Thank you, Gracia, Dankeschön, Grazie, Спасибо, Shukriya, tack så mycket. Khob-Khun,Obrigada
Thank you readers from Canda, the United Kingdom, India, Russia, and Europe. You are valuable to me, and I would love for you to leave comments or send an email.
The memories I share are true. My best friend, Kathy, wonders how I lived to grow into adulthood, but God takes care of His children. If you have a favorite story, please send an email. It is so nice to know that people outside the United States are reading my blog too.
May God richly bless each of you.
It is me again, Lord, for friends I haven't met yet.
A little Georgia Wisdom: Seek friends from around the world; God can use you in the least expected ways.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Interesting Folks Along the Way
The skies are a beautiful blue; the air feels good; Cades Cove was extremely quiet; and the morning began with a wonderful conversation with Mike Hickman.
Barry and I met Mike several years ago at ChristyFest in Townsend, Tennessee. He is a quiet, shy man who appears, at first, to be a man of few words. We enjoyed getting to know Mike over the next several years, and I finally worked up enough nerve to sit down with him just to get to know him better.
One would think that over the years after teaching for 27 of those years, I could talk to just about anybody. Normally I could. This is different. Mike is an everyday working guy and is very personable, but Mike is also an actor who has been in several movies. This puts this approach in another perspective. Why? I didn't want him to think I wanted to talk to him just because he was someone who had been in a television series or in movies, yet I really wanted to know him as the person who is absolutely so different from the memorable character he brought to life on television. The folks we meet along the way and are lucky enough to call a friend, add to the person we become.,
Mike played Birds Eye Taylor, a character from Catherine Marshall's book Christy. He brought the harshness of Birds Eye to life in the movie, and even though Birds Eye is a rough and scary character, there is a glimpse of softness that Mike allows the audience to witness. It is brief and one must be diligently following to see Birds Eye's gentle side that he wants to remain hidden.
Mike has also been in "The Crazies" (2010) and "Hope and Redemption: The Lena Baker Story" (2008). Two movies I know you will not want to miss.
Mike, the person, is so different from the harsh characters he plays on the screen. Soft spoken, one finds he is an interesting character himself. I look forward to getting to know him even better over the coming months as I work on my book. Mike is the first of the many interesting people with whom I have come in contact, and I appreciate his time with Kathy and me. Barry and I will be back to Townsend, Tennessee, and I will bring many more questions and ideas to share with him about my book.
It is me again, Lord, thanking you for interesting folks who enter our lives.
A little Georgia Wisdom: Friends can enter your life when you least expect them. Take the time to get to know them and maybe a lifetime of friendship will be the result.
Barry and I met Mike several years ago at ChristyFest in Townsend, Tennessee. He is a quiet, shy man who appears, at first, to be a man of few words. We enjoyed getting to know Mike over the next several years, and I finally worked up enough nerve to sit down with him just to get to know him better.
One would think that over the years after teaching for 27 of those years, I could talk to just about anybody. Normally I could. This is different. Mike is an everyday working guy and is very personable, but Mike is also an actor who has been in several movies. This puts this approach in another perspective. Why? I didn't want him to think I wanted to talk to him just because he was someone who had been in a television series or in movies, yet I really wanted to know him as the person who is absolutely so different from the memorable character he brought to life on television. The folks we meet along the way and are lucky enough to call a friend, add to the person we become.,
Mike played Birds Eye Taylor, a character from Catherine Marshall's book Christy. He brought the harshness of Birds Eye to life in the movie, and even though Birds Eye is a rough and scary character, there is a glimpse of softness that Mike allows the audience to witness. It is brief and one must be diligently following to see Birds Eye's gentle side that he wants to remain hidden.
Mike has also been in "The Crazies" (2010) and "Hope and Redemption: The Lena Baker Story" (2008). Two movies I know you will not want to miss.
Mike, the person, is so different from the harsh characters he plays on the screen. Soft spoken, one finds he is an interesting character himself. I look forward to getting to know him even better over the coming months as I work on my book. Mike is the first of the many interesting people with whom I have come in contact, and I appreciate his time with Kathy and me. Barry and I will be back to Townsend, Tennessee, and I will bring many more questions and ideas to share with him about my book.
