WE LET MOM AND DAD GO TO MABRY MILL TO TAKE A CLASS

We feel so fortunate to live close
to the picturesque
Mabry Mill.
In the Summer,
Mom and Dad
love to go there for breakfast.
Mom says they have the best
grits in the world.
We wouldn't know -
she never shares them with us.

Mabry Mill is the most photographed
grist mill in the world.
Mom and Dad have seen paintings and photos of it
in such places as the Philippines and France.
This is a picture of it that Mom took
several years ago -
the handsome couple in the foreground
is our Granny and Pa.

As you know from our previous post
about the mill,
Mom is very interested in learning
Appalachian Mountain Arts.
Last year they learned to weave chair bottoms
and this weekend they learned to make brooms.

This is the pavilion where classes are taught -
you can see some of the instructor's brooms
hanging around it.

This beautiful broom corn
was grown locally at the Brinegar Cabin.

Here you see some of the items needed
for making brooms -
the black cording is wrapped around a tensioner,
and the broom corn is in the foreground.
You can barely see the dried stems in the
handmade Appalachian Egg Basket.

Meet Ranger Diane,
demonstrating how to make a turkey wing broom -
the ladies watching her are all
Blue Ridge Parkway Volunteers.

This is the class picture with the finished product -
you probably recognize Mom and Dad,
but if you don't,
they are the only two wearing hats.
Mom made a Turkey Wing Broom
and a Hawks Tail Broom.
Dad made 2 Turkey Wing Brooms
and a Hawks Tail Broom.
We have heard them talking about
growing broom corn on our farm.
Hmmm - Rocky Creek Brooms -
has a nice ring to it!

Here we see Dad with his finished brooms.

And just so you don't go into "Scottie withdrawal"
- a picture of our little ladies.

XOXO
Lilly, Piper, Carrleigh and Ruairi