Who's Eating My Chocolate? or, Welcome to Squirrel Hill

The Saga of Rocky continues...but here it gets a wee bit creepy!

Waking up early in the morning, I heard a familiar scrabbling noise. I had heard it before, but never thought much about it. Squirrels running on the tin roof were a common noise. Sometimes I would hear branches dropping down. Now, as I listened, I knew what it was. We had company.

I checked the kitchen island but nothing seemed amiss. As I was dusting the hutch, I noticed slivers of aluminum foil. Moving a silk plant I found the evidence.



Squirrels like chocolate! Who knew! (Our exterminator told us later that rodents love chocolate.) Our night visitor had stolen a Hershey Kiss from the candy jar, gently peeled it and taken it off to nibble. Thanksgiving couldn't come soon enough!

Saturday after Thanksgiving we were enjoying a peaceful night at home after traveling 1200 miles round trip for a turkey dinner (and of course a chance to be with family and friends!). As I cleaned up dinner, Larry suddenly appeared from the basement, where his office is, with one of those looks on his face and holding his hands far apart. If you've ever seen a spider, roach or god forbid, a snake in your house, you know the look. If you've ever seen a fisherman show the size of the 'one that got away', you know how far apart his hands were.

"You gotta come down here! Something just ran by me and it's THIS (insert hands far apart) BIG!!!"

Frankly, I'm wondering why I have to go down there, but I think this is where that concept of Supportive Wife comes in, so down the stairs I go, into the deep dark, basement. Well, really not that dark. We did have the lights on. And when I got there, we had EVERY light on.



"It ran under there" he says pointing to the couch. So we crouched on the floor with a flashlight and sure enough, the shadow under the couch was definitely bigger than a mouse. After consulting we decided to:

Flip the Couch
Trap the critter under a clear plastic bin we had handy
And then, somehow, wriggle the lid under the bin and TRAP THE SUCKER in the box!

Sounds good, until you attempt to execute it.

Larry was going to flip the sofa and I was going to TRAP THE SUCKER!
Before we made our move my ever supportive husband looked at me and said, with full confidence:
"Oh yeah, you're gonna let him get away."



And I did. He flipped the sofa. Rocky and I took a split second to eyeball each other. I threw the tub over him....well, in his direction, and we both ran in opposite directions. Rocky headed into the bedroom.

And now it was apparent why Rocky looked so big! Our pest control company had placed sticky pads around the house to help trap mice. Rocky had inadvertently touched the sticky pad with his tail and it was going everywhere with him, making him look twice his size. That's a good strategy if you are trying to scare off a bear, but not real good if you are a squirrel trying to hide.



We were able to corner Rocky and this time Larry took the tub, while I poked under the bed and moved Rocky in Larry's general direction. Larry, being a GUY and much more stalwart than ME, held his ground as the squirrel came his way and dropped the tub over him.

Now came the tricky part. And as things go, the creepy part. But if you have a sense of humor, it is also the hilarious part.

It is the part where we try to slide the lid under the tub to trap the squirrel.

As we slid the lid in the back, somehow, the squirrel managed to wedge himself under the front of the bin. Then he grabbed hold of Larry's pant leg. And held on. And dragged the sticky pad over Larry's shoe. I wish I had a video. I can't begin to explain the following sequence of events, but here's the gist of it.

The squirrel was stuck to the pad. The pad was stuck to Larry's shoe. Neither of them could get away from each other. THEY WERE STUCK!

Somehow Larry got the squirrel off his shoe, and into the bin, and got the Lid on.

















Sorry, Rocky. As long as you stay in your world we are fine. My house takes up but a tiny bit of your forest and there are plenty of oak trees and squirrel nests, and bird seed out there. But once you ruin my blinds, it's war. We won this battle.

The exterminators have plugged the holes and set the traps. It was a warm day when they were here, and hopefully all the critters had gone back outside. So far, none have been trapped inside. And the token tomato and apple I keep on my counter as a checkpoint have been untouched.

So maybe we won the war! I will update you if we see more critters. For now, I'm hoping Rocky decides to reunite with Bullwinkle and move to Minnesota.

In Search of Rocky--(The Flying Squirrel)

It all started this way....

It was a dark and stormy night...

No, Really! It WAS a dark and stormy night when Larry walked into our house to find things amiss. In fact it was Halloween! And he was spooked. A magazine was on the floor. Dish towels had fallen off the towel rack. A votive candle holder had been knocked off a table. As he investigated further, he found the Venetian blinds in our bedroom on the second floor were tangled or down and he couldn't fix them.
    