It is me again, Lord, thanking you for interesting folks who enter our lives.
A little Georgia Wisdom: Friends can enter your life when you least expect them. Take the time to get to know them and maybe a lifetime of friendship will be the result.
Friday, June 24, 2011
The Travels of the "Klutz Sisters"
A journey with the Klutz Sisters ended with them making their way down a small, quaint lane. It started when the two of them traveled to Townsend, Tennessee.
Kathy and I love to travel, take pictures, and meet new and interesting folks. Kathy loves to travel to exotic places like Egypt, Israel, Nicaragua, Uganda, Peru, Jamaica, and Jordan. Me? I've been to Canada, Mexico, and Germany with a car trip from there to Belgium and Switzerland with a stop at one of the London airports. One of the many reasons I haven't been to other exotic places over seas is that I don't like to fly over water. Now to many of you that seems foolish, but to me it is a big deal. But, again I have wondered away from the topic at hand.
We are in Townsend, Tennessee and and are having such a quiet and pleasant visit. It truly is the "quiet side of the Smokies." We haven't even turned the television on in our room because we love the sound of silence. Kathy reads while I write.
![]()
Today we decided to ride up to the Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center. I was following the signs and when it said turn, well, I turned. I ended up on this quaint little narrow road which I was soon to discover was a bike trail. Yes, you read this right! I was driving my car on the bike trail. I was trying to get off as soon as I possibly could, but you know how it is when you are trying to hurry, time slows down.
![]()
![]()
Did anyone see us? Will they recognize the silver car with the great big red "L" on the front and the two grandmothers in the car? Will they know it is us when they see us in the local restaurant? Embarrassed, I pretended to know what I was doing. Driving that car on the bike trail pictured here with my chin up and my eyes on the road/trail, as if I knew exactly what I was doing. I think that the fact Kathy was laughing hysterically might have given the hint we were in the wrong place.
![]()
Later Kathy and I were in the Carriage House eating our dinner when we realized the Klutz Sisters were now using a car as their mode for klutziness! We are having business cards made to identify us as the
Queens of Klutzville.
![]()
I can see the business cards now:
"Kathy and Linda Klutz
Queens of Klutzville
Broken Bones, Twisted Ankles,
and Wrecked cars
Extraordinare"
It is me again, Lord, thanking you for taking care of the Klutz Sisters.
A little Georgia Wisdom: When traveling make sure you know which road the arrow on the sign means. It could take you to exotic places.
Kathy and I love to travel, take pictures, and meet new and interesting folks. Kathy loves to travel to exotic places like Egypt, Israel, Nicaragua, Uganda, Peru, Jamaica, and Jordan. Me? I've been to Canada, Mexico, and Germany with a car trip from there to Belgium and Switzerland with a stop at one of the London airports. One of the many reasons I haven't been to other exotic places over seas is that I don't like to fly over water. Now to many of you that seems foolish, but to me it is a big deal. But, again I have wondered away from the topic at hand.
We are in Townsend, Tennessee and and are having such a quiet and pleasant visit. It truly is the "quiet side of the Smokies." We haven't even turned the television on in our room because we love the sound of silence. Kathy reads while I write.
Today we decided to ride up to the Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center. I was following the signs and when it said turn, well, I turned. I ended up on this quaint little narrow road which I was soon to discover was a bike trail. Yes, you read this right! I was driving my car on the bike trail. I was trying to get off as soon as I possibly could, but you know how it is when you are trying to hurry, time slows down. 
Queens of Klutzville.
I can see the business cards now:
"Kathy and Linda Klutz
Queens of Klutzville
Broken Bones, Twisted Ankles,
and Wrecked cars
Extraordinare"
It is me again, Lord, thanking you for taking care of the Klutz Sisters.
A little Georgia Wisdom: When traveling make sure you know which road the arrow on the sign means. It could take you to exotic places.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Crossing the Smoky Mountains
We often take things that occur in our lives for granted. My best friend (BFF for those who are texting folks) Kathy Hendrix, granddaughter Gracie and I recently traveled to Dollywood. We left on Wednesday and returned, after a fun filled day at Dollywood, on Thursday.
