Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Hallow's Eve!!


HAPPY HALLOW'S EVE!




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Country Living
Country Living
Country Living
Country Living (love these plates!)
Country Living (this is soooo creepy!)
Country Living ( i wish i had a portrait so i could do this!)
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? ( love the hanging ornaments, though!)
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Martha Stewart (too cute. i love mice!)
frombetsywithlove (isn't this creepy?!)


I love Halloween! It is one of the most fun times of the year! Sadly, though, I got a '50's poodle skirt outfit to wear, and there were no places to trick or treat were I live! What a shame...I figure I will have to save it for next year to wear. Sigh.
So, instead of trick or treating, are family went up to the Brown Mountain Lights, near Morganton, NC. If you live in the western NC area, you should check it out! Here is some information about the lights, from http://www.westernncattractions.com/BMLights.htm.

Brown Mountain lies in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Parkway with an elevation of only 2,600 feet. The Brown Mountain Lights of Burke County, near Morganton NC, have intrigued residents and visitors for hundreds of years. The lights are mentioned in local Native American mythology, and by Geraud de Brahm, a German engineer and the first white man to explore the region, in 1771. The lights have been described in many ways from being a glowing ball of fire, to being a bursting skyrocket, or a pale almost white light. The fact that they never seem the same is as fantastic as the lights themselves. At times they seem to drift slowly, fading and brightening and at other times they seem to whirl like pinwheels, then dart rapidly away.

One of the legends explaining the Brown Mountain Lights was of a planter from the low country who traveled to the mountains to hunt, and became lost. One of his slaves came to look for him and was seen searching through the hills with a lantern, night after night. Now, according to the legend, the old slave is gone, but his spirit remains and the old lantern still casts it's light.

Another such legend is of a woman who disappeared about 1850, the general suspicion was that her husband had killed her. Almost everyone in the community joined the search for her and one dark night while the search was on the strange lights appeared on Brown Mountain. Some of the searchers thought that this was the dead woman's spirit come back to haunt her murderer and warn the searchers to stop looking for her body. The search ended without a trace of her body, but long years afterwards a pile of bones was found under a cliff and were identified as the skeleton of the missing woman.

The Cherokee Indians were familiar with these lights as far back as the year 1200. According to Indian legend, a great battle was fought that year between the Cherokee and Catawba Indians near Brown Mountain. The Cherokees believed that the lights were the spirits of Indian maidens who went on searching through the centuries for their husbands and sweethearts who had died in the battle. Early frontiersman believed that the lights were the spirits of Cherokee and Catawba warriors slain in an ancient battle on the mountainside. Some say the lights are just a troop of candle-bearing ghosts destined to walk back and forth across the mountain forever.

Of the many scientific theories made to explain the Brown Mountain Lights, none have been proven. Some suggest that the lights are caused by a combination of several minerals and gases in the area. One geologist suggested that possibly deposits of radioactive uranium ore in the area may be responsible for producing the lights. Another suggests phosphorus, but this element oxidizes quickly and is not found here. Pitchblende Ore, from which radium is derived, has been mentioned, but the rays from radium are invisible.

Some scientists have advanced the theory that the lights are a mirage. Through some peculiar atmospheric condition they believe the glowing balls are reflections from Hickory, Lenoir, and other towns in the area. The only drawback to this theory is that the lights were clearly seen before the War between the States, long before electricity was used to produce light.

A U.S. Geological Survey decided in 1913 that the lights were locomotive headlights from the Catawba Valley south of Brown Mountain. However, three years later in 1916 a great flood that swept through the Catawba Valley knocked out the railroad bridges. It was weeks before the right-of-way could be repaired and the locomotives could once again enter the valley. Roads were also washed out and power lines were down. But the lights continued to appear as usual. It became apparent that the lights could not be reflections from locomotive or automobile headlights.

A second U.S. Geological Survey report disposes of the cause of the Brown Mountain Lights by saying they are due to the spontaneous combustion of marsh gases. But there are no marshy places on or about Brown Mountain.

The lights can be seen from as far away as Blowing Rock or the old Yonahlosse Trail over Grandfather Mountain some fifteen miles from Brown Mountain. At some points closer to Brown Mountain the lights seem large, resembling balls of fire from a Roman candle. Sometimes they may rise to various heights and fade slowly. Others expand as they rise, then burst high in the air like an explosion without sound.

Brown Mountain is located in the Pisgah National Forest, in the Blue Ridge mountains of Western North Carolina. There are several places where the lights can be seen, here are a few of the more popular places.

