The Memphis Belle: A Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress

 

 I was sitting outside my house on September 1 and heard a loud rumble in the sky. When I looked up I saw the beautiful Memphis Belle flying directly toward my house!  OH NO! My camera was INSIDE. When I am sitting outside, I almost always have my camera with me. Dang. I ran in and picked up the camera and was able to catch this photo as it flew back towards the airport. I waited and waited for it to fly back by again, but it never did.

 

I later found out that it was going to be back at the Roanoke airport on September 6 & 7 for tours and rides. It must be amazing to fly in it, but the cost for flights was $450.  A bit beyond what I have to spend! Plus, I have to work both of those days.

 While at work on September 6, I kept on hearing a loud rumble. Finally, I went outside and the Memphis Belle was flying over the library.  Fortunately, I almost always have my camera with me at work, so I ran indoors and grabbed my camera. 

Such a beautiful machine and to think about all of the history that it has seen. 

 I love that you can see the glass nose so well in this photo.

 A beautiful plane!

To read more about The Memphis Belle go to: 

September 1 visit to Roanoke

Fact Sheet about the Memphis Belle 

FAQ about the Memphis Belle

Great information about the history of the Memphis Belle

 

Copyright 2014--All Rights Reserved--The Wheel & Distaff by Kimberly Burnette-Dean

BUFFALO MOUNTAIN

The Buffalo as seen from Rocky Knob on the  Blue Ridge Parkway 

When I was growing up in Meadows of Dan, I was always fascinated by a mountain that you could see for miles and miles. Everyone always referred to it as "The Buffalo". There were plenty of stories associated with that mountain. Grandma said that all of the young folks would climb the Buffalo every May Day. She also said that quite a bit of frolickin' went on up there too (Frolickin' = partying). My grandpa always talked about the "rough bunch" that lived near the Buffalo. Then there were the tall tales about the Buffalo.  On the steep side, there are quite a few deep openings in the rocks. Legend has it that there is a black snake as big as a telephone pole that frequents those tunnels! Needless to say, if there is, I will never know because I am sure not going to take a peek!

When I was growing up, there was a fire tower on the Buffalo where someone would go sit during fire season to watch for forest fires. One time, we even drove our pickup all the way to the top!  Turning around was a HUGE pain because there was such a small area. When I went up there as a child, I would always try to sneak away from daddy and climb the tower. One time he caught me when I was already half way up.  Yes.  I got into considerable trouble for that!  I'm not sure when the fire tower was removed, but it was prior to 1987.

The last time that I was on the Buffalo was either the Fall of 1986 or 1987. At that time, the tower was gone, but there was still a radio transmission tower used by the Blue Ridge Parkway. The route to get to the Buffalo at that time was pretty cut and dried. You drove to where the current parking area is located, then followed the old road bed to the top. Easy to find and fairly easy to hike.

Buffalo Mountain Natural Area
Burk's Fork, Virginia

Today we parked in the designated parking area. I could see the old road bed that goes to the top, but there were lots of trees down on the road. I suspect that many of the trees were dropped on purpose to prevent people from trying to drive all the way to the top.

Old road bed just to the right of the kiosk and an old trail on the far right

I saw the kiosk to the left of where we parked and actually walked over to it. There was a mud pit in front of the sign, so we didn't get close enough to really read the sign. That was a mistake. So, we took off up the mountain. It was steep  I mean REALLY steep in places. Steep to the point of having to grab a hold of a tree to pull yourself up! About 1/3 of the way up, we looked back down at my car and it was like we were right above it and it looked like a toy car! We kept on going. I could see the old road bed below us to the left. At one point, the trail looked like it split. I said that I thought that we should go left. Steve thought right.  So, I went one way and Steve went the other, but we were always pretty much in sight of each other. Later on, we discovered that we were both wrong!

In the distance, I could hear a huge roaring sound. It was a  fighter jet headed straight for the mountain!  They do test flights in the area and they fly low through Rock Castle Gorge and then come up out of the Gorge and head around the Buffalo. When the jet passed where we were on the mountain, he was tilted almost vertical and I swear that I could see the pilot's nose hairs!  All of you folks that live in the area, know what I am talking about with those jets buzzing the mountain.

Our paths connected back together about half way up the mountain and we decided to sit down and eat our sandwiches that we had picked up at Subway. We continued on up the mountain. We arrived at a  place that actually had red blazes on the trees. Hmmmm. I think we had missed the trail entirely and made our own path up the mountain! No wonder it was so steep and terrible! Now we were on the right path.

YAY!  The summit is just ahead!

The Buffalo in all of its glory! You have a 360 degree view of the surrounding country.

Yes, that is ice in that little pool on the rocks!

This photo was a total accident, but I love it!

