Thursday, July 17, 2014

Fences on the Blue Ridge

Hello fellow Good Fencers!
For anyone who has never checked out this interesting and fun linky,
you really should head on over to Theresa's at the Run*A*Round Ranch!
~
Today I am sharing some great split-rail fences from the beautiful
Blue Ridge Parkway.



If you have never had the pleasure of traveling the parkway, I highly recommend it!
It is 469 miles of quiet mountain majesty stretching between Shenandoah, VA and Cherokee, NC.


This is the Puckett cabin, only about ten miles from our cabin in Fancy Gap.
Orlean Puckett was the area midwife, delivering over one thousand babies in her lifetime.
She gave birth to twenty-four of her own children, all of which passed away in infancy.
Can you just imagine the heartache she must have endured?
Living to the ripe old age of ninety-five, she continued to deliver throughout her life.
~
You can read all about her in the book,
Orlean Puckett: The Life of a Mountain Midwife, by Karen Cecil Smith.



These particular fences are some that surround the grounds of the Puckett cabin.


Everywhere you look, you see these wonderful fences...each one unique.

 



Just a little jaunt down the parkway is the Groundhog Mountain Overlook,
a great place to pull off, have a picnic and/or climb a few stairs up into the observation tower.
That is Buffalo Mountain you see in the distance.


 I just love this place.
I could actually pitch a tent and live here if they would let me...
..."they" being the National Parks & Recreation people.


This is the same place where we were invaded by the zombies last fall :)
(really...I swear)


The views just go on and on whether you are headed north to Shenandoah or south to Cherokee.
Fancy Gap is pretty much smack dab in the middle and are blessed to able to visit here often.
~
So...if you listen closely, you just might hear me singing...
..."Almost heaven, West Virginia...Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River..."
(sorry John, I changed up the song a bit!)


So until next time, may your life be happy and your fences be good ones!


57 comments:

  1. Wow, these are gorgeous images. The fences and scenes are lovely.. Hubby and I enjoy the Blue Ridge Parkway and Shenandoah! Have a happy day!

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  2. Gorgeous photos, and yes we have traveled the parkway. What a beautiful part of the country. We drove down to Lexington to see VMI and General Lee's (and Traveler's) burial sites. I would love to visit there again. What a sad story about the midwife. I can't even imagine going through labor and delivery so many times, period, but never having a child live to adulthood. Tragic.

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  3. my goodness, just gorgeous!! cannot imagine the life of that midwife...

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  4. We were just talking about John Denver on our trip and how much we missed him and his magnificent voice.
    Your fence shots should be in a magazine...they are all just beautiful. Such pretty country.
    xo bj

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  5. One of the most beautiful places around! Thanks for the marvelous photos.

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  6. My life is happy....not sure all my fences are good ones! But I sure love these split rail fences along the parkway. We've enjoyed a lot of trips along the parkway...it's always beautiful no matter what time of year! Enjoy your day my friend! Great photos! Hugs!

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  7. oh this is such a heapful of fences. Love them all.

    Your quote is similar of a Comedian Green At the Lodge. He is always using duck tape on everything. His real name is Smith last name.

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  8. I've always loved the split rail fences! The scenery is just beautiful there and I would want to pitch a tent (or build a house) too, it they would let me. I also love that song by John Denver...think I'll look it up on YouTube right now and listen! Have a great day!

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    1. I remember it being my favorite song back when I was in high school :)

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    1. Thanks, Vee...it's hard to mess up good mountain scenery :)

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  10. I love these fences and that midwife! Oh my goodness....Cannot imagine what her life was like.

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  11. Now I can see why there's a lovely song about this area. It is very scenic and and looks so peaceful. Poor Orlean Puckett, she must have been quite a woman. The fences are incredible, like nothing I've ever seen before.

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    1. Phil...I hope John Denver (bless his dear departed soul) would understand that I crossed out the West part of West Virginia, since that is where I was posting about! :) It sounds like you need to make a trip to go see the Blur Ridge...it is LOVELY! It is beyond me how people lived way back in the old days...I would love to be able to step back in time for just a moment to see first hand!

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  12. beautiful scenery! we are practically neighbors! we live pretty close to the parkway and jump on it frequently! oh that is so sad about orlean puckett...did she ever have a child survive? my heart breaks for her. i'm off to see that book.

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    1. Hi Tanya! We actually live in NC but have a cabin in Fancy Gap which you may know is right off the parkway. Love this area of the country! Such interesting tales of the people who actually lived in those mountains. If you are getting the book, there is another one that you may really enjoy..."The Man Who Moved a Mountain" by Richard C. Davids. Orlean Puckett is mentioned in this book but it mostly about the ancestors of the man who built the stone churches (2 or 3 of them I think) that are along the parkway. Are you familiar with them? Awesome, awesome book about mountain life in the olds days...they not only brought their Bibles to church, they made sure they had their guns with them too! I just can't imagine... Thanks for stopping by!

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  13. beautiful rustic fences.. my favorite is the one where you met the zombies.. and i have said many many times that i am so glad i was not born 100 years ago, that poor woman... losing all the children and the misery of that many pregnancy and to live that long. what a horrible life she had..

