#Northern Hickory Tour | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

daandyli0n · 2 years

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Shut Eye, Act One: Uneven Footing

chapter three: an eye for an eye

you guys are about to find out why i haven’t drawn Hickory’s Act One design yet :]

here comes the angst boys!!

@northern-loner

(warnings: eye injury, violence, a bit of gore)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s been a week. The “pranks” didn’t stop.

And Hickory had approached his breaking point.

So when Signal and Coyote finally showed up to the cabin, Hickey decided that today was the day he had finally had enough.

“Slate? Vex? Could you two go and play in the woods?”

While Vex looked up with anxiety written on her face, Slate looked up with joy. “Of course we can! Any reason-”

“And could you take Elliott with you?”

Slate’s smile dropped, and he turned to glance at Vex. “Yeah…we can do that.”

Hickory squatted down and handed the tiny infant to Slate. “Be careful, will you?”

Vex nodded. “We will. Please be safe too.”

As the three young children made their way to the back entrance of the cabin, Hickory took a deep breath, grabbed a few splash potions, and walked to the door.

With a sigh, the door opened, and he stepped out to confront his visitors.

-------------------

Soft, running footsteps echoed through the forest.

They had to have been running for about seven minutes.

“Do you think he’ll be okay?” Vexen questioned.

“Of course he is! He-he has to be.” Slate stammered out.

He was trying to hold his tears back. He didn’t know what he’d do if Hickory wasn’t okay. Hickory had practically been his whole life along with Vex. But Vex had come later, when he had been two. For Slate, Hickory was, like, 75% of his life!

What would happen if he lost that 75%?

Vex could tell he wasn’t doing too well. “Hey, it’s Ory! I’m sure, okay or not, we’ll see him again, alright?”

Slate sniffled. “Ye-yeah…”

The pair kept running through the woods. They didn’t fully remember the way to the main area, and Vex was starting to get worried that they were lost.

“Are you sure we’re still heading to the main area?”

“I-we have to be! I remember going this way for the tours!”

“But we’ve been in the woods for, what, hours now? And we still haven’t seen anyone, Slate!”

“We have to be getting close, at least-!”

They heard footsteps approaching. They swung their heads to the sound, seeing a rather tall figure emerge from the trees.

He looked to be a wolf hybrid, but…different. He had a skull mask on his face, long, dark brown hair, and the eyes were glowing bright blue rings. He was wearing a black tank top and some cargo pants. He had a skull necklace.

He was looking down at them. “Uh, are you…three okay?”

Slate stood, looking up at this stranger in wonder. Vex quietly spoke up, “Um, our brother said for us to go to the main area of the server because something dangerous was happening. But I think we might be lost.”

“Ah, I see. Well, my house is in the main area of the server, so if you’d like me to walk you over to the main area, then I won’t mind at all.”

Vex looked at Slate, who was eagerly nodding. “Okay…”

The Stranger introduced himself, “My name is Cerberus, by the way.”

Slate cocked his head. “Cer-bus?”

“Cerberus.”

“Ce-brus?”

He laughed. “You know what? Call me CB.”

As they were walking, Vex piped up, “Are you sure you’re not a murderer who wants to kill us?”

The stranger laughed. “No, no, I’d never hurt some little kids. You’re both too sweet for me to wanna kill either of you. Nope, just a lonely Hellhound going through life.”

Vex looked up in confusion. “Hellhound? What is that?”

Slate, however, gasped. “You work for Lady Death?!”

Cerberus chuckled. “Not anymore, unfortunately. ‘Retired’ is a pretty close term to what happened.”

Slate began chatting with him, holding up Elliot for the man to hold the baby. Vex followed pretty close behind. She glanced behind her, nervous.

She really hoped that Hickory would be okay.

---------------------------

Hickory strode across the yard. “Hello gentlemen.”

Signal and Coyote looked up to the approaching sheep. They both almost looked as though they were expecting him to show up.

“Ah, Hickory! Pleasure to see you this morning!” Signal called over to him. Coyote kept his eyes trained on him. He didn’t speak. “Surprised that you’re up this early in the morning.”

“Well, you know how it is. Gotta make sure all the animals are still here and such. Can’t be too careful after…y’know.”

Coyote huffed. “You’re really never going to let that go are you? Look, we haven’t done it since that day in the woods. You act like we’re just gonna do that again all of a sudden after, like, a week.”

Hickory shrugged. “You never know, right?”

The silence between the three was deafening. The chirps of birds, the rustling leaves, and just general nature were the only sounds that could be heard. And, if you listened close enough, the sound of Hickory’s heartbeat quickening. The suspense was growing. He didn’t just want to act out of nowhere. He had a point he wanted to make. Only this time, he wouldn’t just be verbally delivering his message.

It was like a figure from urban legend had once said.

Sometimes violence is the only universal language.

Signal finally broke the silence. “Where are the little lambs at? Still in bed, I assume?” He was glancing at the window.

Hickory narrowed his eyes at him. “None of your business.”

Coyote stared at the window as well. “So are they in there or not?”

“What part of “none of your business” did you two not understand?”

Signal turned back to him. “We have a feeling that you wish to speak with us. Is that true?”

…well, he wasn’t expecting this. He thought that this conversation would’ve gone on a bit further. But y’know what? This worked.

“Actually, I do. I have something I want to say to the two of you.” He pulled one of the splash potions of harming out.

“And maybe it’ll actually stick this time.”

He threw the bottle at the two people outside of the fence. Coyote jumped back, but Signal was caught in the splash. The two of them looked at him in shock.

Hickory stepped closer to them, another potion in hand. “Just because you,” he gestured to Signal, “are this server’s admin, that doesn’t mean I have to have an ounce of respect for you!”

He turned his glare to Coyote. “Same for you.”

Signal simply looked at him, blinking, before turning to Coyote and saying in a voice that was surprisingly non-robotic, “Coyote, if you will.”

The next thing Hickory knew, not only was Coyote rushing at him with an ax, but he also felt pain.

A lot of pain.

In his right eye, specifically.

Out of reflex, Hickory struck Coyote with a splash potion, only hearing a yelp as Coyote scrambled backward. He heard a growl, but then heard Signal call out, “Come on, Coyote. It isn’t worth it. Let’s go.” They were walking away now. Leaving Hickory bleeding out on the ground.

In his haze of pain and general adrenaline, he managed to stumble to his bathroom and look in the mirror.

And what he saw scared him.

There was a gash on his eye. A bad one.

But that wasn’t really the thing that concerned him at the moment.

He needed to find the others.

-----------------------

When he finally managed to make it to the main area of the server, he saw Slate and Vexen sitting on the ground with…a wolf guy in a skull mask?

He struggled to stay upright as he walked over to them, and as soon as he got close, the wolf guy looked up at him. But his face suddenly shifted into one of extreme concern. “Oh my Primes- are you alright?!”

Slate and Vex suddenly looked up, and Slate beamed. “Hickory! CB, that’s him! That’s our brother!”

This wolf man, CB, looked even more concerned somehow. “I’m-how did that even-you need to see a doctor man!”

Hickory didn’t know why but he felt…fine. Nothing hurt anymore, and if it weren’t for the blood that was practically pouring down his face, he wouldn’t even know that something was wrong. “Really? I feel okay. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to-”

“No no, that looks…very bad. I’ll take you to Basil’s office. You really need to go there. Seriously.”

He felt someone grab onto his right side and flinched (why couldn’t he tell that someone was there?). He felt someone drag him off.

“Hickory?” he heard Slate quietly call.

--------------------------

It was three days later, and Hickory was sewing something. He had been in that office for about a day, where “Basil”, who he was assuming was either a naga or some kind of snake hybrid. They kept him there as they tried to heal him, and even bandaged up that side of his face.

Apparently his right eye was f**ked up. Great.

And the “wolf” guy was actually a hellhound. Named Cerberus.

Well, he seemed pretty nice, anyway.

Hickory had asked for an eyepatch. Because he was pretty sure that no one was going to want to see his messed up eye.

He was stitching an apple onto it.

When Slate had asked him why he was sewing an apple, Hickory just shrugged.

“I mean, then we can really match, right?”

As he finished the last stitch, he put on the eyepatch and looked in the mirror. He smiled.

It looked nice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

poor boy Hickory :( he was just trying to get those two to stop messing with them and got his eye whacked in the process :(

but hey! at least he has a cool eyepatch now...right? :D

#Shut Eye (oc story)#Act One: Uneven Footing #p0psy storytime #oc: hickory #oc: slate #oc: vexen #oc: elliot #oc: cerberus #oc: signal #oc: birch #basil is mentioned

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automaticvr · 4 years

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samuelmmarcus · 5 years

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Farmhouse Christmas Decor

Merry Christmas, my wonderful friends! I am so happy you took some time to stop by. I can imagine how busy you are with the Holidays and I hope this Christmas house tour brings some Christmas cheer to your heart.

Sara from @simplysoutherncottage, was previously featured on Home Bunch’s “Beautiful Homes of Instagram” series, (where all décor sources and paint colors were shared) and I am so happy to have her back here to share her inspiring farmhouse Christmas décor.

Here, she shares more details about her inspiring home:

“For a very long time, I have been a HUGE fan of the Home Bunch blog. Luciane carefully selects and curates the most amazing homes to share with her readers. It is an absolute honor to share my Christmas Cottage with the Home Bunch tribe.

So, hi there! I’m Sara and 3 years ago I purchased a broken down, dilapidated cottage in northern Louisiana and turned it into the home of my dreams. I knew from the minute I laid eyes on it, it was supposed to be mine, but securing it proved to be very challenging. It took me 22 very long months to convince the owners to sell this beautiful, vacant home. (You can read more over on my blog) And after closing in Sept 2016 and spending just over a year on the renovation, I moved in October 2017. Since then, this home has absolutely changed my life. In October 2019 alone, I was featured in 5 magazines. You see my life was once broken down, just like this old house, but we’ve both since been reclaimed and restored and brought back to life.”

Farmhouse Christmas Decor

Exterior Paint Color: Extra White by Sherwin Williams.

Roof: Standing seam metal roof.

Meet the Homeowner!

This is my sweet friend Sara from @simplysoutherncottage. She’s someone I am really grateful to know and I am so proud of so many things she’s being accomplishing through her talent!

Front Porch

The porch ceiling is painted in a subtle blue paint color; Atmospheric SW 6505b by Sherwin Williams.

Porch Swing

Sara is a big fan of porch swings and her home has two of them. The one we just saw is from her back porch and this one is from the front. Dreamy, right?

Swing: here – similar.

Naturally Beautiful

Because our weather has been somewhat mild so far, I was able to leave most of my summer plants on my front porch to create a lush, green Christmas display.

Beautiful Doormats: here, here, here & here.

Front Door

The front door is adorned with faux grapevine swags embellished with real Magnolia. Each lantern swag is topped off with a red plaid bow and I created ones for the topiaries also for a perfect match! The large red Christmas balls and ornaments were purchased about 8 years ago and have been in storage ever since.

Front Door Paint Color: Lemon Twist by Sherwin Williams.

Get the Look: Faux Magnolia Swag & Magnolia Garland.

Front Door: here – similar.

Smart Door Bell: Ring.

Smart Door Lock: Schlage.

Topiaries: here & here – similar.

Gas Lanterns: Custom made by CopperWorks – similar here & here.

Christmas Decor

I firmly believe in using as much real greenery as possible and since I have access to ample Magnolia, Cedar, Pine and Holly trees, those greens are prominent throughout my home.

Tabletop

On the table, a faux pine garland was used as a base, with Magnolia leaves filled in.

Dining Table: Birch Lane.