Me & Steve

Me looking totally thrilled

Steve pointing out something in the distance

I was disappointed that it was so hazy.
If you look carefully in the distance you can
see Pilot Mountain in Pinnacle, NC.
(about 60 miles away by road)

Pilot Mountain, Pinnacle, NC
(16x zoom)

Point A--Buffalo Mountain, Burks Fork, Virginia
Point B--Pilot Mountain, Pinnacle, North Carolina

I have a photo from circa 1920s of a group of
people standing in front of this rock. 

Plants from the top of the Buffalo

The only thing place that I could recognize (for sure) looking at the surrounding countryside, was the Buffalo Mountain Rock Church built by Bob Childress.  

Buffalo Mountain Church
(16x zoom)
You really should read The Man Who Moved A Mountain
by Richard C. Davids

Now, time for the hike back to the car. We decided that we would actually try to follow the REAL trail down the mountain, even though we were not sure where it was. We were following red blazes on the trees, but sometimes there was one red mark and sometimes there were two. Geez. I was worried because I had read about some folks that thought they were going down the right trail and they ended up on the wrong side of the mountain and had to find someone to drive them back to their car because they were so far away!  Luckily, Steve and I both have a very good sense of direction and both of us played in the woods growing up. It was just a matter of the trail ending at our car . . . or not!

Anyway, here are some cool photos that I took on the way down:

The rock formations on the Buffalo are just fascinating.

Hugs!

The tree in the right two photos was determined to grow even on a rock!

Some more cool trees

I have always loved rocks and I could have filled my
 pockets with some beauties!

LOVE this tree!
I think it is very weird that the orb is directly in the hollow.
That orb showed up in another photo too.

My dyer's heart was IN LOVE with all of this beautiful lichen!
It produces a gorgeous purple on wool.
It is very slow growing and care should be taken to not over-harvest.
I did NOT take any from the Buffalo.

Trees of the Buffalo.
The one on the right is a perfect perch for a
bobcat or cougar!

This tree had uprooted and took this section of the trail with it.
Of course, this section of the trail was majorly steep and it was
very difficult to navigate around this huge hole.  

I have always loved rocks and there are
some huge ones on the Buffalo

If we had ONLY seen that red blaze on this tree
and read the sign more carefully!
So, when YOU visit the Buffalo, the trail 
starts to the LEFT of the sign, NOT the right!

The Buffalo is a very interesting place with some unique species

My Soul on the Buffalo

Alas, my Soul needs to be cleansed 

*Click on any of the above photos to make them larger

Read my blog post about May Day on the Buffalo

Visit this site to learn more about hiking the Buffalo. 

Copyright 2013--All Rights Reserved--The Wheel & Distaff by Kimberly Burnette-Dean

May Day

When I was growing up, May Day was just another day.  No celebration, no May poles, nothing. I cannot even remember it being mentioned in school. I do remember seeing pictures of May poles in books, but I had no idea what they were for and I certainly never saw one in person.

A simple Google search will reveal that celebrations associated with May Day date back hundreds of years. What originally began as a pagan festival (like so many of our popular holidays), May Day has evolved into a more secular holiday which is still celebrated in parts of Europe and the United States.

When my Grandma Burnette was growing up in Floyd County, Virginia, a popular May Day activity for the young folks was climbing the Buffalo and having a picnic. She used to always tell me that quite a bit of courting happened on those outings! Buffalo Mountain looms over the surrounding countryside at an elevation of 3,971 feet. With a breathtaking view that includes being able to see Pilot Mountain in North Carolina, it is easy to see why it was such a popular hike then and now. There are many legends associated with the Buffalo. I think that my favorite is that a black snake the size of a telephone pole lives in the caves that pockmark the steep side of the mountain. (For more information about visiting the Buffalo click HERE.)

Buffalo Mountain in the distance
Photo taken from Rocky Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway

May Day on the Buffalo 
circa 1920
Back Row: Nellie Goad, Wirt Harris, Lena Cox, Lola Goad  
Front Row:  unknown

Left to Right:  John Edward Burnette, Tressie Goad, unknown, unknown
I suspect that this photo may have been taken on May Day.

How do you celebrate May Day?

Copyright 2012--All Rights Reserved--The Wheel & Distaff by Kimberly Burnette-Dean. 

The Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy

When I was growing up and we needed to "go to town" for anything, whether it was for a doctor visit or to pick up grocery, Hillsville was where we went. I also got my first job in Hillsville and lived there, on and off for about five years. One of the prominent features of the town is the Carroll County Courthouse which sits proudly on Main Street. As a child, I was (and still am) fascinated by older buildings with an upstairs.  Perhaps that comes from living in a single level, ranch-style home. I have always loved and admired this beautiful building.

The Carroll County Courthouse, Hillsville, Virginia

My grandpa always told me stories about the Allen family tragedy that took place in the courthouse when he was eleven years old.  (He always referred to it as "The Allen Tragedy.") He remembered the shootout, the following manhunt for the Allens, and the trials.  

