Photos from the Cataloochee Valley, North Carolina

Happy Hump Day, everyone!

It finally feels like Fall here in Western North Carolina. We woke up to 38 degrees this morning, which isn’t so unusual at all this time of year in the mountains, but hadn’t happened yet. If you’re planning to travel to see the leaves, especially on the Blue Ridge Parkway, this is definitely the time to do it.

Last week I posted about getting ready to head to the Cataloochee Valley of North Carolina to see the elk. Well, we went, we saw, and we had an incredible time. There were six of us: two of my best friends, one with her 2 year-old son, and me and my girls (ages 4 years-old and 5 1/2 months). We met in Waynesville, NC, which is about midway between all our towns and the Cataloochee Valley, regrouped, and caravanned into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We’d waited for two weeks for the government to reopen so we could go, so we were psyched to be there among the gold, red, and orange trees, the other visitors, and of course the elk.

Driving through the Valley this time of year is a little like driving through a less-crowded

version of Yellowstone.

People stop their cars, hop out to take pictures, and get much closer to the wildlife than they should. This year there were signs near the road warning cars to stay out of the fields. You’d be surprised–or maybe you wouldn’t–at what some folks will do around wildlife.

Cough. Including us. We unfurled our picnic blankets in the middle of a meadow where a turn of the century (the 20th century) church sat, pulled out our PBJs, yogurts, Goldfish and hot chocolate (can you tell we were with kids?), and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. My 4 year-old and my friend’s 2 year-old ran around squealing like little happy banshees. (Yes, I know banshees are NOT happy. But that’s what they sounded like.)

During all this, my friends and I–all of whom have been outdoor educators and worked in the field–kept wondering aloud if it was really smart to picnic in the middle of the meadow during rutting season. But then we shrugged, since we’d done it before. About that time an enormous young male elk wandered across the creek from another meadow near by and walked right past our blankets. We gathered the kiddos close and stayed still. A park ranger with a big ol’ stun gun slung over his shoulder wandered our way and chatted with us while we watched it walk by.

Yep, we were THOSE people. We felt like idiots. But boy was it fun to see the elk up close!



The ranger told us that though the elk are doing fairly well, they’ve had a few die lately due to various causes, including being hit by a car, caught and tangled in underbrush, and shot by idiots. I mean people. One man apparently drove into the Cataloochee Valley, walked right up and shot one of the elk.

Eventually, of course, there’s hope that the elk will do so well that there’ll be a hunting season for them, especially since their ancient natural predators–mainly wolves and panthers–no longer roam the Southern Appalachians. But that’s a long time coming.

At the end of the evening, when the sun had set below the ridges and the clouded sky grew dark, we loaded up our cars and headed out of the Valley. One friend (sans kids) decided to camp. The other and I had to get our children home to bed. It was a 10-mile drive down a pitch dirt road to reach highway again. We all agreed we’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Show & Tell Friday: All Things Fall

So, barring the fact that my eyes are so swollen from being up late with a screaming 5 month-old I can barely see out of them to type, I. am. determined. to. be. positive. Especially in this post.

Or, as Meg Ryan says in French Kiss: I will triumph!

Moving on.

Fall.
Autumn.
The harvest season.
Or, as I like to refer to it: the most wonderful time of the year.

I adore Fall. Maybe it’s its incandescence–its fleeting nature–that makes it so special. It’s only here for a heartbeat–the falling leaves, the crisp air, the crystalline blue skies, the silver morning fog, the vibrant colors laid like a wizard’s cloak over the mountains. The football.

But I love it. I’m swept up when it’s here and sad when it’s gone. If you ask my husband, he’d tell you that I like to over-commit to Fall. I plan an abundance of activities, including–but not limited to–hot chocolate and S’Mores in the backyard fire pit with friends, hiking above the Blue Ridge Parkway with friends, walking to the Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning, popping by the bakery, going to the pumpkin patch, taking mini road trip through the mountains to tiny mountain towns nearby, piling up leaves and letting the kids and their friends (and our dog, Scout) jump in them, watching “Fall movies,” decorating our house for Halloween and then Thanksgiving, and oh so many more. Oops. I forgot football.

I sort of have a Fall fetish. But Fall and I understand each other. We’re there for each other. We are kindred spirits, the Fall and I.

