Rambling to Tennessee: Part 2, Valley Wood Carving

by Violet Rebecca Jones

I left the Pigeon Forge area of Tennessee and rambled toward Gatlinburg by way of Wears Valley, TN.  I had never visited this area before and was astounded by its incredible beauty. Unfortunately, I did not have time to stop at any of the stores, restaurants, and other places  that beckoned to me, but it is definitely on my agenda for a future trip.




The Valley

Wears Valley is beautiful with a sense of calm and peace that coaxes one into a state of relaxation. Away from the hustle and bustle of the commercialized venues of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, the few establishments in the area seem to have a laid back atmosphere that is hard to resist.

Wood Carving Art

While rambling, I happened upon a wonderful place called Captn Daves Little River Artistry.  It was closed, but the beautiful wood carvings were in the yard, so I was able to click some pictures. I can just imagine what beauties were inside the buildings. What was so interesting was the whimsical nature of the carvings. Some had a comic element, while others took on an aura of fantasy such as the mermaid and the demon above the carved hands. 

This was just a small area of Wears Valley. There was also a museum of  Smokey Mountain Life that I wanted to see, but it was closed. Beyond this area of the valley, I traveled on toward Gatlinburg and witnessed some of the most beautiful scenery and mountain streams that I have ever seen. They will be in Rambling to Tennessee: Part 3

Copyright text and pictures 2014 by Violet Rebecca Jones 

Rambling Along Waterfalls in Greenville

by Violet Rebecca Jones

View of the falls.

Who doesn't love a waterfall? And when one is in the middle of a southern city, it is even more special. Greenville, SC is one such city. I love rambling the streets of this city. There is always something to do, experience, or simply to observe. Revitalized a few years ago from a deteriorating city that no one wanted to visit, it is now a place where tourists stroll the streets, locals go for lunch or dinner out, shop, live, and work. It is a place to relax, to enjoy nature, and to always have the luxury of coffee shops,  theater, concerts, art galleries, unique shops, and street performers within a short walking distance. Each time I go, I feel as if I have experienced a vacation.

Street musician gathers a crowd
(click any photo to enlarge)

On this particular day, there was a festival taking place, but there is usually a crowd in the downtown area even when there isn't a festival going on. There are often street musicians, and there are weekly concerts at the outdoor amphitheater. Although this concert was free, some of them have an admission fee to sit in the amphitheater. However, since the concerts are outdoors, you really can enjoy the music from any nearby area.It is easily heard while sitting on a bench near the children's splash fountains on the other side of the river.

During the summer months, the nearby Governor's School for the Arts present free, outdoor "Shakespeare in the Park" performances at another, smaller outdoor amphitheater near the falls.

Outdoor concert

These ducks have found
a cool place to hang out.

Cleveland Park, which adjoins the falls, is a lush,
wooded park that stretches outside the perimeters
of the downtown area, and any sunny afternoon                  
will find it packed with locals enjoying the outdoors.
However, there have been reports of muggings
taking place in this area and along Falls Park in
the evening hours. The city has put in effect a curfew
for underage patrons and increased police patrols,
but I am still a little wary to go there at night.          
                

One of the gentler scenes along the Reedy River

Children's Splash Fountain with Art Galleries Alongside

The art galleries along the river are amazing, and provide hours of aesthetic browsing. There is nothing quite like having original art in one's home to give it a sense of personality, and many of the artists sell their works at an affordable price. Even if you don't buy, it is still relaxing to stroll from gallery to gallery.

View from walkway over the Reedy River

                 

I have always wanted to walk on stilts.

Walkway leading to the
outdoor concert amphitheater.

Suspension bridge...
(I know this is not a good picture, but it is the only one of the bridge that "took" before my camera died

 For more  pictures of Greenville, SC , including the suspension bridge, which I was unable to photograph properly, go to: http://www.visitgreenvillesc.com/

Copyright 2014  Violet Rebecca Jones

Warm Days and Sidewalk Art

by Violet Rebecca Jones

There is nothing quite as delightfully unexpected as encountering a work of beautiful art on the sidewalk while going for a stroll.  There is something about happening upon something when we least expect it that increases the epiphany of the experience. Sidewalk art is like that, and then some. When something is there for only a short time, and we are lucky enough to have come upon it while it is still there in all its glory, somehow its value is increased, our appreciation is revved up, and we realize how lucky we are.

To think that someone would devote so much time, energy, and skill to something that will only last until the next rain is astonishing. While we appreciate the old masters whose work endures in the ceilings of old churches, we stop, we photograph, we oohhh and aahhh over that which we know for certain will soon disappear.

While strolling through the beautiful downtown of +Greenville, SC, I stumbled across just such a masterpiece. I was in awe. The colors were beautiful, and I could only look in amazement as the artist put the finishing touches on the masterpiece in the blazing, hot southern summer sun.  He was bent over on his knees on the hard, blistering hot concrete, chalk dust covering his entire body, and so engrossed was he in his work that he did not even look up as passersby stopped to admire his work.

If we would all devote as much time and effort into our work as this young man, simply with the desire to do our best, think of what a wonderful place this world would be.