SURPRISE! SURPRISE!

There is nothing like Autumn in Appalachia so when I started to plan my escape to our Townsend house for leaf peeping I noticed that one of my favorite authors and blog friend Vicki Lane was having a book signing for her new book "Under The Skin" in beautiful Sylva, NC at City Lights Book Store on October 29th ! So I put my plan in motion. Our mutal friend author Gary Carden lives in Sylva so I e-mailed Gary and arranged to meet him for lunch @ LuLu's on Main. It turned out that he was going to be interviewed in the City Lights Cafe by some university students for a documentary at the same time of Vicki's presentation.



This is a picture I found on the internet of Sylva in the snow............


I wish I'd gotten a picture of the Surprise on Vicki's face when she looked up and saw me........

Vicki's reading and discussion was so interesting ................


It's so awesome to hear the author read from from their work.........


I took this picture as I was leaving of Gary being interviewed downstairs.......
I really enjoyed getting to spend time with both of these extremely creative authors!

Speaking of SURPRISES.....
I got one myself on the way to Sylva. It had snowed in the higher elevations of the park!




It had rained the day before in Townsend but higher up the rain became Snow!
From Townsend through the park to Gatlinburg the leaves were just brilliant and I felt like I was driving through a painting.........


After turning toward Cherokee to climb the mountain I drove through a breath taking winter wonderland and the temp was 26 at New Foundland Gap !!!


My passion is reading and I'm so grateful to the authors who provide me with hours of pleasure and it is such fun to be able to support my favorite authors and the book stores that host them!
If you haven't read Vicki's " Elizabeth Goodweather Series you are missing out and it's time you treat yourself! "Under The Skin" is the 5th book of the series !



Thanks For Stopping By !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

" MY DAY"

Tuesday, September 22nd, my day! I arose at my usual 5:AM to a day of HEAVY Fog. I had to have my 3 boys, Jake-A- Boo, Patch-A-Poo and Duke-A-Bear at the Vets @ 8:AM for neutering. It's a 30 minute drive so I began loading @ 7:15. I put a sheet across the back seat and set one carrier in for Jake. I get the other carrier and load Patch and Duke in it. I picked up Jake and tote him to the garage to put in his carrier. In the meantime, Sadie, who knows somethings up, is going berserk. She jumps in the backseat when I put Jake in. I shut the door and Hubby gets her out the other side when he sets the other carrier in. I get in, strap on my seat belt and start engine.
OMG! What is that smell? I decide someone has had a BM! I get back out and discover Jake had decided the carrier was the backyard! So, I get the paper towels and do a clean up. We're off! While driving, the cell phone rings constantly with B'day wishes. About midway there, I hear one of the pups getting car sick and the other one starts whining. I'm thinking the whiner had something on him he's not liking too much! I get the boys dropped off and take a deep breath!
This was not Marilyn Monroe's B'day Ride for sure!

I head over to my Dad's to visit and pick up my present. He and Jeanette got me a beautiful key ring that clips on your purse so your keys don't fall to the bottom. I had been wanting one of these forever and I also picked up another Birthday Cake! My present from Hubby is a new Laptop like this.........

But I'm waiting till October when the new Windows 7 is released..............

My sister who lives in Tennessee, sent me this gorgeous card and it had some money with a sticky note attached to it on the inside. Click to enlarge and read the note, I laughed so hard!

After I got back from Dad's, my SIL (actually she's my ex as she is my 1st husbands sister) sent her husband over with yet another B'day Cake so we have two in the freezer and we're eating on one and we are thinking it's time for another get together cause we already have the desert! HA!

It has been raining everyday so my day was no different, at noon it let in raining. I fixed us some lunch and dived into a new read! IT IS SO GOOD ! So I've just been reading and relaxing for the past couple of days.

I also got my 1st Issue of this magazine yesterday and have read it cover to cover! Making it special was the fact that it had a wonderful article by my North Carolina friend Gary Carden in it!

This is the article and that is a painting by Gary!

We picked the boys up yesterday morning and they were sure glad to see us! Poor Jake just lays on his bed with such a sad look! I know he feels bad, but it had to be done! :)

However the little squirts don't seem to know anything has changed with them except they got to come back home from that scary place they spent the night! HA! " Could you please let us out, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now".................

So that was my day............Thanks for all the B'Day wishes both on the blog and Face Book!!

" Moments of Pleasure "

I thought I'd post today about things that give me pleasure


For the past two or three months, I'm not sure just how
long I have been watching episodes of the awesome BBC
series, The House of Elliott. It ran for three seasons for a
total of 31 episodes. I got it through Netflix and so it was
spread out over a period of weeks. I LOVED this series!!
The ONLY thing I didn't like was that season 3 ended in
a cliff hanger that will never be resolved.......





Beatrice ( Stella Gonet ) and Evie ( Louise Lombard ) Elliott
are sisters left penniless upon their father's death who use
their talent for designing and making clothes to start their
own London Couture Clothing Establishment! The clothes
and hats they wear, will leave you breathless!!

I dream of having Beatrice's hair style..........

Another wonderful arrival from Netflix...........

"Fireproof " starring Kirk Cameron

This is a Christian based movie about the work

it takes to make marriage successful. It is a really

wonderful love story...............

