Remembrance

They met on a blind date and took an instant liking to each other. Much of their courtship consisted of hiking in the mountains. She was three years his senior. They were married in 1949.


He became a lawyer. A lover of animals, she became a veterinarian, rather unusual for her time. Her quest for knowledge led her to take courses in forestry, icythyology, and she studied all things living. She would later give up her veterinary practice to take college-level courses in science full time.

They lived in Montana and in New York, but their love was for Western North Carolina where they always intended to retire. The couple were passionate lovers of the outdoors. When their children grew up, they traveled extensively, hiking some of the most rugged mountains in the world. They always stayed in hostels or inexpensive lodging because, as he said, "You meet so many more interesting people that way."

When they were in their 50s, he hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, from Maine to Georgia. She joined him for much of the hike and they celebrated with champagne at the end of the trail. Other hikers were delighted by her ability to identify every tree, bush, flower, etc., along the trail.

In 1990, they moved to the North Carolina mountains they loved so much. She was an avid gardener and an award-winning quilter. Their passion was hiking, especially in the lesser known trails of Pisgah National Forest. They were stewards of the land, purchasing land in their community and donating it to be a nature sanctuary.

After 58 years of marriage, they were deeply committed to one another. They continued to hike together at least once a week in all seasons. If the sun came up, they went hiking.

In October of last year, they were found to be missing. Their car was found near a trail head in Pisgah National Forest, here in Transylvania County.

A year ago, on November 9, 2007, her body was found not far from their car. He was still missing. Telephone records showed that she had made a 911 call from her cell phone, but the signal was insufficient to relay beyond the tower. Their bank card was used in nearby Tennessee. Autopsy would later show that she died of blunt force trauma to the head.

In February, 2008, the skeletal remains of his body were found on a forest service service road in upstate Georgia. He had been shot in the head.

Evidence links the senseless killing of this wonderful and loving couple to Gary Michael Hilton, who pleaded guilty in the equally senseless murder of Meredith Emerson in Georgia.

John and Irene Bryant left behind a legacy of love. Love for each other and their children, love of nature, love of the outdoors, and love of these wonderful North Carolina mountains. The entire county grieves for them still, even those of us who did not know them personally. They left the world better than they found it. We can all take a lesson from the Bryants. They are an inspiration to all.

Photographs from the Transylvania Times

Only when you drink from the river of silence

shall you indeed sing.

And when you have reached the mountain top,

then you shall begin to climb.

And when the earth shall claim your

limbs, then shall you truly dance.

Kahlil Gibran

So this post is in remembrance of John and Irene Bryant. They lived life to the fullest. At ages 80 and 84 they were still too young to die. They are no doubt singing together now and they have reached the mountain top and are dancing at this very minute.

Road to Pretty Place

Wednesday's post gave you views from the chapel at Pretty Place, and the chapel itself.

But the drive to get to Pretty Place affords some spectacular views of the autumn color as well. These pictures do not give justice to the beauty, since you cannot feel the crisp fall air and turn yourself around to catch a panoramic view. So add images of birds singing, squirrels romping through the leaves, and a sense of well-being to these photographs to approach the real beauty.

The road to Camp Greenville and Pretty Place runs along a bifurcation of the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment. The valleys below are as much as 2,00 feet lower in elevation. Much of the area represents a true wilderness. The terrain is not suitable for building, even in today's sophisticated construction industry. For that we can be grateful.

Fridays are Golden

A couple of weeks ago, we took the girls to Ticoa Park within our community. This week we took them to the other end of the lake, to the dam. Ticoa is an earthen dam and the lake at the dam is a popular fishing spot.





Docks of differing styles line the perimeter of the lake. Here Ellie trys to coax Lucy to come down the stairs to the dock.

Come on, Lucy. It's easy and Mom won't mind.

Lucy joined her and the two of them checked out the dock. You should click to enlarge and see the wide smile on Lucy's face, along with her tail raised so high it curls.

Wow! This is great!

Ellie abruptly decided to break loose and run, leaving Lucy far behind.

Hey, wait up!

Lucy ran as hard as she could to catch up.

Why did she take off like that?



They ran down, and then up every set of stairs on every dock we came upon.

Let's try to stay together.



The girls had such a great time and got some really good exercise running the banks as well as the stairs. They did not stop for a moment to enjoy the view from the top of the dam. The afternoon was clear and crisp. Both the canine and human members of the family enjoyed the afternoon.

After such strenuous exercise, the girls just collapsed. Lucy invariably lies down next to Ellie.

The election is over. Regardless of your politics, let's all join together as citizens to support the newly elected, nationally and locally.

Have a wonderful weekend. Stay safe and take some time for yourself!

Autumn Color at Pretty Place

Camp Greenville is a YMCA camp established in 1912. It sits on top of the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment, just inside the South Carolina border. A year-round camp, Camp Greenville offers summer camps for ages 7-17 as well as environmental education programs, conferences, retreats for business, and weddings.

Weddings? At a YMCA camp? Oh, yes.

At the very end of the road to Camp Greenville, atop Standing Stone Mountain sits the Fred Symmes Chapel, built and donated to the camp in 1941. The chapel is open air and non-denominational, designed as a place for worship and reflection. It is a very popular site for weddings.

