Our grandparents, aunts, uncles, moms, dads, etc... used to sit around the breakfast table or dinner table and share family histories, stories of challenge & triumph, deaths and births, pictures, tales of travel as well as stories of faith. For most of us- family time around meals is a thing of the past. It seems that for most families- a dinner or meal in which everyone sits down together is now reserved for special occasions or holidays such as Thanksgiving or Christmas. In our fast paced world- it seems that most everyone is too busy to sit down and share meals together, much less share insights into the happenings of everyday life.
The talented country comedienne Minnie Pearl once said- "When you're hot, you're hot. And when you're not, you can't even give it away. So give 'em what they want..." It is in the spirit of her words that I finally "give in" and embrace the electronic age. No sense in pondering the disappearance of the family dinner table and story time... Instead, it is time to start sharing and communicating with family and friends in the format that is most popular and easiest to share- the format that most want.
Why NC Pack of Three? Well, actually because Pack of Three was not available- someone beat me to that blog title. Grrr... Curses... Luckily, I remembered that NCPACKOF3@YAHOO.COM was the e-mail address that we created as the designated e-mail depository for all things related to our new mountain condo. We were trying to think of an e-mail address and means of keeping the condo utilities, HOA communications, insurance, maintenance, etc... separate from our home in Charlotte. So was born our Pack of 3- Brian, Chuck & Jersey. A seemingly appropriate name for an NC State Wolfpack family.
The primary goal of this blog will be to share pictures & stories that create a time line to document the "memories" we make at our new weekend home on Sugar Mountain. This is the eve of Election Day 2012- but this blog will not be about politics, crime, social injustice or controversies. There are plenty of other media sources for that...
A focus on "mountain life" is an opportunity to embrace and share the simple treasures and natural beauties of life. The mountains are where all of my family roots are entrenched- specifically near Blairsville, Georgia and Franklin, North Carolina. So it seemed somewhat odd yet fitting when Brian and I began exploring mountain properties in the Summer & Fall of 2011. Seeking a retreat from the hustle and bustle of the stressful city life in Charlotte, NC- our search narrowed in February of 2012 and ended around March - April with our purchase of a condo in The Reserve @ Sugar Mountain. We spent many stressful nights discussing the pros & cons and praying that we were making wise decisions. Now we find ourselves 9 months later and we've already experienced Spring, Summer and Fall... All that is left in this first year is to try and survive a harsh mountain winter at 5,000 feet. This past week was our first test as Ski Sugar opened for snow skiing on October 31, 2012. In the 43 year history of the ski resort, the earliest prior opening was November 5, 1976. The early opening this year came at a huge price as the weather pattern that brought the 12+ inches of snow and 50+ mph winds was actually the backside of Hurricane Sandy- which destroyed much of the New Jersey and New York shore.
And now the stories, narratives and tales of our journeys begin... Enjoy!!
NC Pack of Three