There were wood shavings on the window sill.... and then more under a closet door in the loft where something had chewed the entire bottom of the door and pulled 4" slivers off, just for good measure.


More proof of the invasion and perhaps the entrance point was discovered in the basement. Something had chewed a hole in the ceiling tiles, and left a mess on the floor.



Where was I? In Iowa, and very happy to be there as he called and relayed what he was finding. I think I was happier realizing it was not a burglar, but an animal, but at any rate, I was really happiest knowing I wasn't there! So much for being the supportive wife.

Fast forward a month and here's what we know. Our home was invaded by both mice and flying squirrels. When I got home a week later, I realized the squirrel had actually run across the tops of the valences in the living room and the top of the china hutch, knocking over Styrofoam pumpkins that were on top.

An exterminator was called and he popped his head through the tiny 'man hole' in the bedroom closet that leads to a true crawl space and quickly proclaimed, "Oh yeah, There's a nest, food piles, tracks, (and other signs of rodent activity) up here." Oh goody!

He told me what it would take, (and what it would cost!) to get rid of the varmints and I wondered if it wouldn't be easier to call Bullwinkle to come round up his trusted buddy, Rocky. However, although we live in the North Woods, the North Woods of Georgia is not a familiar habitat for Moose, so Bullwinkle probably wasn't going to get us out of this fix. We hired the exterminator. He would start work plugging holes, setting traps, and removing said varmints, after Thanksgiving.

 Meanwhile, it was still evident something was visiting at night. One morning as Larry went to the kitchen to start his coffee he found mail knocked off the kitchen island onto the floor. I checked the bowl on the counter and discovered something had nibbled two of the tomatoes I had bought the day before. Mouse? Squirrel? Whatever it was, it had neatly skirted the sticky pad our pest control company had placed hoping to catch our critters. After that, I left an apple out, just as a 'critter activity check'.

Yep. We had critters in the house. We were counting down to Thanksgiving. Since we would be gone we needed to wait until after we got home to get serious about catching them. (After a week away, no one really wants to come home and find a dead mouse in the house.)

Our story doesn't end here. Stay tuned for Part 2.

To Be Continued.....

Welcome Home, Soldier

It's Veteran's Day, the day we honor all of our soldiers, and their service. In a recent event in Blairsville, we were reminded that at times not all of our soldiers have felt honored for their service. In October, The Moving Wall made a five day stop at Meeks Park.

The Moving Wall is an exact replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.

When the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial was originally conceived and planned, it did not receive universal support. Many people found it offensive and ugly. Maya Lin, the winning designer, held fast in her position that it should be executed exactly as designed. One suggestion was to place a three-soldier sculpture in the middle where the two walls met. She was adamant that this would take focus from the wall and place it on the sculpture. (See "Opposition to Design and Compromise"). I am glad she prevailed.

The sculpture of three soldiers was made, but sits off to the side. The Wall in Washington has become one of the most moving and important memorials in history. Within years of its construction, a replica was made that could be taken to communities around the United States. I've been to the real wall, and this fall I went to the Moving Wall. I found both experiences to be memorable. It is a unique memorial.

The design concept is simple. Slabs of granite form a two-sided wall. The list of names of those who died (or are missing) start in the corner where the two walls meet. They continue in chronological order of their death or capture. By each name is a diamond shape. If the person is still missing, the name has a + by it. When that person's remains are found, the + is filled in and becomes the diamond shape. In that way, all who were lost were recognized. (Sadly, there are still many + marks on the wall.) When the engraver came to the end of the west wall, he began at the beginning of the east wall and continued engraving names. The names of the last that died end where the two walls meet in the middle. The concept is that the first man to die was there to greet the last one. It is very powerful.

Coming home from the war in the 60's and 70's was not the jubilant welcome soldiers in WWI and WWII had experienced. Our nation was not only in a military conflict but an internal conflict about that military action. Many soldiers left one war only to come home to another, one they really didn't understand. I am not a historian, veteran, or psychologist so I won't attempt to convey their experience here, but I do remember those days, and they were rough.

It is hard to describe the impact a black granite wall can have, and yet, just walking towards it, seeing all the names engraved, is sobering.

People who wanted to find a name, went to a tent where they could look up the name and locate the numbered granite slab it was on. Watching veterans as they stop, search for a name, and then find it, is touching to say the least. This memorial takes them back to a time they want to forget, but can't.

