The Old Man of the Mountain is NOT happy about being home!

Ah well, it happens the same way every year. Two COOL weeks in at Clifftop W Va and now look at the thermometer! Got back to Georgia to find it about 98 degrees at 6:00 PM. Had a couple of low 60's nights up there, and one hot day...about 86 at 4:00 in the afternoon. I'm sorta over summer now.

Gardens gone, got the last watermelon ... the pepper and okra are still going...not much else. Turnip and collard planting time.

The West Virginia String Band Festival , or Clifftop, is sponsored by the West Virginia Cultural and History Division. It is well organised by Pat Cowdery. This lady don't play...she can flat organise an event...that's her job...event planner. I asked her how she ever managed to get it right every year, and improve upon last year.

She put it like this: You basically have to create a temporary small town. You have to have security, medical services, food sevices, shower facilities, potable water, garbage services, and temprary local personell trained to make it work.

We have been taking our pottery and garlic to this festival for about 8 years. It's a way to see friends from my past in West Virginia. All the DC, Pa Md, NC Va Tn people show up, too. Even my buds from Australia, England, Belgium and California were there. The music at Clifftop has no language barriers!

I can report my guitar calluses are back, I destroyed the strings on two Martin guitars in a week of playing. My mandolin chops are almost back. The downside is I am tired of cold showers, thunderstorms, Porta Johns, and laughing until I hurt.

We sold some pots, some garlic, and maybe broke even before we went to Freddy Goodhart's. Somehow he ambushed us into buying a very unique stoneware Mayonaise crock of indeterminate age, a copper tea pot, and maybe a 1970 Volvo Station Wagon in pristine condition. I do wish we could have put some of that cool mountain air in the trailer and brought that home to share with you.

We Southerners will have our pay back for our summer misery come about January. Them poor ole Yankees gonna have to tough out some more snow and cold. I can promise you that we have it good down here in the winter...I lived in WV for enough years to know that.

Goodnight all...that 8 hour drive done put me to bed.