High Falls, GA

April 2, 2010

We were in Reidsville the last time I wrote, a sweet little park in a wholesome southern town without a penny to its name. We worked hard for a week and couldn’t make a sale. This, of course, following a park outside Savannah where we couldn’t get enough sales to make a map. Wuh. So we moved on, with the park’s total understanding, to a private park in Statesboro, who still had 2/3 of the maps left from what we made last year. And the same iffy economy. With the owner’s permission we put that one back in the hopper for someone to do in the fall. Many of these private RV parks have had to take in semi-permanent renters to stay solvent; they end up looking like blue tarp city and advertisers don’t see any value in participating in the map.

So here we are in High Falls State Park, at Jackson, Georgia, about 60 miles south of Atlanta. This park has 149 sites and sees close to 700,000 visitors each year. It is just off US 75 and catches all the snowbirds, coming and going. Situated on the Towaliga River (Towaliga is Creek for “roasted scalp,” same old bad Indian story.), this park is beautiful. Think Tumalo State Park except larger. Lots of long-leaf pine, which grows very tall and straight, and branches at the top. Plus hickory, sweet gum, some kind of maple and oak. Ornamental trees are all in bloom now, with red bud and dogwood and pear trees blooming. Lots of these trees seem to be like the tulip tree, showy blossoms before really leafing out.

We are finished with this map; did very well (maybe our best ever, anywhere), and are ready to move down the road and finish up Indian Springs State Park. That park is equally beautiful, and features the springs which had healing powers for the Creek Indians. People still come with their gallon jugs and take it home. It’s supposed to be the oldest State Park in the country.

Georgia has flower festivals all month: Macon has the cherry blossom festival, the local town here has the Forsythia Fest. I’m always just amazed at the use of silk flowers when the real thing is so readily available. The Chamber of Commerce is in a newly remodeled 150 year old brick building,very large open space and beautiful inside, with large flower arrangements that have to be dusted every week! The public bathroom is mauve and black and dominated by a large, stainless steel urn full of feathers and curly sticks that come disconcertingly close to one’s eyes when using the toilet. Decor is VERY important in the south. I find very few quilting shops but hundreds of fabric shops featuring drapery and upholstery fabric.

We amuse ourselves at noticing how comfortable we are in this part of the country now. We hardly notice the lack of proper grammar, or the familiarity in conversation. There was a time and place where I would have been offended by a 25 year old waitress calling me “sweetie,” or “shug.” Asking for directions the other day, a woman told me to turn right “down at that light what tells you whoever gits there first can go.” I knew exactly what she meant (blinking red).

It is warming up, finally, 84 degrees yesterday and looking good for the next couple of days. Jason and Jamie and the kids are coming tonight to camp for the weekend. We are looking forward to it. (Hope the Easter chocolate in my closet hasn’t melted.)

Number one son Kevin sent us tickets for our birthdays, tickets to come out to Tacoma for Morgan’s graduation from high school. What a gift!! Counting our blessings, it’s no question, our kids are at the top of the list!!

Happy spring!

Sam