Spring, the Masters and Blowing Rock, NC

This past weekend my husband and I watched Bubba (now he says he's from Baghdad, Fl--I wrote about him in April, 2012, as being from Milton, Fl--along with Heath Slocum and Boo Wheatley) win his 2nd Masters.  Almost none of the golfing pundits picked him.  Shame on them!  I love Jordan Speith (what's not to like about such a well-mannered young man?), but I was rooting for Bubba.  The pundits weren't giving him any respect and that offended me.  But he won and it was wonderful!

Actually why I'm writing this post is because years ago when Needle Nicely was located in Blowing Rock, NC, we had a delightful customer from the center of Florida, Anne Snively.  In the spring she and her husband began their trip from Florida by stopping in Augusta, GA, for the Masters.  That next week they continued their trip on to their summer home in Blowing Rock, NC.  I knew the summer season had started when I spied Anne Snively on Main Street.  It brings back such memories.

This is The Hayes House, Needle Nicely's home for many years,  It was purportedly the first home built in Blowing Rock as a summer residence.  The front door was the original and no key existed for it.  When the door was open, Needle Nicely was open.  People used to close it, "to keep the air conditioning in".  There was no air conditioning!  Trubey had her studio upstairs in the right front.

There is nothing more beautiful than spring in the North Carolina mountains.  I went to college there and spent my student teaching commuting "down the mountain" in the spring.  It was wonderful seeing the shades of green on the trees.  Spring started first at the foot of the mountain and then gradually progressed up those 4,000 feet to Boone and Blowing Rock.  It was a glorious experience, even when it was at 5:45 am and my eyes were barely open!  Appalachian's then president Plemmons used to say it was where "Springtime spends the summer".  I thought he was being hokey, but looking back on it, that's how it is.