It has become a tradition for visitors to make a rubbing of names they have found. Some leave mementos.

"To honor all brothers who gave their all. We can't lay a wreath, but we remember!"

One veteran told me of a friend who said to him, "I don't want to go. I don't want to see it. I don't want to talk about it." But he went. He stayed for 2 hours. And when he left he told his friend, "I think I finally get why I'm on my third marriage." Shell-shocked was the term used back then and help was limited. We have since learned that PTSD is long lasting and can even show up years later.

Veteran's Day was set aside after WWI, considered to be the "War to End All Wars". Sadly, it wasn't. But until it is, may we always remember that every returning warrior needs a heartfelt "Welcome Home".

RV Adventures

October is over and I am sad. It is time to tuck our beloved RV in for the winter. This means drain the tanks and pipes of water and refill with antifreeze, so that when we are ready to head out next spring we won't find water trickling down the walls in some unexpected places. Before October faded into the past, we squeezed one last trip in to a very busy couple of weeks. We headed to Lake Allatoona Marina Campground in Cartersville, Ga. for three days.

And of course, we had a chance to add to our list of adventures.

First rule, reconfirmed. DO NOT put the address of the campsite in your GPS from memory. There will probably be a major routing difference between Chestnut Street, Chestnut Drive, Chestnut Landing or Chestnut Avenue. We, of course, did put the address in from memory and after driving through narrow, busy downtown streets searching for our lakefront campsite, we finally decided to check it. OOPS. Note to self: RVs with Toads do not make U-Turns. Country roads do not have 6 lane turn-arounds. And we don't back up! Double check the address before leaving!!

Rule No. 2: Follow the directions in the RV Camping Directory when it tells you what exit to take off of the interstate. My always adventurous husband decided to leave I-75 at exit 290 instead of exit 283 because, "that road should take us down there, shouldn't it?" Um hmm. Perhaps that is also why we were winding our way through narrow, busy downtown streets. Not all roads are RV friendly. Your favorite RV directory probably knows better! Refer to the consequences stated in Rule No. 1.

We managed to make it to the campsite in tact, and settled into our site. Before long we heard the sound of an approaching train. The train blew its whistle--3 short, 1 long (very long) blasts as it neared a crossing, and then rumbled past the campground.

Fence=edge of campground. Trees=non-soundproofed barrier by train track.

As we sat at the picnic table, we eyed the train passing through the trees. Larry said, "They missed this part in the campground description." We both thought back to the tracks we had crossed over as we came into the campground.

"I wonder if they observe quiet hours?" I said. 

The next morning we pulled ourselves out of bed, and said, "Nope. They don't observe quiet hours." I counted 12 trains that went by during the night. 

In spite of the trains that frequently went by, we enjoyed our stay at the lake, and exploring nearby Cartersville. Cartersville turned out to be a really nice town with some interesting places to check out. 

The Welcome Center was a renovated Train Depot along tracks that are still used.

The Welcome Center was a good place to start, and the woman we spoke with gave us some good ideas of places to eat lunch. The variety of choices covered a real diner with counter seating only, Pizza at the Mellow Mushroom, Swheat Market for healthy offerings, wings and oysters (an interesting combination) at Jefferson's as well as atmosphere at some other downtown establishments. We settled for Monte Cristo's at the Appalachian Grill. I ate almost the whole thing and then swore off all food for the next 3 days to counteract the calories I had just consumed. But boy, was it good!

Walking around town I found a great variety of shops to peruse. Larry found plenty of benches from which to observe the world.

Note the train tracks from four directions meeting at Cartersville

I discovered a map of the area drawn in concrete, that explained the importance of trains to the area. Cartersville is located at a spot in the mountains where the ridges are easiest to cross. The trains come from north, south, east and west and converge to cross the Etowah river. While there was a single track by our campground, trains went by there in both directions meaning there were double tracks that came to a single track at that point.

Notice where the track crosses the water? Draw an RV next to the track. Add 2 sleepy people by the RV.


This was also a main battle and defense area during the civil war when the North held control of the train track. Today, transportation by train seems to be alive and well in that region. 

As we walked past Young Brothers Pharmacy the displays in the window drew us inside. It quickly became my favorite spot downtown.

The first thing I noticed was the great Coca-Cola wall outside. (more about this in a moment) Walking inside I was instantly transported back to my childhood. This was a true pharmacy, not the typical drugstore/mini mart of today.

