Tunnelvision

April 7, 2012

Columbia, SC

1976

April 17, 2011

Plains, GA

Next stop was Plains, GA, home of former President Jimmy Carter. Here is Tessa in front of the old depot, which was used as a campaign headquarters in 1976. During the campaign, a stray dog showed up here and hung around. He became known as J-Who the depot dog. When J-Who died in 1986, he was buried across the depot on the town green.

Andrews' Geyser

May 31, 2009
Andrews' Geyser

The next morning we head out again and stop first at Andrews' Geyser near Old Fort, NC. It is both Tessa's and my first geyser, albeit an artificial one. It was built in 1885 near Mill Creek and during its heyday it shot 250 feet into the air every few minutes. In 1910 it was repaired and relocated to its current spot, then owned by the Southern Railway, who turned the Geyser and its land over to Old Fort in 1975, and was once more repaired. Today it shoots 80 feet into the air. I understand it is turned on every morning at 10 a.m.

Marion, NC

May 30, 2009
Marion, NC

After leaving the trestle, we drove to Marion, NC, an old mill and railroad town. We spent an hour walking through the downtown district. Dorinda was the designated dog walker, as Don and I were busy taking photos. We stopped by Eckrod's old photo store, and while Don and I went inside to talk to the owner, Dorinda and Tessa waited outside. Dorinda was much more patient than Tessa. When the owner of the store saw Tessa's acrobatics outside the door, he invited her in.

[Eckrod's Camera Store]

:(

On our way we passed Fuzzy Wuzzy's Pet Spa, and Tessa insisted on stopping. To our dismay, it was closed, and protected by a lot of dogs that were raising hell behind the blinds, so we took a few photos for posterity and went on. I tried to explain to Tessa that she is not fuzzy enough anyway to qualify for a spa treatment here.

Stand By Me

May 30. 2009
McDowell County, NC

We got up at 4 a.m. this morning and headed off to visit friends in Black Mountain, NC. We arrived at around 9 a.m. and after a brief romp in the backyard, we squeezed Tessa's crate in the Honda Element - it just barely fit- and started on our 9-hour photo trip.


Our first stop was the tall Clinchfield Railroad trestle near Marion, NC. We had to carefully climb a steep trail through the kudzu to get to the top. Tessa didn't have any problems, her paws sticking to the gravel like velcro. I shall point out that she remained firmly attached to me via the leash the entire time.