Beautiful Garlands: here, here, here & here.

Chairs

My dear friend Wendy Conklin (aka Chair Whimsy) created stunning, custom upholstered chairs full of vibrant reds, green, pinks and even black. Wendy and I had been working on the fabrics since summer so I was able to formulate and anchor a plan based on that. Her chairs truly set the tone for the rest of my decor.

Dining Hutch

This is an antique hutch that belonged to Sara’s great grandmother.

Decor

Sara added a cheerful color scheme of red, greens and pink! I am loving this combination.

Layout

The dining room connects to a kitchen with rustic island.

Rug

Rug is from Rugs USA – also available here.

Kitchen

The kitchen island is custom-made from salvaged wood from one of the oldest houses in North Louisiana. Barnwood top is from a 100 year old salvaged barn, a parish over.

Island Dimensions: 74” x 32” (43” with overhang) x 36”

Stools: Discontinued – similar here & here – Other Beautiful Counterstools: here, here, here, here, here & here.

Magnolia

In the kitchen and on the mantel, I used large jar vases from the Hearth and Home Collection from Target and created stunning Magnolia arrangements with white roadside weeds sprinkled in.

Kitchen Christmas Decor

How festive is this kitchen?! A metal tiered stand display all you need to prepare a yummy hot chocolate!

Countertop: Cambria Torquay.

Faucet: Water Creation.

Hardware: Pulls &Knobs.

Inspired by this Home:

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Layout

Looking from the kitchen area, into the living area and finally into the library. Hardwood floors are refinished and original to the house.

Christmas Color Palette

For the first two Christmases in my cottage, I chose a neutral decor theme (greens and whites). But this Christmas, color truly made its way into my cottage. I was fortunate to have been selected by Cottages and Bungalows Magazine for their Christmas 2020 issue and if you know Cottages and Bungalows, you know THEY LOVE COLOR. So I got to work designing a dreamy, magical space that exploded with red and green in preparation for a Christmas photoshoot.

Light fixtures were draped with real cedar cuttings.

Fireplace Decor

For the mantel, two grapevine swags were used as a base with real Magnolia leaves interspersed throughout to create a lush, full garland.

Stockings: Etsy.

Classic & Festive

Honestly after a Christmas cottage full of color, I’m not sure I’ll ever return to the neutral palette I’ve had in the past. I’ve so enjoy the rich, vibrant colors in my cottage. They have breathed a second wind of life into my decor and truly pushed me beyond my creative limits. I was very stressed about how these designs would turn out. I could “see” them in my head, and once my hands got to work creating, and I stood back and looked at the finished product, I was in awe. Awe that my home looked so incredibly beautiful and awe that my hands crafted it. Like most everything I create, I surprise myself because I have no formal training. I simply style, organize and construct spaces as I “see” them in my head. And when everything was finished, I cried. Could not believe I actually created these spaces.

Christmas Tree

For the last two years, I’ve had real Christmas trees, but to make things a tad easier this year I went with a faux fir tree and a flocked tree. Both turned out exceptional and I did not regret the decision. Best I can, I try to keep my costs to a minimum so I reused my rag garland from the last two years, but added red and pink torn fabric strips for additional color. I tore some of the same fabric and simply knotted it to the limbs of my tree and it honestly turned out so so cute. I topped it off with candy cane garland, real pine cones and a large white bow on top filled with faux Eucalyptus. The tree skirt is a garage sale bedskirt. And the candy cane wrapping paper is about 8 years old and has been in storage.

Similar Wrapping Paper: here – Others: here, here & here.

Christmas Tree: here & here – similar.

Shades: Bay Isle Home.

Sofa & Chair

White Couch and chair: Normanson Sofa & Chair.

Chandelier: here, here, here & here – similar.

Christmas Sign: Etsy.

Rug: Rugs USA – also available here.

Beautiful Christmas Pillows: here, here, here & here.

Coffee Table

Chicken coop coffee table: Custom built by Shreveport Salvage.

Master Bedroom

A flocked Christmas tree brings a cheerful and christmassy feel to Sara’s bedroom.

Bedroom Suite: Ashley, but is about 12 years old and has been discontinued – similar here – Other Beautiful Beds: here, here, here, here, here & here.

Bedding: Flannel Sheet Set.

Shams & Duvet Cover: here & here – similar.

Christmas Tree: here – similar.

Windmill Ceiling Fan: Quorum.

Rug: Rugs USA – also available here.

Bathroom

Shiplap Walls: All woodwork in the home is original to the cottage.

Chandelier: Saint Mossi Chandelier – similar here.

Tub: Cambridge Plumbing.

Vinyl Plank Floors: Mannington.

Knobs: Hickory Hardware.

Mudroom

Sara’s mudroom is one of my favorite spots at her house and she changes the decor every season. Notice the adorable quilt covering the bench cushion.

Merry Christmas!

On my backporch, my bedswing is truly one of my favorite cottage features. When the weather is nice, I spend a LOT of time out there… napping, reading and even eating! This space is anchored by an adorable Mrs. Claus’ Bake Shop sign. I wanted this space truly to look magical and just like you were having cookies and milk at the North Pole. And that’s exactly how it turned out.

Christmas Sign: Etsy.

Flocked Tree: here – similar.

Many thanks to Sara for sharing the details above! Make sure to follow her on Instagram to see more!

Bring the Holidays Home!

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Thank you for shopping through Home Bunch. For your shopping convenience, this post may contain AFFILIATE LINKS to retailers where you can purchase the products (or similar) featured. I make a small commission if you use these links to make your purchase, at no extra cost to you, so thank you for your support. I would be happy to assist you if you have any questions or are looking for something in particular. Feel free to contact me and always make sure to check dimensions before ordering. Happy shopping!

Wayfair: Huge Cyber Monday Sale – Up to 80% OFF on Furniture and Decor!!!

Serena & Lily: Thankful Sale 25% OFF Everything!

Joss & Main: Huge Sales on Early Cyber Monday Deals – Up to 80% Off!

Pottery Barn: Cyber Monday Sale + Free Shipping.

West Elm: Cyber Monday Sale.

Anthropologie: 30% off Everything – New Arrivals!

Saks Fifith Avenue: Designer sale up to 50% Off.

Nordstrom: Designer Clearance – Up to 40% Off!

Posts of the Week:

Cape Cod Lake House Interior Design Ideas.

Simple Ideas for a New-Construction Home.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Christmas Edition.

Two-toned Grey and White Kitchen Renovation.

Before & After Kitchen Renovation.

Inspiring Home Renovation.

California Home Interior Design Ideas.

Open and Airy Townhouse Design.

2019 New Year Home Tour.

New California Mid-century Modern.

Modern English Country Home Design.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Interior Design.

California Modern Farmhouse for Sale.

French Country Style Home Design.

Builder’s Home.

New Year, New Kitchen!

2020 Kitchen Design Ideas.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Modern Farmhouse.

Black & White Modern Farmhouse.

Neutral Home.

Coastal Farmhouse Home Decor.

Small Lot Modern Farmhouse.

Florida Beach Cottage.

Dark Cedar Shaker Exterior.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Coastal Farmhouse Design.

Follow me on Instagram: @HomeBunch

You can follow my pins here: Pinterest/HomeBunch

See more Inspiring Interior Design Ideas in my Archives.

“Dear God,

If I am wrong, right me. If I am lost, guide me. If I start to give-up, keep me going.

Lead me in Light and Love”.

Have a wonderful day, my friends and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”

with Love,

Luciane from HomeBunch.com

from Home https://www.homebunch.com/farmhouse-christmas-decor/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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actutrends · 5 years

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Hometown hero J.T. Poston wins in historic fashion at Wyndham Championship

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA – AUGUST 04: J.T. Poston celebrates with the trophy after winning the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club on August 04, 2019 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Tyler Lecka/Getty Images)

J.T. Poston, a native of North Carolina, wins the Wyndham Championship and becomes the first PGA Tour champ to go bogey-free in more than four decades

A quick look at J.T. Poston’s scorecard this week at the Wyndham Championship shows something not seen in a long time. A lot of circles—21 of them, in fact—but no squares. Not one of them.

Poston went bogey-free over 72 holes at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro to win his first career PGA Tour title. He’s the first player to win a PGA Tour event without making a bogey in 45 years.

The 26-year-old North Carolina native made 20 birdies and an eagle for the week to finish at 22-under, beating Webb Simpson by one shot. He came into Sunday’s final round trailing leader Byeong Hun An by three shots and didn’t wait long to make his move. After an early birdie at the second hole, Poston hit the reachable par-five fifth hole in two shots and rolled in a 13-foot putt for eagle to go three-under on the round. Two great approaches to within five feet at the seventh and eighth set up birdies as we made the turn in five-under 30.

Poston found the left-hand rough with his drive on the 10th but managed to get his approach to 12 feet, setting up another birdie. Continuing his solid play with his irons, he hit a pitching wedge from 130 yards out to two feet at the 13th, then got up-and-down from the bunker over the green on the par-five 15th for his sixth birdie of the round and sole possession of the lead.

An, the South Korean former U.S. Amateur champion, was in the hunt for history of his own. He was also bogey-free for the tournament before coming to the 15th hole, his 69th of the week and one of the easiest on the course. For the second straight day, he drove into heavy rough and had to take a penalty drop. This time, though, he failed to save par, ending his bogey-free streak. Now needing to birdie two of his last three holes to tie Poston, An holed a 15-footer at the 16th but missed from 23 feet at 17. He finished with a bogey at the 18th to drop to third place, two shots behind.

Poston parred his last three holes to finish with an eight-under round of 62 and 22-under for the tournament. Simpson, another North Carolina native who named his daughter Wyndham after the site of his first PGA Tour title in 2011, moved up to second place.

Poston’s feat of not making a bogey is incredibly rare in itself. To win an event doing it is historic. Lee Trevino at the 1974 Greater New Orleans Open is the only other player to accomplish it in PGA Tour history. Scott Piercy went bogey-free at the AT&T Byron Nelson in May but finished two shots behind, the only other time it’s been done on tour since 2010.

“I was telling some people earlier, I probably haven’t had that many bogey-free rounds this season, this year,” Poston said at his post-victory press conference. “Much less back to back. And to be able to do four in a row is pretty special.”

Trevino is a World Golf Hall of Famer, a six-time major champion and one of the best players in the game’s history. Poston, meanwhile, is in his third year on the PGA Tour and had never finished higher than fourth in any event in his career. He didn’t have a top-10 since April and missed five of his last nine cuts.

But Poston found something in his game this week and only rarely was in trouble. His longest par save came from eight feet at the 15th in Saturday’s third round after taking a drop off the tee. That he was playing in front of essentially a hometown crowd helped too. Poston is a native of Hickory, less than 100 miles from Sedgefield, and graduated from Western Carolina. That made this win, followed along by his family and the crowd, surpass even his wildest dreams.

“Not even close. The only similarity from today then what I’ve dreamed of was having a four-footer to win,” he said. “But having all the support and hearing all the crowds, my friends and family cheering me on on every shot, after every shot, was something that I’ve never dreamed of and was pretty special.”

Poston is projected to rise to 27th in the FedEx Cup standings, which begins next week with The Northern Trust at Liberty National in New Jersey.

The post Hometown hero J.T. Poston wins in historic fashion at Wyndham Championship appeared first on Actu Trends.

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wikitopx · 5 years

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Missoula is located in the northern highlands of Montana's Rockies, where three rivers meet, with seven wilderness areas surrounding it. Missoula is a place where people come to search for great outdoor adventures. With 60,000 acres of wild land a short drive from your hotel or B&B, you can kayak, hiking, ski, fish, ride, raft and tube. Home to the University of Montana, Missoula is a rich cultural and artistic center, with several large museums. Here are the top 10 things to do in Missoula.

