The Big Picture Post
(Jason Isbell wrote and performed this song while with the Drive By Truckers on The Dirty South)
This Christmas Tree field was tore up by rooting wild hogs during March. it looked as if some one had took a plow to the ground.
Don't laugh. It gets good mileage. This old truck sits off in in a seldom traveled part of the Pisgah National Forest north west of Rosman NC. Where this was taken was private land as late as the 50's I know. Still in some places discarded modern implements still lay about.
This old home site sets off in the same country as I spoke of above. If Uncle Sam was to say to me I could have 40 acres of my choosing for being a good fellar, I believe I'd pick this place. Outside of Hunting season a soul could sit naked (are all souls not naked?) on their porch and drink their coffee...Just don't spill it in your lap(or like Ed get it in your eyes). It's over an hours walk back into there.
The bank behind my house.
Sir Walter Squeaky, the Plott Hound of Love. He's a smart, fierce animal.
Sweet mannered Bell. She's half Walker, quarter Blue Tic, quarter Cur. She's yet to be proven on a Bear.
Wiggly Butt Walker Dog...3/4 Walker,1/4 Plott. She's hard headed. That orange is a bark collar. It keeps her pretty quiet. I've taken it off of her lately.
This is the mountain I spoke of to Sage in the comments of "Lonely Places". It's Toxaway Mountain, or Hog Back Mountain, it's eastern face and the land below it is Toxaway Estates, an "up scale community". In the mornings large window panes reflect the sun like specks of mica on the ground. A lake sets on the Toxaway River there below it. Early last century,in 1916, the dam bust in a hurricane. A large resort motel set there called The Toxaway Inn and it went into shambles after that. The lake was not rebuilt until about the late 60's (don't quote me on the years). Now it's a Country Club for millionaires. Once in a conversation of how the "up scale living" has altered the area my Ex Father In Law said to me once, "A man bought a 3 million dollar house in Toxaway and tore it down and put a 12 million dollar house on it. How can we (the locals) compete with people like that? We can't." I thought for a second and something about guerrilla warfare came to my mind, "No, but we can out wait them."
The Appalachianist
posted by Hill Billy Rave | Sunday, May 11, 2008
20 Comments:
The mountains will out wait them. The arrogance of conspicuous consumption is amazing. I know there are some still angry at FDR for taking the land for the Smokies, but God bless for putting some of that land aside so "poor" folks like me can see some of it. Sometimes the only thing that preserves a view or a place is that "hours" walk back. It all makes you wonder what time you would like to live. If you had your health, someone living a few years back wouldn't have been so bad . . . a shared sense of community . . . perhaps feeling a peace with the universe . . . comforted by faith and family . . . you show and talk of footsteps in the forest this posting . . . and always the mountains. Bill
Bill, they will out wait us all. I'm not throwing off on those people.
As you touch on the taking f land for the Smokies, I had heard that one reason Hazel Creek (near Bryson City) was chosen for "The Branch Rickey Bear Hunt" was the land was about to be taken. I can't say it's fact, those men are all gone.
But we have what we have today. It's up to us to do our best.
Bill, it's always fun to read what you got to say.
Sir Walter Squeeky has the look of one tough canine. Sorta resembles McGruff, the take a bite out of crime dog. :-)
Wiggly Butt looks like she just as soon be chasing a frisbee in some park.
We're not as remote up here in northeast KY as you. But we were a little further into the foothills a few weeks ago in another county south of ours, doing some genealogy stuff. On Irish Creek which is a long, fairly wide hollow and a narrow gravel road that both me and my wife had ancestors living on in the 1800s. We stopped a fellow feeding his cattle and talked to him (we'd stopped and talked to him about 5 yrs ago, also).
His ancestor got 5000 acres there from a grant for serving in the Revolutionary War. There was still 1600 acres in the family, the other being sold off over the years by his cousins, etc.
He told us that 300 acre tract had changed hands recently and "Some city feller who plans to build one of those $400,000 mansions." He couldn't understand why someone would build that much house up that hollow.
That's not a million but that's a lot of money down there on Irish Creek.
Gunner, being he is of more German Heritage, I maybe should have dubbed him Squeaky Von Plott Hound. He is a tough dog.
Wiggly, she still has allot of play in her. Come August she can learn more of her "trade". Oh, she'd sniff that frisbee.
Now Bell is rough on a Coon. She just needs to get in on a Bear. Come August.
For the WNC Counties situated on the French Broad River Valley a great deal of the land was from War Grants too. On both my Dad and my Mothers sides land was granted, but it's all gone now. Other decendants may hold it...That would be far removed from kin.
I've seen poor ground sold for a fortune. I'm not a classist, elitist, or growing number of anti capitalist. I've come to a conclusion though. Real Estate Agents are worse than Lawyers.
