Our wanderings took us across the southern Appalachians to this point.  We enjoyed our visit to Cherokee finding old friends and the Smoky Mountains.  Anne and I completed a stiff climb of the Shining Rock ridge to collect blue berries and enjoy the views.  Glad we can still do it.

The town of Cherokee and that of Sylva too are looking prosperous.  We dined in the later with friends and listened to a band make music at the town park. 

We moved south to visit more old friends in north Georgia and camped at a secluded campsite on private land designated Shangri-La.  From there we moved east to Kings Mountain where a colonial militia whooped an English led Tory army in 1780.  We also visited Cow Pens where the United States Army met English regulars a few months later and turned them back.  They kept retreating to a place called Yorktown where they got on a boat for home.  We found our Red-cockaded Woodpeckers for the year in a national forest.  Anne slipped on a rock at a waterfall and cracked her wrist bone.  She looks sweet in a splint, but I have had to do all the cooking and clean-up. 

From there we moved here and caught a flight to San Francisco.  We enjoyed almost three weeks there with Alex.  That town is doing very well except for the abundant hobos and high prices.  We made morning walks through the Panhandle Park.  No jogs while Anne has her arm healing.  We visited various points of the city and took a couple of boat rides into the Pacific for the fun and to see western birds.  We took Alex north to Mendocino and the Anderson Valley on a four-day road trip.  Great scenery with the sea, cliffs, headland meadows, redwood groves, oak woodlands, vineyards with free wine tastings, and fine dining out with Alex.  He is a gracious host.

Yesterday we flew back to Atlanta with anxiety over a hurricane that sat over the Bahamas causing much grief there.  Today it seems to be heading out to sea, but flooding is forecast for South Carolina. 

Today we set up our rig and made a big grocery expedition.  We’ll resume looking for birds and curiosities in north Georgia for a few days.  Alex will join us for about a week and travel with us to Louisiana the week after next.  There migrating birds should be arriving in abundance and we hope to encounter the elusive Yellow Rail before our return to the Northeast next month.  Good travels ahead.