It's Fall Says Uncle Shuck's!

Before we moved to Dahlonega and Beyond, leaves turning bright orange and red were our signal that fall had arrived. But in our world now, the first real sign of fall is the opening of Uncle Shuck's Corn Maze in Dawsonville.  

Uncle Shuck's, which opened officially on Labor Day, is a green island -  of corn stalk rows, bright colored tents, tractors, horses, kids (lots of kids) and pumpkins, too.

When you leave anywhere near Dawsonville, you can expect to experience traffic backups for miles on 400 and Hwy. 53 as corn shucking, maze loving folks journey to this North Georgia hot spot on fall weekends. (FYI, this popular fun maze is not too far from the corner of Hwy. 400 and Hwy. 53.)

Uncle Shuck's isn't the only place for fall fun up here in Dahlonega and Beyond.

Imagine maneuvering through this maze!

Tourists (and we up here love our tourists) migrate to North Georgia for fall to experience the breath-taking colors, hand-picked apples, fun festivals, palate pleasing wines, and winding mountain trails.

How lucky we are to live here in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and all they offer.

(Photos from Uncle Shuck's.)

Scorpions - Another one bites the dust

Scorpions aren't only deadly, but they're as ugly as can be.

Since the day my brother, 2 years old at the time, was bitten by a scorpion, I really haven't like the critters. The scorpion, who gave my brother a little sting, was over two inches long, and a really fearsome looking insect. (I happen to know just how big it was because we captured it in a jar to take to the doctor.) Fortunately, my brother recovered fairly quick from his 'deadly' scorpion sting. But you can see why I'm not scorpion friendly. (BTW, scorpions are pretty common in Louisiana where I grew up.)

Anyway, no one told me when we were deciding to move up to the mountains that this is scorpion territory. Seeing scorpions crawl around outside or in our basement isn't a daily occurrence, but it happens way more than I would like.

Now the story of the recently deceased scorpion. He made the mistake of appearing in the bathroom. After three vain attempts of squishing him with the bathmat, I finally resorted to my classic bug weapon - my house shoe. One quick swat of the deadly house shoe, that that little scorpion had met his maker. (FYI...this scorpion wasn't a BIG scorpion...he was really kind of itty bitty.)

Instead of tossing him in the trash, I decided to honor him with a burial at sea...aka the toilet. Yet, even after I flushed him down, I kept checking to see if he...as smushed as he was....could swim and climb back up. Needless to see, I am very careful when I sit on that particular toilet!

Back Porch Oyster Bar

Yes, you can find great seafood in the North Georgia Mountains!! That's the slogan for the Back Porch Oyster Bar in downtown Dahlonega, and after the meal we had there tonight, I totally agree.

 

If you like seafood, you'll love this place...in fact I only saw two items on the menu that weren't some type of fish. But we were told that if you are a steak lover and will call ahead, they'll fix the meat to your order.

 

But back to the seafood. We started the meal with their bruchetta special...white cream cheese, fresh mushroom and five jumbo shrimp. Too full to order entrees, we ordered fresh steamed peel and eat shrimp. The bowl arrived overflowing in tender, juicy 'Carolina Coast' shrimp. Being from Louisiana, we love boiled shrimp, but the Back Porch's streamed shrimp was as good as any we've eaten in Louisiana.

 

 While we aren't oyster eaters,  the couple behind us ordered fresh oysters and they did look yummy. The Back Porch's owner told us that she had to search a good bit for oysters this week (thank you BP and oil spill), and that she had to pay a lot more than in the past....but she hasn't raised her prices. Her oyster loving customers are going to love that!

 

Each Friday night we journey to downtown Dahlonega for dinner and try another restaurant, and believe me, we have quite a choice. Hmmm....what shall it be next week? Cajun? Italian? Mexican? Steak house? Brew house? Irish pub? Decisions. Decisions.

Oasis Spa at Mountain Laurel Creek Inn

If you want your muscles to turn into jelly and be oh so relaxed, my I recommend the Oasis Spa at the Mountain Laurel Creek Inn, just outside of Dahlonega. I just returned from an afternoon at the spa where I had a relaxing massage and facial in beautiful, peaceful, calming setting. (I was so relaxed that I fell asleep twice during the massage.)

The spa is located adjacent to the luxurious Mountain Laurel Inn, a six room B&B located in a picture setting. The Inn has a living room, the cozy Copper Penny pub that serves Georgia wines, a library, a sunny breakfast area and great mountain views.

Dennis Hoover, the owner and former Atlanta resident, told me that he had always wanted to open a Bed and Breakfast and thought Dahlonega would be a great location. A good choice it was because just after his B&B opened 12 years ago, the wineries began to open all around Dahlonega and the area ballooned as a destination wedding venue. (FYI...this would be a great place for a wedding party to stay.)

My dear daughter and son-in-law gave the spa visit to me as a gift. A special thanks to them and the Oasis Spa for a great afternoon.

Definitely the Oasis gets a big thumb up from Dahlonega and Beyond.

Country Life Demands a Truck

After several weeks of carrying plants, fertilizer, tools, and other 'yard' necessities in our SUV, Lamar decided that he needed a truck. After all, he's a Mountain Man now, and a truck is a necessity. (He was the only guy in our small neighborhood who didn't have a truck...talk about peer pressure.)

He spent over a week shopping for the perfect truck. He wanted to buy a FORD Ranger (our son had one years ago), so off he went to the Ford dealer in Dahlonega and Cumming. After several test drives, he decided that a Ranger wasn't for him (or Diane either). The ride was oh so bumpy....felt like you were getting a back massage while you were driving down the road.

Talk about depressed. He was in the Ford Ranger truck buying mode but his dream truck didn't pan out....BUT our daughter saved the day by recommending he try Nissan...and that's just what he did. Now he is the proud owner of a black Nissan Frontier truck.  And Diane must admit....the ride is smoother.

Look closely...you'll see Lamar is shoeless. Who can afford shoes when you've just bought a truck?

Dahlonega Chamber of Commerce After Hours

The Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce certainly knows how to welcome new members. Lamar Photography (Lamar's photo business) was warmly welcomed at the September Chamber's After Hours event hosted by UpStairs DownStairs Tuesday evening.

Upstairs DownStairs (and the 7 different stores in that building) threw a great party....delicious food - pizza, meatballs, barbecue brisket, cheese, Georgia wines. This was a great opportunity to network. We met some interesting entrepreneurs, many like us who had moved from Atlanta to Lumpkin.

One thing we realized at the get-to-gether is that there's a lot going on in Dahlonega and Lumpkin....this is not exactly a lazy, sleeply little town....and the Chamber is helping drive business and tourism.

Oh, and Lamar got to give a little 'Who I Am' speech before the crowd and he received a plaque to hang in his office and a "Member of the Chamber" decal. Well, since Lamar Photography operates out of a home office, there's no door for the decal. Lamar solved that problem...stuck the decal on the back window of his truck!