I was in far western North Carolina last weekend. I'm not from there, and neither are my parents or grandparents, but my great aunt lives in Cherokee, and all of us on my dad's side have spent some time growing up, living, or working there. I have the least amount of experience with the place, but being there with my family and my 90 year-old great aunt, I could hear and feel many layers of memories surrounding us. It was a moving trip that further informed me of my heritage and of the region. There was lots and lots of driving, some hanging out and eating in the hip coziness of Asheville, and some time in the mountains, being with each other and the past.
The leaves are so late here!
(I'm not complaining)
At the gas station, there is a sign alerting drivers what kind of snack (?) they can get when they fill up.
I was hoping for some boiled peanuts, but alas, I only found shells littering the ground.
Coffee, Tea, Cereal, Grits.
Battery-powered ice cream toothbrush.
For scale, the containers on the right are gallon size.
These (Maker's Diet approved) (organic) breakfast cereals are a convenient way to follow through with "God's dietary guidelines", a specific mode of eating drawn from biblical principles. I like to picture the food stylist aranging the spoonful on the box, and the graphic designer charged with creating catchy packaging. (Where should the dove go? should we create a background pattern using scripture?) The diet has rules about animals with cloven hoof who do and do not chew the cud (apparently you should really stay away from the tempting, unclean "does not chew the cud" items.) The diet is 40 days long. So I guess Noah was pretty good lookin after that storm.