1. Garnet Ghost Town

Garnet is a historic Montana mining town located in the Granit district of central Montana, high above 6,000 feet, surrounded by magnificent mountains and ancient forests. There is a Visitor Center with books, cards and memos, some interpretative signs and self-guided trails. The town is open year round. In the winter, Garnet is popular for snowboarding and cross-country skiing. Winter cabin rental is available.

2. The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula

Fort Missoula was built in 1877 by the United States Army, who was there as a safeguard for settlers against possible threats from Nez Perce and indigenous Native American tribes. other. Today, the museum, located in the Minister's Warehouse, displays the history of Missoula, the diverse neighborhood that exists in the city, and offers child-friendly guided tours through the courts. buildings and grounds of the original fortress, including officers' quarters, carriage houses, sawmills, schools and churches.

3. Rattlesnake National Recreation Area and Wilderness

With the main trailhead less than five miles from downtown Missoula, the 61,000 acre Rattlesnake National Recreation is a popular spot for hikers, hiking, jogging, and mountain biking. Abundant small streams flow into Rattlesnake Creek on the valley floor and over thirty mountain lakes with waterfalls make this area home to a number of wetland birds. There are many wildlife, and sight-seeing visitors can spot bighorn sheep, mule and white-tailed deer, caribou, fox, gray wolf and occasional black bear. There is a separate path for visitors on horseback, and fishing and fishing is allowed throughout the park.

4. Missoula Farmer's Market

Missoulian prefers taking guests outside the city to Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings. This is everyone's favorite place to shop for locally grown products that can be picked at dawn when you're still sleeping. It's also a great place to meet friends and neighbors, drink a great cup of coffee, see people, chat with your favorite farmers, listen to street musicians and often have time. Great time.

5. Missoula Art Museum

The Missoula Museum of Art is a community-supported venture, focusing on art that is appropriate to the life and culture of the western United States. The museum has one of the largest collections of contemporary Indian art in the United States, a large collection of Hmong textiles from the Hmong of Missoula and diverse media outlets, including paintings, photographs, sculpture, glass and ceramics. The museum tour lasts about 45 minutes and is available to individuals or groups. The museum offers art classes for everyone from preschoolers to adults, artist talk and an outreach educational program.

6. A Carousel for Missoula

There are 38 beautiful little horses, two chariots, 14 gargoyles with the largest gargoyle frame, mirror frames and band agency in the United States, all crammed in a jewel box of a building. They did it again in 2001, when more than 4,000 volunteers, rightfully proud of what they created, created Dragon Hollow Playground right next to Carousel, turning a green field into a A magical kingdom loved by both children and parents.

7. Montana Natural History Center

Museum of the Montana Natural History Center was established to introduce the natural history of plants and animals of Western Montana. You and the kids explore the insect world and some other animals pollinate pollen and make everything grow; Explore local ecosystems, from alpine to steppes and more. There is a microscope area for children, a children's reading corner in theRalph Lee Allen Environmental Education Library and the famous Children's Discovery Room, with lots of interesting things to explore. The center is located on Hickory Road, near Osprey Baseball Stadium. It takes less than an hour to go through it, but you can stay longer if you like.

8. Children's Museum Missoula

Dig up dinosaur bones, play with bubbles or draw faces, design cities out of blocks, or take on a puppet show. All of this and more is waiting for the children at the Missoula Children's Museum, right on Front Street. It's a fun learning place, a museum where kids can touch things and let their imagination soar. The museum is suitable for children under ten, and their parents, of course. For visitors, the Museum is a place to play and explore, and for Missoulian, this is a place where children can have fun while learning and where their parents can connect, learn from each other and explore ways for children to enjoy learning.

9. Missoula Symphony Orchestra and Chorale

The Missoula Symphony Orchestra and the choir consist of an eighty-member orchestra and a hundred-member choir, and provide the Missoula community with excellent symphony concerts under the artistic direction of the professional. with and with famous soloists nationwide. The orchestra and choir have an annual concert season, with each concert being performed twice in Missoula's Dennison Theater. The Missoula Symphony Orchestra and the choir have been operating since the 1950s, and initially only attracted the talents of the citizens of Missoula. Now it is an internationally recognized orchestra, traveling in the summer to Europe to sold-out concert halls.

10. Historic Missoula Downtown Walking Tour

Missoula, Montana has a colorful history starting in 1860, when the Hell Gate trading office was established to provide settlers in the western United States. The arrival of the North Pacific Railway at Missoula has brought an increase of new residents and economic prosperity. The historic Missoula Downtown Walking Tour takes visitors to buildings set up for settlers and temporary residents, and represents a number of major architectural schools. There was a large store, a large brothel, a beautiful church, a court, a hotel, a stable, and a railway depot. A map of the downtown area is available online for travelers who want to discover more about the history of this Frontier town.

This is top 10 things to do in Missoula. Wish you have useful and lots of fun.

From : https://wikitopx.com/travel/top-10-things-to-do-in-missoula-700371.html

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mariacedano-blog-blog · 7 years

