Woolly Worm Festival
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
New fun fact about the area we live in. A nearby town, Banner Elk, is the home to the annual Woolly Worm Festival. Being accustomed to cute, little town events in Iowa we thought we would take an hour on Saturday and check it out. Boy were we in over our heads!!
The 34th annual festival has grown over the years into an event which draws approximately 20,000 people over 2 days. (By the way, Banner Elk is normally a town of about 1,500) People even come from nearby states to race the infamous Woolly Worms. Folklore has it that Woolly Worms can predict the severity of the upcoming winter. The overall winner of the races is the one the prediction is made by. (You can look it up on Wikipedia) Over a thousand worms are raced and the winner gets 1,000 bucks!! Anyway...the traffic into town should have been an indication of what we were in for since a 17 mile drive took over an hour. (Let me also mention that I am going to TRY to give a more "cheerful" account of the days highlights. When we decided to go, Jonah and I were both getting over colds and were fit to be tied. Poor Andrew just went down with a sinking ship.)
Jonah was acting silly walking into the event and was having us essentially "drag" him there while holding our hands. Right inside the gate was the first attraction. Woolly Worm cutouts to pose in! Jonah actually wanted to do this so we got some cute pictures. (However he did have a fit when we didn't do it over and over. Another fit happened when we said he couldn't play with the dogs at the "doggie daycare" located right next to the cutouts since it was a daycare and not an attraction.)
After that we headed over to the kids play area. They had a giant inflatable wonderland set up, which happened to be too old for Jonah (and too expensive). We settled for a "wee" right next to it.
We attempted to get some food after that. Again, we were not prepared for the scope of this thing and had to leave to get money before we even started. Fair food prices were in place and a simple bite to eat turned into an undertaking with lackluster results. Jonah did get corn on the cob to eat though, which is always a pleaser. Amongst the tents of the several hundred craft vendors was set up of a couple of women with huge birds. I don't really know what their purpose was...but Jonah is a boy and got to see a big bird.
We figured we should actually see the main event before we left so we went next to the worm-race-area. Again...look at the size of the stage. There are 25-30 worms racing up vertical strings all day long. I don't know if there is any actual training involved or just luck. (Look really closely at the second photo and you can see the worms on the strings.) Jonah and I looked on with wonder.
Since the day was kind of a bust in the worm department, and we had really talked it up in the morning, we decided to buy Jonah one on the way out. (Mind you, you can find these guys everywhere, but vendors make a killing off of them!) In the end I was so glad that we did in fact get Jonah one because he became a little obsessed with it. He was oh so gentle with it and had a lot of playtime with his new friend when he got home. (Next blog!!)
The 34th annual festival has grown over the years into an event which draws approximately 20,000 people over 2 days. (By the way, Banner Elk is normally a town of about 1,500) People even come from nearby states to race the infamous Woolly Worms. Folklore has it that Woolly Worms can predict the severity of the upcoming winter. The overall winner of the races is the one the prediction is made by. (You can look it up on Wikipedia) Over a thousand worms are raced and the winner gets 1,000 bucks!! Anyway...the traffic into town should have been an indication of what we were in for since a 17 mile drive took over an hour. (Let me also mention that I am going to TRY to give a more "cheerful" account of the days highlights. When we decided to go, Jonah and I were both getting over colds and were fit to be tied. Poor Andrew just went down with a sinking ship.)
Jonah was acting silly walking into the event and was having us essentially "drag" him there while holding our hands. Right inside the gate was the first attraction. Woolly Worm cutouts to pose in! Jonah actually wanted to do this so we got some cute pictures. (However he did have a fit when we didn't do it over and over. Another fit happened when we said he couldn't play with the dogs at the "doggie daycare" located right next to the cutouts since it was a daycare and not an attraction.)
After that we headed over to the kids play area. They had a giant inflatable wonderland set up, which happened to be too old for Jonah (and too expensive). We settled for a "wee" right next to it.
We attempted to get some food after that. Again, we were not prepared for the scope of this thing and had to leave to get money before we even started. Fair food prices were in place and a simple bite to eat turned into an undertaking with lackluster results. Jonah did get corn on the cob to eat though, which is always a pleaser. Amongst the tents of the several hundred craft vendors was set up of a couple of women with huge birds. I don't really know what their purpose was...but Jonah is a boy and got to see a big bird.
