Simple + Southern Sunday No. 551

“The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭9‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I was able to catch a bit of sun, and felt only a light breeze on Thursday, so I took the drone up with the intention of flying around the fields and maybe to the river. The wind was actually much stronger than anticipated so a short flight over part of the garden was a better choice. We are a few days away from plants like zinnias, limelight hydrangeas, and marigolds springing to life with their colors, so things look a little drab to me from overhead. I would say the sunflowers are more than a few days away from showing their yellow faces!
  

Pam does a really nice job getting some very interesting close-ups. I love it when she is able to capture something like these 5 different growth stages of Rose of Sharon blooms. A close look at the bottom shows a completely closed bud!

The colors and detail of the mature bloom of the Rose of Sharon is stunning. We have white ones also. This hibiscus is in the mallow family along with plants like cotton and our summer, southern-fried delicacy, okra!

I know this luna moth (American moon moth) feels safe because it blends in with its surroundings and is hanging underneath a marigold branch. But wings this wide, sometimes as much as 7 inches, are somewhat hard to hide. It is believed the eyespots offer some deterrent to predators. 

We made our way about 25 miles to the southwest to a plateau known as Chandler Mountain. It is a stand alone mountain only 2 miles wide and 8 miles long and as the word plateau might suggest, it is mostly flat on top. But don’t let the size fool you. It is well known for several things, one being tomato farms. The soil is a sandy type and the climate is perfect for growing tomatoes. Tomatoes are to Chandler Mountain as onions are to Vidalia, Georgia, as potatoes are to Idaho, and as country music is to Nashville! Hopefully you get the idea.

We recently saw photos from a local meteorologist that showed many of these tomato fields standing in water with the tops of plants just above the water. Thankfully it appears things are drying out. One estimate I read stated that each year around 40 million pounds of tomatoes are grown here! That’s a lot of red sauce!

The history of Chandler Mountain is fascinating. One area contains about 40 acres of the most incredible and unique rock formations. In the 1800’s the area was settled by a family from Georgia. Descendants of the original settlers still live nearby. Their original deeds showed 3 tracts, each consisting of 40 acres. One tract was known as “the horse pens 40”. The rocks provide a perfect natural boundary for keeping horses, and the Creek and Cherokee tribes used this place to trap and corral horses. Ancient Native American burial grounds are found here. We will take you on a brief tour, but there is a lot more history than we have room to share.
  

How large trees thrive as if standing on rocks is quite amazing. The roots no doubt have found their way to soil and water. Horse Pens 40 is a nature park, campground, and a world class bouldering site, with climbers coming from all 50 states and other countries as well. Bouldering is a form of rock climbing on smaller rock formations without the use of ropes or harnesses. We were told the colder months are the most popular for climbing. One leg of bouldering’s “Triple Crown” is held here each year.

I rounded a curve in the trail and thought I had encountered a giant alligator. Or was it a prehistoric lizard or a dinosaur? I did find a way to get on top of the monster to discover it was harmless, except the climb down was a bit tricky!

This rock was named little elephant. I can definitely see where that name came from. The park is privately owned, and we understand the current owner bought the property in 2002 in order to preserve the area and to prevent development.

This will require some explanation. This platform, now in disrepair, is at the base of a large boulder at the entrance of the “Horse Pens” and it holds quite a story. The grounds in front of this rock form a bowl that is the perfect amphitheater. In the 1950’s, it was discovered that the natural acoustics were terrific and the park became a venue for Bluegrass and Gospel music concerts. Arts and crafts shows became popular too. Pam remembers coming here in the 80’s to large arts and crafts shows. I had never been to this part of the mountain before last week. Many local musicians and singers appeared here, but now, the rest of the story…
 

…This is the part of the stage where folks who were playing and singing would access the platform. In the late ’50’s this amphitheater was established as a venue for Bluegrass music and became one of the first such outdoor festivals in the country. By the 1970’s the event had become one of the largest in the world. Many legends were showcased here and some got their start here. These include Charlie Daniels, Lester Flatt, Ricky Skaggs, Bill Monroe, Alison Krauss, and Doc Watson to name a few. Emmylou Harris made her first public appearance here as a teenager! Even if you’ve never followed bluegrass or country music, those names are probably familiar to you!

Pam aptly named this formation “boots”. The boots are sitting together and facing away. Once she mentioned that to me, I could plainly see them. In another way, two of these formations look like feet facing the sky. Horse Pens 40 is home to one of the most concentrated boulder fields in the world!

A lot of the moss we saw, like this rock covering, seemed to be absolutely glowing. These rocks were used as hideouts during the American Civil War and also a hold up for a few outlaws back in the day! (Pam thought she spotted an outlaw in the next photo.)

Is the tree holding the rock or the rock holding the tree? Another mystery was solved when we viewed this photo after returning home. The strange shape and color hid near the bottom looked familiar to both of us. We had no idea that I happened along when Pam was taking photos in this area. An additional extremely interesting historical fact before we move on…it was here at Horse Pens that the only peace treaty between the Creek and Cherokee tribes was signed!

Meanwhile back at home. If you take a quick glance, you might think this is either all one plant or two plants of the same kind. But the reality is, the one on top is a marigold that we hope will bloom soon, and the one on bottom is ragweed. I started looking closely at all the plants in the marigold and zinnia flower bed at the back of the garden…It was revealing! 

These plants are headed to the ragweed graveyard. All were found hiding in the marigold patch, thinking no one would notice! If ragweed doesn’t grow where you live, you may wonder why we don’t want it around. It is a major culprit in autumn for those who suffer from seasonal allergies!

As the sun prepares to set behind Lookout Mountain, wheat remains in the field, and smoke from fires and Saharan dust remain in the atmosphere. 

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Linking with:
 Pieced Pastimes,  Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
 Life and Linda