i came across the gum tree (below) while hiking up stone mountain. beth's sister came to visit, so we thought it high time we gave one of georgia's most prominent landmarks a go. as we got nearer the top, it felt a little like walking on the moon. (or at least how walking on the moon feels inside my head).there was (very bad, very fake) climbing (spot my shoes). there was a little breathlessness. there was the man playing 'country roads' and other classic tunes on his guitar, walking alongside us all the way to the top. there was the widewidewideseeformiles view. there was the unexpected pleasure of finding a familiar name etched in the stone.
but since then there have been other trips. to quieter, less populated, more beautiful places. my favourite of which is red top mountain. i even had my first experience of trail running. (yes, i confess - i have picked up a very nasty habit since coming to the states. namely, exercise. though the belfast winter might prove the necessary cure.) and tomorrow four and a dog will venture forth to a cabin in saluda, north carolina for a weekend of walking and talking and eating and drinking. (enid blyton eat your heart out. though i am not sure whether lashings of ginger beer will, in fact, feature. as for beer, however...)
beth and i have made a kickass chili to warm us on arrival. cooking being a hazardous process however, beth managed to sustain first degree burns when attempting to soothe an itch by inserting a habanero covered finger into her right nostril. after holding an ice cube to her nose for a good twenty minutes (and simultaneously chopping a pepper - this girl's skills know no bounds), the internal burning had lessened to a gentle smoldering. who knew culinary creativity could be so dangerous. and amusing.