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Beautiful Homes of Instagram I can’t tell you how happy I am for sharing Molly’s, of @mk_interiors_, new home. I’ve known Molly and her beautiful work at MK Interiors for some time now. In fact, we have been talking about featuring her newly-built home even before it was built, so you can imagine how much I waited to share this post with all of you on Home Bunch. Keep reading and you will see why it was worth the wait to tour Molly’s home! “Hi, I’m Molly Kay and here is a little bit about me and our home! My husband is a general contractor who builds custom homes, does additions, and remodeling. He is also a master woodworker. Having him build our current home has been a blessing for us as he has built homes for several others and we had always hoped to have him build for us in the near future. We designed our home together and one of the highlights of my life is getting to work with my husband on projects. We each own separate businesses and have our own clients but sometimes we are hired as a team and we love that! We have been married 20 years and have 3 children. We live in the beautiful rolling hills at the foot of the Blue Ridge mountains in Northern Virginia 45 minutes west of Washington DC. We love our rural small town and love living on a one lane gravel road on 5 acres. We also love being able to be close to a big city and really having the best of both worlds! I am passionate about interior design and love making all things beautiful! I feel so blessed to of always been able to stay home with my children and run a successful business as an interior designer. I hope you enjoy this glimpse of our custom home! It was a definite labor of love and still a work in progress!” Beautiful Homes of Instagram I didn’t have a covered porch in our last home so it’s something I really wanted in this one! This is just one side of the porch and this was taken shortly after we moved in before we painted the porch floor or took down the construction fence! Indoor/outdoor rug by Mohawk. Siding is Hardie Plank concrete siding by James Hardie in Night Gray. Foyer My entryway I kept simple but elegant with the grid board and batten paneled walls and crisp white paint. Foyer bench is from Joss & Main. Other inspiring options: here & here. Pillows are custom. Lighting I wanted my chandelier by Hinkley Lighting to take center stage! You should of seem the amount of scaffolding and people it took to hang it! It was love at very first sight for me! Grey Doors Interior door color for all of my interior doors in the entire house is a custom mix of Stardew, Uncertain Gray by Sherwin Williams with a little Wales Gray by Benjamin Moore. Entry set crystal doorknobs from Grandeur Hardware. Wall Paint Color Paint color is All White by Farrow & Ball. My grandmother’s desk from the 1940’s was made over by me with 2 tone Annie Sloan chalk paint in Paris Gray and Pure White and it fits perfectly there. Hardwood Floors Floors are Dream Home X20 laminate in Misty Morning Oak from Lumber Liquidators. Mirror The geometric frame and golden finish mirror is from Joss & Main. Dining Room Our dining area is open to the family room and kitchen. I did not want a separate room that no one would ever go in. I also chose not to have an eating area in the kitchen which is just steps away. I wanted this room to be where we ate and gathered unless we were at the island which has plenty of room for the 5 of us! I had my husband do more of the paneled wall boxes in here and kept them white for the time being knowing it would be easy down the road to paint that wall a color should I decide I want a change. Paint color is All White by Farrow & Ball. Crown Molding is Ultra Pure White by Behr. Table was purchased at an antique shop and is refinished in Annie Sloan chalk paint. French Linen and Pure White. Chairs were an antique store find about 16 years ago. I got 6 of them for $50! I had my husband take them apart and re-nail them to make sure they were sturdy. He then painted them and I reupholstered them. I want to get new chairs soon but these have been great for many many years and certainly worth well more than the price I paid! White cane end chairs were also an antique shop find and I painted them and reupholstered them. The pair for $20! Christmas sign by Signs of Hope. Chairs flanking sideboard from Restoration Hardware. Lighting My husband made the sideboard which used to be our media console in the old house. Chandelier by Hinkley Lighting from Lighting Design Company. Lamps by Horchow. Kitchen I could not be happier with how our kitchen turned out! I put less expensive materials in other places so that I could make sure to get the things I wanted in the kitchen. Because it is quite large, even when being very budget conscience with choices, it can quickly add up because you need so much! I definitely knew we couldn’t afford commercial appliances or very high end ones. I did a ton of research as we had a cut and dry number that I could not go above for all of our appliances in our house. I chose the Fridgidaire Gallery line and so far so good! We have an induction cooktop and I really love it. Kitchen Island & Hood Range Hood made my husband. He also made the island and did the same X detail on island ends, side of fridge, and built in doors in family room. Pendant lights by Golden Lighting. Island is 10 feet long by 4 feet wide. Countertop Counters are white Carrara marble which I knew I had to have even though they can get a bad reputation. I knew nothing else compared to the look of marble so I am fine with a little more maintenance. Sink & Faucet Sink is by Kohler. Faucet is American Standard. Pulls are Hickory Hardware. Backsplash Backsplash is Arabescato Carrara marble in a herringbone pattern. Counterstools Acrylic barstools by Gabby Home. Open Layout In our old house, the family room was separated from the kitchen by a wall that we couldn’t take down so another must have for this house we built was having the kitchen and family room together. Because of that design, it was important the 2 rooms flow and have same design elements. Family Room Sofa by Craftmaster – similar here. Rug by Nourison from the Kathy Ireland collection. Custom pillows by Cruel Mountain Designs. Built-ins The built-ins with x door detail and the shiplap backs were made by my husband and painted our house trim color: Ultra Pure White by Behr. Satin brass hardware can be found here. Chandelier by Crystorama designed by Libby Langdon. Brass swing arm sconces by Savoy House. Gold and glass table from Home Goods. Chairs White Chairs are from Lamps Plus. Ottomans Blue X leg ottomans from Joss and Main. Barn Door A grey barn door conceals a modern farmhouse-inspired mudroom. Mudroom I didn’t have a mudroom in our previous home that we lived in for 16 years so it was first on my list of needs for this home! I wanted the blue built-ins my husband made to really stand out so I kept the walls the same crisp white as the rest of the house. That paint color is All White by Farrow & Ball. I also wanted a fun patterned tile and I wanted durability so I chose a patterned porcelain tile by Merola that I bought from Wayfair. Chandelier by Hinkley Lighting. Satin Brass door knobs from Baldwin Hardware. Grey Doors: Custom mix of Stardew, Uncertain Gray by Sherwin Williams with a little Wales Gray by Benjamin Moore. Master Bedroom Our master bedroom is one the main level. It is part of a bump out in the rear of the house with amazing views. Our house is on 5 acres and we have beautiful fields, woods, and rolling hills all around us. We chose to put mainly windows on the whole back wall for this reason. I wanted a very bright airy room so I chose to use the crisp white paint in here. If you didn’t already know, I love white!! White walls make me happy and draw your attention to furniture pieces and art. We still need to add molding to this room as part of my design plan from the beginning but some things we just haven’t gotten to yet! Custom upholstered headboard from The Tufted Frog. Bedding from Linens and Hutch. End of bed leather bench from Joss & Main. White Tree from Joss & Main. Custom pillows from Cruel Mountain Designs. Table lamps from Home Goods. Brass chandelier from Lamps Plus – similar here. White fabric Roman shades from Blinds.com – similar here. Rug by Surya Rugs. Master Bath Our master bath is another space where I chose to scrimp on other bathrooms so that I could put the materials I wanted in here. We chose to pare down the size of the bathroom to allow for a larger closet for me which is through that pocket door. Again, my love for cool white and gray marble ruled all of my decisions. Floor is Carrara marble 12×24 tiles laid in a herringbone pattern. Counters are Mont Blanc marble and are 9 feet long. I used square undermount sinks. Wallpaper by York Wallcoverings. It’s a raised textured paper. Turkish towels by Olive and Linen. Chandelier by Artcraft Lighting. Details I wanted to use a mirror that covered the entire wall so I chose to have my sconces mounted to the mirror. Lucite and polished nickel sconces by Savoy House. Faucets are American Standard. Cabinet hardware in polished nickel from Amerock Hardware. Stool from Joss and Main. Shower Shower floor is Carrara marble hexagon tile and walls are Carrara 3×6 subway tile. Shower seat is a solid slab of Mont Blanc marble. Daughter’s Room My daughter is the only girl so we are all about making everything girly for her! The wallpaper in her room takes the focus so I wanted to leave her other 3 walls crisp white. I chose to do the ceiling in a blush pink – Intimate White by Sherwin Williams. It adds some fun to her ceiling. Her bed, nightstands, and bench are all french antiques. Bedding from Beddy’s. Pillows from Home Goods. Wallpaper by York Wallcoverings. Chandelier from Pottery Barn. 8×10 Rug from esale rugs. Same flooring upstairs as we have downstairs. Daughter’s Bathroom My only daughter gets the bedroom with the ensuite bathroom. Her counter is Quartzite. She also has the only bathtub in the house. I chose white 3×12 elongated subway tile laid in a herringbone pattern for her shower walls. Antique chair I painted the ceiling color – SW Intimate white (which oddly enough is a blush pink). Walls are like her room All White by Farrow & Ball. Floor tile is 12×24 tile from Home Depot. All cabinetry in the house from J&K Cabinetry. Shower curtain from Home Goods. Chandelier from Wayfair. Oldest Son’s room My oldest just so happened to get the largest of the kids’ rooms. In our last house, all of their bedrooms were about 10×10 so it is so amazing having so much space! His room is about 13×17. Lucky Kid! He also has the largest of the closets. I did gray painted walls in his room. Paint color is Seattle by Sherwin Williams. One wall is wallpapered in paper from MK Wallpaper designed by Jullian Harris. Bed, nightstand, and desk are all refinished antique shop finds. Gray braided chair from Lamp Plus. Leather butterfly chair from Home Goods. Task Lamp from Home Goods. Light fixture from Lighting Design Company. Tommy Hilfiger drapes from Home Goods. Middle Son’s Room The 8×10 rug by Mohawk. Bedding by Beddy’s. Light fixture from Lighting Design Company. Wood planked wall from Stikwood. Antique lockers are salvaged and bought at a flea market. Bed was also a flea market find and I repainted it. Wall color is Kentucky Haze by Benjamin Moore. Pillows by Summed Classics. Meet the Homeowers Make sure to follow Molly from @mk_interiors_ on Instagram and stop by her website to see more photos of her beautiful home! Holiday Deals Pottery Barn: The Holiday Event: 20 to 25% OFF + Free Shipping: Use Code: SNOWMAN Wayfair: Weekend Mega Deals – 80% Off + Many New Items on Clearance!!! West Elm: Up to 40% Off + Free Shipping. Use Code: MERRY One Kings Lane: 30% Sitewide & Free Shipping on orders over $100 with Code: OKLFREESHIP Serena & Lily: Get started on your holiday shopping with 20% off everything at Serena and Lily. Use code CHEERS Williams & Sonoma: Up to 50% off + Free Shipping with Code: EXTRA Nordstrom: Up to 40% off select styles plus an extra 20% off sale items. J.Crew: Take an 30% off extra. Use code: BUNDLEUP JCPenny: 65% OFF when you spend $100 or more: Use Code: 33FORYOU Neiman Marcus: $50 Off your $200 Purchase with Code: DEC50 Pier 1: Free Shipping on Everything! Use Code: FREESHIP McGee & Co.: Free Shipping: Use Code: MERRY Joss & Main: Huge Sales – Up to 75% OFF! See more “Beautiful Homes of Instagram”: @SweetShadyLane: Beautiful Homes of Instagram. @BlueBarnAndCottage: Beautiful Homes of Instagram. @crateandcottage: Beautiful Homes of Instagram. @decorandmoredesigns: Beautiful Homes of Instagram. @The.Executive.Way: Beautiful Homes of Instagram. Click here to see all “Beautiful Homes of Instagram”. Posts of the Week Newest Interior Design Ideas. English Farmhouse Home. Transitional Family Home Design. Christmas Interior Design Ideas. Modern Farmhouse Family Home. Inspiring California Beach House Design. White Kitchen with Navy Blue Island. Interior Design Ideas. More Interior Design Ideas. You can follow my pins here: Pinterest/HomeBunch See more Inspiring Interior Design Ideas in my Archives. Popular Paint Color Posts: The Best Benjamin Moore Paint Colors 2016 Paint Color Ideas for your Home Interior Paint Color and Color Palette Pictures Interior Paint Color and Color Palette Ideas Inspiring Interior Paint Color Ideas Interior Paint Color and Color Palette New 2015 Paint Color Ideas Interior Paint Color Ideas Interior Design Ideas: Paint Color Interior Ideas: Paint Color More Paint Color Ideas Hello my friends, Pinterest: Many of you have written emails asking me why you aren’t being able to pin lately. Pinterest is working to resolve this issue ( I have sent them many emails – feel free to send them an email too – that might help them to act faster!) and hopefully we’ll be able to pin soon. Meanwhile, feel free to pin from my Instagram or repin my pins here. Thank you for your support, my friends and have a Blessed day! with Love, Luciane from HomeBunch.com Interior Design Services within Your Budget Come Follow me on Come Follow me on Get Home Bunch Posts Via Email Contact Luciane “For your shopping convenience, this post might contain links to retailers where you can purchase the products (or similar) featured. I make a small commission if you use these links to make your purchase so thank you for your support!”

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touristguidebuzz · 7 years

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Winter Retreats Cater to Travelers Who Don’t Want to Ski or Snowboard

The snow-capped view from Shantigiri Spa, one of six on the Schloss Elmau complex in Bavaria, Germany. The resort offers a number of activities for travelers who want a more relaxing, as opposed to active, winter vacation. Schloss Elmau

Skift Take: Most businesses need to figure out ways to expand their customer bases. Winter inns and resorts are adding more programming and services to appeal to travelers who want a wintry getaway, but don't necessarily like getting on skis to descend mountains at breakneck speeds.

— Deanna Ting

It’s a request travel experts get more often than you think: What if a person wants to go somewhere wintry, and do … nothing?

Sure, the snow and cold weather offer plenty of active delights: skiing, sledding, trekking, ice fishing. But let the masses head to ski resorts and the hardcore head off into the backcountry. For a certain set, it’s other things they’re after: dog sled rides, solving puzzles, going to concert performances, racking up some serious hot tub time, and just parking one’s self in front of the fire. Thanks to the destinations below, you can do all that and less while wrapped in the lap of luxury.

Go Storm Chasing on Vancouver Island

From November through February, 30-foot swells and gale-force winds lash the western shores of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, putting on an awesome show for guests at the Wickaninnish Inn. The Wick, as regulars call it, was designed for storm watching, a favorite childhood pastime of the owner. Each of the 75 rooms has unobstructed Pacific views, a gas fireplace, and a soaking tub. Intrepid guests can don ponchos and wellies and experience a “west coast facial,” which occurs when the rain goes sideways in the wind and massages your face as you walk along Chesterman Beach. Too intense? Book a Pacific Sea Salt Glow facial at the Ancient Cedars Spa and Zen out to the sound of crashing waves. From $340.

Live Your Most Cultured Life in Bavaria

Schloss Elmau brings the best of New York or Berlin to a tranquil valley in the Bavarian Alps in southern Germany. The unique resort—composed of a 162-room, family-friendly hotel, a 47-suite retreat, and six spas—is the ultimate digital detox. Its world-class concert hall hosts 200 performances a year (with tickets included in the room rate), including a popular Chamber Music Festival each January and literary talks from authors such as Ian McEwan and T.C. Boyle. Though the hotel offers Apple TV and high speed Wi-Fi, why not unplug your devices and chill out in the three libraries and on-site bookstore instead? From $260, including cultural events.

Mush With Huskies in Alaska

There’s nothing cozy about the Alaskan wilderness, unless you’re staying in one of the five knotty pine guest cabins at Winterlake Lodge. Operated by the Dixon family, this remote retreat is set on 15 acres overlooking a frozen lake and primarily accessible by seaplane. The lodge has its own team of huskies, and Carl Dixon gives mushing tutorials, but he’ll happily take the reins while guests enjoy views from the sleigh. Head into the wild on a helicopter safari in search of elk, moose, caribou, and badgers, then return to pre-dinner wine and cheese by the fire. Carl’s wife, Kirsten, is an award-winning chef, so save room for her multi-course dinners of reindeer tenderloin with duck fat potatoes and mushroom-and-truffle gnocchi. From $4,370 for two nights, including meals, activities, and one helicopter adventure.

Master Woodworking in the Italian Alps

Fashion-industry veterans Giorgia and Stefano Barbini reimagined a 16th century hunting lodge in Italy’s Dolomites as a luxurious mountain escape for friends. Now San Lorenzo Lodge, their exclusive, four-room chalet, mixes classic alpine decor with updated touches such as underfloor heating and a spruce sauna. In the winter, Stefano hosts woodcarving workshops and leads moonlit snowshoe tours. This being Italy, though, food is at the heart of the experience. Each evening, Giorgia prepares a feast of regional recipes, which Stefano pairs with wine from the stable-turned-1,500-bottle cellar. From $3,195 per day for up to six guests.

Wax Poetic on Whiskey in Tennessee

Set on a 4,200-acre estate at the foothills of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, Blackberry Farm is the perfect place to hibernate for a winter weekend. With a working farm, craft brewery, and one of the deepest wine collections in America (160,000-plus bottles) this is foodie nirvana. Leisurely days start with digging into fluffy egg-topped cheese grits and crispy bacon while watching the fog roll across the mountains. Read in a rocking chair, get pampered at the Wellhouse Spa, or sign up for a winter-enrichment weekend focused on such obsessions as puzzling or photography. Evenings revolve around fancy farm-to-table meals in a restored barn and often end with a nightcap of Pappy van Winkle by the fire in the Hickory Room. From $695, including meals.

Watch Icebergs Pass in Newfoundland

Fogo Island, located off the northern coast of Newfoundland, is about as off-the-grid as one can get. Its austere landscape is even more extraordinary in the winter, when the 29-suite Fogo Island Inn becomes a haven for artists, foodies, and burnt-out urbanites looking for rest and relaxation. Guests looking to connect with nature can track caribou by snowshoe or, in March, view frozen monoliths floating down Iceberg Alley from Greenland to the North Atlantic. An artist-in-residency program and a 37-seat cinema satisfy cultural cravings, while rooftop hot tubs are meant for meditative star-gazing sessions. From $1,429.