I got to fulfill some of my curiosity about the courthouse when I minored in Appalachian Studies at Radford University. For two different projects, I researched the construction and history of the courthouse and the Allen tragedy. I was able to locate the original architectural plans for the courthouse for one of those projects and I had an artistic friend sketch what the courthouse would have looked like if it had of been build according to the plans.

One of two beautiful staircases that lead to the second floor courtroom

Whether you choose to call it "The Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy," "The Allen Tragedy," "The Hillsville Shootout," or some other name,  it was a horrible event. We will never know whether the Allen family conspired to shoot up the court or whether the court officials of Carroll County saw this as an opportunity to rid themselves of a family that they viewed as trouble makers. Several of my ancestors were involved in that faithful day. Some of them survived, some did not. 

The 100th anniversary of the tragedy was on March 14, 2012.  Frank Levering wrote a play called "Thunder in the Hills" and it was performed in the actual courtroom where the event took place.  (Read more about it here and here.) 

One of the bullet holes in the courthouse steps from that terrible day

Fortunately, I was lucky enough to get two tickets to the sold-out play. It was fabulous! I laughed. I cried. All of the actors and actresses gave wonderful performances.  Of course, as someone who worked in the living history field for almost 20 years, I am a tad picky when it comes to historical accuracy because that was my job for so long.  In a community performance like "Thunder in the Hills," I totally understand that money is limited and that totally period-appropriate clothing, jewelry, and eyeglasses would be expensive, so that can be overlooked. It was well-written and well-acted. It was truly an event not to be missed! I can only hope that there will be future performances of this wonderful play so that more folks can see it.

 

If you are ever in Hillsville, be sure to visit Carroll County Historical Society located in the courthouse.

Here is another good website with more information. 

Copyright 2012--All Rights Reserved--The Wheel & Distaff by Kimberly Burnette-Dean. 

March Snow

It seems that everyone is so convinced that Spring has arrived. It seems that there has been a story on every local television station about an early Spring. I'm not convinced.

Granted, I grew up in Meadows of Dan, where we would have snow when places "below the mountain" only had rain. For the majority of my life, I didn't even start thinking about Spring until the end of March. Some of the biggest snow storms that I can remember happened in March. Being a March baby, I remember how I would wish for a warm day for my birthday so that I could have an outdoor party like so many of my friends. I do remember one year, my birthday arrived and it was a warm, spring-like day. YAY! I remember mom out in the yard setting up food on the picnic table and daddy setting up the croquet wickets. Unfortunately, I also remember that everyone was playing croquet and I reached down to pick up my croquet ball, just as Tony Sutphin hauled off to hit it with his mallet. Yep. My finger was caught between the hard ball and the mallet. Needless to say, I lost that fingernail!

I have other memories of snow storms in March.

A car accident took my mom's life during a snow storm on March 2, 1980 as she was trying to get to work "below the mountain" in Stuart. When you lived in Meadows of Dan, you usually didn't let snow stop you from going where you needed or you would have been sitting at home for a good deal of the winter.

Another that comes to mind was in the mid 1990s when I was stranded in a cabin in Lyndhurst, Virginia for almost a week! A girl friend from Northern Virginia met me there for what was supposed to just be a couple of nights to help me celebrate my birthday. We had went to Kroger to pick up a few groceries since we planned on eating at the cabin. After four days, the loaf of bread, dozen eggs and some ham were long gone. We were HUNGRY! Oh, yeah, did I mention that the electricity went out which means that the electric heat did not work?  Nor did the plumbing work, so then we could not flush the toilet nor did we have any water. There was a wood stove, but we had only picked up a tiny bundle of wood just to have a nice fire one night. Finally, late on day 4, the owners of the cabin showed up on a snow mobile and brought us some Dinty Moore stew, a bundle of firewood and a couple gallons of water. That was the best stew I think that I have ever tasted! Our cars were completely buried by the drifting snow. The road was finally plowed on Day 5 and we were able to leave on Day 6. Of course, there was no phone in the cabin and this was long before most folks had cell phones, so our families had no idea where we were.

Then, in 1995, I remember having a big amount of snow in March, like 18 inches followed just a few days later by another foot or so of snow. It seemed that it would never stop snowing!

I think that the snow to end all snow storms happened in 1960. Of course, that was before I was born, but I always heard tales of how terrible it was. The snow drifted so high on the shoulders of the road that it was feared that when they plowed through, the walls of snow would collapse back into the road. All the snow storms of my childhood were always held up and compared to the great snow of 1960!

Tonight finds me sitting on the couch, watching the local weather forecasts on television. It is supposed to snow tonight. I have heard guesses of everything from a dusting to 4" from the Alberta clipper system that is coming through tonight.  In the past, I have seen March Alberta clippers dump way more than was forecasted. I guess we will know when we wake up in the morning!