I love the checkerboard floor and the simple low shelving

At the front of the store the shelves were full of all things Coca Cola.We were intrigued by the massive display. Clearly there was a strong connection with the famous brand.

Looking for Coca Cola paraphernalia? Here it is!

 It all became clear when Larry came across a scrapbook near the front door. Apparently the owner of the drugstore had heard tales that under coats of paint on an outside wall was an original painting advertising Coca Cola. In researching the rumors he discovered that back in 1894, Coca Cola Salesman, James Coudon, made the offer that any store selling Coca Cola could have their wall painted with the advertisement for free. Then he proceeded to paint the sign. This store was the first one ever to get the Wall sign! In 1989, the owner, Dean Cox commissioned some restorers to find the sign. The article detailing the work was fascinating. And sure enough, 25 coats of paint down, there was the original sign.

There is plenty of history to peruse in Cartersville.  The Bartow County Museum and the Booth Western Art Museum affiliated with the Smithsonian Institute came well recommended. There were great reviews of the Rose Lawn Museum which is actually an old house..  I would enjoy visiting these places but we ran out of time. Something to do if we go back! 

I did get a chance to visit the Etowah Indian Mounds and the Etowah Archaeological Museum.

The day I went turned out to be School Day, and the parking lot was packed with buses and cars. The advantage was that I was able to tag along with some class groups and hear some narration by the park rangers. However, watching the video was pointless as the teachers used that room as a roundup and transition place for groups. 

Map of the village on the banks of the Etowah River.
A mock up of the village in the museum shows the placement of the celebration plaza, villagers huts and fields where crops were grown.

I originally thought the mounds were referring to Burial mounds, but that wasn't the case. This was a community. The Chief lived on the highest mound and conducted business from there. The lowest mound was, indeed, a burial mound.

There were two paths visitors could take so with all the kids on the main field, I chose the perimeter path which took me by the river and brought me to the back of the mounds.

Lots of steps led up to the top of the mounds. The school kids had made the climb to the top of the highest mound. I eyed those steps and promptly headed to the lowest mound. I climbed those steps and declared that sufficient to assuage my curiosity. It was a mound. It is a mound. Big hill. Lots of steps. Lots of grass. No chief living there now. All still safely buried. 

The area was well marked with plaques explaining how things were done. This hut under construction demonstrated how they built their homes and covered them with Georgia clay. These were not nomadic people. This was a permanent community of several thousand people who lived here over 600 years, in the years before the European explorers arrived. By 1550 they had moved away.

Perhaps the most interesting tidbit I picked up was how the Indians farmed. They planted their three main crops--corn, beans, and squash--together. The corn grew tall and provided a pole for the beans to climb. The beans produced nitrogen and returned nutrients to the soil that the corn needed. The squash grew along the corn and the large leaves provided shade on the ground helping to keep the moisture in. How clever! It shows how effective companion crops can be.

One last site I visited was the Allatoona Battlefield located just outside our campground. Soldiers from five northern states and six southern states fought there in an effort to secure control of the railway system through the pass. Signs detailing the importance of this place during the civil war told of a bloody battle to win control of the train track. Both the northern states and the southern states placed granite stones recognizing the units involved. This memorial is arranged in a semi-circle at the site of the old railway track to commemorate this battle.

  Today the track has been relocated and widened a few yards away. The old track is now a foot path open to the public.

All in all, our last trip was a good one. We managed to sleep through most of the trains by the last night. At least we didn't hear as many. The campground itself was a very nice one and the lake was beautiful.

Frog's final trip of the season was a good, but it was time to head home. The hummingbirds have flown south. The leaves have fallen. It is time to let Frog hibernate through winter.

 (If you've forgotten my reference to the RV as Frog, refer to my post a year ago on 10/25/14.)

October, Corvette Month: Part 2, Setting a World Record

Corvette owners, indeed most sports car or motorcycle riders, keep a mental list of great roads to drive. They usually involve lots of turns; the kind that test your vehicle, show off its suspension, handling, and your driving skills.

One of those roads is US 129 crossing the mountains between Tennessee and North Carolina. It is called The Tail of the Dragon. If you look at it on map, it kind of looks like a dragon tail.

It's claim to fame is 318 curves in 11 miles. Speed is not as big a deal on this stretch of road because many of those turns are very tight hairpin curves that bring the car to about 25 mph. But even at that speed, centrifugal force takes over leaving the driver clinging to the steering wheel, and the rider grasping for a handhold.