Solve a Murder Mystery in Vermont

Located just a half-hour’s drive from the major ski resorts in southern Vermont, Twin Farms feels like an elevated take on the classic New England bed-and-breakfast. Its famous soufflé pancakes are reason alone to book a stay. A main lodge, housed in an 18th century farmhouse, features four rooms decorated with vintage flags, antique quilts, and other Americana. Sixteen individually designed cottages are scattered across the 300-acre grounds, all with fieldstone fireplaces and screened-in porches. Guests can go sledding out the door then thaw out in the spa’s Japanese furo, a type of sleek, wooden bathtub. For a more social stay, check out the inn’s Art of A Vermont Winter event series, which includes furniture-making workshops with local woodworker Thomas Shackleton and murder mystery weekends. From $1,500, all-inclusive.

Try Ice Fishing with Cowboys in Montana

Dude ranches are best known for action-fueled summer activities. When the snow falls, rates drop and the pace slows. At Triple Creek Ranch, an adults-only, all-inclusive property in Montana’s Bitterroot Range, the focus shifts from cattle drives and horseback riding to snowshoeing and ice fishing. Couples hunker down in log cabins equipped with wood-burning fireplaces and, in most cases, hot tubs; oftentimes, they don’t reappear until dinner. Meals at the Relais & Châteaux-approved restaurant (think wagyu beef with caramelized fennel home fries, paired with a rare Bordeaux) are a highlight of every stay. From $1,050.

Winter Retreats Cater to Travelers Who Don’t Want to Ski or SnowboardThis article was written by Jen Murphy from Bloomberg and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].

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businessweekme · 7 years

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How to Master the Delicate Art of the Do-Nothing Winter Vacation

It’s a request travel experts get more often than you think: What if a person wants to go somewhere wintry, and do … nothing?

Go Storm Chasing on Vancouver Island

Live Your Most Cultured Life in Bavaria

Read more: This Little Tool Will Solve Most Clothing Snafus When You Travel

Read more: Why Wearing a Rolex When You Travel Can Actually Make You Safer

Mush With Huskies in Alaska

Master Woodworking in the Italian Alps

Wax Poetic on Whiskey in Tennessee

Watch Ice Drift in Newfoundland

Fogo Island, located off the northern coast of Newfoundland, is about as off-the-grid as one can get. Its austere landscape is even more extraordinary in the winter, when the 29-suite Fogo Island Inn becomes a haven for artists, foodies, and burnt-out urbanites looking for rest and relaxation. Guests looking to connect with nature can track caribou by snowshoe or, in March, view giant sheets of ice floating down Iceberg Alley from Greenland to the North Atlantic. An artist-in-residency program and a 37-seat cinema satisfy cultural cravings, while rooftop hot tubs are meant for meditative star-gazing sessions. From $1,429.

Solve a Murder Mystery in Vermont

Try Ice Fishing with Cowboys in Montana

The post How to Master the Delicate Art of the Do-Nothing Winter Vacation appeared first on Bloomberg Businessweek Middle East.

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#Travel & Tourism #luxury holiday

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rollinbrigittenv8 · 7 years

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Winter Retreats Cater to Travelers Who Don’t Want to Ski or Snowboard

— Deanna Ting

It’s a request travel experts get more often than you think: What if a person wants to go somewhere wintry, and do … nothing?

Go Storm Chasing on Vancouver Island

Live Your Most Cultured Life in Bavaria

Mush With Huskies in Alaska

Master Woodworking in the Italian Alps

Wax Poetic on Whiskey in Tennessee

Watch Icebergs Pass in Newfoundland

Solve a Murder Mystery in Vermont

Try Ice Fishing with Cowboys in Montana

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thegratefulgolfer · 2 months

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500th Hickory Stick Golf Game

In just a few short years, my friend Lorne Emery has played his 500th game using his hickory shafted golf clubs. An ardent player of old clubs, Lorne invited me to join him on his historic journey. As I arrived early at the Cambridge Golf Club to discuss Lorne’s hickory stick passion, I quickly realized that this phase of his golf journey has only just begun. Listening to him talk about the…

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#golfing with hickory sticks #hickory golf events #hickory shaft golf clubs #Northern Hickory Tour

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itsworn · 7 years

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Championship Check Up

As we hit the midway point of October, most traveling series around the county are about to put the wraps on their Championship battle (if they haven’t already). We’ll take a quick look around to see who has won and who is on the track to a title.

All Star Circuit of Champions

www.allstarsprint.com

Chad Kemenah is well on his way to the 2017 All Star Circuit of Champions title. He is 469 points ahead of Ryan Smith with just two races remaining.

Races Remaining

Oct. 13 – Mansfield (OH) Motor Speedway

Oct. 14 – Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, OH)

American Modified Series

www.americanmodifiedseries.com

Josh Harris has a commanding 530 point lead over Gabe Menser with just one stop remaining this season.

Races Remaining

Oct. 28 – Florence Speedway (Union, KY)

American Canadian Tour (ACT)

www.acttour.com

Scott Payea leads Dillon Moltz by 37 points with just one race remaining.

Races Remaining

Oct. 14 – Thompson (CT) Speedway Motorsports Park

ARCA (Automobile Race Club of America)

www.arcaracing.com

Austin Theriault has a healthy 400 point lead over Dalton Sargeant with just ones stop remaining.

Races Remaining

Oct. 20 – Kansas Speedway

ARCA Midwest Tour

Midwesttour.racing

Ty Majeski won his fourth straight series Championship

American Sprint Car Series

www.ascsracing.com

With two weekends remaining Sam Hafertepe Jr. holds a 400 point lead over Aaron Reutzel.

Races Remaining

Oct. 20-21 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX)

Oct. 27-28 – Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)

Big 8 Series

www.big8series.com

Michael Bilderback won his third straight series Championship.

Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series

www.buckeyesprints.com

Dustin Smith won the 2017 BOSS Championship.

CARS Tour

www.carsracingtour.com

Layne Riggs holds a slim four-point lead over Josh Berry and is nine points ahead of Anthony Alfredo in the Late Model Stocks. Cole Rouse is eight points ahead of Brandon Setzer heading into the final Super Late Model event.

Races Remaining

Oct. 14 – South Boston (VA) Speedway

Carolina Clash

www.carolinaclash.com

With two races remaining Zack Mitchell sits 68 points ahead of rookie Michael Brown.

Races Remaining

Oct. 14 – Carolina Speedway (Gastonia, NC)

Nov. 18-19 – Cherokee Speedway (Gaffney, SC)

Champion Racing Association

www.cra-racing.com

Johnny Van Doorn won the CRA Super Series Championship. Carson Hocevar won the CRA JEGS All Star Tour title.

Dirt Kings Late Model Tour

www.dirtkingstour.com

Nick Anvelink won the first ever Dirt Kings Late Model Tour Championship.

Empire Super Sprints

www.empiresupersprints.com

Although two races remain this season, the Empire Super Sprints will not award points. Jason Barney is the 2017 Champion.

Races Remaining

Oct. 14 – Brockville Ontario Speedway

Oct. 21 – Outlaw Speedway (Dundee, NY)

Fastrak Racing Series

www.fastrakracing.com

Benji Hicks leads Jensen Ford by 22 points with three weekends remaining in the season.

Races Remaining

Oct. 14-15 – Toccoa (GA) Raceway

Nov. 3-4 – Lavonia (GA) Speedway

Nov. 17-18 – Screven Motor Speedway (Sylvania, GA)

International Super Modified Association (ISMA)

www.ismasupers.com

Jon McKennedy has a 24-point lead over Tim Jedrzejek with just one race remaining.

Races Remaining

Oct. 13-15 – Thompson (CT) Speedway Motorsports Park

Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series

www.lucasdirt.com

Tim McCreadie leads Josh Richards by 40 points with a two-day stop at Porstmouth left to decide the 2017 title.

Races Remaining

Oct. 20-21 – Portsmouth (OH) Raceway Park

Mid-American Stock Car Series

www.gopromo.racing

Dan Gilster secured the 2017 Mid-American Stock Car Series Championship. In other Go Racing Promotions series Dave Trute was Champion of the Great Northern Sportsman Series and George Sparkman captured the Midwest Dash Series title.

Midwest Truck Series

www.midwesttruckseries.com

James Swan won the Midwest Truck Series overall and TUNDRA events titles. Danielle Behn won the Midwest Truck Series State Park Speedway Triple Crown Championship.

Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Series

www.mustseeracing.com

With one race remaining Jimmy McCune leads Anthony McCune by 97 points.

Oct. 20-21 – Myrtle Beach (SC) Speedway

NASCAR Local Racing

Hometracks.nascar.com

Harrison Burton is the K&N Pro Series East Champion. Doug Coby holds a 10 point lead over Justin Bonsignore in the Whelen Mods with one race remaining. Todd Gilliland is up by 11 points over Chris Eggleston with two stops still left in the K&N Pro Series West.

Oct. 14 – All American Speedway (Roseville, CA) (K&N West)

Oct. 15 – Thompson (CT) Speedway Motorsports Park (Whelen Mods)

Nov. 4 – Kern County Raceway Park (Bakersfield, CA) (K&N West)

Nesmith

www.nesmithracing.com

Cory Hedgecock holds a commanding 210 point lead over Grant Garrison.

Races Remaining

Oct. 13-14 – Talladega (AL) Short Track

Nov. 3-4 – Southern Raceway (Milton, FL)

Nov. 23-25 – Magnolia (MS) Motor Speedway

Northwest Super Late Model Series

www.nwslmseries.com

Brittney Zamora became the first female Northwest Super Late Model Series Champion.

NYPA Midgets

www.nypamidgets.com

Kyle Hutchinson won the 2017 NYPA Midget Championship.

POWRi Racing

www.powri.com

Logan Seavey holds a 230-point lead over Tucker Klaasmeyer with one race remaining in the POWRi National Midgets. Korey Weyant is the 2017 WAR Sprint Cars Champion.

Oct. 22 – Wayne County Speedway (Wayne City, IL)

Pro All Stars Series (PASS)

www.proallstarsseries.com

Travis Benjamin is the 2017 PASS North Champion. Matt Craig is 74 points clear of Kodie Conner with two races remaining in the PASS South. Ben Rowe leads David Farrington Jr. by 29 points in the PASS National Standings.

Races Remaining

Oct. 14 – Oxford (ME) Plains Speedway

Oct. 21 – Orange County Speedway (Rougemont, NC) (PASS South)

Nov. 3-4 – Concord (NC) Speedway (PASS South)

Nov. 18 – Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway

Southern United Professional Racing Series

www.suprracing.com

With one race remaining B.J. Robinson is 45 points ahead of Jon Mitchell.

Races Remaining

Oct. 21 – Chatham (LA) Speedway

Super DIRTcar Series

www.superdirtcarseries.com

Matt Sheppard tops Billy Decker by 46 points with two races remaining.

Oct. 13 – Brockville Ontario Speedway

Nov. 2-4 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte

TUNDRA Super Late Model Series

www.tundrasuperlates.com

Dalton Zehr won his third TUNDRA Championship.

USAC

www.usacracing.com

Kody Swanson won the 2017 USAC Silver Crown Championship. Justin Grant is 45 points ahead of Chris Windom in the Sprint Car Standings. The margin is 66 points between leader Spencer Bayston and Brady Bacon in the Midgets.

