Montecassino and the Restored Abbey

The restored abbey of Montecassino.

As we traveled from the Amalfi Coast to Rome on our recent Italian tour, we stopped by the town of Montecassino.  Monte Cassino is a rocky hill about 80 miles southeast of Rome, and it is where St. Benedict established his first monastery circa 529.

During the Battle of Montecassino in February 1944 the abbey was almost completely destroyed in a series of heavy Allied air-raids which were ordered in the mistaken belief it was a German stronghold.  The abbey was rebuilt after the war.

The Peace Door.

There were lots of steps to climb.

Doves in the fountain.

The pattern of the sun shining through the arches.

Statue of St. Benedict.

Arts and Crafts Sale in Cleveland County

Pottery by Ron Philbeck.

Last Saturday I attended an Arts and Crafts Sale near Polkville, in Cleveland County.  I met a potter, new to me, Ron Philbeck who uses clothes lines as themes on much of his pottery. 

Potter Ron Philbeck of Cleveland County.

 My neighbor here in Cleveland County, Pam Fish, was there with her beautiful Lucy Mae Lavender collection.  She grows lavender and has various products made of lavender. 

Pam and her lavender products.

Lavender products.

 Pam is also an excellent photographer, and she had beautiful note cards featuring her photographs.  I'm going to ask her to be a guest blogger and post some of her photographs here on this blog.

Brad Lail was also selling his pots.  I had heard of Brad when he was working with Mark Hewitt, but had not met him.

Pottery by Brad Lail.

Potter Brad Lail.

Lunch at Artisan Cafe with Statesville Cousins

My mother was from Statesville, NC (Iredell County), and I still have a few cousins living there.  Yesterday my sister, Martha, and I visited with some of them.  Among the things we did was lunch at The Artisan Cafe.  The Cafe is in an old restored turn of the century house.

I love the architecture of this house.

My sister, Martha (on right) and our cousin, Joan, on porch of Artisan Cafe.

Checking out the menu.  (Debby, Hugh, Martha, Joan).

After a delicious lunch, we went over to Oakwood Cemetery in Statesville to visit the graves of our grandparents.

Oakwood Cemetery, Statesville, NC beautiful on a November afternoon.

Old Cleveland County Courthouse

The old courthouse on the square in Shelby, NC

I went uptown in Shelby the other day and wandered around the square reminiscing about growing up in Cleveland County.  The old courthouse has been replaced by a new one and is destined to become the Earl Scruggs Museum.

The courthouse is being renovated to become the Earl Scruggs Museum.

Drawing on the region's rich history and music the Scruggs Center will enlighten, educate and celebrate the people, traditions and values of Cleveland County and the region and honor native son and music legend Earl Scruggs.

Earl Scruggs with banjo.

Earl Scruggs was born near Boiling Springs, NC and grew up in Cleveland County.  Scruggs is noted for perfecting and popularizing a 3-finger banjo-picking style (now called Scruggs style) that is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music.

In 1953, the small building on the square just east of the courthouse was the DMV office.  That's where I first got my driver's license.  The only thing I remember was that I had to parallel park on the street in front of the Central Methodist Church. 

In the 1950s, this was the driver's license office.  Appears to be vacant now.

Central United Methodist  Church east of the courthouse. 

Everything Comes Out in the Wash

The floor mat in our laundry room, Chatfield.Rd.

I love washing clothes when I am at Chatfield Rd, because I can hang clothes on the line to dry.  In Raleigh we don't have a clothes line.  The only place we could put one would be in the front yard, and I'm not sure that would be acceptable in our neighborhood.  But think how much energy can be saved by using "solar energy" to dry our clothes.  And I love the crisp fragrance of clothes dried in the outdoors.

Our sheets drying on a sunny day, Chatfield Rd.

I was at a craft show here in Cleveland County yesterday, and one of the potters, Ron Philbeck, uses clothes lines as a theme on his pottery.  I couldn't resist; I bought this delightful little dish

Pottery dish with clothes line theme by Ron Philbeck.

I'm so intrigued  by clothes lines I take photos of them whenever I'm traveling.

Clothes drying in Port Hawkesbury,  Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

Somewhere in Italy.

In Venice.

I wonder what the neighbors would say if we installed a clothes line in our front yard in Raleigh.  Maybe we could start a trend.