Blue Ridge Helicopters

My parents took me on a helicopter ride over a Florida beach once when I was in elementary school.  I've always loved heights and wanted to go again for a long time.  One day Cohutta told me he had a surprise, but later apologized and said that it wouldn't work out.  The very next day, we were able to catch a ride because of a cancelled appointment.  Two trips, actually.  Score!

These pictures were taken when we were flying over Lake Blue Ridge.  Although beautiful, the water is crazy low.  Look closely and you'll notice that some of the boat docks are on dry land!

Don't you just love the little islands?  I've only been on this lake twice, but it's my favorite in terms of scenery.  Those mountains.

Cohutta is very familiar with all of the mountain names.  Here, he and the pilot (Cohutta's friend from high school) were naming the different geographic features. 

This is an aerial view of just one part of Mercier's apple orchard!  There are dozens of apple orchards here in Blue Ridge but this is the biggest and only a few minutes from the house.  Mercier's also sells other fruits and treats; I just bought some hard peach cider this weekend.  Yum.

These pictures don't even begin to do these views justice.  It was such a fun day flying around and chatting with Cohutta's old friend.  Our next journey is hiking and camping deep in the mountains.  We will be gone for the next few days, living in complete isolation!  I hope I don't step on a rattlesnake..-Kamila

Cohutta Wilderness

If you watched Real World: Sydney, you would already be familiar with that boy with the unpronounceable name.   Even some of his roommates messed it up after months of living with him.   The patience that boy has is admirable.   Anyway, there is a reason for that name.  The Blue Ridge mountains are a part of the national forest called the Cohutta Wilderness.  Mr. Grindstaff grew up here...fell in love with it...and found a name for his son.  Cohutta was born and raised in Blue Ridge also. From the time he was young, Cohutta and his dad spent so much time fishing, hunting, and camping here that they have the trails, rivers and creeks memorized!  

I have yet to go camping/fishing with Cohutta in the Cohuttas (ha).   On the way back to Athens after Thanksgiving at his dad's in 2009, Cohutta and I drove through these beautiful mountains.  Even though it was nighttime and I couldn't really see anything, I will always cherish that memory because I could tell how special that area is to him and realized it was the first time that he was letting me into his life.  I smiled the entire two hour ride:)

These pictures are from our sunset drive through the mountains.  We took our time to look around and snap a few photos, so this trip took us more than four hours!

Can you see why they are called the Blue Ridge Mountains?  Apparently the reason for the color is the humidity of the air down here.

Just as it was beginning to get dark, we made it to Lake Conasauga.  It is the highest lake in Georgia, and man is it beautiful!!  (That line of bright orange on top of the trees is not Photoshopped!)  There is a dock on this lake that made me immediately suggest the thought of having a wedding here...until Cohutta reminded me how long the journey was to get there...and oh yeah, we are not engaged :/

If you're looking to visit the north Georgia mountains, you can camp/fish/swim at Lake Conasauga.  Also, if you would like to know more about the Cohutta Wilderness, look here.

Thanks for letting me share my "touristy" ride through the Cohuttas. -Kamila

Laundry Day

Even in the summer heat, this little fella loves some warm laundry. I figured this out very soon after I got Kevin, so I always let him snuggle for a while before I start folding. This time he got sleepy but he woke up when he heard my camera lens moving.

I like to pretend Kevin is hysterically laughing when he yawns.

Sometimes it's a burden to have such a cute dog because I waste hours of time before I realize it! Most times though it's fun to have a little company washing (and drying) clothes. <3 -Kamila

Fighting Town Creek

Hey guys!  So I have been in Blue Ridge for almost three weeks now.  I haven't done much exploring yet, but Cohutta did take me to this creek called Fighting Town Creek.  We took Chub (our English mastiff) there to cool down, and Cohutta even made me swim in the creek too! Because we had to park a little ways away and I didn't want my camera anywhere near the water, I didn't take any pictures on that trip. *Next time, for sure.*  These are from my second time at this spot.

 

Even though the weather up here in the mountains is about ten degrees cooler than in Athens, it is still a record-breaking hot summer. That, along with all of my accessories and 90% of my shoes sleeping away in a lonely storage unit, are the reasons for the minimal outfit. -Kamila

Dress//Abercrombie&Fitch, Shoes//Keds