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Fun

Camp Cinco de Mayo

Posted on May 11, 2018March 26, 2022 by Easin' Along

Camp II is an outdoor gathering held every year on the first weekend of May. Attendees are members of the Appalachian Anglers Society, a group dedicated to fun, fishing, and fellowship in the great outdoors. I have shared my experiences at Camp II for the previous two years (link here), but each year is special so, please join me for one more trip to one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

I attended my first Camp II on my 30^th birthday and observed my 70th the weekend before this year’s gathering. That’s 40 years of a helluva lot of fun. Although we have camped in many different campsites over the years, we now gather in the McNabb Creek Campground near Tellico Plains, within the boundaries of Cherokee National Forest. The reasons for this site are numerous, but the principal reason is that we can reserve the campground in advance. It is an open space with a central fire pit that is perfect for male bonding sessions.

Camp II officially runs Wednesday through Sunday with most attendees arriving on Friday. Because this would be Gracey’s first trip to McNabb Creek, and I wanted to make sure a trailer of her size would fit into the campsite, I drove down the previous Friday to scout the location. Although the campsite is an hour and a half south of my home, the day was glorious, and the drive along the Tellico River is always a delight. The route to the campground was free of low-hanging obstacles, and the gate to the campground seemed wide enough (barely) to permit Gracey through so, I saw no reason to leave her at home. The campground looked ready and eager to welcome us in.

On the following Wednesday morning, I had Gracey hooked up and loaded with a few necessities for the drive south. For the first time in many years, the weather forecasts were in our favor. The forecast called for rain on Saturday night, but the chances were slight. Otherwise, we looked forward to temperatures in the low 70’s with cool nights and warm campfires. Unable to contain my excitement, I arrived before anyone to find the perfect spot for Gracey. By late afternoon, several fellow Anglers moved in and joined me.

Members of the Appalachian Anglers Society are experienced outdoorsmen who go to great lengths to provide shelter and comfort in settings like this. Within a few hours, the first arrivals established an elaborate campsite complete with 60 feet of tarps, four camp stoves, two outdoor ovens, outdoor lighting, and a sound system playing Jimmy Buffet music. As soon as they finished setting up, the guys prepared gumbo that they shared with me. The gumbo was delicious. Let the weekend begin.

Thursday of Camp II usually calls for a light crowd, but the splendid weather attracted a few more campers than in previous years. Four of the Thursday group arrived with approximately 50 fresh rainbow trout that they breaded and deep fried along with some waffle fries. There was more than enough to feed everyone in camp for dinner, and I gratefully accepted an invitation. After two nights in Camp, I had yet to fire up my cooking gear and yet; I had dined royally.

Another early camper and owner of a Moonshine and Whiskey distillery brought samples to promote his line of products. Since alcohol is prohibited in the National Forest, a tasting was not allowed. Nevertheless, unsubstantiated rumors floated through camp that some of the samples were worthy although I’m not certain how that conclusion was reached. Moonshine has been part of the lore of our mountains for generations. I did take a few pictures of the samples for future reference.

By Friday, it was time to branch out. I wanted to see if there were any wildflowers in bloom, so I hopped into Bert (tow vehicle) with camera in hand. I didn’t have to drive very far up the road along North River to encounter several large beds of Wild Iris, my favorite wildflower. The spring rains provided great conditions for wildflowers, and it wasn’t long before I spotted Red Trillium, Spring Beauty, and another favorite, Fire Pink. What a treat!

When I arrived back at McNabb Creek, many campers had arrived and began gathering for the shrimp boil prepared by Bill, his son Wil, and Kirby, Bill’s Dad and Wil’s grandfather. Bill had assembled tables for the occasion complete with holes in the center to accommodate shrimp shells and trash. As one might imagine, the Anglers robustly devoured this incredible concoction of shrimp, corn, and andouille sausage right down to the last potato. The rest of the evening was devoted to casual conversations around several roaring campfires.

On Saturday I drove to several of the campgrounds in the area in search of a campground for Helen (adorable wife) and Gracey on return trips. Saturday is a big day for fishing in the Tellico River, and fishermen were out in numbers. I saw several large strings of fish by late morning in addition to finding three campgrounds that could accommodate Gracey easily.

Camp II fell on Cinco de Mayo this year, so a dinner of Mexican food seemed appropriate for the occasion. Rob, a fellow Angler, and son of a longtime member spent an entire afternoon preparing a scrumptious buffet of soft tacos for the group. Taco fillings included beef tenderloin, chicken breasts, spiced ground beef and ground pork, black beans, rice, shredded cheese and a delicious, cheesy chorizo sauce. I filled one taco and should have stopped there, but I couldn’t resist and had another. Hat’s off to you Rob; this meal was outstanding!

Saturday night brought a couple of rain showers, and Anglers broke up into smaller groups to fit under the tarps available. I invited a few guys to sit under Gracey’s awning to share cigars with me before the Mexican meal prodded into bed for the night. The gentle rain made for great sleeping.