Races Remaining

Oct. 14 – Terre Haute (IN) Action Track (Sprints)

Oct. 22 – Wayne County Speedway (Wayne City, IL) (Midgets)

Nov. 3-4 – Arizona Speedway (San Tan Valley, AZ) (Sprints)

Nov. 9-11 – Perris (CA) Auto Speedway (Sprints) Nov. 18 – Bakersfield (CA) Speedway (Midgets)

Nov. 23 – Ventura (CA) Raceway (Midgets)

World of Outlaws Late Models

www.woolms.com

Brandon Sheppard has spaced himself to a 300-point lead over Chris Madden.

Oct. 13-14 – The Dirt Oval at Route 66 (Joliet, IL)

Nov. 2-4 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte

World of Outlaws Sprint Cars

www.woosprint.com

Donny Schatz is 158 points ahead of David Gravel.

Races Remaining

Oct. 14 – Port Royal (PA) Speedway

Oct. 15 – Weedsport (NY) Speedway

Oct. 16 – Ransomville (NY) Speedway

Oct. 20 – Lakeside Speedway (Kansas City, KS)

Oct. 21 – Salina (OK) Highbanks Speedway

Oct. 27-28 – Dodge City (KS) Raceway Park

Nov. 2-4 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte

The post Championship Check Up appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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actutrends · 5 years

Text

Hometown hero J.T. Poston wins in historic fashion at Wyndham Championship

J.T. Poston, a native of North Carolina, wins the Wyndham Championship and becomes the first PGA Tour champ to go bogey-free in more than four decades

A quick look at J.T. Poston’s scorecard this week at the Wyndham Championship shows something not seen in a long time. A lot of circles—21 of them, in fact—but no squares. Not one of them.

Poston is projected to rise to 27th in the FedEx Cup standings, which begins next week with The Northern Trust at Liberty National in New Jersey.

The post Hometown hero J.T. Poston wins in historic fashion at Wyndham Championship appeared first on Actu Trends.

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junker-town · 7 years

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Matt DiBenedetto wants to be the face of NASCAR. Now he needs cash.

NASCAR driver Matt DiBenedetto is sitting on Willie Nelson’s old tour bus watching me crash his race car into a cement wall.

It’s Friday afternoon, the day before the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway in Virginia. DiBenedetto, his director of communications Ryan Ellis, and I are playing NASCAR HEAT 2 on Xbox to pass the time before DiBenedetto runs his qualifying laps. This old RV has been on the race circuit for a while now since Willie stopped touring in it (if the rumors are true), and sometimes DiBenedetto and Ellis stay here, parked among other drivers’ personal, shiny, multi-million dollar buses. One of the walls near the front bears the signatures of Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Jimmie Johnson, and other NASCAR legends.

Everything about DiBenedetto’s life is on wheels. When he isn't moving, he's sitting around waiting to move. He gets to the track each week on Thursday night, whether the race is Saturday night or Sunday afternoon, and the hours between practice, qualifying laps, and races stretch long. DiBenedetto, 26, and Ellis, 27, are best friends not only because they like each other, but also because they understand the strains of being on the road 38 weekends a year. Besides Ellis, the people DiBenedetto hangs out with most are his parents, his wife Taylor, and Cosmo, his 40-something neighbor who owns a car dealership.

"I don't see anyone," Ellis says, eyes on the screen, hands on the controller. "Getting older means being lonely."

At some point, DiBenedetto signed his name on the wall under Waltrip's. But, unlike most of the other drivers, he left off his car number. Perhaps in the hopes that No. 32 won’t be what he’s saddled with forever.

“You're pretty stuck there, try backing up,” DiBenedetto says. He and Ellis, who was also a full-time driver until this year, laugh as they watch me realize Ellis is actually controlling the car on the top screen that I thought I was moving. On the bottom half of the screen, I've actually been slamming DiBenedetto’s character into a barrier on pit road for a full minute.

We restart, and DiBenedetto’s car materializes, magically repaired. I’m looking at the right one this time as the green checkered flag falls. Ellis, who’s racing as Dale Earnhardt Jr., wins. I come in 27th, and apologize to Real Matt for Computer Matt’s less-than-stellar showing.

“That’s okay,” he says, “That’s probably about where we’ll finish tomorrow anyway.”

DiBenedetto declines to play as himself. Ellis says he'll do it, so we switch controllers. He changes the location to Bristol Motor Speedway and rockets around the short track. He wins again. Computer Matt climbs out of the car on the black and white checkered pavement of victory lane and stands on the roof, pumping his pixelated fists as confetti falls. The scene is familiar; DiBenedetto became the youngest winner in Bristol’s history when he raced late models there 10 years ago.

“That guy looks nothing like me,” DiBenedetto says. “What's with my dang hair?”

Computer Matt is a scrawny guy with red, curly hair, and a full beard. Real Matt — who peppers his speech with “dang”s, “darn”s, and “gosh”es — has straight, brown hair that always looks like it’s picture day at school. His face is boyish, handsome, with a jawline he squares up by trimming his short beard just so.

DiBenedetto also has biceps. Put together, they're almost the same size as his substantial core. He works out a lot, and has grown into a sturdy dude since he won Bristol as a 5’1” 16-year-old clocking in at a whopping 75 pounds. You have to be strong to wrestle a car without power-steering around a track. He sweats out 15 pounds of water and burns thousands of calories over three and a half hours during a race. NASCAR is as physically grueling as it mentally punishing.

There might be a glitch in the game, because Computer Matt won’t stop pumping his fists. Real Matt gets up from the pleather banquette to take a video of the video game celebration. He’s obsessive about documenting his life on Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and Instagram. This mostly entails posting videos of him pranking his wife, Taylor, with rubber snakes, or cannonballing into the pool next to her while she's sleeping on a float, but also includes candid reactions to very good and very bad races. DiBenedetto gets his sense of humor from his mother, Sandy. She’s a tiny, energetic woman who recently snuck into DiBenedetto’s house to hide a lifelike plastic tarantula behind the toaster. Her son is scared of spiders.

Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

DiBenedetto’s followers respond to his social media presence with fierce loyalty. Despite having a fraction of the followers big name drivers command, he almost made it into this year’s All-Star race on the fan vote.

DiBenedetto tells me he identifies with Dale Earnhardt Jr., the way he connects with fans.

“That’s what I’d like to be,” he says.

The sport is battling the perception of declining national interest and waning viewership, and, with Dale Jr. retiring, it could use a relatable guy like DiBenedetto to step into the spotlight. DiBenedetto knows he has the talent and personality for it. He also knows he has to nail down big time sponsors or join a state-of-the-art team for it to happen.

As the son of an appliance repairman, DiBenedetto wasn't born into money. And if you want to win in NASCAR's Cup Series (the major leagues), you need cold, hard cash to fund one of the completely custom-made, spaceship-like vehicles required to win in NASCAR today. These things are hunks of technology that get tested in wind tunnels, calibrated down to milli-everything, and cost $20 million to maintain for one season. The days when you could buy some parts, screw them together, and become a hero the way Dale Earnhardt Sr. did are long gone. A sport that markets itself as blue collar is closer to America's Cup sailing than it would like you to know.

DiBenedetto’s story is Sisyphean: Since he was 5 years old, he’s been pushing, endlessly, to get to the top of the sport he loves. He’s been bowled over and he's tumbled down many times. But — thanks to his raw talent, dumb luck, and sheer force of will — he’ll race tomorrow night at the highest level of the sport in a car that has his name on the side. His equipment isn't the best, and he knows there’s no way he’ll win. But just the fact that he’s made it this far, he says, is like lightning striking twice.

He can finally see the crest of the hill. The question now is whether he can make it to the top.

Sandy calls DiBenedetto her “oops baby.” When she found out she was pregnant in 1991, she and DiBenedetto’s father, Tony, were in their late 30s, already had three kids, and were running Tony’s business fixing washers and dryers. Sandy says she cried for the entire first trimester, but is quick to add that Matt’s been the best thing that ever happened to the family.

Family lore has it that Young Matt fell in love with NASCAR when he caught a glimpse of a race as his father clicked through the TV channels trying to find a baseball game. He became obsessed, watching every Sunday after that, tracking his favorite driver Jeff Burton in the No. 99 car.

DiBenedetto is telling me The Myth of Matt on Thursday night from the passenger seat of Ryan’s 2012 Ford Focus. Ryan’s driving us from his house just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, to the Richmond Raceway. Ryan always drives. DiBenedetto hates driving anything when there’s a destination. He only likes going in circles: driving race cars around tracks, doing doughnuts in parking lots, forcing ATVs up and down mounds of dirt.

Once they realized DiBenedetto was hooked on cars and there was no dissuading him, Sandy and Tony bought him a go-kart, then a modified car. DiBenedetto turned his family's grassy backyard in Northern California into a dirt track. When he got home from school, he would drag the unwieldy garden house out to the yard so he could water, rake, and tamp down the dust of his race course. Then he’d fire up the engine of his lead sled — brap, brap, brap — and tear up all his hard work, splattering mud onto the metal of his machine as he careened around the corners he'd constructed.

Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR

DiBenedetto at a NASCAR Pro East Series race at Dover International Speedway in 2009.

DiBenedetto started winning races, then championships. People at tracks who watched him deftly maneuver the used go-karts and modified cars the DiBenedettos could afford would tell Tony and Sandy to “do something with this kid.”

So they did. When DiBenedetto was 12, the family moved to North Carolina. They wanted to be close to Charlotte, where the majority of NASCAR teams are headquartered, but the city was too big and busy for them. So they settled on Hickory, a small town about an hour outside of Charlotte that has a race track.

DiBenedetto was fresh out of Outlaw karts and just getting into racing Legends cars on local circuits by then, winning race after race at the Hickory Motor Speedway. He soon graduated to Late Models, and won lots of those, too, eventually touring up and down the East Coast.

Despite his promise, when DiBenedetto was 16 his parents realized they couldn’t afford to pay for his passion anymore. They wanted to, but it was just too darn expensive. If DiBenedetto was really as good as everyone said he was, someone — a team owner, a wealthy patron — would put him in a car, Tony believed. So he told his son he was going to sell all of his racing equipment.

A lot of families on the race circuits below NASCAR often say they’re going to get rid of everything. They’ll kvetch about it at races with other parents, saying to each other, “Oh, yeah, this year is the last.” Owning a race car is like feeding a growing teenage boy; you can’t ever put enough into one. But most of the families who threaten to quit don't. They’ll show up the next year with a few new parts, maybe a new trailer.

Tony actually followed through. DiBenedetto came home from high school one day to find that everything was gone. His cars weren’t in their parking spots, and the truck his parents dragged the trailer behind had disappeared. The trailer was gone, too. Their little makeshift shop next to the house was empty. You’d only know someone there drove race cars because of the trophies in DiBenedetto’s room.

“And then, at the end of the season, another driver came in with millions of dollars. I was out as quick as I was in. So again, I’m like, well, my career is over. I have nothing.”

“It was time number one of one thousand that I thought my career was over,” DiBenedetto says. “I thought I was all done.”

DiBenedetto says his family thought they’d be able to run a team for him because they were “naive.” His parents use the word “naive,” too. They also all say “struck by lightning twice,” and Sandy and DiBenedetto list the racing equipment they sold in the same order. Tony says that if DiBenedetto ever disrespects a fan, even if he’s super old, he’ll “get out of his wheelchair and kick his ass.” DiBenedetto tells me that if he ever disrespects a fan, Tony will “get out of his wheelchair and kick my ass.”

The DiBenedettos know the script. They’ve had to tell and sell their story to countless sponsors, team owners, fans, and (more recently) journalists just to keep DiBenedetto in the sport. They schmooze, network, cold-call businesses, and market DiBenedetto — who turns himself into a human billboard whenever he puts on his fire suit splashed with sponsor’s logos — just to stay in the sport.

