Fort Worth for the International Petroleum Exposition. Six years later, it was temporarily erected again for the 1959 show. Due to the positive attention it attracted, the company donated the statue to the Tulsa County Fairgrounds Trust Authority which had it anatomically redesigned and permanently installed in front of the Tulsa Expo Center for the 1966 International Petroleum Exposition. The statue's right hand rests on an oil derrick which had been moved from a depleted oil field in Seminole, Oklahoma.

An inscription at the base of the statue reads: "The Golden Driller, a symbol of the International Petroleum Exposition. Dedicated to the men of the petroleum industry who by their vision and daring have created from God's abundance a better life for mankind." In 1979, the Golden Driller was adopted by the Oklahoma Legislature as the state monument. As part of an online promotional contest sponsored by Kimberly-Clark in October 2006, the Golden Driller was named the grand prize as a top ten "quirkiest destination" in the United States, winning its nominator a $90,000 international vacation for two

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Day 4 - The Convention Center, The Practice, Oral Roberts University

First Place Tower - Building in downtown Tulsa OK. (Random picture I took)


Tulsa Assembly Center now Cox Business Center, 100 Civic Center, Tulsa, OK


Cox Business Center (originally Tulsa Assembly Center and formerly Tulsa Convention Center) is a 310,625 square foot facility in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma hosting a 7,000 seat arena with event suites, Oklahoma's largest ballroom, 34 meeting rooms, and a 102,600 square foot column-free exhibit hall. Cox Business Center (CBC) is managed by SMG-the world leader in venue management, marketing, and development and owned by the City of Tulsa. In the fiscal year 2015-2016, the economic impact of events held at the CBC was more than $33 million. The facility won the 2017 Venue Excellence Award from the International Association of Venue Managers, along with being chosen as the 2017 Top New or Renovated Meeting Site by Convention South and Best Event Center by Tulsa People readers. The CBC was constructed in 1964 and named for Tulsa Mayor James L. Maxwell who was the driving force behind the planning and start of the venue. In 2013, the Convention Center was renamed Cox Business Center.

The Practice
We had a practice the day before we were to sing in the competition. Our strongest song was a He did it all for me and I will serve thee, sang as below.

He did it all for me
Once a man whom we know as the son of God hung upon a cruel tree
He suffered pain as no mortal man
He took my place he did it all for me

(chorus)
He did it all for me.
Each drop of blood he shed for even me.
When the Savior cried, bowed his head and dead.
Oh Praise the Lord, He did it all for me.

I will serve thee
I will serve thee because I love thee
You have given life to me
I was nothing before you found me
You have given life to me

(CHORUS) Heartaches broken pieces
Ruined lives are why you died on Calvary
Your touch..was what I longed for
You have given life to me

He did it all for me (2nd verse)
When I step just inside of those gates up there
And the Master's face I see
I gladly kneel at his nail-scarred feet
Oh praise the Lord, he did it all for me

He did it all for me, each drop of blood he shed for even me
When the Savior cried, bowed his head and died.
Oh Praise the Lord, He did it all for me.

The Practice - All for 1 and 1 for none:
The pianist at the church that came with us became very upset as she "Came all this way to play 4 notes". See - We sang this beautifully A cappella (no music). So all for one person, we changed to a set of new songs that we sucked at and was just normal stuff. When we were practicing the group that was listening to us....stated how good we were. We told him we were under the category of Choral Groups, not Choir (smaller number of people in it). He said "Whew, you were so good, Glad we aren't competing against you". Just to keep one person happy, we failed miserably.

The Sheraton Hotel -Philtower Building at 427 S Boston Ave, Tulsa, OK

We would do the activities at the Tulsa Assembly Building and all our meals were at this building on the 16th floor. Each day EVERYONE would head up to the 16th floor and you'd have to wait for elevators. We just ran up the 16 flights of stairs so we could get there quicker. I say that like it was an easy feat. Well it was as I was 16. I was still tired and hated the thought of running those steps, but better than waiting for the elevators.

Oral Roberts University
When you're in Tulsa Oklahoma for the Southern Baptist Convention, of course, you go to oral Roberts University (ORU). This was an impressive complex which included a church which televised on TV, and a college, dorms, etc. The complex was impressive. We walked around the inside of the main building/church/offices. Oral Roberts was very impressive and I have listened to many of his sermons.


Oral Roberts University entry


ORU Church and Admin Building


The Prayer Tower

I especially loved the Prayer Tower. It's a lovely piece of art.

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Day 5 - The Convention Center - The competition, Wrap Up and Hotel
We sang the new arrangement and it wasn't strong at all. We didn't do well even though we were on key and all, it was just boring and normal and not cool like our A cappella number.

I was the only person on the other song who could get the beat right with a tambourine. Yes, that tells you how much this song sucked. And when pointed at by Billy K our youth pastor/choir director, I never moved. So, I held this tambourine in my hand and just froze like an idiot.

Singing at the Convention



The Wrap up and Who takes the award
We didn't win. Some church group from Oklahoma (where the convention was) won. We left while they were singing something about Jesus, Turn on the Light. Light was LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIght. (very strong southern "I".

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The drive home.

The most remarkable thing I remember about the trip home, was stopping somewhere and shopping for post cards, or other items. Ronny purchased a 'garbage' pizza instead. A pizza with everything on it. I was so hungry and he offered me a couple of slices. It was so good. Everyone was looking forward to the trip home, but not the actual bus ride.

When I got home, my parents were upset. I hadn't called the whole time I was gone. Again, The preacher wouldn't allow us to go out after we got to the hotel. We were sequestered (more so the girls). We couldn't use the phone in the rooms because of the charges. The phones that were in the hallway (we passed by each time going to our rooms, we couldn't stop everyone so we could call. Dad is still not happy that the preacher wouldn't allow us to use the phones to call home.