So, in celebration of my favorite time of year, here are 7 Things to Share/Love/Do this Fall:

1.) Hike up along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

If you don’t live near enough to get to the Blue Ridge Parkway, I am terribly sorry. It’s an incredible place, especially in the Pisgah National Forest section of North Carolina. Just last Saturday we headed out with friends and hiked with our kids up to the Fryingpan Mountain Lookout Tower, then picnicked afterward at the Shut-In Trail overlook. Fryingpan is a great little hike to do with kids (ours were 4 years-old, 3 years-old and 5 months old, respectively) that ends with a big bonus. You can hike up to the tower, but the trap door to get up to the big viewing area is currently latched–due, I’m guessing, to the government shutdown. That being said, you can still hike up almost to the top and see out of the gorgeous Blue Ridge.

The leaves weren’t changing too much yet, but it’s already been a week and the leaf-changing moves fast at this elevation. I’m guessing there’ll be a lot more color this weekend, and certainly by next weekend.

Here are some shots of the view from the lookout tower:

Our hiking crew, at the Shut-In Trail overlook in Pisgah National Forest

 

There are hundreds of miles of trails in the Pisgah National Forest, with a variety of elevations, and many are still open despite the shutdown. Just Google “Fall hikes in Pisgah National Forest, NC” and see what happens.

 

2.) Head to the local Farmer’s Market

We’re lucky: we’ve got a farmer’s market we can walk to right in our town–the Transylvania Farmer’s Market. Packed with wares from local farms including hormone-free beef and chicken, honey, eggs, vegetables, fruit (apples!), goods made by local artisans (jewelry, wood art, furniture, fabric arts and more), and serenaded by local pickers, it’s the place to be on Saturday mornings. At least until it gets too cold to do anything round these parts. (Psst: lots of farmers and tailgate markets are open past the harvest season–ours is open through December.)

3.) Pick up a new book

Chilly Fall nights are the perfect time to snuggle in bed with a good book. Lately, I’ve been rereading some old favorites. But here are a few on my radar to checkout:

The Outcasts by Kathleen Kent (historical fiction set on the 19th century Gulf coast)
A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver (poems by the Pulizter Prize-winner about life on the Massachusetts coast)
Strong Enough to Die by Jon Landis (a thriller starring 5th generation female Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong)
Shake Down the Stars by Renee Swindle (a tale of love, loss and the human spirit)
The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler (debut novel about a woman who finds answers in a quirky little bookstore)
And anything by Alice Munro, who just won the Nobel Prize in Literature!



4.) Watch an Autumn-themed movie or TV show; or heck, anything that makes you think about Fall

cast of the Gilmore Girls

My favorites, the stuff I watch over and over each year, are the movie Runaway Bride with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, and the TV series Gilmore Girls. Runaway Bride is set in a small town in rural Maryland, and the scenery is gorgeous–Fall colors and small-town charm everywhere you look. Gilmore Girls is set in small-town Connecticut (the town, Stars Hollow, hosts a festival every chance it gets) and is filled with a quirky bunch of townsfolk with whom you’ll fall quickly in love. Pour yourself a cup of hot cider, grab a warm quilt and prepare to stay awhile.

5.) Speaking of cider …

Any hot Fall drink will do. Around football season, we like to spike ours with Bourbon. Every general store is selling cider right now, and the spicier the better. If you like hot chocolate, try whipping up some of your own. My Grandmama Scottie used to make the most mouth-wateringly delicious homemade hot chocolate in a pan on her stove. Nothing’s better than homemade.

Here are a couple of my favorite recipes:

WARM CITRUS CIDER (from Southern Living magazine)

Ingredients:
1 gallon apple cider
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
1 1/2 tsp whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks

Bring the above to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes.
Discard solids.
Garnish with an apple slice and serve hot!

Makes 4 1/2 qt.
Total time: 25 minutes

DELICIOUS HOT CHOCOLATE (from The Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients
 2 cups milk
2 cups half & half
1 cup Good Semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp sugar (optional)

Combine milk and half & half in small saucepan.
Warm over medium-low, then stir in chocolate chips.
Stir until melted.
Add more milk and chocolate chips as needed to taste.
Add sugar if you need more shugah.
The Pioneer Woman suggested dropping a couple of peppermint patties into each mug for an extra special kick.

Serve with whipped cream!

6.) Listen to live music

There’s all kinds of live music around Western North Carolina any night of the week, and I bet if you check, it’s available in your town, too! Tonight, my family’s headed to Oskar Blues Brewery in Brevard to listen to our friend Bradley Carter of Sanctum Sully pick and sing!

Thomas Wolfe once wrote, ”All things on earth point home in old October; sailors to sea, travellers to walls and fences, hunters to field and hollow and the long voice of the hounds, the lover to the love he has forsaken.” So wherever you are this Fall, enjoy your home. Find a pretty spot and share it with the ones you love. I know I will.
 

