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We arrived at Echota on the Ridge yesterday afternoon. The drive was a short one taking us from Russellville to Johnson City where we stopped for a burrito at Barbarito's. Parker is with me so we ate on the patio. It was chilly but doable. We crossed State of Franklin to Barnes and Noble. Having my iPad and access to ebooks it is difficut for me to purchase paper copies of books. Tony left with A Discovery of Witches, one of my new favorite books.
We dropped in on Target and T. J. Maxx before leaving Johnson City for points higher. We drove through Elizabethton, past Roane Mountain State Park and across the state line. Highland towns are so ramshackled. Churches have been stuck in nearly every nook and cranny including abandoned store fronts. The ski areas are fairing a little better. Cabins and townhomes dot the hills around Sugar and Beech Mountains. The businesses are more attractive. Sugar Mountain slopes are still covered with snow this late in the season.
Echota on the Ridge is a very nice place. The townhome we are staying in is a three level townhome decorated in dark, rustic hues. The home itself is beautiful. Two balconies overlook the highlands and Grandfather Mountain to the south west. The art work is terrible. I'm not sure if the owner was attempting to buy locally or just has a horrible eye for art. A mountain lion perched on a dead tree branch growing beside a green cactus at the foot of a mesa is staring at me as I write this. A gas fireplace is burning inthe hearth. The weather here is still a bit chilly. The sky is overcast blanketing the hillsides in a chessboard of shadow and sunlight.
We ate at Arby's in Boone, NC last night. I had a Philly Beef sub. We ended our day at Wal Mart buying up Duck Tape to make crafts in a book Tony brought. He is looking for Wounded Warrior. It is a local medicine that claims to be first aid in a bottle.
I'm not sure what today holds just yet. I am going to sit here in front of the fire and read Rodney's copy of Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland. I read the first couple of pages and I am hooked. It has everything I like in a novel: history and intriguing characters.
More later.
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