For those of you interested Only in TRAVEL, I (Jack) wrote the blog between MARCH 2010 and October 2010 during our travels west. We saw the most beautiful places and had the best time in our big truck and little trailer. See Blog Archive below.

May 9, 2012

An Afternoon in Dahlonega GA

An unexpected surprise was the arrival of a friend, Marie, from Utah. We had an afternoon to catch up and have some fun.

I decided that she'd enjoy the town of Dahlonega. It's not quite as crowded during the week. We could have lunch and gab as all us ladies like to do. Though definitely a tourist town, we enjoyed walking around the little shops. Hard to get a picture without a car or a sign. I sat on one of the many benches scattered about the town while Marie went in to browse in the little shops. I browsed, too, but had to sit down after being on my feet for as long as I could do it. Many of the little shops are closed during the week. Hard to understand why since the town appeared to be busy.

Rich and I used to drive up to Dahlonega on weekends. We always made two stops. One was "The Porch" and the other was for an ice cream cone. I always went in to get it; he thought he was conning me by telling me it always tasted better if I got it for him--the truth of the matter is that I liked to get it for him and see the grin on his face when I handed it to him.




This is the first time I've been able to return since Rich died, though I did take my trailer up for repairs after my trip--the RV repair shop is just outside of town. Funny, Marie was in town then, too, and took a ride with me.

There's another porch in Dahlonega, now--Bourban Street, I think the sign said. It's a little more upscale, but it was closed. I was surprised to see the bear still in the tree, but I remembered it as being different. Somewhere in some old pictures, I'll have to check.

We ran into dead stop traffic on the way back (it's Atlanta), but we met my daughter and Marie's daughter for Mexican, and that topped off the day.

I thought I had taken it easy on my back, but by the time I got home I was in pain--electrical shocks if I moved the wrong way. I have noticed that when I ride the stationery bike, my left foot goes numb, so that makes me sure it's a nerve. I don't do anything but hide from the heat and humidity in the summer (when in Georgia) so when I get back from the coast, I'll hear what the doctor says about success rate of the surgery. Monday, however, I'm going to meet a group of gals that I know, and we will camp about an hour or two from home, depending upon the route I take. It will serve to make sure all systems are go on the trailer and that I can set up and take down by sitting down in between each step. 

My daughter and I will be going to Charleston for 5 days, Savannah for several days, and then to St. Augustine and then we will return home. I'm putting some pictures from today, below. You can still pan for gold in Dahlonega--haven't heard of anyone getting rich, though!






16 comments:

  1. I would love to stroll around that town. How special it seems.

    Tomorrow I am taking my friend for her secon round of shots for her back pain. I know they aren't going to work. But she wants to try and its her body. But they told her that the slipped disks are pinching the nerve. It causes great pain in the lower part of the right leg. Ine Dr. said the only way to stop the pain is to kill the nerve. I have a feeling that may be the next step. I wish both of you some relief soon.

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  2. great tour today!..love the small town feel...oh to sit on the porch with a glass of lemonaide!..but work is calling!..geesh!!

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  3. Thanks, JOJO. I've been avoiding the inevitable, but I'm going to have to give in--just can't live with this any longer. I've never been afraid of surgery--have had many. Just seems so much more involved since Rich isn't here. What do I do with Jack? Will I be able to get around in the house without help? Rich was always there to take care of everything--life just isn't the same. I hate disturbing people's days to have them pick me up or take me. The shots only worked for a very short time for me, and I don't think the surgeon was surprised, but they probably have to justify what they do with medicare and try all non-surgical approaches first, which I would want them to do, anyway. I've thought about trying a chiropractor, but I'm afraid. I went to one with terrible pain in my neck, years ago, and came out in excruciating pain that eventually wound me up in surgery. The difference was that Rich was there, and of course that I was younger. Thanks for stopping by. I've been reading your blog--just haven't had a chance to comment or anything to add. Hot and humid here.

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    1. Nancy,
      You may not realize how far you have come since you have been on your own. But you have made many strides.
      Surgery is no fun at all but like you said you can't live this way. I'm sure your family and friends will be there for you as they are now. You can even have a home health care person come in to help for a few weeks. Ask you health provider. I will be thinking and praying for you to recover quickly and get back to living your fullest life.

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    2. Thank you, JoJo. That's very, very sweet of you.

