April Wacky Weather and the Trip North

The Weather

When I was young and weather forecasting was in a more primitive state, my brother and I would look at the western sky from our front porch in Ormsby, Pennsylvania during the afternoon and have a pretty good idea whether or not we were going to have a little league baseball game that evening a few miles away.  We didn’t often miss our guess.  Nowadays with all of the satellites, prediction models, and National Weather Service 24-7 monitoring of weather in the U.S., you would think that weather surprises would be few and far between.  Not so!  One day beforehand here in Melbourne Beach, Florida, the weather predictions for Easter were of 50 to 80% chance of rain and thunderstorms and gusty winds over 20 miles per hour during most of Easter Day.  Cooler temperatures were predicted.  The local church developed standby plans for their Sunrise service which had been planned for a local beach. 

Easter Morning Skies

By the following morning, Easter, there was not a hint of clouds or rain, and the air temperature again soared into the mid80’s, with only a light breeze.  Pray that I will come to accept unpredictable weather as a given on this earth, and that those people who suffer greatly from it (storms, floods, drought) are sheltered from its wrath.

During the next several days, Paula and I traveled northward in Florida, where we visited her brother, David, his girlfriend Catherine and daughter Mattie for a few days in and near Kissimmee.  We enjoyed several days of sun, ice cream, and a musical performance by Mattie and her classmates. 

 Abbreviated Worm Gruntin' Festival

Kids Gruntin' for Worms

The 15^th Annual Worm Gruntin, Festival took place on Saturday, April 11, in historic Sopchoppy, Florida.  Paula and I camped at the nearby Ocklockonee River State Park and we were hosted by my brother’s stepdaughter, Jill, and her family, on Friday evening in downtown Sopchoppy.  Saturday began with a 5K road race, and at 9 AM, art, craft and food vendors opened for business.  By midmorning, a colorful worm grunting demonstration was held by a professional ‘bait harvestor’.  Kids then competed in the Worm Grunting contest (cash prizes) which followed the demonstration.  Gruntin’ tools, which consisted of wooden stakes and large metal files, were provided.  Unfortunately, the skies opened up around noon, and most of the afternoon musical performances had to be cancelled. 

 Koinonia Farm Visit - Americus, Ga.

On our way north through Georgia, we found a Christian community called the Koinonia Farm near Americus.  It was established in 1942 by Clarence Jordan, author of “Cotton Patch Gospels”.  In its early existence, Koinonia’s very existence challenged racism, militarism, and materialism.  It was the birthplace of Habitat for Humanity and other peacemaking and social justice organizations.

Andrew, our young guide at the 300+acre farm, described the current residents as a group of Christians called to live together in intentional community sharing a life of prayer, work, study, service and fellowship. They seek to embody peacemaking, sustainability, and radical sharing. While honoring people of all backgrounds and faiths, they strive to demonstrate the way of Jesus as an alternative to materialism, militarism and racism.  Their vision is to love through service to others; strive for peace through reconciliation, and pursue joy through generous hospitality.

Paula and I visited their chapel and saw a documentary of their history in Americus.  Later we joined them for a delicious lunch in their dining hall (all farm-raised food), and met their previous director, who was visiting from his current home and dairy farm near Rutland, Vermont.

Koinonia Farm earns most of its income from delicious pecan and chocolate products, fair trade coffee, and more items handmade fresh from their farm, and sold at an onsite store and online.  https.//koinoniafarm.3dcartstores.com  

Atlanta and Grandaughter Evie

"Poppa" and Evie

Dacy with Daughter Evie on "Xena"

Driving further north in Georgia, we stopped next in Atlanta and visited my stepdaughter Dacy and her family. We stayed at the campground in Stone Mountain Park, where we also caught the famous laser show.  In addition to several visits with Dacy, her husband Ryan, and (almost!) 1-year old Evie, Paula and I rode on Xena around metro Atlanta.  These included a soggy trip in the rain out to a Harley-Davidson dealership in Conyers to have a faulty battery replaced. A day later, with a borrowed car from Dacy and Ryan, we drove out to my former Georgia Wildlife Division Regional and Headquarters offices, east of Atlanta, and to two of my former nearby residences in Covington and Oxford.  One morning we rode MARTA into downtown Atlanta and visited the Georgia Aquarium, and had lunch at Mary Mac's Tea  

Georgia Aquarium

Room, a very popular Southern  

restaurant for decades. Sweet tea, cracklin' bread, fried chicken, and collard greens with peach cobbler for dessert...mmm...mmm!

Mary Mac's Tea Room

Into the Carolinas and Virginia

During the 3rd week of April, we made our way northeastward into North Carolina, where we stopped and had a pleasant visit with Paula's friends, Jen and Chris Poullin, and their teenage daughters Madison and Devlin, in Pinehurst.  The Poullins had moved south from Vermont a couple of years prior, and continue to work as physical therapists here.  

When we left Pinehurst, we drove north to Mebane, North Carolina, where we hoped to attend a Dogwood Festival.  We enjoyed a very good country music band at an outdoor street venue on a cool Friday evening here, but the majority of the festival on Saturday was rained out.  Most of the dogwood flowers had dropped as well, though many azaleas were still in bloom.  The following morning we drove north into Virginia.

Natural Bridge and Buena Vista, Virginia

Blue Ridge Mountains

On Sunday, April 26 we entered south central Virginia and drove through Roanoke northward to the small city of Buena Vista, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  We stayed in the city-owned Glen Maury Campground for several days.  On one of those days, Paula and I rode the motorcycle to Natural Bridge Park, one of nature’s most spectacular geological formations in a stone arch which towers 215 feet above Cedar Creek.  

Tim at Natural Bridge

Paula at Natural Bridge

By the end of April we were at the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley, and preparing to be entertained by the Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, Virginia and hoping that we will have an opportunity to drive the motorcycle up onto Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park.  We plan to return to Vermont before the end of May, and so my next post will probably be my last.  Til then, may your paths be blessed!