These are the books I've managed to read in May.....

Two wonderful reads by NC author, Louise Howe Bailey.....

Reading is ALWAYS a pleasure.....

Two fabulous mystery reads by Mississippi's Ruth White

"Poe " a collection of 19 new tales inspired by Edgar Allan Poe

and "The Legend of Nance Dude"by Maurice Stanley......

I'm told this book was inspired by Gary Carden's play of

the same title..........This story is a sad but tragic tale of

a NC woman who was convicted of murdering her own

granddaughter.............

Watching the mist on the pond in early morning................

Today was a Misty Mississippi Morning................

Gathering the morning harvest from the gardens...........

Washing Collard Greens harvested from a friends garden

Getting them in the cast iron pot to cook.......

Keeping tabs on their progress till their done................

Seeing what new blooms await my morning stroll.....

Like this beautiful Yellow Hibiscus...........

What a pleasure to see the Trumpet Vine @ the Pond House Blooming

I was given this gorgeous Day lily by a friend a few weeks ago

and stuck it in with the Elephant Ears till I could replant it...

It just continues to give me a bloom a day.....

It was a pleasure to get my Mystery Plant,( it is

a mystery to me and everyone else it seems, just

what this lovely is) planted in a basket where it can

bloom profusely.....

Wathcing our first batch of baby birds get ready to

fly the ledge...........

All 5 of them..................

I love watching this guy feed.......

A male Red-Winged Blackbird..........

The female isn't as pretty as he is

They have a really good time in the new feeder Hubby built

And it's a pleasure to watch................

Have A Great Weekend Everyone !!!!!

" Best of the Best at Blue Ridge Bookfest "

This was the very first Blue Ridge Bookfest & Author Showcase.
You would never have known it however, as it was totally organized!
The wonderful author Robert Morgan proclaimed it to be, not only
a historical event but a lifelong dream for him. He signed my copy
of his book " Gap Creek " an Oprah Book Club selection, with this
inscription:

" Carol, thank you for coming to be a part of history"















The fest started with a few words from him and then he
introduced bestselling author Sharyn McCrumb......

Who was waiting in the wings.....................

I have been reading Sharyn's books for twenty years, she

is totally responsible for my love of Appalachia and my love

for Appalachian authors..................

Sharyn poses as she signs her books......................

For a devout reader of Sharyn McCrumb, this is wonderful!

This made " Hotlanta " worth it!!!

Sharyn & I discussed her choice of cars.......

" it was the only one that would keep up with the NASCAR Drivers "

she said; Her car tag reads; " ST. DALE "

She wrote a wonderful retelling of The Canterbury Tales in which

fans of Dale Earnhardt go on a pilgrimage titled: " St. Dale"

Kathryn Magendie, author of the wonderful new book

" Tender Graces" and I then attended the presentation

by Vicki Lane, author of The Elizabeth Goodweather

Mystery Series and someone whom I'm fortunate to call

friend.

Here Vicki reads from her book..................

Vicki gave a great presentation and the large crowd was mesmerized!

I wish I lived close enough to attend Vicki's writing class...

Vicki signs her wonderful books for me.........

" Smile Vicki Lane, you're on Carol's Camera"

Then we have showing out for my camera............

North Carolina's favorite Storyteller GARY CARDEN !!

Talking with some of his many fans.................

Kathryn and I next attended Gary's wonderful presentation..

As did author Sheila Kay Adams, who talks with her dear friend

Gary afterwards.................

Author Sheila Kay Adams...... what a brilliant talent she is!

Her presentation was awesome..............

See Vicki Lane to the far right smiling.........at Sheila's storytelling?

The girl tells stories...................

She sings like a songbird and plays...

The Banjo and Guitar........

Not to mention the wonderful books she's written!!

This crowd had a good time !!!!

Vicki and Sheila Kay are good friends and neighbors!

These NC authors are truly a family who love and respect

each other and it was a joy to witness this...

Vicki and Sheila Kay meet up..............

North Carolina Poet Laureate, Kathryn Stripling Byer,

also thrilled to see Sheila Kay............

The last session Kathryn Magendie and I attended was by

Jeff Biggers, whose book " The United States of Appalachia"

is getting rave reviews on Amazon! I don't have the words to

describe how awesome this guy was!! I thought I knew Appalachia

History! Wrong! I heard things from him that blew me away! I would

have loved to have seen Bill O'Rielly sit through this presentation!!!

I bought the book and plan to read it soon!


Here is Jeff Biggers with Kathryn Stripling Byer whom he was

bowing to in honor of meeting her, just before I snapped this pic!

After the fest was over, Kathryn Magendie and I

met Vicki Lane and Gary Carden at the beautiful B&B

they were staying at in Hendersonville and the four of us

walked downtown and enjoyed a wonderful meal and great

conversation about ghost tales, history and books!

I have only one disappointment in my trip to North Carolina.

My "oldtimer's " was in full swing causing me not to do the very

thing I drove 547 miles to do..................

I did not get my picture made with Vicki, Gary, Kathryn or Sherry

Austin even though I was around them a lot and always had my camera!

My heart was broken when I realized this......................