the tour

So, as I think I mentioned we were going to do a Mayberry Squad Car Tour (serious Mayberryism).  Well we did it either Monday or Tuesday (yup, I DO know that I AM a slacker and getting worse by the month and have to look at the day clock to know indeed what day it IS).

While a bit on the "hokie" side the tour was informative to some degree (dangerous to another degree as we were damn near "broad sided" at one point).

With all that said, the tour "company" has three of these vintage Ford Galaxies (no padded dashes though JRP).  I believe we were in a 1965 model.  One of the facts we learned on the tour was that while the Andy Griffith Show was being filmed a local Ford dealer in Hollywood would give the show a new car each year - SO if you are ever inclined to watch repeats and if you know vintage car years, you can determine the year the show was filmed by the model year of the car.  Now seriously, am I not a wealth of information or what!?  One just never knows the amount of useful (less) information one may learn on our blog, do one?

So the first stop on our tour was the North Carolina Granite Corporation.  Actually, I did find this rather interesting as I'd lived in the Barre~Montpelier Vermont area for a few years many many many years ago (and it was Montpelier we lived in).  It was my belief that Barre was considered (perhaps by the locals only, but I'm not sure) the "Granite Capital of the World" ~ Kim, Jack care to confirm?

Anyway, the NCGC claims to be the worlds largest open granite quarry.  That was pretty interesting in itself.  In the years I lived in Montpelier I never did see the quarries in Barre (Kim did you ever do a school field trip there with Dylan or Emma?).

The facts and statistics we learned about the granite quarry here were really mind boggling, and my mind is so boggled I can't remember much of them other than

1) astronauts use this open quarry as a "landmark" on a sunny day to be sure they are on course (I swear, that's what we were told), there is so much mica (Candy, tell Brayden this the next time you are out gathering mica on your walks - he will undoubtedly be very impressed ~ in ten years or so!) anyway, I digress ... on a sunny day the amount of mica in this granite is a clear indicator to astronauts that they are on course!  The next fact is far more important.  

2) Apparently the contract for the granite for the September 11th memorial in NYC has been awarded to an African and an Italian company.  Something just doesn't feel "right" with this ~ not that anything about September 11th is or ever will be "right"  Yes, I do realize there are many many granite quarries here in the United States (aforementioned Barre or Quincy, MA, where I used to walk to the Granite workers memorial on my lunch hour back in my working, walking, more fit days) so why on earth would this be "out sourced"?

Okay, rant over .... the photo above is the open quarry and the photo below is the office building for the NCGC.  There are many many many old (and new) beautiful granite buildings here in Mt. Airy.  Several of the old homes have granite foundations.  It was interesting to have pointed out to us at one church that the early granite wasn't cut in squares and rectangles when building ~ it was random shapes and sizes.  The church I reference had an addition done some years after the original building.  The original building is very random shapes and sizes where the addition is very precisely cut ~ quite a contrast.  The photo below (if you enlarge it and see the walls of the church) shows the early cuts, I guess my photo of the addition went into the trash for whatever reason (keep in mind it was taken through the window, open of course because there was no air conditioning on a 90 degree day ... poor me wha wha wha) but if you enlarge the office building picture you will see the more precise cutting.

With all that said I really did enjoy the granite industry part of the tour - it was certainly the least "hokey" of it all, which is not a 'diss ~ after all it's Mayberry and it's all just so good ~ no parking meters, no cussing, no dissing and seriously ("serious as a heart attack here friends) people walk down the street and greet you and smile and ask you how you are ... absolute, total strangers!  I just LOVE it here.

Okay, moving along on our tour we came upon the .... you got it Andy Griffith Home place. 

Yup, that's it above.

Papa Griffith bought it for $6,000. way back when and swore he paid too much.  If you are so inclined you can stay here for a night, a week, however long you want.  Seriously, yes you can folks by contacting the Hampton Inn in lovely Mt. Airy (nope I did not and likely will not, get a commission, a kick in the butt or even a free cocktail for that plug, alas my corporate travel planning days are behind me, far far behind ~ although I really DID love that part of my job, other than the constant, and costly, last minute changes) but it is a true statement ~ YOU can stay at the home place ~ not just any home place, but THE home place of himself Mr. Andy Griffith!  What a hoot huh and I'm thinking perhaps WE should do it, just because we can (then again, what about Sir?  If Sir can't be there then I guess we can't either, but why would they not allow a dog in this bit of Americana?  hmm I will have to look into this).

Alright that is the end of the post part about the Squad Car Tour (well mainly because that was the end of said squad car tour!!)