Another Camp II came to an end on Sunday, and our group of about 45 or so began to pull up stakes and move out. Most had departed by the time I hooked up Gracey. Leaving this area is always difficult for me, so I lingered long enough to soak up a little more mountain air before inserting a John Denver CD into Bert’s player and drive away for that spectacular drive along the river. Once again, Camp II was a complete success giving all the chance to spend time with old friends and meet several new ones.

I paused long enough to make a short video of Bald River Falls to share with readers. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did in making it. It was a great weekend for Easin’ Along.

Fundamentals

Seventy!?! What Else Has Changed?

Posted on April 27, 2018April 27, 2018 by Easin' Along

By the time this post reaches Easin’ Along readers, yours truly will be one day away from crossing the threshold into another decade on earth. At times, I find it hard to believe that I am talking about myself while placing “seventy years old” in the same sentence. Nevertheless, birthday number seventy will arrive at the stroke of midnight on Friday. I can shake my head in disbelief all I want, but, as I am fond of saying, a zebra can’t change his stripes…it is what it is.

Please don’t think of me as forlorn, sorrowful, and certainly not sad at reaching this milestone, because I am not. Like most, there are a few regrets and missed opportunities, but, I can’t focus on those. I am blessed far beyond the modest hopes and dreams I had as a young man if I ever had any of those thoughts, but my, how things have changed in seventy years.

Here’s a quick story to illustrate that point. Three evenings ago, I was having dinner with five great guys who are dear friends that I have known for forty years. We all lived in the same neighborhood for many of those years and camped together, fished together, drank together, and laughed together about topics not fit for print. Some of us still camp and fish together, but on this occasion, we spent more time laughing about our joint replacements than we did at bawdy jokes. Yes, a few things have changed mightily.

Sitting in the Man Cave with 50’s and 60’s Music blasting away from an Amazon Echo serves as a great representation of how much change has transpired since I first listened to the same music on a tube radio in my bedroom. Tall, gangly, and awkward, I probably danced a jig for a beat or two at the time providing I could hear the song above the static. Now, I marvel at being able to speak to a black cylinder and hear the same songs clearly or, even more astounding, my questions answered by an unseen someone named Alexa.

I’m not working anymore, and that’s a change. I’ve had a “real job” since my first newspaper route at age 12. There are some things that I can’t change, however. There are aspects of working full-time that I find myself missing on occasion. I miss the friends and the relationships I accumulated over many years of a career building homes. I find myself missing time around young people and feeling the effects of their boundless energy and enthusiasm and their connection to things current. I miss the daily challenges that one confronts in the workplace and the process of finding successful solutions to those challenges. Finally, I miss earning a paycheck—not because of the money, but because every dime I ever received represented hard work, dedication, and a contribution toward the task of accomplishing a goal. Nevertheless, I’m not trading any of the above for the job I have now but, in all probability, I will never get used to being without a real job.

I write often now and, even though it is only a part-time endeavor, writing for pleasure was always in the plan for life after my career ended. I wrote for a small magazine I was involved with during the 80’s, and I always kept a journal, but there was not much time to write as a home builder. That has changed now. I have committed to no less than one Easin’ Along post a week, and my life has rhythm and a schedule around which I organize everything else. I love that as much as I love the writing. Easin’ Along also serves as a record of our lives during retirement and of the extended travel time that retirement has made available to us.

I am much more spiritual than ever. Regrettably, I made very little space for God in my life in the past. I went through the motions; I made promises to read and study the Bible that I never kept; I attended church, but never made a sincere effort to become involved. The change occurred after a bad business experience found me in need of someone besides me to lean on. Miraculously, I was asked to join a Bible study with some members of our church and, oddly enough, several in the group were experiencing difficulties similar to mine. We talked, cried, and prayed through our problems together. In the end, each of us came away with the realization that faith in something greater than us will carry us much farther than traveling alone. I love our church and our members and look forward to every opportunity to be among them and to serve. I am always working on my journey of faith, but I know it is much stronger now than in the past.

**Starched, pressed, and buttoned-down**

The clock is ticking, and I need to close before I turn seventy, but the list of changes remains a lengthy one. I appreciate art and music more than ever primarily because I can’t do either, and admire greatly anyone who can. I am more careful with my health and always struggle with my weight. On occasion, (rainy weather) I walk with a cane due to a worn out hip, but hopefully, a replacement scheduled for July will make things better. I give less thought to my appearance now than ever before. You may catch me in my favorite overalls and Crocs at the supermarket now instead of the starched, pressed, and buttoned-down wardrobe I wore in the past. I gave up a concern about gray hair long ago.

The most significant change is that I take things much slower now. I intend to remain active and continue to go and to do for as long as I am able. Helen (adorable wife) has the same plan. Gracey, our travel trailer, will soon be hitched to Bert and on her way to the beach. Nonetheless, we’ll go slowly and smell the flowers at every opportunity. The pace is one we can handle no matter our age, and a seventieth birthday won’t change that. That’s why we call this journey Easin’ Along.