Wives, do your husbands keep a close check on your car? Well, mine does, but we have been busy keeping a close eye on the oil use of the car, and it has been in the shop for routine oil changes. It is going in the shop Monday. I felt very confident about driving the car to Tennessee and back, and it never occurred to me that the tires might give me trouble.
We were ready to drive home when a storm came up in Pigeon Forge. We decided to wait at a restaurant for the rain to end. I was in contact with Barry and was going to make a decision to either drive across the mountain to Cherokee or stay another night. The weather had cleared enough for us to make it across the mountain. Kathy said a prayer for a safe trip before we left Pigeon Forge. It was her prayer that got us to Hollywood, Georgia and near home.
There is a lot of road construction on Highway 441 across the Great Smoky Mountains. Add to the road construction fog and rain, with the shadows of early evening, and it makes for an interesting and somewhat tension filled trip, but we made it! I called Barry from Cherokee to let him know we had gotten that far and were on our way home. It wasn't until we had crossed into Habersham County in Georgia that things begin to change.
The indicator on the car begin to show a low tire pressure on the right front tire. We made it to a local station and tried to put air in the tire. We could hear it coming out of the tire as fast as we put it in. And, yes, we were correctly using the little thingy to put air in the tire. Did you know it cost $1.00 for air? I had a quarter and Kathy gave me the rest.
Barry came to our rescue and put the spare tire on the car. One of the Georgia State Patrol troopers also stopped to help. He was extremely helpful and, as it turned out, he knew Barry too.
Kathy and I never fail to have an adventure when we travel. Some are funny and some can be scary--like the time we prayed our way into the Atlanta airport when a storm was all around us as the plane landed.
Gracie had the perfect solution for our car trouble. As we came out of Dollywood the tram driver gave instructions that if we had car problems, Dollywood offered a free service to help get the cars started again. Gracie reminded us that all we had to do was call Dollywood, and they would send someone to help us.
It is me again, Lord, thanking you for safe trips and answered prayers.
A little Georgia Wisdom: No matter who you think is taking care of the mechanics of your car, one needs to know what to look for, and make sure you are driving a vehicle with good tires,
Wives, do your husbands keep a close check on your car? Well, mine does, but we have been busy keeping a close eye on the oil use of the car, and it has been in the shop for routine oil changes. It is going in the shop Monday. I felt very confident about driving the car to Tennessee and back, and it never occurred to me that the tires might give me trouble.
We were ready to drive home when a storm came up in Pigeon Forge. We decided to wait at a restaurant for the rain to end. I was in contact with Barry and was going to make a decision to either drive across the mountain to Cherokee or stay another night. The weather had cleared enough for us to make it across the mountain. Kathy said a prayer for a safe trip before we left Pigeon Forge. It was her prayer that got us to Hollywood, Georgia and near home.
There is a lot of road construction on Highway 441 across the Great Smoky Mountains. Add to the road construction fog and rain, with the shadows of early evening, and it makes for an interesting and somewhat tension filled trip, but we made it! I called Barry from Cherokee to let him know we had gotten that far and were on our way home. It wasn't until we had crossed into Habersham County in Georgia that things begin to change.
The indicator on the car begin to show a low tire pressure on the right front tire. We made it to a local station and tried to put air in the tire. We could hear it coming out of the tire as fast as we put it in. And, yes, we were correctly using the little thingy to put air in the tire. Did you know it cost $1.00 for air? I had a quarter and Kathy gave me the rest.
Barry came to our rescue and put the spare tire on the car. One of the Georgia State Patrol troopers also stopped to help. He was extremely helpful and, as it turned out, he knew Barry too.
Kathy and I never fail to have an adventure when we travel. Some are funny and some can be scary--like the time we prayed our way into the Atlanta airport when a storm was all around us as the plane landed.
Gracie had the perfect solution for our car trouble. As we came out of Dollywood the tram driver gave instructions that if we had car problems, Dollywood offered a free service to help get the cars started again. Gracie reminded us that all we had to do was call Dollywood, and they would send someone to help us.
It is me again, Lord, thanking you for safe trips and answered prayers.
A little Georgia Wisdom: No matter who you think is taking care of the mechanics of your car, one needs to know what to look for, and make sure you are driving a vehicle with good tires,
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)