This weekend is Currahee Military Weekend in Toccoa, and we’re having fun. Last night (Friday) was the Hanger Dance were people gathered to listen to the music that outlined and shaped an entire generation. The former soldier in the photo above wanted to know if I wanted to photograph his tattoo. Of course, I said, “Yes.” It reads: “Currahee Can Do.”

During WWII Easy Company trained at Toccoa and ran up Currahee Mountain each morning. Their story was depicted in the HBO series Band of Brothers.

The Hanger Dance was held in an old metal airplane hanger that was used during the war. It was built (along with the air field) by industrialist R. G. LeTourneau, who was also a personal friend of Dr. R. A. Forrest the founder of Toccoa Falls College.

Most of the time if you have a camera in your hand, people will pose for you without question. Saturday will prove to be interesting because German soldiers are supposed to set-up camp on the courthouse square not far from where American troops will be located. We’ll see about that one.

I love the first hours of the day—when everything seems so gentle and unhurried. Next to that I love the time in and around sunset when Whippoorwills gather by the lake and life seems so simple once again. It’s the time for friendships, good conversations, and remembering what matters the most.

I certainly don’t understand this but a week ago, I walked out my door and noticed my Wisteria was blooming again! Over the years, I have joked about this stuff taking over yards, houses, and even small children if they stand still beside it. In Atlanta, I had Wisteria vines that literally went under ground and popped up in different parts of the yard. If it ever gets out of control, it will take over. This particular plant came from a clipping I got at Toccoa Falls. It came from an original vine that is many years old. I think there’s a part of the original owner buried deep within it, and every once in a while it just breaks out and blooms!

It continues to be just plain hot in northeast Georgia. The other evening I was out in the front yard with Cocoa waiting for the sun to set so we could go for our usual walk. We have come to a point where we walk just before dark—coyotes or no coyotes—because it is cooler. This is when we also meet up with other neighbors who are doing the same thing. And it is when I hear all the tall tales they have to share with me about the wild animals and much more in and around our neighborhood. “I think we have a fox living at the bottom of the hill,” I told Ann and her husband recently. “Oh, really!” she said with a twinkle in her eyes. And so, the stories continue . . . .

Late in the evening near the lake, you can hear the Whippoorwill’s song, the fish jumping, and people talking in deep conversation. Below is the old bridge that once spanned Lake Harwell at the Georgia and South Carolina border.

It is a favorite spot in Stephens County. People call this “Broken Bridges” because long ago, the DOT decommissioned this bridge by taking the center section out. Therefore, it is broken but this did little to discourage people from visiting the area, especially at sunset.