Pioneer Appalachia

While my mother was here, we visited the Museum of Appalachia, (which I have posted on before) We spent a few hours  walking the grounds of this marvelous place on a warmish winter's day.

This is Mom.

With  silhouetted cedars and pine trees backing the antique log structures of this historical treasure we toured the grounds where many feet have trod over the past 50 years since the "museum" came together. "This unique collection of pioneer buildings and artifacts was amassed over a half a century by John Rice Irwin. He traveled the back roads, collecting untold thousands of everyday items from the colorful and interesting mountain folk of Southern Appalachia."

 For me, this place is a wonderful  inspiration for ideas in fencing, stone walls and structures for our farm.

This is the wild bee tree.

 I love, love , love the weight on this gate... it is a cast iron tea kettle!

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I am going to do this at home.  I have the cast iron kettle, AND the cedar posts. I just need James's help to pull it all together.

 The weight of the kettle closes the gate.( Goats CANNOT open this gate!)

The log structures are all historically authentic and have been dismantled and rebuilt, here, in East Tennessee.

 It is the pastoral views, the dozens of log structures and 1000's of items that make this place so special. It is a recreation of life in the mid 1800's in pioneer Appalachia.

Peacock, sheep, goats, polish hens, huge workhorses and guinea  hens roam the grounds... come to think of it, feels just like Home.

 

 Each cabin is filled with the necessities of life including bits of wisdom.

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Trundle beds and ladder-back chairs are Tennessee staples, and I own several myself.

Look at this great chair!

 Homespun blankets and quilts, feather mattresses on a rope bed with a trundle underneath are not quite what we are used to these days This looks terribly quaint but awfully uncomfortable..( oh how I love my memory foam mattress pad!)

 

 I love the Violin hanging on the wall!

I wish you could feel that stair handrail, it was as smooth as velvet against my palm. Only Years and years of use  could produce such a patina.

I fell in love with the Polish Chickens and now I want some. Look at those fuzzy heads and foosies!

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  So many charming vistas, so many split rail fences and rusticity.

 So many ideas to take home and use in the Hollow.

 I am lucky to live within 45 minutes of this museum and visit it often. It was great to walk here with my mother. She went home to Colorado last night. Thank goodness it was a sunny day, as the next day the snow came in and caused havoc at the airport. I was pretty disgusted when my mother was patted down at the airport, TWICE! Ridiculous.

Well, dear blogger friends, stay warm, stay creative and be happy!

My girls are eating the Christmas tree and send you wishes for a promising new year full of tasty treats, good books, and countless blessings. BAAAAAAAAAA!!