Southern Matters--Supplemental Images

This year we celebrated the holiday at Will’s home in Winston-Salem, NC, the weekend before Christmas Day to accommodate everyone’s schedule. Being quite a drive for Bill and me, we opted to leave from Nashville, Georgia, to shorten the trip by a couple of hours. We traveled I-75 to Forsyth, GA, where we exited and took the nostalgic, scenic route through Monticello, Madison, and Athens. It is a long stretch of plantation country with rolling hills and bucolic views. We traveled this route about every three weeks to visit Bill’s parents while Bill was in graduate school at UGA and I taught Home Economics in Hart County, 40-plus miles from Athens. The dogs, Meco and Bruder, enjoyed nothing better than barking out the windows at cows along the way.

Close to our exit off I-75, an old dairy site sparks memories. The dairy is closed now and the landscape has changed over the years.

A couple of the antique/junk stores we have frequented along the way still exist and we enjoyed the memories as we drove by. There are some magnificent homes in and near Monticello and quaint communities with names such as Machen. And, I note Trisha Yearwood, the country singer, is from the area. Along the way there is a beautiful plantation, Little River. We always call it Kenny Rogers’ Farm but, in fact, we don’t know who owns it. There are smaller and less grand farms that we enjoy seeing, too, and we imagine young and old alike delighting in their country homes and land.

We love driving through Madison, Georgia, and always marvel at the architecture and charm of the town. It is the second largest designated historic district in Georgia and has some of the state’s most stunning antebellum homes, being spared in Sherman’s scorched-earth march to the sea (for more).

Passing Athens and arriving in Commerce, we got on I-85 and made good time until we reached the Gastonia-Charlotte area, where traffic slowed to a crawl. We noted nothing unusual except a closed exit and some closed lanes. We advise, this is often a slow traffic area.

Will was arriving home from work around the same time we stopped to call for help with directions. Will led us home where we had a delicious pizza dinner with the family. The younger and the older Outlaws were tired, but enjoyed some time together around the beautiful tree (left) before retiring. Harrison was especially interested in showing Grandma and Granddaddy his drum.

Christmas 2010	This year we celebrated the holiday at Will’s home in Winston-Salem, NC, the weekend before Christmas Day to accommodate everyone’s schedule. Being quite a drive for Bill and me, we opted to leave from Nashville, Georgia, to shorten the trip by a couple of hours. We traveled I-75 to Forsyth, GA, where we exited and took the nostalgic, scenic route through Monticello, Madison, and Athens. It is a long stretch of plantation country with rolling hills and bucolic views. We traveled this route about every three weeks to visit Bill’s parents while Bill was in graduate school at UGA and I taught Home Economics in Hart County, 40-plus miles from Athens. The dogs, Meco and Bruder, enjoyed nothing better than barking out the windows at cows along the way. Close to our exit off I-75, an old dairy site sparks memories. The dairy is closed now and the landscape has changed over the years. A couple of the antique/junk stores we have frequented along the way still exist and we enjoyed the memories as we drove by. There are some magnificent homes in and near Monticello and quaint communities with names such as Machen. And, I note Trisha Yearwood, the country singer, is from the area. Along the way there is a beautiful plantation, Little River. We always call it Kenny Rogers’ Farm but, in fact, we don’t know who owns it. There are smaller and less grand farms that we enjoy seeing, too, and we imagine young and old alike delighting in their country homes and land. We love driving through Madison, Georgia, and always marvel at the architecture and charm of the town. It is the second largest designated historic district in Georgia and has some of the state’s most stunning antebellum homes, being spared in Sherman’s scorched-earth march to the sea (for more). Passing Athens and arriving in Commerce, we got on I-85 and made good time until we reached the Gastonia-Charlotte area, where traffic slowed to a crawl. We noted nothing unusual except a closed exit and some closed lanes. We advise, this is often a slow traffic area. Will was arriving home from work around the same time we stopped to call for help with directions. Will led us home where we had a delicious pizza dinner with the family. The younger and the older Outlaws were tired, but enjoyed some time together around the beautiful tree (left) before retiring. Harrison was especially interested in showing Grandma and Granddaddy his drum.

Saturday morning we had some excellent muffins and fresh fruit for breakfast. Later, Will, Julia, and I went grocery shopping and got sandwiches for lunch. After eating, we had fun playing with the grandkids and just hanging out together. Abby (above) and others had some internet time and some drawing time.	Elizabeth and John arrived in the afternoon from Wilmington, NC, where they moved this past summer. There was a lot of excitement around their arrival as Aunt Lizzie (above, with Julia) and Uncle John are loads of fun!

We all prepared the evening meal of fajitas, spinach-ricotta pie, and mixed salad with candied walnuts and lemon-mustard dressing. Those still hungry enjoyed ice cream for dessert.	Sunday morning Liz (left, above) prepared a special meal of baked French toast as Harrison and Will (above) eagerly awaited nearby. (Note the plant in the photo. It is a division from a 39¢ Sansevieria I bought shortly before Will was born.)

After breakfast, we opened gifts. Clear favorites of the kids were a Cinderella Barbie (from Julia’s late Aunt Carolyn’s collection), a dump truck with blocks to haul and dump, and silver double-heart earrings. Books, art supplies, stoneware, framed photograph, tools, and cooking equipment were other family favorites. Harrison loved his John-Deere-tractor ABC book, too.
	Will especially enjoyed our gift of his grandpa's high-school Latin book (left).

We gave Liz a freshwater pearl-and-crystal bracelet, custom made by Jennifer Norris, which celebrates the birth months of Abby, Julia, and Harrison.	After opening the gifts, Elizabeth, John, Will, and Bill took a walk around the neighborhood despite the biting cold. Later on, John (above ) worked on the computer and helped the girls with their art.
For dinner, Liz set out a nice buffet of assorted foods and I made a clafouti for dessert. Afterwards, Will built a fire in his fire pit and he and Bill enjoyed chatting around it. The girls mades some s'mores, worked on drawings and played some made-up games. Later yet in the evening, Will, Liz, Abby, John, and Elizabeth played Apples to Apples,one of Abby's favorite games. Monday morning, John and Elizabeth departed for home early and Bill and I followed a few hours later. The return trip went without a hitch and we arrived to find all well in Nashville and, later, in Tallahassee.

Christmas 2010