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Girls With Grandmother Faces

Spring Fling ~ 2007
~ latest saga in the "Where in the World are the GWGF" series ~
(Playing ~ The hills are alive with ....... "The Sound of Music")

The hills were also alive with the sound of the GWGF!

Tar Hill Lodge
at
Ridgecrest, North Carolina .... May 14-18
Hostess ~ Charlotte Hicks Brunson

I was absolutely awestruck by the grandeur of the mountains as we drove into Asheville and then
on to Ridgecrest. I had made the trip many times in the past, and I suppose when you live there you
become accustomed to it; I'm not sure I ever would!

"To me, high mountains are a feeling
but the hum of busy cities torture"
(My apologies to
Lord Byron if I missed
the exact wording.)

By 3:00 Monday afternoon, Tar Hill Lodge was alive with greetings and hugs, chatter and laughing, finding
our rooms and unpacking. The Monday night food team was already hard at work preparing supper as we settled in.

Fifteen were able to come this year .... names in no particular order: Marian, Lois Jean, Imogene, Charlotte,
Theta, Ann, Barbara, Carolyn, Hilna, Nellie Faye, Mary Frances, Mattie, Wanda, Nancy and Olive Belle.
We missed some fun, smiling faces this year who had planned to come and did not cancel until it was eventually
apparent they could not make it: Earlene, Jean De and Shirley. We also missed four others who had made
plans to meet us on Wednesday for lunch at Grove Park Inn in Asheville .... Anna Joyce, Kitty, Helen and Jama
.... but they, too, found there were too many extenuating circumstances to make the trip.

Charlotte was so good to arrange our Spring Fling at Ridgecrest this year. Her son works for the
North Carolina Baptist Convention and so was able to secure the Tar Heel Lodge. It was an excellent
place with a big lounging area, good kitchen and lots of beds and baths. And it was also close
to fun places to visit ... Asheville and the downtown area of Black Mountain.

The mountain air is so perfect, and the weather was beautiful during our entire stay. At times, it was rather
breezy and always comfortably cool. The days were never too warm. I always remembered lots of rain
at Ridgecrest during the many times I was there in my youth but we didn't have a single rainy day.

GWGF Spring Fling 2007
(on arrival at Grove Park Inn)

front row ~ Wanda, Imogene, Nellie Faye
second row ~ Olive Belle, Marian, Nancy, Barbara, Charlotte, Ann, Lois Jean, Mattie, Mary Frances, Theta, Carolyn, Hilna

Nellie Faye and Mary Frances start up the stairs at the lodge ...... note the beautiful mountain laurel.
I believe they had been out walking which most of us neglected on this trip (except for shopping trips)!
Being on the food team for Monday night, Nancy begins preparations ... that's Ann in the background at the sink.

Every year, when possible, we have a "do your own thing/whenever you're ready" breakfast, and then
go out for what is usually our main meal of the day at lunchtime. We divide up in food teams for responsiblity
at suppertime. Our suppers at Ridgecrest included a "Cracker Barrel" night, a barbecue night,
grilled chicken salad night and a "leftovers" night with banana splits ... yummy!

Marian had just finished her devotional on Monday night. We have come to look forward to her
beautiful music every year. And Lois Jean? I just found her relaxing ... we did a lot of that!

Nightly devotionals are special. On Monday night, Marian inspired us with her dulcimer music.
She had prepared a booklet with the stories of several hymns and with the words and music.
We read the stories as she played through once and then sang the hymn.
On each subsequent night, she also played a song for us to sing after the evening devotional.
Other devotionals were given by Barbara, Imogene and Hilna.

On the closing night, Marian played "Precious Memories," a hymn with special meaning for us, while we sang.

"Precious mem'ries, how they linger,
How they ever flood my soul;
In the stillness of the midnight,
Precious, sacred scenes unfold."

The best of friends ... Ann and Charlotte. They posed for me amidst the mountain laurel.
Hilna seems to be interested in what's going on across the room.

Nightly entertainment? We managed to watch two DVDs ... "The Queen" and "DreamGirls."
(The television didn't work ...... LOL!)

Click here for the rest of the story and pictures
about Spring Fling 2007

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