Toxaway River and Mountain would have been grazing land once upon a time. Limited agriculture in some words. Further up the river (Panther Tail and Cold Mnt), where it's still a little wild great timber grew. A train went in backwards and came out frontwards hauling it out.
What I'm getting at is private forest lands and agricultural lands are disapearing.
Our National Forest, God bless them, are wonderful resources, but, at the whims of beuracrats.
Spinning my thoughts I suppose.
I used to think realtors had a bit of class to them. But our last real estate transaction, some time after the deal was done, we found that the realtor hadn't quite done us right.
We asked the feller that told us of the shenanigans if he'd be a witness in a civil suit but he wasn't keen on it as he did rehab work for the realtor and he'd never get another job if he was a witness. I could understand that and don't blame him for not wanting to.
We lost out on another $3000 or so for the acreage we sold. Not a large sum of money, but still...
We'll never use a realtor again if we can help it.
My soul wears a turtleneck.
And where is poor Bosco in your dog photo album?
I'm not as interesting as you and most all of your posters, but I can say this, "Thems good lookin" dogs." I meant to say that before I got all upset about the changes. Going to Cades Cove some years ago was a house turned into a restaurant. It had some protection or was "grandfathered" until a certain year by the Park Services. It is gone now . . . torn down, but it had a beautiful wrap around porch. Its dining area would have made Woody Guthrie and anyone from the thirties or forties proud with their checkered red and white table cloths and slat-backed chairs and screen door. I came into the world in '43 and remember those things and am at peace with them and miss them very much . . . and old man. I guess the mountains could make you lazy if you didn't have to work so hard to live there. When I went through Cades Cove a few months ago, I could have looked and looked and sat and sat and looked some more. It was that beautiful and the sky was changing all the time . . . the Smokies. Bill
Gunner, you can pay a lawyer to defend you or represent your best interest.
Now I know some nice folks that have gotten involved in real estate, and some sleezy ones too. But, they have managed to get prices jacked up.
Murf, a turtle neck? OK. Bosco is so darn camera shy. If you point it at her she acts like your going to zap her. But,she is a smart and fierce animal too.
Bill the Forest Land I spoke of was not through imanint domain. To my knowledge none of the Pisgah NF in Transylvania County was. It was bought off of indiviauls by Vanderbuilt who later sold it over the the Federal Government. As time went other properties were purchased. In all honesty, if it was not for that, we may have been in some trouble today.
Now, other federal lands is another deal, like the Smokies you pointed out.
Did you notice how all of the Hemlocks on your way to Cades Cove were about dead, but not in Cades Cove?
As for that truck, it's paid for... thanks for the pics.
Love those lonely places. I had to get out a map and find it--I've been through the area but haven't spent much time there--having spent more time over around the Natahala River and along the Appalachian Trail...
Having grown up along the coast, I've seen many a fine cottage be torn down and rebuilt as a multi-million dollar house (all insured from hurricanes by govt back flood insurance). I can't be too hard on welfare cases that kind of welfare for the rich. I shake my head.
Sage, I imagine it paid for itself. There is an old roadster at the house sight. If I remember right.
I could e-mail you a Topo of the spot, if I could find your address.
I don't get the coastal thing. Is it worth building such things to take the chance on getting smacked down again? I don't know.
I too don't get the coastal thing--it saddens me to see what the beach has become and that we're paying for it via support of flood insurnace...
use this email: sagecoveredhills (at) gmail.com I got that account to "match" my blogger name.
Sage, I live at about 2800 feet on the west side of a mountain. Water rolls down hill. By law, I have flod insurance.
Sunday/Monday I had winds that would not surprise me reached 80MPH. I don't have wind insurance.
I believe that God meant some places for temporary use only.
I'll get it to you.
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Being simple, and simple minded, I could not help but notice that Sir Walter Squeaky, the Plott Hound of Love is the greatest dog name ever.
I loved the pictures, especially the old truck and old foundation. I can go out and sit in the woods for a long time and just soak up the oneness of the woods and the past and the now as they intermingle in time like that. If there happen to be wild blackberries growing, I can stay even longer, although meditation starts to take a back seat to pigging out.
That is beautiful country. The dogs are so cute too.
Have a great weekend!
~xo
Lee Ann
Lee Ann, if you were to ask Squeaky, he would say he's a fierce Bear Dog. Now those other two heathens...Yes, it's a fine country.
Ed, Ladies first. You think it is the greatest dog name ever? I'll have to tell Squeaky.
You don't see it, but, behind that old house place in the pines is a place where the hogs were pigging out. Lord willing, me and those dogs will bring one out of there this fall.
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