Thanks to some of these turns, vehicles over 20' are prohibited from driving this stretch.

Since this stretch of road is not far from us, we have been on it a few times. On October 16, 2015, corvette owners from all over the United States signed up to set a Guinness World Record for the most corvettes to drive the Tail of the Dragon in one day. Since there is no official count, whatever we came up with would set the record. The hope was to get 200+ cars involved. There were well over 438 corvettes when it was all said and done, but the official record will be 438 because that was the number that officially signed up!

Corvette Caravan: View of our club from our rearview mirror

Our club left Blairsville, Ga at 9:30 that morning and headed for Loudon, Tennessee to attend the Corvette Expo. Once there, we registered for the run and received our certificate.



Car shows are mostly about walking around admiring someone else's car, or sitting by your car as people come and admire yours. Think of it as you will; 'exciting' probably doesn't quite describe it, but it can have its moments when you come across some really unusual old cars, new cars, souped up cars,.... anyway, it's a car show.

Happy 'Vettes wear happy faces. 

Love this sign! Humor and reality meet.

At 3:30 pm the moment had arrived to line up the cars. At that point, we didn't know just how many cars were participating but we knew it was a lot. As we sat in our car and waited for the signal, 'gentlemen, start your engines', we could hear a gentle, low rumble take over the hill above us where the first cars were getting ready to go. We didn't start our engine, because while there was a 'gentle, low rumble' in the distance, if it had been OUR engines we would not have been able to hear when it was our turn.

Our arm of the car show, lined up and waiting for the call to GO!

I was glad the day was sunny and not cold. For a convertible owner, it would have been unthinkable to participate in such an event with the top up. However, it also wasn't warm. The sun was bright in a clear blue sky, but the air had a chill to it, so I had my fleece headband protecting my ears, and my hoodie and windbreaker and heated seats protecting the rest of me as we headed into the mountains.

We took our place in an already lengthy line and rumbled out of the Loudon Municipal Park. Engines revved as we accelerated onto the highway. Traffic was not an issue. This was an official event and every (EVERY!) intersection for miles was blocked by local police. I wondered what the people sitting in traffic one mile from the traffic light were thinking as Corvette, after Corvette, after Corvette........ kept passing them by. Did we feel a little smug? Of course. It's hard not to as a police officer holds everyone back and waves you through a red light!

For some of the onlookers, it was truly fun. I glimpsed people standing outside stores, eyes fixed on the passing parade of sports cars. One couple, who had planned ahead, had pulled their car over and set up lawn chairs. (By the time our parade was done they probably wished they'd packed a picnic lunch.)  As we passed a Harley-Davidson store five guys stood outside. (I told Larry they were standing at attention, saluting. "Really?" he asked. "Well, the sun was in their eyes, so maybe that's why their hands were there," I admitted.)

As we finally turned onto 129, a group outside a store cheered and waved. I would love to know how long they had been standing there. We were in the middle of the pack and cars had been going by for quite a while.

Leaves filtering down left water spots on the windshield.

I must confess, that when 438 cars line up to drive the same road, it definitely changes the tempo. As in any traffic jam, when one car slows up for a turn, the accordion effect takes over and the whole pack slows down. This run really wasn't about speed, superb handling or skilled driving. It was totally a numbers game. Even so, it was fun!

11 miles and 318 turns later we turned into The Dragon Motorcycle Resort at Deals Gap, in North Carolina. It's an iconic pit stop, and that's why we were there...i.e. bathroom break and soda pick up (or drain and refill). Fifteen minutes after we pulled in corvettes were still filing by!

Some went on to Fontana Dam for a photo op, but by then, it had been a long day and we had an hour drive home.

So with the sun setting, the temperatures dropping to a cool 52 degrees, the heated seats on, and the top still down, we said goodbye to the Dragon. It had been fun. I'm really glad we were able to say WE were there, the day the World Record was set.

Now, dinner was calling.

11 Miles, 318 Curves, 438+ corvettes! Yeah, It was definitely worth it.

NOTE: When checking sources online, I found one article that said the unofficial count was 423. Our club president sent us an email telling us the count was 438. Whatever the official count turns out to be, it was still a pretty awesome experience!

This link has a pretty good video of the Tail from the cockpit of a Corvette. guinness-world-record-on-the-tail-of-the-dragon/