At this point in the story, we pull into a gas station in the middle of nowhere. DiBenedetto asks Ellis if he needs gas, and Ellis says no, we should be fine. As Ellis pays for the energy drinks and snacks he’s hoping will help him stay awake, DiBenedetto goes outside and fills up his friend’s car anyway.

We get back on the road. It’s 11:30 — we’ve been driving for close to two and a half hours, and we still have two left. That’s nothing for these guys. They're now on a team with enough money to fly to most races, but the first time they raced together in 2014, they’d drive across the country smushed into the backseat of a van with 10 pit crew guys. They recall some of their trips, like the time they overslept and had to Uber to the racetrack in Chicago. It's funny to imagine: two race car drivers with their helmets and fire suits in the back of some stranger’s Kia.

After Tony sold his racing equipment, DiBenedetto was rudderless for a while. But, just like Tony said they would, people started calling, offering rides. First, it was a team out of Asheville, then it was a family in Charlotte. DiBenedetto hopped in and out of different cars and put up more incredible finishes.

It was during this time that DiBenedetto won at Bristol. Then he got a call from Joe Gibbs Racing, a powerhouse team that guys like Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin drive for. Gibbs had been keeping an eye on him since he beat his team in a race a few years ago. They wanted him to come in for a meeting at team headquarters in the Charlotte area.

DiBenedetto, who was 17 at the time, had no idea what to expect. He thought they just wanted to meet him, say hello, keep him on the back burner. Instead, they put a contract on the table in front of him and told him to sign if he wanted a development deal.

DiBenedetto couldn’t pick up the pen fast enough. It would be the first time that he had steady access to equipment commensurate with his talent. He started beating most of the people he raced against in one of Gibbs’ K&N cars (think minor, minor leagues of NASCAR). He was ripping up concrete tracks like he was back on the West Coast tearing through the dirt of his old backyard.

Photo by Sara D. Davis/Getty Images for NASCAR

Matt and Tony after Matt won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Race at the Bowman Gray Stadium, on Saturday, June 4, 2011.

So the team bumped DiBenedetto up and put him in an Xfinity car in 2009 (think triple-A). He’d never driven one before. They’re a whole different animal from K&N cars, but that first race in the Xfinity Series was a dream come true anyway: DiBenedetto finished an impressive 14th after running second for most of it against big names like Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth.

The next season was a nightmare. Everything went perfectly wrong. DiBenedetto didn’t get to practice enough, and he only got to run six races. He made mistakes he says he’d be able to avoid now, but he also had a lot of bad luck, from blown tires to wrecks that weren’t his fault.

“And then, at the end of the season, another driver came in with millions of dollars,” DiBenedetto says. “I was out as quick as I was in. So again, I’m like, well, my career is over. I have nothing.”

Sandy and Tony say they’re glad the Gibbs deal didn’t work out. They think their son has stayed grounded because he’s had to fight so hard to stay in the sport since then. But DiBenedetto has a hard time truly believing that. If he’d done well, it would’ve been a fast track to a ride in one of the best Cup Series cars on the circuit. He could’ve been a household name by now.

Instead, DiBenedetto went home to Hickory. He was 19, and, feeling like he was out of options, went to work at Carillo’s Collision Repair, an auto body shop in the area.

“I wanted to blow my brains out every day,” DiBenedetto says, turning around in his seat to look at me. “Not that I was unappreciative of life or anything, I just had no passion for doing that crap. I hated it.”

DiBenedetto worked at the shop while he continued to network in the NASCAR world. He’d run some races on the weekends, but during the week he fixed normal cars that normal people drove to run normal errands. It smelled like racing — engine grease, burnt rubber, oil-soaked rags — but it was the opposite. It was standing still.

Eventually, a family-run team took a liking to DiBenedetto and let him “start and park” the worse of their son’s two Xfinity cars. This meant that DiBenedetto would qualify the car, then start the race so the owner could collect the money from simply making the field. DiBenedetto would then run a handful of laps and drop out, so as not to burn through a fresh set of wheels.

Then he’d go back to Hickory and the auto body shop.

As frustrating as it was for DiBenedetto not to be able to run full races, just being in the cars paid off. The Motorsports Group (TMG) noticed him and offered him a deal starting-and-parking. They eventually moved him into one of their Xfinity cars in 2014.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Ellis racing at Daytona International Speedway in 2016.

At this point in our road trip, Ellis has started interjecting more as DiBenedetto talks. He was also racing on and off for TMG at the same time DiBenedetto was, so he’s in the story now. He remembers the races, the practices, the long cross-country drives, the sponsor meetings, that DiBenedetto is telling me about.

Ellis’s grandfather built cars for Mario Andretti and died in a crash the same year Ryan’s father was born. But despite being a racing family like the Elliots, Earnhardts, or Childresses, the Ellises didn't get rich from cars. They couldn't fund Ryan's career.

Ellis misses driving more than he’s willing to admit. When a few fans recognize him at the track over the course of the weekend he lights up, thrilled to sign their cards and hats. What Ellis doesn’t miss is the cutthroat side of the sport. Last year, he kept getting bought out of races by richer, younger, and less experienced drivers who come from family money (we're talking serious money, here: NASCAR drivers are the sons of Vegas casino owners, heads of agricultural lobbies, owners of airlines). It was the same thing that happened to DiBenedetto at Gibbs.

“I became emotionless,” says Ellis, who dropped out of college two classes shy of a marketing degree to drive full time. “Literally. I felt like I was just a zombie. When I’d get bumped from another race, I’d be like, ‘Oh, well that sucks, I’m going to hang myself again.’ I don’t blame the teams, it makes sense for them. But you just become numb.”

He’s glad to finally have a steady paycheck working for Matt. And if it can’t be him, at least his best friend is the one who got one more lucky break than he did. When someone he knows bumps into Ellis bumps at the track and asks what he’s up to now that he’s not racing, he tells her, “I’m living Matt’s dream.”

Despite the fact that DiBenedetto drove well for TMG, the team dropped him at the end of 2014. Thinking it was all over for the umpteenth time, but refusing to quit, DiBenedetto kept calling, emailing, and taking team owners out to dinner trying to schmooze his way back in. He says he even drove eight hours to show up at the Daytona 500 uninvited to convince a team called BK Racing to give him a chance. It worked, and he ran some races for them starting in 2015. Last year, he drove to a sixth-place finish at Bristol, his lucky track. The cars weren’t great, but BK eventually gave DiBenedetto a proper crew chief — a surly guy named Gene — and a dedicated crew that worked on only his ride.

At the end of 2016, DiBenedetto signed with GoFas Racing. A family named St. Hillaire owns the team — they made their fortune running garbage removal and port-a-potty businesses in Maine. GoFas was doing poorly every week, and wanted to be better. DiBenedetto — handsome, talented, personable, available — seemed like the perfect guy to drive their No. 32 car.

Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images

DiBenedetto says that everyone thought he was crazy to sign with GoFas. Gene told the St. Hillaire’s, to their face, that their cars were “junk.” But DiBenedetto believed if he could turn a low-budget program around, maybe the owners of the best teams would finally consider him. Maybe the big-time sponsors would come calling. Maybe the NASCAR world would realize he wasn't going away.

So far, he seems to be doing it. In used equipment and almost no time, DiBenedetto has taken the team to its best finishes ever, including two in the top 10. He came in ninth at the Daytona 500 and eighth in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis — two of NASCAR’s biggest races. GoFas has improved from 38th to 31st in the owners points standings.

The problem is that a whole lot of money still separates DiBenedetto from where he is now and the chance of winning a Cup race. This weekend at Richmond, a finish close to the top 20 would be GoFas’s version of coming in first.

But 20th isn’t first. DiBenedetto’s best still won’t earn him a trophy, and it drives him insane.

On Saturday night at Richmond, DiBenedetto comes in 31st.

The bright floodlights of the raceway glint off the advertisements on the hood of his car as he pulls into the pits. His fenders are scraped up, and the track smells like burning rubber and gasoline fumes. When DiBenedetto takes his helmet off and climbs out of the car, his usually perfect hair is poking up and matted down in various places. He’s a little pale. His lips looked chapped.

“We sucked,” he says.

Ellis and DiBenedetto are driving to back to Charlotte tonight because they want to sleep in their own beds rather than the cramped bunks of Willie’s old bus. Ellis will drive, that is. DiBenedetto will probably fall asleep in the passenger seat after about 45 minutes. But before they can hit the road — before DiBenedetto can even change out of his fire suit — he has to go talk to the sponsors he’s been shepherding around the track all weekend.

These sponsors are wealthy, but they're not giving DiBenedetto enough for him to finally end up in a car as good as he is. For that to happen, DiBenedetto needs to convince a huge corporation to back him, or find many more smaller businesses that want to slap their logos onto his body. He has no choice. In NASCAR, marketing is as much a sport as the driving itself. Even though DiBenedetto signed for another year with GoFas, it all still feels precarious.

Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Most people like DiBenedetto — including Ellis — have given up the dream of driving. In Ellis’s car on Thursday, both of them joked that the most talented driver in the country is probably driving a tractor somewhere. But racing cars is DiBenedetto’s only passion. His stubborn optimism makes him think that maybe someday his skill, dogged ambition, and charisma will be enough. Despite the many times he’s seen evidence that it might not be. The dang world just isn’t fair.

“All I can do is turn left,” he says.

Since DiBenedetto was 16, people have been asking him what he’ll do if this all falls apart. He’s never had an answer, and even thinking about it is terrifying. He keeps straining against that boulder, believing he will get it over that hill. Somebody has to make it, and DiBenedetto refuses to accept that he might not be the guy who does.

Except that it’s not up to him. He’s reminded weekly, thanks to the leaderboard, exactly how far away he is from becoming the face of NASCAR. His story is familiar and deeply American; he wasn’t born with the right last name, or the correct amount of zeros in his bank account, and no matter now hard he pushes his foot down on the pedal of that No. 32 car, it won’t be enough, not unless something changes.

DiBenedetto finally takes off his sweaty suit and puts on a T-shirt and shorts. He and Ellis say goodbye to the sponsors, the team, and DiBenedetto’s parents. They duck into the media center to grab some free pizza before they head back to Ellis’s car.

I retrieve my bag from where I left it on the counter of the GoFas hauler and bump into Curtis, one of the guys on DiBenedetto’s team. He’s older, tall, with a big, white beard, broad shoulders, and a sizable belly. Curtis loves NASCAR. His parents used to carry him to races before he could walk. Working on cars is the only job he’s ever had.

“I can't imagine doing anything different,” Curtis says. “They'll be carrying my cold, dead carcass out of here.”

