Bo  Smith's Blog 

Last Updated: October 19th, 2011
 

email: bo_smith@bellsouth.net

"I'd rather burn out than rust out"
(source unknown)

 
 

If you are looking for the Bo's Mine Tours website,
click HERE

Professional Page Bo's Minerals for Sale Personal Page

Today's quote from "The Shack"
"Growth means change and change involves risk, stepping from the known to the unknown"
Author Unknown
October 18th (Tuesday) and October 19th (Wednesday)
On Tuesday, I drove to the Asheville Cardiology Center to get a pacemaker check and get to know my new North Carolina cardiologist, Dr. Vasey. On Wednesday, Diana had a visit to our Burnsville doctor, Dr. Khan, about her painful shoulder and arm.  Diana will probably have surgery back in Jacksonville .
I had a surprise tour to the Ray Mica Mine in the rainy afternoon.

A nice couple from Ocala at Ray Mica Mine tailings.
 She was happy to get a sample of her birthstone, Aquamarine
 
October 16th (Sunday) and October 17th (Monday)
After a quiet Sunday, Diana and I drove to Black Mountain to have lunch with Pam and Roger Stewart, friends from Diana's church in Jacksonville.  We decided to drive the scenic route (Rt 80South and 70 East to Old Fort rather than going mainly on Interstate 40.  We wondered why there were so many state troupers and wildlife officer vehicles at every exit along the way until we learned later that President Obama was making a surprise visit to a BBQ restaurant in Marion in connection with a scheduled stop in Asheville. We had a great Thai lunch with Pam and Roger and Pam's mother and sister.  Roger and I had a chance to get to know each other better over coffee while the women folk went shopping.
October 15th (Saturday)
After a relaxing morning, Diana and I took a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway from Little Switzerland to Grandfather Mountain to enjoy the peak of the leaves along with many other nature lovers.  The "peak colors Saturday" is the most crowded day on the Parkway!

Diana with Grandfather Mountain in the background
We  found ourselves on the crowded Parkway because we were on our way to have dinner at the Mast Farm Inn due to the generosity of a gift certificate from my daughter Laura.  Laura and Steve were married in Boone, NC in a very small ceremony and they had their very small reception at the Mast Farm Inn which is between Boone and Banner Elk.  It is an old house on the list of National Historic places and has an award winning chef.  The have a four course fixed menu which was fantasic.  Thank you Laura!!

The Mast Farm Inn
Guests can stay in the Inn, in a barn across the street, or in these cabins.

Book Report
 My current read is "The Shack" by Wm Paul Young.  I know that many of you read this a couple of years ago when it was very popular and had great impact in the Christian community at the time. I have found it to be a very interesting expression of Christian philosophy in our modern society.  I have underlined many passages and taken lots of margin notes; some of which I'll pass along from time to time.
Here is a quote from the beginning of the Chapter; "Here Come Da Judge"

Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods"
Albert Einstein
October 13th (Thursday) and October 14th (Friday)
I have been running errands the last two days and Diana has been resting taking care of her painful shoulder. The weather has transitioned from rainy to clear, cooler and windy with the passing of a cold front.  I put all five doggies in the Rodeo today for a curly fries treat at Hardees.  We also took a drive to the entrance trailhead for the Ray Mica Mine to see if the Pisgah National Forrest Service has made any improvements to the parking area; they haven't.

October 13th colors off our back porch
 Rob Levin's sculpture at Town Center in Burnsville
The entrance to the Ray Mica Mine trailhead
Diana and I went to hear a new group (for us) called "Montana Skies".  The group consists of two classically trained musicians; Jonathan Adams (guitar) and Jennifer Adams (cello and 6 string electronic cello).  They play a mix of classical, jazz, and rock  with imaginative versions of cover music as well as original pieces.  If you liked "Nickel Creek", you will love "Montana Skies" .  To listen to their music and learn more about them, check out their website.





Diana and I usually go to the Anchors Away restaurant in Burnsville before concerts at the Burnsville Town Center.  They  have a nice selection of inexpensive seafood.

Montana Skies 
(photo from their website)

Jennifer plays both the classic cello and the electronic cello pictured here.  Her electronic cello has six strings the C, G, D, and A of the classical cello with the E string of the violin on the top and an F bass string on the bottom.  She makes this instument fly with  performances that have "pizzaz".  Jonathan's guitar comes alive with famenco, rock, and jazz with their creative versions of their cover tunes and with his original compositions.

Report

Stacy and Oliver
We received some bad and good news earlier this month.  The bad news is that Oliver's cancer tumor has begun to regrow but the good news is that tests reveal that the cancer is not spreading outside of the local area and that the tumor is operable.  After consulting with the Tumor Board at Sloan-Kittering in New York, Stacy and Jed and the doctors at UNC Children's Hospial have decided to start a new chemotherapy treatment before considering further surgery.
A Simple Prayer for Oliver
Oh God, allow Oliver to be consumed by your love and be healed in the process!
October 12th (Wednesday)
The weather is much better today after raining all night.

