Monday, April 26, 2010

Duck, Duck, Geese!

I've been trying to catch good pictures of the critters around the campground here, but haven't had a whole lot of luck. So far the best I've managed are as follows:


Canadian goose family (SO cute!):






Close up of the babies!!



And a mallard, from the living room window:




We hear them quacking a lot, and the cats have been very entertained. Every time they hear the ducks close by, they run to the front window to scope out the situation. Like they'd know what to do if they ever caught one!

OH! Cima, I've done a little bit of research, and it looks like those purple flowers are something called Toothwort. That's the only thing I could find, anyway! Anyone else have any different ideas?

On Friday night, we did a bit of exploring in the area, driving north a bit on the road by the river. We found the cute little town of Marshall, NC, which was always just a little wide place in the road. It was definitely changed from when I saw it last - it's...much more yuppified, for lack of a better (or actual) word. There are cafes, organic grocery stores, a wine shop, etc. Things that would never have even thought of going to Marshall a few years ago!

We didn't go into the cafes or shops, but we did stop to take a little walk toward the old train depot. It's a tiny town - only 1 main road:



So cute!




Why were we heading toward the train depot, you ask? Because we saw a sign advertising for free music! Bluegrass!



It was great! They had a whole slew of bands taking turns playing, and there were at least 50 people sitting and listening. Noel took me up front to a dance floor by the band, and we danced for a while.


It was really fun (and free)! It's so neat to find spots like that, especially with all the changes going on here - it's nice to see that the traditional culture and music is being preserved.
We plan to go back!

2 comments:

Rachel said...

A wine shop in Marshall?! Who'd a thunk it. All those of years of being a dry county and now they've gone and gotten wet after all. :)

I bet the bluegrass was great. They used to have jam sessions in the back of the pharmacy on the bypass. I bet the depot makes for a great environment. Do you remember who you heard? Bet Scott and I know some of those folks from his Old Time Music Week days.

Kelli + Noel said...

You know,to be honest, I didn't actually SEE any wine in the shop. It's called Bacchus, so I made an assumption. :)

No clue on the band's name. They had several groups performing though, and we want to go back, next time a little earlier, so we can stay longer!