nature and such

another trip to Blue Ridge today, but this time we had a little traveler with us. it was Ian’s first trip to his Great Grandmother’s house. we spent a good portion of the afternoon up there, listening to Great Grandmother and her daughter talk about family members neither Jason nor myself knew (but we shook our heads like we did). and after their several warning about the heat, ticks, and black rat snakes, we took a stroll through her garden and pasture (which has bulls in it! but they were fenced off). I really do enjoy going up there for visits because  in addition to Great Grandmother’s garden which consists of squash, zucchini, corn, tomatoes, and green beans she also has two pear trees, an apple tree, blue berries, and blackberrries. we never leave empty handed. Jason picked a bag of blackberries and she gave us some veggies to take home. now if only she had more live stock,  she could send us home with a few cuts of steak and some whole fryer chickens.

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Jason and I sure do like taking pictures of plants…[/random]

Oot and Aboot

finally a day out! the family and I went up to Dahlonega (north Georgia) for a day of gold and gemstone mining.

first we start with a bucket of dirt…

then we move to the sifter…

and viola! rocks.

then we visited Boggs Creek for some REAL gold mining…

…and as you can see we found none, but we did find Solomon the salamander!

My Friend’s Wedding

I’ll write about the wedding later, but here are some pictures Jason and I took.

The Groom and myself, well ONE of the grooms

the Grooms and my boss, also the minister

Hand in hand…

THE KISS!!!!

that is one lovely couple

Kobayashi steps down, a sad day indeed

did anyone catch the 2007 Nathans Hot Dog eating contest yesterday? now I’m not the one for sporting events (is this even a sport?) but I actually sat through this on ESPN last night. not just the 2007 event, but also the 2006 event! I tell you that skinny little Japanese kid, Takeru Kobayashi, can do some serious chowing down.  but tis a shame that he lost his title of World Champ this year to Joey Chestnut. 66 hot dogs! 66! I love how the commentator says “this may be the greatest moment in the history of American sports.” you know…he just might be right.

Sonya Thomas, one of the MLE (Major League Eaters) was also pretty impressive. She was named 2003 Rookie of the Year and given the nickname “The Black Widow” for her merciless crushing of men twice her size. check out her credentials:

        (isn’t she a cutie pie?)

Age: 39

Weight: 105

• Armour Vienna Sausage: 8.31 pounds Armour Vienna Sausage /Lowe’s Motor Speedway Charlotte / 10 Minutes/ May 28, 2005
• Baked Beans, Long Course: 8.4 Pounds Baked Beans/ 84 Lumber / 2 minutes 47 seconds/ Aug. 7, 2004
• Cheesecake: 11 pounds Downtown Atlantic Cheesecake / 9 minutes/ Sept. 26, 2004
• Chicken Nuggets: 80 Chicken Nuggets / 5 Minutes
• Chicken Wings, National Buffalo Wing Festival: 161 chicken wings, 5.09 lbs / 12 minutes/ Sept. 5, 2004
• Chili Cheese Fries: 8 lbs, 2 oz Wienerschnitzel Chili Cheese Fries at the Queen Mary / 10 minutes/February 11, 2006
• Crab Cakes: 46 Phillips Crab Cakes/Baltimore Waterfront Festival / 10 Minutes/ April 29, 2006
• Deep-Fried Okra: 9.75 lbs Deep Fried Okra/GoldenPalace.net at the Oklahoma State Fair / 10 Minutes/Sept. 16, 2006
• Eggs: 65 Hard Boiled Eggs / 6 minutes, 40 seconds
• Fruitcake: 4 pounds, 14 1/4 ounces Wegmans Fruitcake / 10 minutes/ Dec. 30, 2003
• Hamburger: Big Daddy Burger: 9 pound cheeseburger/ Plaza Hotel Casino / 27 minutes, 0 seconds/ Jan. 21, 2006
• Hamburgers: 7 Burgers (3/4 pound) “Thickburgers” / 10 minutes
• Jambalaya: 9 Pounds Crawfish Jambalaya/ LuLu’s Mardi Gras / 10 Minutes/ Feb. 24, 2004
• Maine Lobster/ Kennebunk: 44 Maine Lobsters (11.3 Pounds of meat) from the shell / 12 minutes/ Aug. 13, 2005
• Meatballs: 10 pounds, 3 Ounces Meatballs/ Carmine’s Restaurant at Tropicana Hotel Casino / 12 minutes/ Dec. 3, 2005
• Mince Pies: 46 Mince Pies at the Wookey Hole Big Eat in Somerset, England / 10 minutes/Nov. 29, 2006
• Oysters: 46 Dozen Acme Oysters/ Acme Oyster House / 10 Minutes/ Mar. 20, 2005
• Pork, Pulled Sandwiches: 23 pulled pork sandwiches / 10 minutes/ Oct. 3, 2003
• Quesadilla: 31.5 4-inch Cheese Quesadilla / 5 minutes
• Sweet Potato Casserole: 8.62 pounds/ NC State Fair / 11 minutes/ Oct. 20, 2004
• Tacos: 48 soft chicken tacos/ Zocalo Restaurant / 11 minutes/ Sept. 29, 2004
• Toasted Ravioli: 4 pounds toasted ravioli by Charlie Gitto’s at Harrah’s St. Louis / 12 Minutes/ Nov. 20, 2004
• Turducken: 7 3/4 pounds Turducken.com Thanksgiving Dinner / 12 minutes/ Nov. 26, 2003