The view from Fred Symmes Chapel is absolutely stunning. The location has come to be called, "Pretty Place." Here is the view of the front of the chapel.

The interior is lined with bronze plaques, most with lovely poems and scriptures.

A large wooden cross at the altar overlooks a panoramic view of the mountains. The scripture on the wooden beam above the cross (from Psalm 121) reads, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help."

The view is lovely in all seasons, but the autumn colors are breath-taking. The color is a little past peak with less yellow and more orange and brown.

Even the nearby trees are bursting with color.

From "Pretty Place" the view stretches for miles. (I have no idea what the cleared space represents, but I intend to find out.)

We are still having lovely fall weather with chilly nights and sunny days. We would gladly exchange all the remaining fall color for some much needed rain. The trees really need a good soaking before winter comes.

I'm Voting for the Pumpkin

I must admit it feels very strange. Today is Election Day and I'm not going to the polls. We have early voting in NC, and I voted last week. I didn't think it would be the same, but it really was, complete with long lines. But I still feel as if something is missing today.

So, I'm going to vote again...for the Pumpkins. For many years, a local real estate agent has erected a pumpkin man and woman on her property. The property was sold last summer. As fall began to arrive, everyone wondered if we would see the pumpkins again.

Well, the new owners outdid themselves. Once again, Mr. and Mrs. Pumkin are waving at the traffic.

I love the use of various pumpkins and squashes. Note Mr. Pumpkin's neat mustache.

The poor Pumpkins. They are looking and waving at cars on the highway. Meanwhile, this view is just behind them.

If you are not in a "early vote" state, get down to the polls and VOTE. Take your iPod, book, newspaper or anything you need to pass the time in line. This may be the most important election of your life. Be a part of it!!!

Trick or Treat

We don't have trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood. The houses are pretty far apart and the terrain is very hilly. In fact, we have no children living on our street.

Our neighbors have three young grandsons who visited on Halloween. So the neighbor called several of us to give us a "heads up" that the boys would be out trick-or-treating. They would come to our house last, since we are across the street.

I remembered our trick-or-treat days in which we covered a lot of territory and got a lot of candy. I realized these children would go only to six or seven houses and wouldn't have a lot of loot. So I purchased three large bags of assorted candy. Imagine the surprised looks on their faces when we dumped an entire bag of candy into each treat bag! It was priceless.

Ellie and Lucy were fascinated by the colorful costumes. They were very good girls and remained at a "sit/stay" while we distributed the treats. You will notice that Lucy (on the right) seems very interested in something around the door. She was looking at my husband who was getting the candy from the dining room table.

I love seeing children in their Halloween costumes, and I thought I would really miss trick-or-treaters. But you know what? I really didn't. There were no kids taller than I, no mothers with infants carrying treat bags for "the baby," and no more hungry looking children whom I wanted to bring inside and feed. No more parents standing in the yard grabbing a smoke, and no more carloads of children from other areas of the city. I'll be content to treat my neighbor's grandsons and call it a night.

Tragedy

Death was instantaneous. An 80-pound Black Bear cub is no match for tons of metal traveling at 70 mph.

Last week, a bear cub wandered onto Interstate 26 and was killed in traffic. The sight of the dead bear cub was heartbreaking. More heartbreaking was the sight of the mother who had been foraging with her other cub at the roadside. The mother ventured into the road to see about her cub. Police arrived and immediately shut down the Interstate.

Black Bear mothers are strongly devoted to their cubs. It is not without reason that people are advised never to come between a mother bear and her cub. As traffic stopped, the mother bear seemed perplexed. She was trying to decide what to do. She did not realize her cub was dead. The police officers distracted the bear and pulled the cub off the Interstate to the side of the road so that the mother could reach it. As the officers walked away, the mother grabbed the cub by the nape of the neck and pulled it off into the woods, her other cub following behind.

The mother stayed with her cub, trying to awaken it to no avail. This behavior is not uncommon for Black Bears. These animals are fiercely protective of their cubs. They are attentive to their every need and communicate with them much like human mothers do, with soft gurgles and soothing sounds. Black Bear babies cry and sound a lot like human babies. The mother protects her cubs from danger, and have been know to fight other bears who might do the cubs harm. She will fight to the death if necessary to protect them.

Like human teenagers, the cubs remain with their mother long after they are mostly self-sufficient. Most cubs will remain with the mother for two years, so surely this particular mother was devastated by the limp body of her cub.

After dragging her cub away into the woods, the mother stayed at his side, occasionally touching him. Was she grieving? Did she still not understand what was going on? No one can say. What we do know is that she stayed with the dead cub for several hours. Then she nudged the dead cub once more and slowly walked away with her remaining cub close behind.

Did I mention that a 50-pound bear cub can be legally shot during bear hunting season in North Carolina? Yes, it is perfectly legal to kill a 50-pound first season bear cub. Legal to kill a cub the mother so loves, a cub who would otherwise spend the winter snug in the den with his or her sibling and mother. A cub for whom the mother will almost certain grieve in her own way

Photograph from National Geographic

The same issue of the newspaper reported that a human mother has been arraigned and held on charges of severe child abuse. She had put her toddler in extremely hot water as punishment and the child sustained severe burns to the buttocks and legs. The child also showed signs of previous abuse, including a black eye and cigarette burns on the feet.

It all seems so senseless.