Fun

Rossini Festival Rocks It!

Posted on April 20, 2018April 18, 2018 by Easin' Along

Tennessee has used two slogans that capture the essence of our state very effectively. A few years ago, the slogan was “Tennessee Sounds Good to Me” and promoted the music for which we are famous. The current slogan, “Tennessee, the State of Music” is not quite as catchy, but still does a good job of telling the world who we are.

The music of our state is a great source of pride to our citizens, and we love showing it off. Memphis, on the western end of the State, is known for the Blues, Nashville, in the middle of the State, is famous for Country Music and the town is thriving because of it. In the East Tennessee hills, our music is Bluegrass, complete with banjo and fiddle.

In Knoxville, where Helen (adorable wife) and I live, three festivals were held recently to showcase not only the music of the region but music in general. The Big Ears Festival (link) proclaimed as the most diverse music festival in America, features everything from Jazz to “experimental” in seven separate venues. This year’s Festival in late March drew 8,000 folks from all over the world.

Two weeks later, the Rhythm and Blooms Festival (link) kicked off to coincide with the blooming of our Dogwoods and the arrival of spring. This festival features a lot of local artists and groups and takes place over three days and in different venues in an area of downtown called The Old City. This festival is now in its tenth year.

This past weekend, the 17th Rossini Festival celebrated music with an international flair. This event, hosted by the Knoxville Opera Company, brought tens of thousands of people to fill our city streets to enjoy the music of over 1,000 performers. While Opera is the focus of the one-day event, festival attendees enjoy Bluegrass, Chamber music, vocal groups, choral groups, college bands and choirs, even street dancers. Helen and I left home early for our first visit to this Festival in an Uber car. We understood that parking would be a challenge and large crowd had already formed when we arrived.

In addition to the music heard in every direction, young festival-goers enjoyed games and rides in order to release some of that early morning energy. A long line of Moms and Dads formed in front of the trampoline while holding back children eager to get in on the fun. Another line stood in front of the Merry-Go-Round.

Helen, fresh off of knee replacement, and me with an ailing hip, worked our way through the very large and tight crowd to the first music venue where we encountered a delightful surprise. Lindsey, a gifted University student who sings in our church choir, was on the stage and filling the air with a beautiful soprano solo. We stayed to tell her how much we enjoyed it.

Back on the streets, we enjoyed the talents of the many musicians including another performing duo that I had heard before. A beautiful bass player and her guitarist partner occupied one of the street corners, and I recognized her from a blog post I wrote several years ago. I gave her the nickname Tallulah at the time. Both are excellent musicians, and it was good to see that they are still in the area.

Food vendors were everywhere. Helen and I had a difficult time selecting our choice for lunch stops which is unusual for us. We postponed that decision—it was still early.

Another group familiar to me played chamber music on a corner about a block away from Tallulah–The Anderson Family, a mom, and her very gifted children. I heard them play while attending the WDVX Blue Plate Special in 2016. Their skills are exceptional and have progressed as they have grown older. (See post, at the bottom)

In the middle of the crowd, a card trick artist entertained a very large audience with his magic and drew a robust round of applause when he predicted the exact card he was looking for out of a very well-shuffled deck. Almost everyone was impressed except Oliver, an English bulldog sitting quietly to one side.

After walking to one end of the festival street to listen to an excellent horn ensemble from a local junior college, we decided we should grab lunch before the crowds became impossible. We both selected lamb gyros and a Greek salad. We devoured them while listening to another performance from the Opera stage.

Greek food vendor

We needed to walk off our lunch, so, once again, we made our way through the streets to browse through the many booths set up by vendors and enjoy some more music. On one corner a Bluegrass band was belting out a stirring rendition of Fox On the Run as the crowd clapped to the tune. At the far end of the street, a choral group from another junior college was preparing to perform Broadway Show tunes. We stayed to hear them and felt rewarded handsomely. These young folks can sing.

At 2:30, the Opera Company would perform two selections from an upcoming performance of the Opera Aida, and since we knew that it would take some time to walk back through the crowd to the Opera Stage, we decided to leave in plenty of time to make it there and get good seats. About halfway there we ran into some friends who laughed at us both walking on canes and wanted to take our picture. I tried to fend them off, but finally, Helen relented and handed them the camera.

Back at the Opera stage, a crowd was gathering in eager anticipation of the Aida selections. Luck was with us, and we found two seats near the stage to people-watch while waiting for the show. Knoxville Mayor, Madeline Rogero, and several other elected officials waited with us before taking the stage to welcome the crowd and introduce the Opera Company director. Suddenly, the singers took their places, and it was “show-time.”

Eager to share this music with Easin’ Along readers, I recorded a video of both songs and placed one of them at the bottom of the page. I apologize for the shake in the clip, but I didn’t have a tripod with me. Nevertheless, the music is awesome, and I promise that the three minutes you spend watching it will be among the best three minutes in your day. I hope you immerse yourself in it. As they entertain you, we’ll continue Easin’ Along ‘cuz our hills are alive…with the sound of music.