The perfect fall weather has continued. It has even been dry enough for me to complete a deck staining project that’s been delayed for a long time because of all the rain. The weather has actually been so beautiful that I imagine most folks have stopped being grumpy about all the rain this summer.
There are some leaves falling, but no so many that I’ve had to get the leaf blower out, although I don’t think it will be long. Most of the dogwoods have turned. We have some hickories that are turning yellow-gold, but so far the colors have been muted. I’m beginning to doubt that the leaf peak will be next week, because we haven’t really had any cooler mornings so far. The coldest it has been on the porch has been about 50°.
There’s a list of fall festivals below, some of which will continue this weekend. When the leaves do get good, I recommend a drive out through the Cohuttas. From Blue Ridge, the easiest way to go in is to go out Old Hwy 2, off Hwy 5 north of Blue Ridge. The road turns to dirt as you start to go up to the rim. Once you are there on the rim, you can go left, toward Ellijay and Lake Conasauga or right toward Dally Gap, Grassy Creek, and ultimately, the Sylco Campground. Either way, it’s a beautiful drive when the leaves are at their peak.
I missed Fall Arts in the Park because of the deck project, but I did get to see the Buckner Brothers at the Whistlestop Friday night. They turned in a good performance, but it was a challenging night for Carle Vickers, the sax player. His alto was in the shop because someone stole his mouthpiece of 35 years – that’s a really mean trick – and his tenor lost a spring on stage. He was able to repair the tenor with a rubber band and turn in a solid performance, which is a tribute to experience and musicianship. It’s nice to be able to hear bands of this quality in Blue Ridge, and thanks to Rob Kaser for bringing them to us. To borrow one of the master’s lines, things aren’t what they used to be in Blue Ridge.