|
|
Blue Ridge Parkway Overlook at Groundhog Mountain, Meadows of Dan, VA
|
|
|
|
Howdy, and welcome to the April 2024 edition of the Blue Ridge Tales newsletter. I hope you enjoy my selections for the month.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Back of the Dragon: The Road as Destination
|
|
|
|
An installment in our Blue Ridge Travel series. Most roads exist to take us somewhere else. We drive them without giving them much thought, watching the miles disappear until we reach a trailhead, a scenic overlook, or a small town. The road is simply the space between where we are and where we want to be. The Back of the Dragon turns …
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Why the Blue Ridge Mountains Feel Restorative
|
|
|
|
An installment in our Blue Ridge Travel series. The change usually begins before visitors realize it. They arrive in the Blue Ridge carrying more than luggage. They bring unfinished projects, crowded schedules, traffic jams, unread messages, and all the small pressures that accumulate during an ordinary week. The mountains may be outside the windshield, but their minds are often somewhere else. At …
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Signature Dish: When Food Becomes Family History
|
|
|
|
An installment in our Appalachian Foodways series The reunion had barely started before people began lifting casserole lids and peeking beneath sheets of aluminum foil. Children darted through rooms. Chairs scraped across the floor. Someone carried in a crockpot and set it on the counter. The meal was still an hour away, but the inventory had already begun. "Did Aunt Carrie bring …
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Curse of Ivanhoe: When a Town Began to Sink
|
|
|
|
An installment in our Folklore & Legends series The Fourth of July arrives early in Ivanhoe. By midafternoon, lawn chairs begin appearing around the Jubilee Park and Horse Show Grounds. Families claim their spots for the evening festivities. Children drift between food stands while volunteers make last-minute preparations. Before the day is over, much of the community will gather for a celebration …
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Telephone Operators: The Most Trusted Women in Town
|
|
|
|
An installment in our Appalachian History and Culture series. The doctor lived twelve miles away. Reaching him began with a hand crank mounted on the kitchen wall. The farmer stepped to the telephone, turned the crank, and waited. Somewhere inside the local exchange, a flap dropped. The operator looked up from the switchboard. "Number, please?" The caller couldn't dial the number directly. …
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, that's it for this edition. I hope you enjoyed it. If you would like me to cover a particular topic, drop me a line at the address below. And don't forget to "like" our Facebook page.
|
|
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright Wayne Jordan 2024 All rights reserved
|
|
|
|
|
