Blowing Rock , & Why I hate ' Hillbilly Elegy"

                      Its always a good morning when a dog is involved. Photo by Mac.  

   I woke up to another amazing Beech Mountain sunrise. The Boston Celtics lost their playoff game, but they still have a chance. Brian and I hung out with the family as we ate our breakfast and sipped our morning coffee.  Maple, the dog, offered herself to anyone missing their furry family member at home. 

            One of the many historic buildings in Blowing Rock, NC. Photo by Mac. 

Brian and I were on the road to Blowing Rock, NC. Our GPS took us on a wild backroad trip that included a long dirt road that led to a beautiful part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Our truck's lower half looks like we ran through a " mudding" event back in Western Pennsylvania, but we will not bother to wash it until we are back at sea level. 

Blowing Rock is a charming little town that sit 45 minutes from our Beech Mountain place. We ate brunch at a quaint mom- and-pop restaurant that is housed in a historic house-- the kitchen is the servants' quarters.  We both enjoyed a hearty, tasty three-egg omelet.  St Chris ate with us. 

                                            St C and Brian wait for our meal to arrive. Photo by Mac. 

After brunch, we burned off calories by walking along Main Street. the city makes and effort to appeal to both tourists and locals, we walked by a local art festival and saw many local artisans selling their wares. 

                                Me, Downtown Blowing Rock. Grateful for cool temperatures that require a light sweater over at t shirt.  Photo by Brian 

It was a nice day in a charming North Carolina town. So much of this area reminds me of my childhood-- both the summers we visited her with my parents, brother and maternal grandparents and all the best parts of life in Appalachia. 

It saddens me that Southern and Middle Appalachia has such a poor reputation... not all of we " hill-folks" are toothless, illiterate and racist/ homophobic.  People ask me why I dislike the movie Hillbilly Elegy  -- and my answer is how the book's author capitalizes on the worst of the Appalachian stereotypes  by telling his story as he did. 

There IS a huge economic discrepancy among the people who own homes and live here on Beech Mountain year-round and the people wo live in the ' hollers" below.  The Appalachian-American experience is a wide as is the mountain chain itself. 

Appalachia-- and her people-- are beautiful in our variety. 

One nice woman at a store we visited in Blowing Rock summed up Appalachia in this way " The mountains get into your soul."

Amen. Sista. Amen. 

~Mac