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theghostsalontapes · 7 years

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Unexpected Developments

Hello all, Its been a less than fun couple weeks here out in Hickory Withe, I’m afraid. Most crucially, I’ve been struggling with a health issue for awhile now that suddenly took a turn for the much more serious and painful, and its led to doctors’ visits, lots of discomfort, and a bit of a shift in priorities. I’ll still be working on the album when I’m able, and it was a relief to find practicing the other night that I could still play a set without any apparent quality or pain issues. We’ve still got local shows and our Midwest tour in the spring coming up. None of that’s changing. But I did have to make the difficult decision to step back from my animal rescue work for the time being so I can focus a bit on recovering and adjusting. Mostly right now I’m just trying to take it easy. Other than this massive and unpleasant distraction, things are going well. We’ve recorded a little more new work, but nothing anywhere near complete as of yet. While tinkering with my new looper during practice the other night (the EHX 22500), I recorded a bit of a progression direct to tape that’s turned into a lovely cassette-based piece, and now that we’re approaching time for collaborators to start filling in their ends of things, I have just the person in mind to maybe sing some wordless vocals over it. I hope it works out. As for the looper itself, I’m VERY excited by the possibilities opened up by dual, independent looping. Neil Jendon (Kwaidan, Catherine, other great projects) up in Chicago has contributed a couple guitar lines to some pieces from earlier in the sessions, and it all sounds amazing. We’ll be collaborating further with him on tour. The other night I combed over the many, many field recordings Denny’s accrued thus-far for the album and it all sounds usable and wonderful and compelling. So much is going according to plan. We even had our first album finally see release, via Custom Made Music, a solid year after it was recorded back in a little shack in Midtown Memphis. You can find the digital edition here - https://nonconnahordeath.bandcamp.com/album/the-gloom-the-glowing and the CD edition at - custommademusicva.com/release/the-gloom-the-glowing-cd/ If you’re a writer interested in reviewing the album, let us know and we’ll toss you a download code or a CD. Oh, and if you can help with tour dates for our March/April Midwest run in any way, please holler at us on Facebook. The prospective dates are as follows, with already booked ones in bold: 03/22 - Nashville, TN 03/23 - Kentucky 03/24 - Cincinnati, OH (Listing Loon) 03/25 - Northern OH/Erie, PA 03/26 - Detroit, MI 03/28 - Chicago, IL (Hungry Brain) 03/29 - Milwaukee, WI 03/30 - Indianapolis, IN 03/31 - Champaign/Urbana or Springfield, IL 04/01 - Saint Louis, MO 04/02 - Memphis, TN That’s all for now. More when more develops! ZC

#tour #nonconnah #noise #drone #ambient #shoegaze #experimental #lo-fi #home recording #fayette county #tn #tennessee #memphis #ghost salon #cassette tape #neil jendon #kwaidan #catherine #custom made music

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cleansweepus · 7 years

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Top 13 hiking trails in NC

This weeks article is in praise of 13 amazing hiking trails in NC! This was hard to narrow down with the amount of amazing outdoor activities to do within NC, but rest assured, a trip to any of these spots will definitely melt the stress away!

1. Craggy Gardens

The Craggy Gardens Trail can be accessed from the south end of the visitor center parking area or from the north end of the picnic area. From the parking area, the trail begins as a self guided nature trail with a moderate uphill climb for .3 mile to a large trail shelter. The self-guiding portion ends at the trail shelter, and a short spur trail to the left crosses the rhododendron bald to an unobstructed view of the town of Montreat and the lofty Black Mountain Range.

The main trail descends gradually from the shelter to enter a mixed-hardwood forest and in another .5 mile reaches the picnic area. Half-way from the shelter to the Picnic area a narrow loop path to the right leads to a small gazebo nestled in the forest and overlooking the valley below. Many wildflowers embellish the Craggy Gardens Trail from spring through fall, and blueberries on the bald offer an excellent late-summer treat.

2. DuPont Waterfalls Tour

The DuPont State Recreational Forest is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains between Hendersonville and Brevard, North Carolina. Its 10,400 acres of forest feature four major waterfalls on the Little River and several on the Grassy Creek.

The original 7600 acre forest was established in 1996 through a generous bargain sale from the DuPont Corporation. In 2000, the Forest was expanded by two property additions, including the spectacular 2200 acre tract in the center of the Forest containing High Falls, Triple Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls.

3. Camp Alice Trail

This strenuous trail intersects the Old Mitchell Trail ¼ mile from the summit and descends the south side of Mount Mitchell to an area called Camp Alice, an old logging camp for the early 1900’s. The railroad serving Camp Alice was torn up in the early 1920’s and a road opened for vehicles.

Between the 20’s and 40’s tourists drove to Camp Alice and then hiked the remaining mile to Mount Mitchell’s summit. Today, nothing remains of Camp Alice and in spite of it’s name, camping is not permitted here. ALERT : Hikers should wear appropriate clothing and carry proper gear as the high altitude makes the climate of Mount Mitchell chilly, even in summer. Beware of ICE on trails.

4. Hickory Nut Gorge and Falls

The popular Hickory Nut Falls trail takes you out to a platform at the bottom of our 404-foot waterfall, the second highest of its kind east of the Mississippi River and a backdrop for several scenes in the movie The Last of the Mohicans. It’s a cool, refreshing stop and a “must see” during your visit to Chimney Rock.

This 3/4-mile trail offers a leisurely walk that’s chock-full of wonder. Hardwood forests of oak, hickory, maple, beech, poplar, locust and basswood harbor abundant plant life, which includes rare and endangered wildflowers as well as old favorites like Jack-in-the-pulpit and Solomon’s-seal.

Listen and look for the resident and migrant birds that take cover high above in the forest canopy. Up a few small hills and you’re near the grand finale: Hickory Nut Falls, all 404 feet of it! Dainty white blossoms of Lady Rue thrive in the waterfall’s mist during the spring and early summer.

Look for fronds of Deerhair Bulrush a grass-like plant with small knobs at the end of shiny, wiry leaves, growing out of the cracks along the rock and cliff wall of the Falls.

5. Craggy Pinnacle Overlook

The Blue Ridge Parkway meanders along a towering ridge crest, offering some pretty exceptional roadside views from this historic and iconic American drive. Given the Parkway’s lofty elevations, many hikes off the Parkway don’t need to trek far to score some fantastic panoramic views or explore unique, high-elevation forests.

The Pinnacle Trail at Craggy Gardens is a prime example: it’s a short trail, spanning less than a mile round trip, but the trail’s pinnacle views are simply stunning, offering sweeping summit vistas from a pair of high-elevation overlooks.

6. Linville Falls

Linville Falls is the most popular waterfall in the Blue Ridge Mountains because of its accessibility to the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is a spectacular three-tiered waterfall plunging into Linville Gorge, the “Grand Canyon of the Southern Appalachians.”

The Falls Trail distance is 1.6 miles round trip and easy. The Gorge Trail distance is 1.4 miles round trip and strenuous. The Plunge Basin Trail is 1 mile round trip and moderate. Pets are welcome but must be on a leash.

7. Flat Laurel Creek-Sam's Knob Trail

Flat Laurel Creek flows near Sam Knob in Haywood County, close to the Graveyard Fields, Black Balsam Knob, and Tennent Mountain areas off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. There are several cascades along Flat Laurel Creek. A couple of them are fairly easy to access with some rock hopping. Seeing all of them requires some extreme rock scrambling skills and is only recommended for skilled creek waders.

This is a very popular hiking and primitive camping area and the parking areas become very overcrowded during the summer months. Get here early and you shouldn't have any problem finding a parking spot. You'll need the Pisgah Forest trail map to fully explore all of the hiking possibilities in this area. Several hikes offer some of the best high elevation and view hikes in western North Carolina.

8. Pink Beds Loop

Pink Beds Loop has only minor elevation changes, so it is popular for family hikes. The trail passes through a portion of the Pink Beds Valley, named by the settlers who first cleared the area when the abundant blooms of local plants were visible from the surrounding mountainsides; now that the area has been reforested, the name is more historical than descriptive. The trail is well marked, but it is still important to follow the orange blazes.

The north side, somewhat higher and drier than the south side, follows an old road much of the way and has a series of wildlife fields at its near (western) end. These wildlife fields afford views of the nearby mountain ridges if one hikes the trail in a clockwise direction. Camping is not permitted in the wildlife fields. *The north side is closed to bikes from April 16 through October 14. At the far (eastern) end of the loop, a spur trail of 0.8 miles goes to the Wolf Ford gaging station, which is on the South Fork of the Mills River near the end of FS 476 (Wolf Ford Road). The south side of the loop, open to foot traffic only, crosses the South Fork of the Mills River several times, and all crossings have foot bridges. Low areas have bog bridges, though your feet may still get wet during rainy periods. An intersecting trail, Barnett Branch (#618), crosses this trail near its middle, and offers additional loop hike opportunities. (See map on reverse side.) Bikes are not allowed on Barnett Branch Trail

9. Whiteside Mountain

The sparkling white cliffs of Whiteside Mountain, in the Nantahala National Forest near Highlands, North Carolina, have long been a landmark along the eastern continental divide. The 750 feet tall cliffs are the highest shear cliffs in the eastern United States.

Geologists estimate the mountain to be more than four hundred million years old. Traces of ancient hunting camps have been found in the area. According to Cherokee legend, the monster Spearfinger made her home here, and the exposed cliffs were created when a large rock bridge to her dwelling place sheared off.

Hikers can enjoy the moderate two-mile loop trail that leads around Whiteside Mountain to its summit at 4,930 feet. The high ridgetop above the steep south-facing cliffs offers spectacular views of other mountains in the area. An old-growth forest of northern red oaks, with trunks twisted by strong winds and ice storms, is found at the summit.

10. Green Knob Trail

Green Knob/Sims Creek is another loop trail in Julian Price Memorial Park, however it is not connected to the main Boone Fork/Price Lake hike. The Green Knob Trail is a short 2.3-mi loop that can be hiked from the Sims Pond Overlook or Sims Creek Overlook.

From the Price Lake Overlook, Sims Pond Overlook is 0.8-mi north on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is suggested to begin the loop at Sims Pond and head northeast along Sims Creek. This hike is not especially scenic, the highlights are walking under Sims Creek Viaduct, and one view from a meadow of Grandfather Mountain (morning is best for this view).

11. Looking Glass Rock

The Looking Glass Rock Trail climbs about 1700ft in just over three miles. The many switchbacks along the way help make for a long, but only moderately difficult climb.Looking Glass Rock from high above on the Blue Ridge Parkway The views from the top are well worth the effort! The trail is well blazed and easy to follow all the way. The trail starts off following a stream with some small cascades along the way, before beginning a series of switchbacks up the mountain. Much of the trail takes you through tunnels of rhododendron and mountain laurel.

12. Harper Creek Falls

A wilderness experience awaits along Harper Creek. This is not your typical, easy hike to Harper Creek Falls. However, this is a relatively gentle encounter with wilderness due to its short length, moderate grade, and sparse (but useful) trail blazes.

From intimate creekside scenes, to long-distance views, to close-up encounters with two major waterfalls, excellent scenery awaits along this hike. You'll follow a major, free-flowing stream for several miles and cross it a total of 12 times, getting you wet up to your knees. Not recommended in winter or during high water.

13. Grandfather Mountain

Ascending a bout 1,775 feet over 3.1 miles, this trail begins at the Profile parking area on Highway 105 and ends at the Grandfather Trail at Calloway Gap. Beginning as a scenic, rolling pathway through seasonal wildflowers, this trail crosses the Watauga River and travels under a hardwood canopy for much of its length. Upper sections, beginning around Foscoe View, get steeper.

Shanty Spring, at 2.7 miles, marks a transition into a strenuous pathway of tumble-down rock that joins the Grandfather Trail after a climb of 0.4 miles. It makes the transition out of the hardwoods and into the Canadian fir zone of the crest area. T he upper section is steep and rocky and calls for careful footwork. The upper portion of this trail is not recommended for pets. The first mile is a Track Trail ( www.kidsinparks.gov). Use extreme caution on stream crossings - do not attempt in high water.

When you finish with your hike, what better way to cap the day then to nestle down at your house with your loved ones while grilling wonderful food on your new Big Green Egg? Learn more by visiting our Big Green Egg Page Here.

Do you know of some hiking spots that are gems that we missed? If so, feel free to post them below! We are always looking for a new adventure!

#nc #northcarolina #hiking #outdoors #fun

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