We figured we should actually see the main event before we left so we went next to the worm-race-area. Again...look at the size of the stage. There are 25-30 worms racing up vertical strings all day long. I don't know if there is any actual training involved or just luck. (Look really closely at the second photo and you can see the worms on the strings.) Jonah and I looked on with wonder.
Since the day was kind of a bust in the worm department, and we had really talked it up in the morning, we decided to buy Jonah one on the way out. (Mind you, you can find these guys everywhere, but vendors make a killing off of them!) In the end I was so glad that we did in fact get Jonah one because he became a little obsessed with it. He was oh so gentle with it and had a lot of playtime with his new friend when he got home. (Next blog!!)
Fall is Falling
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Last weekend we decided to take a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to take a closer look at all of the changing colors. Man O Man was it beautiful!!! Growing up in Fresno my Nana and Papa used to take me to Woodward Park each year to look at the leaves. (woohoo!) I liked it but always thought it was funny that you had to go to a specific place to see them, like seasonal decorations. When Andrew and I moved to Iowa we were blown away by how much more color there was in the fall. Bright red's and golden yellows were everywhere. Then we moved to North Carolina and the Blue Ridge Mountains are blowing everything else away!
The colors themselves are highlighted by the sheer size of these mountains. Our elevation here is slightly lower than Shaver Lake's, but the mountain ridges go on and on and on. Everything seems wider and grander. Here are the boys with the Thunderhill Overlook behind them. It seems so vast but manages to be so peaceful too.
Jonah is into climbing now, and being as how we were on a mountain, he was able to find some really great rocks to crawl on. I found some really cool trees. (Aren't they kind of artsy? I don't know. I just really liked them.)
The coolest part about our little jaunt that day was that it was only about 10 minutes from our house. No packing up the car. No day trip. Just a ten minute drive, for the heck of it. Crazy that this is our reality now.
The colors themselves are highlighted by the sheer size of these mountains. Our elevation here is slightly lower than Shaver Lake's, but the mountain ridges go on and on and on. Everything seems wider and grander. Here are the boys with the Thunderhill Overlook behind them. It seems so vast but manages to be so peaceful too.
Jonah is into climbing now, and being as how we were on a mountain, he was able to find some really great rocks to crawl on. I found some really cool trees. (Aren't they kind of artsy? I don't know. I just really liked them.)
The coolest part about our little jaunt that day was that it was only about 10 minutes from our house. No packing up the car. No day trip. Just a ten minute drive, for the heck of it. Crazy that this is our reality now.
Walks with dad...
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Recently, Jonah and I have been taking walks when I get home from work. This gives him time to get outside and burn off some energy. It gives me time to spend with Jonah. And it gives Vanessa a (sometimes) needed break. Here are a few pictures from a recent walk down the street.
He likes running on the "yeddow" line (as he calls it). Fortunately, our place is on a dead-end street so very few cars ever drive down.
Jonah is still obsessed with letters and points them out everywhere. He is starting to learn to spell and read a few words.
Jonah has become quite the jumper. He's always trying to jump off things. Fortunately, he's generally pretty good about knowing when he needs me to catch him and when he can jump on his own. Here's a series of shots from one of his leaps off the stone "wall". He didn't quite stick the landing.
This is the face he made when I asked him for a BIG smile.
He likes running on the "yeddow" line (as he calls it). Fortunately, our place is on a dead-end street so very few cars ever drive down.
Jonah has become quite the jumper. He's always trying to jump off things. Fortunately, he's generally pretty good about knowing when he needs me to catch him and when he can jump on his own. Here's a series of shots from one of his leaps off the stone "wall". He didn't quite stick the landing.
Pearly Whites
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
On Friday, Jonah had his first ever dentist appointment!! There is really only one pediatric dental practice in Boone, so our choice of where to go was really easily. This place was absolutely the place I would have chosen anyway though. The whole office was bright, airy, and friendly. They sent a get-to-know-your-child questionnaire before our visit so they could know him a bit better and were very intentional about making his first experience a good one so he wouldn't be afraid of the dentist in years to come. Our dental assistant was Marilyn and she was so sweet and fun with Jonah. She brought out each of her tools one by one and showed him what they did on his hands. Here she is smiling cause he was laughing at the way the water and vacuum tickled.