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    1. So you met my zombies, huh? lol! I think life back then had to have been so different...they didn't know another way of life...it does seem so hard though, doesn't it? If you Google the book, it shows a picture of her...her hard life definitely shows up on her face. I am sure bringing all of those babies into the world must have given her joy at some point. Interesting stuff!

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  14. Super views of the typical settlers' natural fences.

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    1. Thanks, Frank...they are lovely old fences for sure. Glad you stopped by!

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  15. A lovely post Debby. Those views are incredible. I also found the story of Orlean Puckett extremely interesting. What an amazing lady she must have been.

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    1. Thank you visiting! She surely must have been...that area of the Blue Ridge certainly has interesting history.

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  16. Ah such a nice post on this lovely day. Such a beautiful fence, and amazing woman who lived inside those fences. I should check out the book. What a legacy she left midst her heartache.

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    1. It really is an interesting story, Dotsie...you are right about that! Have a great weekend!

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  17. Oh, wow. I've always wanted to travel the Blue Ridge Parkway. Your photos are stunning.

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    1. Thank you, Gayle...it truly is a little slice of heaven. I hope you get to enjoy it someday! Have a great weekend :)

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  18. The scenery is fantastic and these fences that you have showed us are wonderful. We never have any that look like that in Northern Ireland.

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    1. It seems like every place has it's own special things that make it beautiful and unique. Thanks for visiting and have great weekend!

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  19. Now those are some cool fences! I particularly like the X variety.

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    1. Rustic beauty to be sure! Love this area! Have a fabulous weekend!

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  20. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Just to make myself clear, I think your pictures are gorgeous!! :) Debby Ray, these are some of my favorite fence pictures EVER. You did a beautiful job capturing them.

    Hugs to you!

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  21. The Puckett Cabin is so unique and beautiful. I would love to read that book about the midwife. I think the fencing is wonderful, too. I especially like the one that is different and we don't see very often anymore. Thank you for the lovely pictures.

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  22. I love zig zag fences. Lots of those hay rolls around where I live. Never get tired of looking at them.

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    1. Me neither...I love them :) Have a wonderful weekend!

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  23. I love the fence photos! And your trip to Nashville, one of my favorite places in the world :)

    I'm curious about Mrs. Puckett. There is a restaurant around Nashville called Puckett's. Is that named after her too?

    Love all your photos!

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    1. Thank you Debbie! It's funny you should mention Puckett's Restaurant...my DIL mentioned this is a place they really like to eat....there is one closer to them in Columbia or Franklin I think....said the food was awesome. The Puckett cabin is way east of TN on the Blue Ridge so I kinda doubt there is a connection. You really may like that book about Orlean Puckett...can you just imagine what her life was like?
      Have a great weekend!

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  24. I've never been down the Blue Ridge, only Skyline Drive. Might have to fix that!

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    1. Just keep heading south next time! Have a blessed weekend!

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  25. Hi Debby! That is so sad! All those little babies dying...I guess medicine and medical care just wasn't what it is now.
    Your photos are just gorgeous, as always. I love seeing the huge hay bales, they create such a contrast to the green grass. I must admit I'm a little jealous of your drive!
    Happy Weekend :)
    Ceil

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    1. It really is a sad story....you, being a nurse, do you think the RH factor could have been a key of losing so many babies? I looked it up because my DIL had a discussion once about why she lost them all...I think one lived a little while longer. Of course back then, they knew nothing about the RH negative thing I'm sure. Anyway..here's what you need to do...plan a road trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway and I will meet you there!! Wouldn't that be fun? Have a blessed weekend, my friend :)

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    2. Great point about the Rh factor Debbie. I didn't even think of that!

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  26. SO BEAUTIFUL! Lovey landscapes captured by your talented eye and camera...so nice!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  27. Wow...such special, lovely, exceptional images!!!

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  28. Replies
    1. It really is such a lovely drive! Have a good weekend!

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  29. I love these photos, and this post! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks so much for your visit! Have a great weekend!

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  30. Oh, I loved, loved, loved this post! The photos really call me to visit those mountains. I would love to drive the whole length of the Parkway sometime. Not this year, but in the next one or two!

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  31. There is a poem by Robert Frost that says, "good fences make good neighbors." I'm thinking, in your case, that good fences make some really lovely photos!! These were so pretty - the word pastoral comes to mind!

    Thank you for always making my day a little brighter with your particular *eye* on the world...

    GOD BLESS!

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  32. I recently asked David to please take me on a road trip one weekend. Just the two of us so we could stop when we wanted to and see, really see the beauty of God's creation. These photos make me want to hop in a car and go!

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  33. Wow! Could never pick a favorite of these. They are all wonderful And that book sounds wonderful.

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  34. isn't the Blue Ridge parkway the greatest. what gorgeous shots. i am not sure how i missed your post on Good Fences. nice to see these shots. so perfect. have a great night. ( :

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  35. Fascinating! I can't get too excited about fences normally, but they are lovely photos! And Orlean was obviously quite a lady. So, forgive the ignorance of an aging and ignorant Englishman, but are these the Blue Ridge Mountains that Laurel & Hardy crooned over?

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  36. Lovely photos! I was there five years ago (and a couple of times before that). http://webcroft.blogspot.com/2009/06/puckett-cabin-near-groundhog-mountain.html

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Thank you for stopping by today! Your sweet comments are such an encouragement to me.