Send Sugar

Whenever possible when parked we make an effort to feed the birds. Just something we enjoy. I started way back when in Oregon City one winter when it looked like the birds were hungry and the weather was crap. I just looked in my National Geographic Birds of North America and counted 159 different birds that we have checked off. Admittedly we have an advantage in lifestyle. That is never more true when you consider our winter home in the Rio Grande Valley. I think it is said there is a greater variety of birds there than anywhere in the country. Sooo……….. We’re here in Upper Stamp Creek on the banks of Allatoona lake in northwest Georgia and haven’t seen a bird at our feeders yet. And I know they’re here. I can hear them. Cardinals, finches, and all sorts of LBJ’s (little brown jobs). A few weeks into it I have given up on the birds here. Don’t know what is up???

Not so with the hummers. There are Ruby Throated hummingbirds here and they are making up for the absence of other birds. I’m filling our little feeders every day. Our big feeder lasts 3 or 4 days but not the small ones. Now I’m sending out a request for sugar to make more nectar. We’ve got some real piglets here. Kat got a couple more little feeders and the hummers found them right away. As a matter of fact when I put out our first feeder the response was almost immediate. I made some nectar, filled the feeder, and hung it on the window awning. I walked around the front of the MH came in and put the rest of the nectar in the frig turned toward the window and there was a hummer at the feeder. No lie! I’m a pretty good cook and even make a fair batch of nectar but that was a real surprise! I don’t figure it was more than a minute. And now we have hummingbirds chasing each other around fighting over the feeders. I store the nectar in the frig and fill feeders as needed. Like I said, the response here is immediate. You would think that the little guys would get ‘brain freeze’ sucking that cold stuff up so quickly? Obviously not here. What a bunch of porkers! …………….SEND SUGAR!!!

Stone Mountain

I/we’ve been to Georgia several times but have not stopped at Stone Mountain. This time we thought we ought to give it a try. So we did! If you’ve not been there or don’t know what it is or maybe even never heard of it, let me ‘splain.

Stone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome monadnock rising 825 feet above ground level somewhat east of Atlanta. Or a great big piece of granite sticking out of the ground. It has been falsley advertised as the largest piece of exposed granite in the world. When I say falsley the Sierra Nevada mountains of California come to mind. They might be a little bigger. Actually, I read that. Anyway, it is a big rock. It draws most of its fame from being the Worlds largest Bas-relief carving. In 1912 the United Daughters of the Confederacy were involved in the idea and initial efforts to commemerate southern efforts in the Amercian Civil War. By 1923 the last efforts of the UDC were abandoned by Gutzon Borglum, who went on to carve Mt Rushmore. In 1958 Stone Mt was purchased by the state of Georgia and in 1964 work was resumed. In 1972 a carving was completed of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and Generals Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson.

For history buffs the Ku Klux Klan has had notable connections with Stone Mt through the United Daughters of the Confederacy. In 1915 the Klan was reincarnated and given permission in perpetuity to conduct meetings at Stone Mt by the UDC.

Now it’s a theme park. And the only theme I could detect was Georgia, Coca-Cola, and golf. Very nice golf courses, a confederate museum, antebellum plantation and farmyard, various shops, attractions, and eating places recreated in the form of an 1872 town. You can ride the Ducks or take the Sky Ride to the top of the mountain. We did most of that except the golf. There is the 732 bell carillon built for the 1964 New York Worlds Fair (pictured) and a bird walk around what used to be the archery venue for the 1996 Summer Olympics. We stayed on site at the RV park. It was just OK. All in all we’re glad we went but feel that once is enough. And the carving itself was a little disappointing. But then we’ve been to Mt Rushmore.