  • Brown Mountain Overlook Located 20 miles north of Morganton, on NC highway 181, 1 mile south of the Barkhouse Picnic Area.
  • Wiseman's View Overlook Located 5 miles south of the village of Linville Falls on Kistler Memorial Highway a.k.a Old NC 105 or State Road 1238.
  • Lost Cove Cliffs Overlook Located on the Blue Ridge Parkway, at mile-post 310, 2 miles north of the NC highway 181 junction.

The Brown Mountain Lights are a somewhat rare occurrence, and are not always visible. To see the lights you need good visibility between your viewpoint and Brown Mountain. Clear weather conditions with little or no moonlight are the most favorable for viewing the lights, but the lights have been seen during hazy conditions and light rain. The lights have been reported to be seen at all hours of the night between sundown and sunrise, but the best noted times are at 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM. The locals also say they are much more prominent in the months of September and October.

One thing is certain, the lights do exist. They have been seen from earliest times. They appear at irregular intervals over the top of Brown Mountain. They move erratically up and down, are visible at a distance, but vanish as one climbs the mountain. From the Wiseman's View on Linville Mountain the lights can be seen well. They at first appear to be about twice the size of a star as they come over Brown Mountain. Sometimes they have a reddish or blue cast. On dark nights they pop up so thick and fast it's impossible to count them.

Me and my dad thought we saw something. It was a yellowish light that kept moving back and forth. It was so scary! We had a fun trip, and it was worth it.

Also, for all you people who like history, like me, here is how Halloween originated, at this site.

Hugs & Best Halloween Wishes,
Lizzie

Saturday, October 30, 2010

A New Award! ( Thanks Jessica!)



Yay! Well, first off, I would like to thank Jessica of Jessica's Joys!. I love her blog, and am so happy that she mine enough to follow me AND give me an award!! So, thank you so much Jessica!
Okay, now let us get on with the rest of the rules of this award. Here they are:

To accept the Versatile Blogger Award the rules are:

{1}: Thank and link back to who gave you the award.
{2}: Share 7 things about yourself.
{3}: Pass it along to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy!
{4}: Leave the recipients a note, telling them about the award.


So here are my 7 things...
{1.} I LOVE going on vacations and exploring new places. This year, me and my family took our 2nd trip to Disney World, and had a blast! It was fun and also an adventure. We went to Animal Kingdom and also Sea World too while we were in Orlando. I will say this, I applaud the people who live all year down there! It is sooo hot, especially when you are waiting in line for a bus. Also, some other places we have went are Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Edisto Beach, Washington D.C., the Outer Banks, Cherokee,NC, and Gatlinburg, TN. I would still like to go to : Key West, Charleston & the Outer Banks again(LOVE,LOVE,LOVE them both), New York City, Martha's Vineyard and I think it would be fun to have a road trip in the South.

{2.} My group of friends is MAH,AB,KMR, JCT, AVP, TNR, and JG. I love them all in their own special way. Some are old friends, some are new, but I have fun and happy memories with all of them. I have been friends with KMR for 7 years now!

{3.} My favorite type of food is Chinese food, especially lo mein. It makes me want some thinking of it!

{4.} I like to write lists. I am really orderly and neat, so I think it ties in with that. For example, I am writing a list of the books that Chick Lit Club has reviewed. I know, it's a really weird habit!

{5.} I am not athletic AT ALL. I do like to swim and play volleyball, but everything else I am such a bad player at. Um, let's just say the balls are always attracted to me, and not in the good way, if you know what I'm saying!

{6.} The job that I currently would like to have is to be an interior designer. I love fixing up rooms and furniture, so I think this would be the perfect job for me. In the past, I've wanted to be a librarian and a forensic anthropologist.

{7.} My favorite big store is Target. They have the cutest everything in that store! Clothes, shoes, home decor, makeup, etc., I love all of this at Target!

Now, for 7 new blogs for me that I enjoy:





2. Fifi Flowers


3. Sweet, Sassy, Southern, and Classy


4. Sweet Carolina Girl


5. Fried Pink Tomato


6. Running in High Heels


7. Pink Sass


Now, time for the other ladies to get to it! :)
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
Hugs & Best Wishes,
Lizzie

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Picture Wednesday & Just Tellin' Ya






























I have decided to keep my favorite design blogs in my bookmark section on Safari to look at, and keep on following the more preppy blogs I follow on my Blogger profile. So if I followed you and don't anymore, it it is because of this. Now I'm off to finish my "renovation". ;)

Hugs & Best Wishes,
Lizzie

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Picture Wednesday (Late)

Since Blogger wasn't working, I had to do it on a Thursday. :( Here are some of my newest saved pictures. Hope you enjoy the inspiration!!!












































Hugs & Best Wishes, Lizzie