Mt. Airy, NC-Mayberry!

Jan and I found Goober!

The Findley Family in the Barrel Room

Frank and Jan's Barrel at Shelton Vineyards

Hanging Out on Pilot Mountain

We went to the home of the Andy Griffith Show this weekend to meet Daniel's parents and go to Shelton Vineyards. Last Christmas, all the Findley "children" got together and bought Frank and Jan a barrel of wine. With that, they get a case of wine every year for 5 years and at the end of the 5 years, they get their barrel! On Friday, we went to Mt. Airy for some shopping and sightseeing. Daniel and Frank took off in one direction and the girls took off in the other. On Saturday, we headed to Pilot Mountain first and did some hiking. Then we all went to Shelton Vineyards and got an awesome behind-the-scenes winery tour and Frank and Jan got to see their barrel. We took lots of pictures. After the tour, we had a tasting and were talking with the staff there. They told us that Frank and Jan's barrel was one of their favorites and that the only barrel that ranked up there was Nascar driver Jimmie Johnson's barrel. It was right there at the very front of the barrels so they must like it! From the saying on the barrel, you can see why it's so well loved! Saturday afternoon was spent back in Mt. Airy for more shopping and walking around. We left this morning around 10am. We had a great time and look forward to going to Robbinsville in a few short weeks!

Amy on Light Rail in Charlotte - Flash Mob Blows Bubbles to Brighten Commute

Daniel's sister, Amy (in the purple shirt), was part of the recent Flash Mob on the Charlotte Lynx:

Flash mob blows bubbles to brighten commute
Posted: Friday, Jul. 10, 2009

Light-rail riders blow bubbles during a gathering of the Charlotte Flash Mob aboard a southbound Lynx car Friday evening.

More than 40 people boarded at the light-rail's Scaleybark Station for the stunt.

After a brief ride to the next stop at Woodlawn Station, the group got off the train, leaving evening commuters wondering what just happened.

Organinzed on Facebook, the Charlotte Flash Mob has more than 300 members.
A flash mob is when a group of people gather in a public place to perform an unusual stunt, before quickly dispersing.

Group organizer Jeff Taylor said in an e-mail to the group, "try not to blow bubbles directly at anyone, and if someone near you complains either quit blowing, or blow in the opposite direction. The idea is to bring a bit of random joy into people's week, not to annoy them."

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/local/story/828059.html?q=Flash%20mob%20blows%20bubbles%20to%20brighten%20commute

See the video at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTxNC3gaSqw

The Morris Family!

Adelynn feeding Michael Jackson

Elanor with Nugget

The Morris Family came over for a visit yesterday and played with our chickens and even helped herd them into the coop! We had a great time watching them enjoy the chickens and talking about their next big step--moving! They are moving to Texas so we are very glad they got to come over and play. We got some great pics and videos of all the kids to send with them as they travel south. We also wish them the best of luck, and I look forward to keeping in touch.

Oliver feeding the Chickens

Poor Chicken!

We suffered our first casuality yesterday. Raphael was killed by a black snake yesterday. I let the chickens out all day to roam. Daniel got home around 5:15pm and all were accounted for. I got home around 6:15 and went to check on them. I was walking back to the coop and all was unsually quiet. As soon as I started past our shed I saw a hawk fly off. I get back to the coop and only 2 birds were standing there--they were very still. And then I saw my little 3 month old chicken with something black wrapped around it. I ran up to the house to get Daniel and told him to bring the shovel. That black snake didn't stand a chance. Too bad for the chicken and black snake. (For those of you who think killing a black snake that killed my chicken is wrong--sorry. We had to protect the rest of our flock.) We began looking around and none of the other 4 little chickens were around. Daniel picked up the two chickens that were just standing there and put them in the coop. The only thing we could think of was that the hawk got the other 4. We went inside and finished eating dinner (yum!) and I came back outside to stay with the bigger chickens to make sure they made it back to the coop safely. As I'm cleaning out the coop, here comes a little chicken flying through the yard until it made it back into the coop. The another. And then the last two little chickens. They hid in the underbrush of our yard for 3 hours and didn't make a peep. Daniel and I looked and looked and couldn't find them--they hid well. So we only lost one little chicken. Thank goodness. Although, the poor little chickens were so scared today that none of them came down from their perch. Poor little chickens.

July 4th Weekend

Ahhh sunshine!

Daniel and I had a great time in Robbinsville! We got to hang out on the lake and kick around all weekend without really having things to do. On Saturday night, we watched fireworks in Robbinsville that were being shot off at the high school. Daniel worked in the yard a lot, and I got to pick fresh veggies for our lunches. Yum!

Daniel jumping off a rock. Surprised?

Happy 4th of July (a little early)!

Daniel and I will be in Robbinsville for the 4th of July! I was listening to the radio this morning and people were calling in and giving their "opinion" of who we gained our independence from. It was interesting to me that no one really knew why July 4th was important. One person said we gained our independence from the French (are you really a citizen of this country?) and the others didn't know why it was called Independence Day. What a nation. We don't even know what we celebrate anymore. Well to those of you know who what July 4, 1776 really means--Happy 4th of July to you!