On A Mountain In The Middle Of Nowhere

I spent the last 4 days in a cabin on a mountain in North Carolina with my dad and my big brother. I feel like I should preface this by explaining to you that none of the 3 of us are what you might call athletic outdoorsy types. I should also say, it was super fun!

On my first morning there, I slipped on some ice, wiped out totally with my legs out from under me and my arms flailing, thudded down 3 steps, and bruised my butt. More disappointing than the buttbruise I now sport, I dropped my Kindle during the fall to the ground and it is now broken, which is incredibly sad. Let us have a brief yet poignant moment of silence for my fallen soldier.

We hiked, we had a fire in the woodstove all weekend, and we played games. It was very wholesome fun. I will also tell everyone that out of 13 games of Dominoes, my brother won only 2 of them. He was not pleased. It was hilarious how he kept losing, and saying “But I play this all the time at home!” Dad blames his wins on beginner’s luck, and I lay my wins squarely on knowing how to count. :)

Dad and Bro with their walking sticks. Dad has had his for 30 years!

So, there we were, up on a mountain, with no cell service, no TV, and camp-style plastic covered mattresses. Honestly, it was so much fun, and so relaxing. I also got some of the best sleep of my life. Man, what people say about mountain air, it is TRUE. And I have to say, everyone should travel with a personal chef! My brother is a chef....we ate well, up there on our mountain. We (lol, HE) did from-scratch chili, we had pork chop stir fry, grilled salmon, and eggs and bacon, and more! We ate like kings. Kings of the Mountain, in fact.

Here is the view from the top of Morrow Mountain.

We did meet some locals, with some of the most redneck accents you have ever heard.

Despite being from the South, I am one of those people who doesn’t have any accent. I moved around some as a kid, and ended up with no particular Southern accent at all. It works well for me, as I like playing with accents, and it is easier if you don’t have a distinctive one to begin with. I used to play a game when I was a waitress. Whenever I had a table with a distinct accent from anywhere, I would speak in the same one to them. I wasn’t making fun of them or mocking anyone, I just like trying on different accents and seeing how they feel in my mouth. And the tables would always be like “Oh mah gawd, whe-ah ahre you from, Girlie?” and I would answer them in their own Boston accent, all like, “I pahk mah cahhh in Bahhhston and am here for college!” They always got a kick out of it, I think.

The park ranger on this mountain was more like, “Weeell ya’ll, just so’s ya know, thah roads are ahhhll ai-ced over, and ya’ll ain’t gon’ be able to drive eeeny-wheres todahhhy.” It was entertaining. The park ranger explained they were having a “weather event” in which the sleet was making the roads too icy to safely drive down the mountain. We certainly agreed, when my brother ice skated down the street.

Apparently snow and ice on a MOUNTAIN is now termed an “event."

During this event, I saw leaves with icicles. How cool does that look?!

So, we hiked around and saw a bunch of deer, put together a really hard puzzle, and played cards. One night, my brother and I are sitting at the coffee table, minding our own business playing super-competitive rummy (and he did kick my butt at that). Dad was sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring into the fire. He’d been quiet for awhile, which wasn’t odd, as Dad is a quiet kinda dude. So, he’s staring, and thinking what some might assume are deep thoughts, and enjoying the noise of his kids playing cards in the background (this is an assumption) and having a drink. Dad is a bourbon guy.

Suddenly, he turns to us, opens his mouth, and says “You know what’s annoying? When you’re talking normally, and women hear one word, and start randomly singing a song with that word in it.” And goes back to staring at the fire, sitting Indian-style on the floor, bald, in flannel pants, socks, and a denim button-down shirt. He was already bald when this happened, I just wanted to paint you a clear picture. He didn’t burn pre-existing hair off in the fireplace or anything weird like that.

My brother and I are a bit bewildered by the sudden announcement and subsequent quiet. No explanation, no examples. Brother and I shared in some mutual confusion.

Deep thoughts were not being had by the fire in our cabin.

I’m just saying...I am not the only one in this family who says things like this out of the blue. And for those who thought I was this weird all by my lonesome? BAM. PROOF.

Here, enjoy this picture of deer that I took. Interesting fact from this weekend: Dad taught me there was a “zoom” on my phone camera. Did not know that, really appreciate it. Learn something new every day, huh?

Soooo cute! I want to pet you, Deer!

I also want to share this mega-cute-overload pic of my nephew and I, right before Brother and I left for North Carolina. We were horsing around before it was time to get on the road. I wish I had had a bit more time with my niece and nephew! Niece had to leave for school almost as soon as I got up! But the baby nephew isn't in school yet. :)

Love this little dude! Look at that face!