Here we are folks in downtown Mt. Airy (aka Mayberry).  By the way I am doing this post tongue in cheek I guess the saying goes (another of those sayings that I have no clue what the heck they mean, or more importantly how the term originated) but I am truly truly loving the Mt. airy area.  Remember we came in here two weeks ago for three nights ~ well we are extending our stay for at least another week tomorrow.  I could be very very happy here for a few months (work camper work camper work camper??? ~ YEAH)

Yup, I did that digress thing yet again.  Above is himself, King Richard, in front of the Blue Bird Diner ~ yes the same Blue Bird Diner where Deputy Barney Fife would call his "pal" Juanita and sing to her - remember?  You never did see Juanita did you, but Barney sure crooned quite a tune to her!  And Andy had fun with the whole scenario right!  By the way, we have had so much fun watching the TV Land reruns since we've been here, we are truly seeing them through different eyes right now.  

So yes, Richard went out on his bike the other day to check out a local shooting range while Sir and I stayed here and did laundry or tried to stay cool with all the air conditioners going or whatever it was that we did.  Along the way Rick decided to go into the diner and order himself a malted ~ what a hoot his version of the story is.  Rick has this habit of asking a waitstaff person what they recommend.  Apparently he was dealing with someone who was just petrified to recommend anything - all he wanted to know was what is the diner's most popular malted, what is YOUR favorite whatever - just bring him a malted ... I think, but am not positive that he ended up with a chocolate malted (that would certainly have been MY preference, but as I mentioned I wasn't there).  I guess he enjoyed it, he did say he consumed it all and it probably contained his sugar allowance for two months or so ....

And as the photo above shows, there truly is a Floyd"s Barber Shop here in Mayberry Mt. Airy.  According to our tour person, Floyd (I don't believe that is his real name, but can't remember for sure and Rick isn't here to confirm or deny) is 92 years old.  I really wanted Rick to go in and get a hair cut - yeah yeah yeah don't even go there with the what would they cut jokes.  I do the neck shave and trim the tail every month or so, but I seriously think Rick was afraid that, in these more conservative parts, if he went in for a trim he'd leave minus that tail that I so love ... I told him it just wouldn't happen, that I would put that tail up and hold it to the side with a barrette and no one would notice ~ well he still wouldn't go for it.  What the heck's up with that?  Moving on ......

And yes, there is indeed a Snappy Lunch in town as well.  According to their brochure/menu they are the "only existing Mt. Airy business mentioned on the television show".  I am pretty sure that Floyd's is mentioned in nearly every episode but who am I to question such a thing!  Anyway, other than the show, Snappy Lunch's claim to fame is a pork chop sandwich (honest, I couldn't make this up if I wanted to).  So we went in the other day and had ourselves a pork chop sandwich.  Interesting creation that pork chop sandwich ~ which comes, unless ordered otherwise, with chili, cole slaw, mustard, onion and tomato) ~ so from what I could figure someone pounds that poor chop oh so thin (1/4 inch or so) then breads it and fries it (of course, cause we aren't like really conscious of fat or calories in these parts) then puts it in a bun with the aforementioned "dressings" and serves it.  It really was a tasty concoction, but I couldn't quite eat it all - seriously, I know I don't say that very often but, it was, the equivalent of two lunches for me.

Now we are back at THE campground.  Have I mentioned in the last paragraph or three how much I love it here?

This campground is on the homestead of many generations (well the campground owner, who is younger than yours truly by several years, is the fourth generation) of the Siamese Twins  (the first is the better link FYI)   Eng and Chang Bunker who traveled with Barnum Circus.

Below is a photo of the homestead here on the property (not open to the public but if you want the owner will give you a tour).

Such an interesting story the whole thing is.  I believe I posted, admittedly morbidly, a photo of the twins headstone in a previously, with "details to follow".  The twins (from my best memory of the stories we've heard) purchased THIS land we are on (2000 +/- acres in fact)  as their initial land purchase in these parts, as history tells more land was purchased, homes built, children born (21 between the two) ... etc.  It is interesting for me, as I chat with the campground owner (keep in mind how much I hate history and it bores me to no end) that he is ONLY the fourth generation of these twins then we chat with the owners young (18 and 14 year olds, perhaps) daughters, and it is mind boggling!

Have I mentioned how much I love this area?

Stay tuned for a post about our "date night" (yeah, well word has it there was a drive in theatre here until three months ago, but we did, indeed, have a date the other night - just King and I, Sir was NOT ~ no way, no how, invited)

and a post about our travels for a picnic today.

An odd thing for us ~ there seems to be NO honoring of Memorial Day tomorrow in these parts.  How is it possible that there are not parades and festivities?  Rick did go to the COC the other day (as the COC person was posting here) to get information about events in the area - He was looking for festivities appropriate to the day as well as "local" music etc ... we were sent to Hillsville, VA (about 25 miles over the Blue Ridge, a gorgeous ride, but Rick, unfortunately, can not do the "Parkway" ~ another post, another time!).  Well the "event" in Hillsville we were sent to was a "town wide" flea market - you know vendors renting tents yada yada yada - NO local music as he'd inquired about, just tent upon tent upon $5.00 parking then $3.00 parking to go to see tee shirt vendors, sox vendors, junk vendors, whatever ... not at all what he was inquiring about .... No thanks ... no music, nothing that was relevant to Memorial Day,  nothing that interested US ... How is it that this day is of NO significance here?  What am I missing?