John Pruitt and the WSB TV team drove up to the mountains and filmed the falls today. In June the Falls will be featured along with other Georgia destinations on a special called “Hidden Treasures in Georgia.” So for a day, guess who was a “rock star”? You got it: Toccoa Falls!

The producer told me John has been in the news business for around forty years. He was extremely kind and so comfortable to be around. I never told him that I have been watching him since I was a teenager.

Lots of light: news people with cameras love light and they even bring their own light sources. One, not in this photo, was a portable light with a huge battery pack. It was solely for back lighting.

Margaret Pinney explains to WSB-TV anchor John Pruitt what took place the night of the flood on the Toccoa Falls College campus in November 1977. Her husband lost his life but later she remarried a college alum who is a really wonderful guy.

Classic shot. I remember last year when I first started working on the campus, I loved to film the students on the rocks at the base of the falls. Everyone wants to climb around at the falls and John was no different.

Even from this point the falls are still in the background. Before the photographer arrived earlier this week to shoot B-roll, I told her that I had walked back up to the falls just to make sure that everything was okay and all was well. She laughed a little and then I realized, what could go wrong with a 186-foot waterfall. Not much, but then it is located on a college campus, which introduces an entirely new set of challenges.

I don’t know what this plant is called. I took the photo a couple of weeks ago. . . so it’s blooms have now faded and blown away with recent winds. When I was young there as a plant in our backyard that my Mom called a “snowball,” but I don’t think this is like it. . . . And for what it is worth, Martha Stewart says every yard should have a Snowball bush. (I’m sure that little bit of information will “make your day.”) I do know this is an older type of plant or bush because it is growing in a vacant lot where an wonderful old house once stood. The flowers, trees, and shrubbery located there remind me of the type of things that would have been my great grandmother’s front yard. Be sure to check out other photos of this part of the state at Living in Stephens County.com.

Every once in a while, I find myself wishing that my Atlanta friends were here to walk this path with me. But then, I know they need to be where they are and I need to be here. Still, it is a good thought. . . . a very good thought.

Smithgall Woods is one of my favorite places in northeast Georgia (“one” because I have a several favorites). The thing that sets Smithgall apart is its beauty. The Park Service keeps it pristine. It has one of North Georgia’s premier trout streams. Dukes Creek runs through this specular mountain get-a-way. “Five miles of trails and 18 miles of roads allow hikers and bicyclists to explore hardwoods, streams, and wildlife.” Four paws for this hike. It has it all, and it is all wrapped up in a pristine package.

After lots of exploring and an almost two-mile hike, Cocoa walks down to Dukes Creek to cool off. The stream was clear as glass.

A covered bridge crosses over Dukes Creek.

I just had to take another photo of the trout stream and I could only stand and wish I had a rod and reel.

This area is totally off limits! We had permission to film at the top of the falls for a special program that will air on WSB-TV in June. Kelly (the college’s registrar) made the trip with us, and I’m grateful. He helped the photographer carry her tripod and camera along with leading the way along the path.

It probably doesn’t help to know that we were more than 186 feet up on a rock cliff overlooking the Toccoa Falls gorge directly below us.

Here is the view we had at the Glen Falls area. It is beautiful at anytime of the day. Mrs. Forrest, the college’s co-founder, often hiked to this area. Many times, she had a group with her. When this was the cases, she would pack picnic baskets loaded with china, hot tea, and sweet breads. Rather British, wouldn’t you say?