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  4. Sue and Doug, if you want to see porches, you need to go to Charleston and Savannah. Because of heat and humidity, the older, stately, mansions row on row had sleeping porches. I thought I had done a blog on my trips over there, but I guess I didn't. Beautiful homes. Well, gives me an excuse to take some pictures in a couple of weeks. :) In the meantime, you can get an idea with these posted on the web: http://tinyurl.com/c54kun8 Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  5. I sorry about JoJo's comment about killing the nerve. There have got to be other options - such as the surgery that Jim had to release the pressure on the nerves. He will never be 100% - too much damage over the years, but even at 60 or 70% - it is so worth it. Loved the small town. Those are the places I really like to visit.

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  6. I think when I get my back taken care of, I'm going to visit some more places close to home. We do tend to forget that people who are not from the area might be interested in what to see in our back yards.

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  7. Sandie, I'm so glad you and Jim are on the "downside of the mountain" and will soon be on the road heading to the beautiful places in our country. I saw that you'd like to see the Oregon Coast. You won't regret that! Make that your destination. You'll see a lot on the way out and a lot on the way back, but you'll never forget the Oregon Coast; especially if you don't go in the middle of the summer because it tends to have more people--still not as many as the beaches on the east coast.

    I'm going to take a chance on the surgery. Anything will be better than what it is, now. One of my daughter's friends who lives nearby, and works from home, just called me moments ago and told me not to worry about Jack--she can run over to see how he's doing. That's a help. She must have heard me worrying!

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  8. So sorry to hear about your back pain. David has it too. Very badly. Keeps him awake at night. We are hoping it's from the meds he is taking but he's going to try a shot to see if that will give him some relief.

    I love that little ice cream shop. I love good home made ice cream and a darling shop like that makes it even better. This is a very sweet looking little town. Thanks for the pictures.

    Sherry
    www.directionofourdreams.blogspot.com

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  9. That looks like a great place to walk around. Sorry your back didn't hold up. That bear is cute. I have a similar one on my back porch.

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  10. Hey, T! You're still reading? I have to dig up old pictures--I'm certain it's a different bear. I bought bears like this one for both boys' cabins.

    Well, I guess my reply to you, Sherry, didn't get through. I hope the shots will relieve David's pain even if it's just for a week or two to give him some good night's sleep. Did it come into the picture when he started taking the meds?

    I didn't go in the ice creams shop--too many memories, but it did make me smile thinking about Rich. It's a neat town. You and David are never far from my thoughts. Funny this blogging thing.

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  11. So much fun to see small town Georgia. I loved Savannah and Charleston when we were there in December 2007, but have never been there during the summer. I think what I love sometimes about Florida is that "southern" thing, at least in Ocala and Gainesville. Porches and lemonade and humidity that slows us down whether we want to or not. I kinda like that feeling. Loved loved loved your photos today. I do hope that you find a solution for your back pain.

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  12. Thanks, Sue. I'm headed to Charleston, Savannah, and St. Augustine on the 20th. Hope that being on the water will keep me a little cooler. Rich and I used to go either in March or October (sometimes both) - perfect time for the coast.
    Thanks for stopping by--I hope my back pain gets fixed over the summer. I was supposed to camp with a bunch of gals this coming week, but a raging UTI and a possible kidney stone stopped me dead in my tracks. I'm falling apart! "Getting old ain't for sissies!"

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  13. Stumbled across your blog from another blog, and just had to comment on your Dahlonega Story. It was so good to see pictures of it! I lived in Cumming, Ga. from 1991 to 2005, and spent lots of time in Dahlonega over the years. One of my favorite places. Hubby and I are still members of the gold prospecting club based out of Auraria. Wonderful story!! Beautiful pictures!! Linda

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  14. Linda, so glad you stopped in. My son lived in Cumming, now moved further up 400 to Dawsonville. Small world. Rich and I spent a lot of time in Dahlonega--we weren't that far away and we always had pleasant lunches on the porch, ice cream, and afternoons strolling around the square. It's gotten pretty crowded. The last time I had been there before last week was in 2005--when you moved. I was laughing with my friend because she asked me if anyone had ever struck it rich. I told her, "Not in recent years, to my knowledge." Hope you'll stop by, again. I generally only post when I want to say something that is important to me, and of course something I hope won't bore someone who reads (but that's secondary). Some things, of course, can't be put on a public blog. I started the blog when Jack and I traveled west, and I am so glad I wrote it (wish I had written in more detail) because I go back through the memories so often. Again, thanks for stopping by.

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