Adventures in the Twittersphere

Tweeting is fun. I had no idea.

I’ve decided it’s sort of like the guilty pleasure of reading U.S.A. Today on airline flights: you get all this great info, though brief, and it’s usually entertaining. Kind of like a buffet created only for you–based only on your tastes and interests.

I’m still figuring it out. I think I’ve only made about 24 “tweets” so far, and who knows if anyone is even interested. But I’m getting help from my husband, the marketing guy, and from new friends like the writer and blogger Hallie Sawyer, and others, who’ve suggested some wonderful folks for me to follow. Where else could I get news of my beloved Clemson Tigers, conditions on the Blue Ridge Parkway, my favorite literary journals, upcoming new episodes of NCIS (our family TV obsession), new books, cool songwriters, and more?

Better than a buffet, it’s like an ICE CREAM buffet. With all sorts of goodness–Reese’s Cups, M&Ms, sprinkles, hot fudge, Gummy Bears, crumbled candy bars, real whipped cream–just waiting to be piled upon whatever flavor you choose.

Raise your hand if you can tell I’m pregnant.

Anyway, I do hope you’ll follow me on Twitter @WritingScott. I’ll try to be interesting. And if you’ve got any great advice about navigating the Twittersphere, or know of fun folks to follow, I hope you’ll fill me in!

Recap of Latest Presentation, and I'm Off to the Parkway

Transylvania County Library, Brevard, NC

On Tuesday I gave a presentation at the Transylvania County Library in my little town of Brevard, North Carolina. Called “The Slanted Truth: When Fiction Meets History,” I talked about the ins and outs of writing historical fiction, Keowee Valley, my own research and writing process, the dangerous 18th century on the Southern Appalachian frontier, and the ethics of writing within the genre.

 

I peppered the presentation with quotes from some of my favorite writers: Emily Dickinson, Louis L' Amour, Jane Austen, William Faulkner, David McCullough, Alan Bennett, Rudyard Kipling, and more.

 

I am a quote fanatic. Just ask Lisa, my roommate from my freshman year at Clemson University, who had to live with me in a dorm room the size of Mini Cooper, with my quotes plastered all over the wall.

 

But my favorite quote regarding history has got to be from the venerable McCullough. He said, in his 2003 Jefferson Lecture for the National Endowment of the Humanities, that "No harm's done to history by making is something someone would want to read."

It was a great turnout, thanks to the wonderful folks at the Library, including the Friends of the Library, who supplied us with coffee and pastries from nearby Blue Ridge Bakery (I've bought a pie from here, every Christmas since my daughter was born, to take to my parents’ house. They are scrumptious). I didn’t do a headcount, but just about all of the seats were filled. I’m no mathematician, but I'm guessing there were about 75+ people in the audience.

The Bag Lunch Arts Series is a wonderful program. Every month, on the second Tuesday of that month, a different author or artist presents a program (sometimes the speaker is local, oftentimes not). Audience members bring their own lunch to eat during, and the program is free. I was honored to take part.

I don’t know if your local library does the same sort of thing, but if it doesn’t, you should encourage the Head Librarian or Director to look into it! TCL has had some wonderful and varied speakers over the years, and always has a great turn out. 

I thought I’d include the presentation here, for those interested. (My sweet husband decided to take video of the entire thing.) But it’s long—40 minutes of presentation, which include me reading from my novel, Keowee Valley—and then about 20 minutes or Q & A at the end.

And I’d shorten it, but my tech-savvy husband’s out of commission today, and I am a Technological Bozo. That’s right, like Bozo the Clown. So look for me to post a few snippets from the presentation next week.

(On a side note, at a recent book event a reader from Brooklyn told me how surprised she was that I did NOT have a Southern accent! I couldn't believe it, because I can't tell you how many of my non-Southern friends have teased me over the years about the thickness of my South Carolina accent. My mom and I decided that I just don't "turn it on" when I speak in public, courtesy of many, many years in theatre.)

 

In other news, more reviews for KeoweeValley are showing up on book blogs and in places like Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, my favorite local bookstore Highland Books, and more.

I hope all of you have a fabulous October weekend! As for us, my dog and I plan to pick my daughter up from preschool this morning and head up to the Blue Ridge Parkway for a picnic. The mountains are aflame with the colors of the season, and it just doesn’t get any prettier than this.

Happy Friday!

Wahoo Fall!

