October 14, 2009 – Various and Sundry Things

I haven’t written for a while, because there just hasn’t been much to write about. It’s raining today, and the only thing we have planned is to look at a house this afternoon, so why not write a bit.

We spent three days in Wytheville, Va., with side trips planned to Abingdon, Va., and Mt. Airy, NC. Abingdon is a small historical town, which appeared a bit inviting except it is not near anything we like to do. Additionally, the terrain in this area, as it is in southern WV., is a configuration of small streams which have carved narrow valleys from which ridges climb nearly vertically for 300-500 feet. Hence, real bottom land is valued for farming. The narrow valleys are subject to flash flooding, so not necessarily valued. Three strikes and we’re out. We decided to skip Mt. Airy simply because like Abingdon, it isn’t near anything we want to do.

We found a Lutheran Church convenient to the campground and took the opportunity to attend. The building was quite inviting. The Sanctuary had a high vaulted ceiling supported by cross timbers. The windows along each side were of stain glass. Above the altar, in the “A” space formed by the roof line was another stain glass depicting Jesus. After we had entered and sat down, a couple of the congregants approached to welcome us. The service was similar to our home church, but a bit more formal. We were both unfamiliar with the liturgy, but it all flows about the same. While there were probably 20 members of the choir, the attendance could not have been more then fifty, mostly elderly.

Leaving Wytheville, we traveled south to a campground near Asheville, NC. Two of the areas we want to visit are Hickory and Morgantown, NC. Both of these towns are a short commute from the KOA east of Asheville. I’m getting quite proficient at driving in the rain.