Sorghum Festival

 

Blairsville, Georgia (high 77, low 56)

The weather has been spectacular lately, with highs in the 70’s and beautiful blue skies.  It could stay like this all winter long.

Yesterday, was the first day of the annual Blairsville Sorghum Festival.  It’s held at the very beautiful Meeks Park.  The festival  is so popular that it runs on two consecutive week-ends.  We decided to go yesterday morning and check it out.  Unfortunately after the JC Campbell Arts and Craft Festival we went to last week, this one was kind of a let down. 

The park was pretty and the trees are starting to change colors.

There are some nice trails in the park, and one day we’ll get there to check them out.

There are some local bands playing music.  These young kids were terrific, playing what I would call “mountain music.” 

A few people in the audience couldn’t keep still and started dancing.  

Most of the vendors were selling food.  We had to get some of the spiced pecans  (pronounced pee-cans here in Georgia)

There was a guy carving wood and selling his work.  $275 for this guy.

What would a mountain festival be without moonshine?

What would a sorghum festival be without freshly made sorghum?

There was a LOT of wood for the fire.

A big mountain of sorghum in the raw.

and the finished product.  It’s filtered through the cheesecloth, bottled and sold right there.  We ended up buying a small  jar after taking a taste of it.

We came home and I sat outside a while and did some reading/napping/bird watching.  I seem to start out reading, then get distracted by the birds, then before long I get sleepy.  :)

I believe this bird is a juvenile bluebird.  He kept checking out the bluebird house, so we’re wondering if he is planning on using it next spring?  Al needs to move the box, a little further from the tree (so that snakes can’t get into the box) and put a baffle up, (again for snakes)

We have a lot of goldfinch.  They are losing their pretty yellow color.

Some of these birds are so hungry that you can walk right up 2 feet from feeder and they won’t fly away. 

Baxter came outside with me and did his own bird watching from his cage.  He really enjoyed it.

Of course I had to wake him up first.  He had been napping in the sun.

We’re having company today.   He is a retired deputy we knew in Tampa.  He and his wife have a home here and he spends as much time as he can here in Blairsville.  His wife Marie is a Tampa police officer and she’s still a few years away from retirement, so she won’t be up here for another week.    There are a lot of Floridians up here, and I can certainly see why.  It’s such a lovely place.

Next week, we have an old friend that I worked with from USAA.   Paul and Marti Dahl have also hinted that they might come see us……still waiting Paul!

Last night, our Rv park had the final get together for the year.  We had a potluck dinner with soups and stews.  Everything was delicious.  We didn’t stay for the games since Al wasn’t feeling well.

This morning, Al decided to take an early ride to see if he could see the bear.  It was just getting light, it was cold and I didn’t feel like bundling up and going outside, so I stayed home and drank my coffee.

Wouldn’t you know…..he DID see the bear!   It was in the cornfield, getting ready to cross the road to go back to his daytime home.    Al said he was about 30 feet away when he saw him.  He’s a big bear and very skittish, so he went back into the cornfield as soon as he saw Al.

Al came back home and got me, I grabbed my camera, but when we went back, the only thing I saw were two deer in the same spot. 

 

That will teach me!