Then she demonstrated how the mirrors worked. She used a small one on Harley and Jonah used the big one on himself. (He also practiced brushing and flossing Harley.) Harley was a really fun mascot.
We moved on to the cleaning procedure. Marilyn gave Jonah cool shades to protect his eyes from the bright light. He hates bright lights, so this was a good move. (Also, he just looks so much cooler in his vulnerable state.)
Next the dentist herself came in and gave him a once over. Not surprisingly, she said that Jonah has a bit of an overbite and may have braces in his future. No shock there!! (I had them for 3 years, with all the "cool" accessories and Andrew had them for a bit too.) The whole time we were at the appointment Jonah was cool as a cucumber and followed directions well.
Jonah left the dentists office with quite the swag bag too. Besides the typical toothbrush and floss (a Diego toothbrush and Buzz Lightyear floss, thank you very much!) he got a token to use in the toy machines (he used it to buy a really great mini dinosaur that he lost within the hour) and a T-shirt in a lovely shade of orange (or "oden" as Jonah says).
Last but not least he got his picture taken showing off his pearly whites. It was made into a button that he could proudly wear out. I mean...what more could you ask for!
Then she demonstrated how the mirrors worked. She used a small one on Harley and Jonah used the big one on himself. (He also practiced brushing and flossing Harley.) Harley was a really fun mascot.
We moved on to the cleaning procedure. Marilyn gave Jonah cool shades to protect his eyes from the bright light. He hates bright lights, so this was a good move. (Also, he just looks so much cooler in his vulnerable state.)
Next the dentist herself came in and gave him a once over. Not surprisingly, she said that Jonah has a bit of an overbite and may have braces in his future. No shock there!! (I had them for 3 years, with all the "cool" accessories and Andrew had them for a bit too.) The whole time we were at the appointment Jonah was cool as a cucumber and followed directions well.
Jonah left the dentists office with quite the swag bag too. Besides the typical toothbrush and floss (a Diego toothbrush and Buzz Lightyear floss, thank you very much!) he got a token to use in the toy machines (he used it to buy a really great mini dinosaur that he lost within the hour) and a T-shirt in a lovely shade of orange (or "oden" as Jonah says).
Last but not least he got his picture taken showing off his pearly whites. It was made into a button that he could proudly wear out. I mean...what more could you ask for!
Boone
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Last weekend, we took a little jaunt down the hill to downtown Boone. We live in Blowing Rock, which is really more of the touristy area, and as a result we haven't gotten to downtown Boone much. So we rectified that by having lunch downtown and walking around King Street for a bit. There was a really weird mix of hippie/alternative stores and antiques shops.The colors are starting to change here so there are nice bursts of color everywhere too.
During our walk, we came across a little bluegrass band performing. Bluegrass and mountain inspired music is pretty common around here and so are little bands of performers.
We had lunch at Black Cat Burrito, which is their answer to Chipotle and Panchero's. It was a funky little "alternative" kind of place. Really popular and with great options like Tofu Satay burritos in addition to the more standard varieties. Yummo!
After 2 hours of walking, looking in stores, and eating, Jonah was over life! (Hence this little "talk" with Daddy.) Needless to say, we decided to tackle the other side of the street another time.
During our walk, we came across a little bluegrass band performing. Bluegrass and mountain inspired music is pretty common around here and so are little bands of performers.
We had lunch at Black Cat Burrito, which is their answer to Chipotle and Panchero's. It was a funky little "alternative" kind of place. Really popular and with great options like Tofu Satay burritos in addition to the more standard varieties. Yummo!
After 2 hours of walking, looking in stores, and eating, Jonah was over life! (Hence this little "talk" with Daddy.) Needless to say, we decided to tackle the other side of the street another time.
I'M TWO!!!!!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
I forget the day, or the reason for this. But does it really matter? He's two. You get the jist.
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