Late yesterday, Taylor (from Whiteboard) shot video of the stream that feeds Toccoa Falls. We rarely go to this part of the falls because it is dangerous but sometimes it is fun to market the view. This is what we are getting ready to do. So I had Taylor on one side of me and . . .

this view on the other side. It is the gorge below. As Chipley would say, “That is Sccaarr-wee!”

The dark color at the top of the screen is purely “dead air.” Taylor’s friends were behind him shouting, “Dude, be careful.”

I’ve written a couple of times about the Mark of the Potter located on GA Hwy 197 between Clarkesville and Helen. It is just a fun place to visit. The drive to get there is beautiful winding through rolling mountains and paralleling pristine trout streams. The shop opened in 1969 in an old mill on the banks of the Soque River. It is the oldest craft shop in the same location in the state of Georgia. They have four potters who work at their wheels and chances are if you are there, especially on a Saturday, you will have an opportunity to see them at work.

Fact is: watching a potter work at his or her wheel on weekends remains a part of the Mark of the Potter experience. You can also shop for unique crafts, explore Grandpa Watts’ Mill, enjoy picturesque scenery and sit on their back porch and feed their pet trout in their natural habitat.

The trout hate being “rocked.” My guess is that children (big and small) without thinking have picked up pieces of loose gravel in the parking area and thrown them into the stream.

The trout are so accustomed to being tossed handfuls of food from the sheltered balcony at the back of the shop that a handful of gravel could be deadly! So if you visit the Mark of the Potter, enjoy the drive there, relax with the view, talk with the absolutely welcoming people who run the place, and feed the hundreds of rainbow trout that hang out in a pool at the bottom of a small waterfall only fish food.

I promise that if you visit the Mark of the Potter, you will come away saying it is one of your favorite stops in northeast Georgia.

I went for a ride on Saturday afternoon and ended up in Homer, Georgia. I’ve never been there before, but the moment I saw this gas station, I knew I would have to get out of the car and take photos. Cocoa sniffed around the neatly trimmed park and both of us were amazed by what we saw, especially beneath the older wooden building in the photo above. I know . . . what was I doing looking under old buildings? We could see lots of antique “finds” at the edge of the building and had to investigate.

The is the old Banks County Court House. Just being in this setting made me feel like I had stepped back in time. I asked Cocoa if she wanted to climb the stairs to the balcony with me, and she hesitated. True confession: the steps were a little frighting—very narrow and steep. The courthouse is one of the oldest in Georgia. It was built in 1870 and restored in the 1980′s. Today, it houses the offices of the Banks County’s Chamber of Commerce.

Here is a photo of one of the building’s columns. The exposed the brick really shows the age of this courthouse. The outdoor pavilion in the background is where I imagine many town events have taken place.

Chip refused to climb the steps. Cocoa went unwillingly but trusted me in the venture. This is really an interesting town, and I plan to return soon. The main Web site also lists a covered bridge, which is a rarity in Georgia since Sherman burned most of them on his march to the sea. (Yikes!)

My best guess is that this house escaped the torch, too.

One of my favorite breakfast places is BJ’s located in the downtown area. Usually, I see people there I know—people who live and work in this community. Across the room in this photo is Dr. Bob and his wife Frances. We go to church together—what fun! The guy who is my dentist came in with his wife. As I was leaving, he said, “See you later.” Gulp.

I don’t eat like this way often. Even though I would love to have French toast and fresh sausage at BJ’s every Saturday morning, I refuse to do it. . . . just refuse it! (Be strong my waining heart!)

Breakfast and then it was time for a little county music on the city corner. Honestly, I want to do something fun and cool like this when I get to be this guy’s age.

Later, we all headed out to buy fresh strawberries. These are wonderful!

I noticed that fresh Vidalia onions are available. Here’s a secret. Don’t buy anything that does not have a label like this one. A few weeks ago, I bought an onion that said it was a Vidalia but it wasn’t. Morgan Farms is located in south Georgia—the real home of Vidalia onions! Don’t be fooled by big corporations that say theirs are Vidalias. Nope. Everyone in Georgia knows the difference is in the soil. And these onions are great when grilled outside on a grill with smoked apple wood.

And then there were peaches! These are from south Georgia, too, but the guy who owns Jaemor Farms made sure I knew theirs would be ready in two weeks! We’re having an early Summer!

Here’s my beautiful Cocoa Joy. She was with me every moment of the day. Well, not at BJ’s but she was with me the rest of the time. I can’t leave Cocoa behind.

Dukes Creek located in White County is a very historical area. It is the place where the gold rush in Georgia began. In 1540 Hernando DeSoto visited the area and at least one of his men returned around 1560 to mine gold. When Georgia became a colony in 1730, the Spanish no longer came to the area. Gold was rediscovered south of the falls in 1828. The path to the creek is just off the Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway which connects Brasstown Bald with Helen, Georgia.

The pathway to the falls is relatively flat. It descends 400 feet and switches back three times. It’s a fairly easy hike to the bottom where you are greeted by this scene and much more—at least three viewing decks and plenty of white water. Cocoa gives this hike five paws. It is easy and only moderately difficult. Chip would give it four paws because you can’t access the water via the decks. :0

I know friends (Reba) love seeing the dogs in places like this, and I hope that will happen by later tonight. Cocoa is going with me to a couple of events today. But for now, I thought I would post a few photos I took the past week at a small photo shoot of TFC students on top of Currahee Mountain.

I admit from this angle it looks like we were in a dangerous position, but I promise there were ledges beneath us. If we had fallen, we probably would not have died, but it certainly would have hurt. Willis (in this photo) did jumped down to a ledge.

Here’s the view our students love the most—the one in front of them. They are not allowed to go to the top of Toccoa Falls so I believe they have found this place as a second choice for adventure. It is also a place they can go and be college students. I understand that totally.

They even allowed me to join them, which was pretty cool.

This past weekend was one for the record books. We ended up forging a stream and then heading down a forestry service road to the place where the Appalachian Trail crosses over Tray Mountain.

It was an absolutely beautiful day. It was still early spring in the mountains—sun streaming through the thinly, leafed trees and deeply jeweled blue sky. White blazes mark the AT.

“If you’re heading to the Appalachian Trail this spring,” writes a Thru Hiker, “and you plan to camp between Jarrard Gap and Neels Gap add a bear canister to your gear list.” The trail in this photo is the one the hiker was writing about— Neels Gap one way and the other way leads to Jarrard Gap.

Absolutely beautiful.

I’ve fallen in love with portions of the Appalachian Trail. I know I’ll never hike the entire route. It is just not my thing, but I love reading the journals of those who do. And increasingly, I’m finding myself on the trail or near it. The Mountain Laurel is beginning to bloom on the southern portions of the trail. It is just awesome to see these plants dotting the landscape.

I haven’t been able to identify the wildflower in the above photo. I took it on Tray Mountain this past weekend.

I carried the pack, the cameras, water, sealed dog treats, while Cocoa . . . .

sniffed the appropriate trees and mile markers.