PJ loves for me to work at home and take breaks and come out on the sun porch with him.

He just settles in and naps and naps and naps. In fact, now that I think about it both dogs took a nap with him.

Until he discovered that Chip was napping on the sofa instead of on the floor with Cocoa Joy. That’s when he tapped Chip on the head and said, “Wake up sleepy baby!”

After a few minutes, I went back to my office and Chip, who was wide awake, stationed himself where he could watch the doves playing in the rain on the hill behind the house.

Hey, looks who’s here: Cocoa Joy! Doesn’t she look great?! She’s smiling and also looking at the camera! On Sunday we hiked to Angel Falls in Rabun County. This photo was taken at base of Angel Falls, which is located at the end of a moderately strenuous one mile hike. We were all pretty hot and in need of water, but I thought Cocoa looked rather good considering she had to jump over at least two sets of fallen trees and tunnel under a couple more. Oh, how ready I am to sing the praises of Dog School 101 again. What a perfect hiking companion she has become. She also had to hike back out another mile. At the end, she played in the water and helped me eat trail mix minus the raisins!

To reach Angel Falls take US441 north out of Tallulah Falls for about 2 miles. Turn on to Old 441 at the Rabun Beach Recreation Area sign. Travel along Old 441 for 2.5 miles and turn left on Lake Rabun Road. Follow the shoreline road around the lake for 4 miles (it is a beautiful drive around one of the top lakes in northeast Georgia) to the Rabun Beach Camping Area #2. Drive to the back of the camping area to the day use area. There is a small 3 dollar parking fee because the area is run by the National Forest Service.

Here’s Cocoa again at Panther Creek Falls. This is the first set of falls you come to and is a great place to sit for a few minutes and cool off beside the spring fed falls. Cocoa waded into the water and just stood there taking in the beautiful surroundings.

Panther Falls is the first falls you come to about 1/2 mile in on the trail that parallels Joe Branch Creek. Both falls are covered with rhododendron canopies.

I’m one of those persons who enjoys recording the normal events of the day. Above we are heading into the Brickyard in Greenville for lunch. The food was great; the desert (the first one I have had in months) even better—fresh (homemade) pineapple cake. Great choice!

Then we passed on the offer for ice cream, but the lights in the background were attractive.

I need to enjoy taking photos of these flowers—a purple cone flower. The ones I planted at the cottage are not doing that well. Come to think of it, I always have a hard time getting these to grow.

For some reason unknown to me, this photo reminds me of the song Summer Breeze sung (years ago) by Seals and Croft. Here are the opening lyrics just in case you remember it.

See the curtains hanging in the window
In the evening on a Friday night
A little light a-shining through the window
Lets me know everything’s alright

Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind

Over the next couple of days, I’ll post photos I took this weekend while canoeing on the Tugaloo Corridor. Did I say canoeing? Yes! It was so much fun that I may have found a new activity. From what I gather from college friend and registrar Kelly Vickers, this is an annual event. He led the group on a five hour adventure along the Corridor that ended in a portion of Lake Harwell.

Here’s a little info about this historical area: “The Tugaloo Corridor is the eastern portion of the county adjacent to the upper reaches of Lake Hartwell and abuts the Tugaloo River to form the eastern boundary of the county. The Corridor extends from US 123 in the south, to Habersham County, in the north. The 6 mile section of the river is the last un-impounded section. Within the Corridor are a number of historical structures, including Travelers’ Rest, Providence United Methodist Church, the Prather Home, and Tugaloo Bend, an 87-acre heritage site owned by The Stephens County Foundation, Inc., a not-for-profit foundation which is credited with identifying the Tugaloo Corridor and its potential. On the Tugaloo Bend property is the site of the old Estatoe Native American village. The Foundation plans nature trails, educational facilities, and a heritage education center highlighting Native American and 19th and 20th century settler lifestyles. The goal of The Foundation is to preserve and protect the area, so generations to come will enjoy the educational and recreational opportunities.” This group’s office web site is http://tugaloocorridor.org.

Some of the people that went with us were from the college, which gave me the opportunity to get to know them a little better.

This is the view I had for most of the trip—middle to back, but that’s ok. I had to pull up canoeing instructions from the past. And even then, I had to ask others how to do simple things—like how to keep the canoe going in a straight line. I thought for sure that I would be sore “to the bone” as my grandmother used to say, but I’m not. So, I’m ready to go again!

I live here—five minutes—if that from this sight. Do I miss the city? Yes, I do at times. I miss friends and wish they were closer. Friday night with Delores was lots of fun. We laughed like crazy and I wish Judy was working with me again, but life changes and we go on. I truly think they would agree: if I had to be some place other than in the city, this is a very good place to be. I’ll post more photos over the next day or so. Thanks Kelly for a great trip and for all the historical stories and facts you shared with us.