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Rainbow Falls
By Julie Terry Cartner
On a mountain adventure, I debated whether or not I could handle the challenging Rainbow Falls hike considering the reviews I’d read. A “moderate” difficulty level is what most sites said, but the one that kept running through my head rated the hike as a 15 on a scale of 1-10. It wasn’t that long of a hike, but the mile and a half trail is strenuous, especially on a hot day.
Finally, with the attitude of … I can always stop and turn back … I loaded up and headed towards Gorges State Park, knowing full well if I started the hike, I would finish it. The trail to the falls is a nice one though it gets a bit slippery near the end, but despite that, when I arrived, I was soaked with sweat, and I just might have been breathing a bit hard. One look at the falls, however, and it didn’t matter.
Rainbow Falls, named for the rainbow that arcs across it in the mornings, is spectacular. I’m sure that’s gorgeous, and I’m already making mental plans to return. But, even without the rainbow, and despite the people milling about, there’s a sanctity to these falls. Surrounded by dense, dark forest, the falls plummet 150 feet over dark and light striped granite cliffs. The contrast of the dark woods and striped stone with the sun striking the cascading, foaming falls is breathtaking.
Upon descending the final path, I sat on a sun warmed rock and ate my picnic, my bare feet dangling in the cool clear water, and allowed the peace to embrace me. Though there were many people at the falls, the roar of the water blotted out their voices, and many, like me, were just quietly taking in this marvel of nature. As my body cooled, and my lunch completed, I began looking for the safest path to get in, and out, of the water. After packing my trash into my bag, I stepped towards the most logical path, but when I got closer, I realized the flat rock I had chosen was covered in slippery algae. Hesitating, I looked for safer access, and then my day turned from wonder over the beauty to heartwarming, as again, I met a new friend.
A young man, probably in his early 30s, walked over, held out his hand, and asked, “May I help you?” Fresh from a swim, he was sitting beside his wife enjoying the sun when he saw my dilemma. Now pride told me that I could figure it out myself, but his genuine compassion and kindness gave me pause. Taking his hand as I thanked him, I jumped across the slippery rock and landed on the dry side. I then asked him, since it was clear he’d been swimming, the safest pathway to get in and out. “I’ll show you,” he offered, then led me across the maze of rocks to relatively easy access.
At this point, he could have re-joined his wife, but instead, he asked, “May I swim with you?” As soon as he realized I was a strong swimmer, he suggested we try to swim to the edge of the falls. The force of the water crashing down the rocks is so strong that it forces swimmers back, so swimming to the base of the falls is challenging. After we reached the edge, we allowed the water to push us back, and, laughing, did it again several times. And thusly, Chris and I spent the next hour swimming and visiting in one of Western North Carolina’s many gems.
The falls are gorgeous, the swimming was sublime, and the scenery divine. But, later, as I reluctantly left to follow the much more difficult hike back to the car, my smile was broader, my heart was happier. You just never know when you’re going to meet a new friend, a kindred spirit, a kind person who is not just willing, but actually happy to spend an hour with a perfect stranger, ready to help if needed, but if not, ready to share a love of Nature’s beauty.
Thank you Chris, from Savannah, Georgia, for making a fantastic day even better.

Eighty Years
By Gaye Hoots
Bill Junker recently celebrated his 80th birthday with entertainment by the Tams. Many of those helping celebrate were 80 or older and still able to enjoy life. Bill and Kathy operate one of the few remaining family businesses. Bill’s grandfather and father operated businesses, teaching Bill the importance of honoring all obligations and meeting and befriending those from all walks of life. This has served him well, and his lists of customers include celebrities and those who are much less fortunate.
The man who did my yardwork had a broken piece of equipment, and he said that because of his overalls and a down-on-his-luck appearance, he found it hard to get people to do business with him. I directed him to Junkers, where he received excellent service.
Bill was lucky to have been raised by loving parents and to have married young and well. A life partner is one of the most important choices you can make, and Kathy was an excellent choice. The children were raised in their business. This was a tradition followed by European families and passed on to Americans. I come from a farming background, and the family farm was passed down from generation to generation. However, much of this changed in my lifetime, as children chose other professions and most family farms were sold to housing developments.
My generation was a lucky one; most homes were two-parent homes, and social activities centered around the church in our youth. We had good schools with local teachers who knew us and our families, and there was job availability locally.
Most of us have had careers that benefited us, our children, and our communities. We have maintained friendships from our youth and broadened our circle of friends to a much more diverse group than our parents did. One of our classmates who left a legacy was Grimes Parker, and Charles Crenshaw was recently honored for his contributions. We have a long list of those who shaped the lives of children who are now adults and are making their contributions. We recently lost two more class members, Vivian Allen Kinter and Ikey James and each loss makes us more appreciative of the ones we still have.
I saw many of my friends while in Advance, and we are all involved in striving to help our children and grandchildren, and for many of us, our great-grandchildren live a good life. I recently met with cousins whom I rarely get to see, and our main topic of conversation was our families. For over twenty years, we spent holidays at our grandparents with all the cousins, a tradition that lasted for those nearby.
Two of the friends I spent time with this week were friends from first grade. Our graduation class has been fortunate to have Bill and Kathy host our class reunions for more years than I can remember. This has helped us maintain friendships and a support system. We share both our joys and our hardships.
Now that I no longer live in Advance, I keep up with the events in my friends’ lives through Facebook, and their posts about their children, grandchildren, pets, special occasions, and positive posts. They aren’t the negative or hateful posts others mention. They make me proud.
One of the topics of conversation with friends includes those we have lost, those who are struggling, and our vulnerability. We take better care of ourselves and take fewer risks. A young waiter asked us if we celebrated the Fourth. I responded that, as I aged, I preferred to avoid large crowds since they could lead to problems. He replied that he went to see the fireworks display in Winston and that there was a shooting. I saw later that a teenage boy had been arrested for the shooting. In Oriental, the fireworks are from the bridge in front of my condo, and I have a great view from my front yard.
We fought for our freedom and continued to fight to maintain it. We build strong families, churches, and communities with one child at a time. Thank you for all your contributions and keep celebrating our blessings.

The Broken Plate
By Marie Craig
When I was about 5 or 6 years old, my parents and I traveled by train from our home in Black Mountain to my father’s parents’ home in Statesville. My dad’s two brothers and their families also lived in Statesville. All 14 of us gathered for a meal at the grandparents’ home. There was not one table big enough to seat all of us, but they had two medium-size tables which were put together and covered with one big tablecloth. One of the tables had a design feature of a few inches of the four corners being cut off, making an irregular octagon. The other table had square corners.
For some reason, they had me eat at the junction of the two tables, and when I set my filled plate down, it went through the hidden gap, hit the floor, and broke. My mother fussed at me for being careless. I ran to the kitchen crying. My sweet grandfather came in there and whispered to me, “I never liked that old plate, anyway.”
I was fine then. I have remembered his kindness to me all my life. This was the beginning basis for my strong belief – people are more important than things.
He died in 1968, a long time ago. How could I honor him? I want him to always be my grandfather. I feel this way about all my family and want my descendants to know the special stories and personalities of our relatives. As I’ve visited with my family, I have shared stories of my ancestors. I wrote a book containing stories and photographs of the different families. The way for this information to continue is to upload pictures and narratives to the internet programs, especially FamilySearch. I’d like to think that my descendants will be excited to learn more about them and treasure these glimpses into the past.
Even if your life experiences aren’t all rosy, it’s still important to document your family. Future people will appreciate learning about them and become stronger, more appreciative persons.