It’s once again time to bring you up to speed on the goins on from our hilltop of the world. The good news is that we are still able to send this out to y'all and we are still in relatively good health, other than the accumulating aches that are blamed on age, that and kids, grandkids, etc. Has been a year of some surprises and excitement, just the way we enjoy it best.
Susan and I spent the better part of the year staying at a campground just this side of Chattanooga while I was building a paternal twin bank to the one I built in Ellijay several years ago. Just so happens this new bank, Covenant Bank’s president is the twin brother of the president of the New Horizon’s in Ellijay. Was a joy building for home folk once again… spoiled me! Our time in Chattanooga was fun, and our first time of Susan going with me on an out of town job. She worked out of the trailer on her transcription (see IRS, told you it was a legitimate deduction!!) and we would come home on weekends. Got to enjoy some tourist stuff while there and the kids all came up and camped with us one weekend too. We were fortunate to have Carrie house sit for us while we were gone and Melissa to take care of the place and Maggie our cat when Carrie wasn’t there. Nice to have the kids in servitude! Also this year the kids took me on a whitewater trip down the Ocoee River for Father’s day and sent Susan and I to the Atlanta NASCAR race for my birthday. The kids try and spice up my dull life it seems… and I LOVE IT!!!! Susan is still carrying on her very popular blog and we all read it daily to see her take on things. I once again tried to procrastinate on this letter long enough to see if she would take it over but so far she has deferred.
Carrie made her big trip to Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia and took lots of photos so we could live vicariously through her exploits. She has some great stories on comparisons of our way of life and those down under. She loved it so much, she decided to go back a second time about a month after coming home. Seems there was a “bloke” who caught her eye, and she his, and another chapter of her life began. He is now coming over to meet us in a couple of weeks and has never been to the US before. He has seen Deliverance though, so he gets the jest of our way of life here in the hills. There is talk of us all going to the airport to meet him, me in my overalls with one strap loose, no socks or underwear and possibly some teeth blacked out for effect. Just afraid the security folks might target us as Hillbilly terrorists though. We’ll see…. Other than that, Carrie is doing just fine and staying with us to help out us old folks.
Melissa and her family are still running at breakneck speeds, figuratively and literally if you have ever seen Melissa drive! The grandkids are all still into a multitude of activities and 2 of them turned thirteen this year…but like all kids today I think they reach their teens now when they turn 8. Kyle has headed to Charleston to stay with his Dad and seems to really like his new school, and Sarah, Madison and Racheal are here to keep Melissa and Keith busy. Melissa is still doing transcription after her full time job of Executive Domestic manager. The good thing is that she works at home and the bad thing is she works at home. Keith is still traveling and has expanded his travels to Mexico to work on high tech equipment….seeing as most of our companies are moving there I guess it is only natural. I wonder what is going to happen one day when all our factories move there and all their workers move here…..we may be the ones crossing the border…..just a thought…NOT!! I still have a very limited Spanish vocabulary and will most likely stay that way, still working on English as you can tell (God bless spell check).
All our crew went to Mammoth cave this year for a long weekend and had the usual great time, with the kids getting to take the Trog Wild Cave tour together. This time Susan didn’t have a ham sandwich, or food poisoning, so it was a much improved trip over last time. Our other activities included a camping trip to the gulf coast of Florida and some other camping at state parks where it is nice to get away sometimes for just a weekend.
I’m currently in Dawsonville starting another bank (God bless the banking industry) and will be here till first of May. There is always the uncertainty of where the next job will take us and truthfully I like that, sure beats going into an office year after year, guess it’s inbred in my blood (thanks Dad).
I encourage any of you with internet to go to Susan’s blog as it will give you a much more in depth look at how life is here on Burnt Mountain at the Tidwell’s and a much more journalistic view with lots of great photos (Susan has become quite the photographer!). She is MUCH more accomplished than me in both aspects. Her blog address is included at the bottom of my page of rambling.
One thought I would like to pass on to you my fellow “Infidels” is that now more than ever this Christmas, we should pray for our troops who are protecting our right to have this celebration of Christ’s birth. We southerners are proud folks, proud of our families, our country and the lives we make for ourselves from honest work. I rejoice in the freedom to send this letter to all of you each year and the friendships that bind us. You friends and kinfolk have enriched our family in many ways over the years and we celebrate your friendship.
Have a VERY Merry Christmas and of course come by or write when you have time….would Love to see or hear from you!!
Your Friends and Family here in the hills,
Buddy and Susan
Susan’s blog website: http://patchworkreflections.blogspot.com
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