 

10 Things I'm Loving Doing in the Midst of a Busy Life

1. Watching “Covert Affairs” on USA Network.

Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly, Cheaper By the Dozen) as Annie Walker, a CIA operative with kick-ass shoes and a big, brave heart; Christopher Gorham (“Ugly Betty”) as her hot, sweet, and smart as heck colleague; exotic locations befitting the creators of the Bourne movies …. What’s not to like?

 

2. Reading every issue of Garden & Gun Magazine.

Sure, it’s filled with ads for vacations and second homes in places only a seer-sucker-wearing millionaire may be able to afford, but the articles are prime: written by wonderful Southern writers like Alison Glock, Julia Reed and Roy Blount, Jr. and covering topics from football to holes-in-the-wall to musicians to the great Southern beverages, it is becoming my new favorite little magazine-that-could.

3. Taking naps when my three year-old daughter does.

No, I don’t have the time to really do this, and yes: I should be doing a hundred other things when this occurs—including studying, grading papers, writing Novel #2, promoting the upcoming release of Keowee Valley, or cleaning my house. But lately, I’ve been tired. And it has felt oh-so-wonderful to lie atop the blanket on my bed, under the fan, and just let go.

4. Reading books by first-time authors, like me.

Recently I finished Kimberly Brock’s The River Witch (Bell Bridge Books), and was utterly entranced by her mystical settings (Appalachian small town to the Georgia coast) and beautifully-drawn characters.

 

 

Currently, I’m reading Jon Buchan’s Code of the Forest (Joggling Board Press), a Southern political thriller with language so crisp and so bourbon-soaked I can hear the characters’ Lowcountry accents as I read.

 

Discovering these two debut novelists publishing with smaller presses reminds me that there’re SO many good stories out there just waiting to be heard—many, many more than sit on the New York Times bestseller list. No, these are not on my approved MFA reading list. Don’t tell my advisor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Drinking apple juice.

I know, seems childish, right? But I loved apple juice as a child, and I love it still. We’ve got a huge bottle of Ingles brand organic apple juice in our fridge, and I’m sharing it with my three year-old.

 

 

 

 

6. Dreaming of Fall.

The sycamores are already shedding their leaves, and at night our temperatures in the mountains drop sometimes into the low 60s. Fall is on its way, and I’m so ready for my very favorite time of year! On our family agenda (and by God, we will make it happen): apple picking at a local orchard, hikes, drives on the Blue Ridge Parkway, fires in our fireplace, and college football.

 

 

7. Reading a modern classic novel.

Yes, I mentioned I’d been reading others. But last month I also read Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient for the first time, and I’m smitten. Now I’m into his book of poems, The Cinnamon Peeler. If you’re like me, and never read the The English Patient but did see the movie, don’t let the cold formality of the film keep you from delving into the novel. It’s a fragmented, dream-like, gorgeously rendered account of three very different people brought together in an abandoned Italian villa at the close of World War II. And it will stay with you long after you’ve put it down.

 

 

 

8. Taking a yoga class for the first time.

I just started a Basic Yoga class at the college where I teach, and though I’ve only been once, I’m already hooked. One night a week, my husband finishes up work a little early and watches our daughter while I, with rolled yoga mat under arm and water bottle in hand, head to join several other women of various ages. I’m not good at yoga—in fact, I’m as tight as they come from years of hiking and trail running without stretching. I’ve been sore for the past three days, since my first class. But lying on the floor in corpse pose, silent, for the 15 minutes at the end of class, my mind as relatively clear and free as it gets these days, is heaven. With each “Namaste,” I’m determined to follow through: to give of my “highest self” to my loved ones' highest selves.

9. Drinking as much water as is possible.

This is simple, really. I fill my bright green, severely dented aluminum water bottle up several times a day with crisp, cold water from our Brita pitcher. And I gulp it down like it’s the last drink I’ll ever have. It’s delicious, good for me, and gives me something to do.

10. Letting my daughter walk beside the stroller, even when we’re a mile from home.

Several days a week, if I can, I pick my daughter up from preschool with the stroller. Pushing her, it takes me about 12 minutes to make it home. But lately, when we get to the sidewalk, I’ve been letting her walk. Even when I’m tired. Even when I’m impatient, hungry, and ready to be home. She struts in front of it with an athlete’s bounce in her step, sometimes painstakingly slow, sometimes at a full-out run. She picks up rocks in gravel driveways, studies ants, waves at joggers and people on their porches, sometimes even sits flat-out in the middle of the sidewalk, just for the heck of it. Her blonde hair is usually a scraggly mess, the fanny of her pants stained from sitting in the dirt. And she does not look back at me, not even once.

 

 

What do you enjoy doing, in the midst of your busy life?