Temperance in Ashe

This weekend, Noah's band, Irish Temperance, played two gigs in Ashe County, NC. The whole band stayed with some friends where we enjoyed this lovely view...

The New River snakes through Ashe. On Saturday morning, I found a great trail that meanders alongside the river. I couldn't have asked for a better running path. Noah made his way down a steep slope, fly rod in hand, to see what he could catch. What a great morning!

After my run I thought it would be nice to check on Noah. I hiked down the path to the river (which proved no easy feat!), searched up and down the bank but couldn't find him anywhere.

Then I spotted this little speck of a fisherman:

I think he only caught one little fish, but I know he had a great time. I enjoyed the trees...

The band played a neighborhood party at our host's house on Saturday afternoon, and then we all headed over to the Ashe County Arts Council for their evening gig. We'd heard ticket sales had been slow, but by the time the show started, the venue was packed. The stone building made for a most perfect music hall.

And I'm pretty sure the guys gleaned a good number of new fans.

Rebuilding

The gristmill that sits next to my apartment started running in the 1830s. When my landlord, Ed, bought the property in the 1970s, he knew he'd always have a project at his fingertips.

This summer, Ed's working on rebuilding the mill foundation.

About a month ago, Noah helped Ed and his son pull the old mill stone out of the mill race.

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It was quite a project. After it was done, we took group pictures and then retreated to the porch for some sangria.

One of Ed's first projects after purchasing the property was to rebuild the dam. Thanks for your work, Ed. I feel lucky to sleep to the sound of falling water.

June 2009

Watching all the rebuilding makes me think of the history of this place. We talk about all the meals that were once cooked in our outdoor fireplace. The old rusty horseshoes scattered in the woods carry images of farmers lugging their corn to the mill. We wonder if weary soldiers camped out by the pond on their way to another battle.

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It's funny that we're a part of this place for such a small moment in time.

It'll be a part of us forever.