The oranges of the Poplar trees are mostly brown or down and deep reds of the maples are mostly gone. But the Oaks are turning with the leaves partly red and partly green.
Diana has been having a problem with acute pain in her right arm and shoulder.  She may have to have surgery this winter.  She was in quite a bit of pain today and as a result, we decided to skip choir practice.  I decided to put Tut and Little Bear in the Rodeo and do some exploring.  It was good weather for taking pictures.  I have some here of Route 80N which are in sequence as I travelled south to north on 80N and then east on Rt 226A.

The South Toe River and CSX Railroad tracks
The village of Kona, one of the first areas to be settled here

The Silver Baptist Church in Bandana.  The Sinkhole Mine is in the hill to the upper left of the church
This beautiful old house with it's tin roof and second floor porch was quite fancy for its era.
After taking these pictures, I went to Spruce Pine to visit with Don and Ann Wyatt.  Then I stopped by to see Sam and Claudia at the Tropical Grill where I picked up some of their delicious chicken soup for dinner.
Great News!
My youngest daughter (26) Lindsay and her boyfriend Brett Harper are expecting a baby boy to arrive sometime around February 24th. Lindsay had a doctor's appointment October 11th and both the expectant mother and baby are in good health.
October 11th (Monday)
We drove from the lake cottage at Thomasville to the cabin in the mountains of western North Carolina  last Wednesday, October 5th.  The leaves had just begun to change at our elevation of 2700'.  The picture of me in the header above was taken by Diana this afternoon and as you can see, the colors are about to peak.  We had our first visitors of the fall this past weekend as my Gator football buddy, Joe Conlon, and his wife Diane, a teaching colleague of mine both at Terrry Parker High School and with the Protein Crystals in Space Program, came for a short visit.  They arrived on Friday in time for a steak dinner and some time on the porch with the chiminea burning.  We had a full Saturday with visits to the Wolf Sanctum, Jack Dellinger's Grist Mill, and some mining at the Sinkhole MIca Mine. We had dinner in Spruce Pine at the Foxfire.  Unfortunetly, they had to leave early on Sunday to get back for Diane's teaching and Joe's mosquito consultant ("mosquito whisperer") activities on Monday.  We have had absolutely beautifyl weather so far up until today. It has been raining all day giving me the opportunity to work on this blog.

We are still in the process of unpacking

September 10th through October 4th
Diana and I spent most of September going through our belongings at the Jacksonville house deciding what we can take to the lake cottage, what we will pass on to our children, and what will be sold or donated.  I put the house on the market as a short sale which will probably be a lengthly process.  I attended three Gator games with my friend Joe Conlon and Diana got caught up with her New Day JAX Church friends.  We both had numerous medical appointments.  I spent a few days at  the cottage in Thomasville with Tut and Little Bear painting the upstairs sitting room wood floor. We both drove to Thomasville on the 4th for logistics reasons before driving to the cabin the following day.
September 7th (Wednesday) through Sptember 9th (Friday)
Diana and I left the cabin on September 7th and drove to Thomasville, Georgia.  We towed a UHAUL trailer containing some furniture for our new winter home.  We have decided to sell our house in Jacksonville and spend our winters in a delightful two bedroom cottage on a small lake. The cottage is owned by Diana's sister, Linda.  We spent a few days at the cottage taking measurements for furniture and arranging for a storage locker.



The cottage has a master bedroom and bath,a  sitting area, and a large porch on the second floor and a guestroom with bath, a good sized great room with a wood burnig fireplace, a kitchen area, and a nice sized fenced patio with pool. There is a chain link dog run attached to the pool patio area which will be great for our doggies.

View of the lake from the cottage's second floor porch
View of the pool and patio area from the second floor porch

 Blog History
For previous blogs, click on the appropriate link
July 1st-September 6th, 2011 (Cabin)
May 22nd-June 30th,  2011 (Cabin)
February 25th, 2011-May 20th, 2011 (Jacksonville)
December8th, 2010-February 24th, 2011 (Jacksonville) (Jessica's Wedding)
October 11th-December 6th, 2010 (Cabin)
September 8th-October 10th, 2010 (Jacksonville)
August 15th - September 3rd, 2010 (cabin)
July 30th - August 14th, 2010  (cabin)
June 21st - July 31st, 2010 (cabin)

Our Doggies! (updated May 14th, 2011)
What's new with my five daughters and their families and my sister and her family

" Any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile,
I think he can respond with a great deal of pride and satisfaction ....... I served in the U.S. Navy "
John F. Kennedy

A4 pilot in 1967 off the coast of North Vietnam

Click HERE for 'High Flight'
Website by Robert S "bo" Smith