Lately I’ve been grateful for coffee and the eye-opening it brings.
For muddy hands and the effect they have on this Earth Sign.
For the satisfaction of cylinders.
And for the way those cylinders become mugs for coffee.
And for you, always for you. 🩷
[photo: 2014, one decade ago]
I recently took my Holga 135BC on a kayak paddle to Burgess State Falls in TN.
The Holga is a low-cost ‘toy’ camera with a plastic lens. It was introduced in 1982 in Hong Kong, intended to provide a cheap mass-market camera for the working class.
The Holga camera is known for a lack of precision, impressionist renderings, and blurred edges.
The softness of the images from a Holga are part of their appeal. In a world of digital sharpness and filters, the Holga gives you a soft and dreamy image with those real film colors.
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“Should we run a 5k in 3 weeks with no training whatsoever?”
“Absolutely,” I said.
We had just found out about the Dolly Dash in Ringgold, GA and it was a must. It’s been well over a year since we’ve run a race, but that didn’t stop us. We figured we could tumble out of bed, stumble to the starting line…
The race is part of ‘Dolly Days’ in Ringgold, GA. Ringgold isn’t Dolly’s hometown (that would be Sevierville, TN), but it is where she got married to her beloved husband Carl Dean in 1966.
There were lots of local vendors, such as the tent selling these pineapple drinks, and plenty of food trucks. Not to mention two stages, a farmer’s market, discounts in all the downtown shops for runners…
The Grind is located in downtown Ringgold (inside dWELLING), and the barista turned our post-race coffees pink in celebration of Dolly.
A thrift store benefitting foster kids had a community paint-by-numbers in progress. Everywhere you looked was a local business or club that got involved to celebrate Dolly.
Final Review:
Do we recommend this race? 100%!
It was super fun and a great crowd. Lots of people ran in Dolly costumes or tutus. Our personal theme was “Dolly for President 2024” and we got tons of comments and compliments on our outfits.
Things to know:
“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” — Dolly Parton
Burgess Falls State Park features Burgess Falls, a waterfall located on Falling Water River in Sparta, TN.
There is no access to the base of Burgess Falls from the State Park parking area, but you can hike (0.75mi) to an overlook which looks down on Burgess. You’ll pass smaller falls along the way. To access the bottom of the falls, you have to take a kayak.
If you’re coming from Atlanta, it is a 3.5 hour drive to Sparta, TN.
Here’s the important part though: there is a TIME CHANGE from Atlanta. Sparta, TN is on Central Daylight Time (and Atlanta is on EST), so you’ll gain an hour. You might find this disconcerting if you fall asleep for over an hour in the front passenger seat and then wake up to find that according to the iPhone clock it’s somehow only been 5 minutes since you fell asleep AND you’re less than an hour to your destination.
Once you’ve kayaked to the base of the falls, you can beach your kayak and walk around, but watch out for poison ivy! (See the poison ivy surrounding the rock in the photo above.)
We rented kayaks from Cumberland Kayak outfitters and their rental includes a guide to get you to the falls. The river is not ‘rushing’ and there is not a current to pull you to your destination, so expect to spend an hour actively paddling in each direction from the put-in location. I would also caution against swimming, since the water seems fairly brown and muddy and we spotted no less than 9 snakes on our trip including a cottonmouth.
Here is my itinerary for someone from Atlanta who wants to enjoy Burgess Falls:
Have a wonderful weekend!
Unbidden Grace 