Grammie quotes

So, like usual after a night of meetings, I went to see my grandparents this morning.

Nannie talked about this newly deceased acquaintance and that one. She tempted me with her newest baked creation -- a carrot cake, which I successfully defeated the urge to taste. Big bear hugs to PawPaw before and after he went up the hill to feed and water the chickens. And talks of other random topics: "How is so and so?" "PawPaw's got an appointment this afternoon and Friday."

You know, the usual.

But I truly love the nuggets of sayings that they share.

Like, this morning Nannie asked me, "Do you remember that little ol' lady with the white hair that used to come to the beauty shop?"

Mmmm . . . yeah, well . . . there were lots of little ol' ladies with white hair that came to the beauty shop. :)

The little lady she was referring to was the sister of one of the newly deceased acquaintances.

And PawPaw had me rolling. Usually, he ends the morning with, "Do one favor for me?" "What," I most always ask, playing along. "Don't take any wooden nickles." And then he busts out laughing.

Today, he came back from the chickens without any eggs. Nannie asked if he got any because there weren't any in the chicken bucket (an old ice cream bucket they fill up with scraps and throw out to the chickens and is used, usually, to carry eggs back with).

PawPaw had four in his flannel shirt pocket.

As he pulled the eggs out, he turned and told me, "These are cacklebury eggs." Straight face and all. "What?" I ask. I'm really confused at what I thought I heard.

"These are cacklebury eggs. The hens cackle when they lay eggs," he said and laughed. Nannie agreed and imitated how a chicken sounds when it's laying eggs. She said the chickens seem to have it as bad as women do, but chickens have to lay eggs every day.

The things grandparents say.

Trips ahead

In the coming weeks, Chris and I will head south for a pre-anniversary get away. Our anniversary isn't until April 26, but we're heading to Florida the end of this month. It should still be cool(er) in Florida then.

On our list of must dos: Everglades, Salvador Dali Museum and Butterfly World. None of those selections should be a surprise to anyone. We love state and national parks, I am a big Dali fan and we both love butterflies, although Chris is the one you'll find chasing the winged beauties with a camera. I swear he has thousands of butterfly photos on our Mac.

A coworker also suggested the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford Houses in Fort Myers and the Ringling Museum in Sarasota. If we have time and make it out that way, we'll investigate.

Chris also has two cousins in Florida we hope to visit. So far we haven't heard back from them. One lives near Tampa and the other near Miami.

To make traveling easier, we're going to stop in Savannah, Ga., on the way down and back. So far we haven't made any plans for this city. We're planning on getting lost and exploring all we can with the little time we'll have to spend there.

Sidney, unfortunately, won't get to come along. She'll hang out with her grandparents in North Carolina. Hopefully she'll get along with their new puppy and share her water bowl and food dish if the puppy wants to stick her snout in.

I plan to take plenty of pictures and will share some of our adventures with you. If anyone has any suggestions of places to check out, let me know by posting a comment below or sending an email here.

What to see: William Christenberry

Chris and I visited Reynolda House in Winston-Salem, N.C., recently.

Although I enjoyed the tour through the house and roaming the grounds, I think I enjoyed the current art exhibit the best.

The Reynolda House Museum of American Art is featuring photos from William Christenberry's collection.

The exhibit features pictures, snapped between 1961 and 2005, of landscapes, buildings and graveyards from the Deep South. Some of my favorite shots showed abandoned stores or homes grown over with trees and kudzu and rabbits in a wire hutch.

One set of photos displayed the deterioration that one store underwent over a series of years. It was amazing to see how quickly a building left sitting would quickly give way to trees, vines and the weather.

Information on the artist explained that Christenberry annually went to his home state of Alabama, to take photos of various places, usually the same spots.

Although I felt silly, I couldn't help but let a smile creep up my face and a tear gather in the corner of my eye. There's just something about old, rural buildings that fill my soul with a feeling of love and home.

I've always been fascinated with abandoned, old barns, outhouses and family home places. Besides water, those are some things I really enjoy catching in photos.

There's something about it that makes me feel a connection to ancestors and a traditional Southern way of life.

The picture with the bunnies stretched out in a long hutch made of chicken wire and wood spoke to me as well.

I think a lot of this deep connection comes from memories of my grandparents' mini farm, as I like to call it. They raise chickens, turkeys, ducks and goats. At one time they used to also have peacocks, quail, doves and pigeons and rabbits.

Around their property is several wooden shelters with chicken wire to hold in all the fowl and there are also rabbit hutches that once held several gray rabbits. I guess that's where I gained my love for old home places and wooden structures.

The exhibit will be at the Mary and Charlie Babcock Wing Gallery of Reynolda House Museum of American Art through June 27.

Directions:
From the Blue Ridge Parkway, head south of U.. 52 from Milepost 199.5 in Fancy Gap. Follow U.S. 52 to Winston-Salem and take Exit 114/Gemanton Road. Turn right and turn right onto Polo Road. Then turn left onto Reynolda Road. See the directions here.

From the east or west, take I-40 to Winston-Salem and take the Silas Creek Parkway Exit. Turn right onto Reynolda Road. Get directions here.

Know of any businesses, interesting people or places near the Blue Ridge Mountains and Parkway? If so, post a comment below or send me information for future feature possibilities.