Brasstown Bald, Hiawassee, & Helen, GA

Beautiful Brasstown Bald, rising 4,784 feet above sea level, is Georgia's highest mountain. On clear days, the spectacular 360-degree view from atop the mountain allows you to see four states, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The surrounding area is home to a wide variety of plants and animals. The Visitor Information Center, located on the summit of the Bald, offers exhibits, video presentations and interpretive programs.

http://fs.usda.gov

This is a little shop we went to when we first got there. It was a really long drive up the mountain, we went so high that my ears popped, so did my dads.

After we went to the little shop we walked all the way up to the lookout tower. It was a long walk and there was a ton of gnats. The tower wasn't open but when we got up to the top, we could see really far away, also there was a telescope but we didn't take our money up there so we couldn't look in it.

This is a picture we took at the tower of the mountains.

More views from the top.

Hiawassee, the county seat of Towns County, was incorporated on May 17, 1956. Hiawassee, a Cherokee word meaning "meadow", is the only incorporated municipality in the county.
The City of Hiawassee and the Hiawassee River have long been popular tourist areas. In the 1800s through the 1930s, wealthy families from the lowlands would "summer in the mountains" to escape the heat and disease more prevalent in the larger populated areas.

http://hiawassee.georgia.gov

This is a cabin we went by. There was a long river and I tried to skip a rock across it but it's so hard to skip rocks. Also we looked inside a cabin that was for sale it was very pretty, with a wrap-around porch.

This is the river I was talking about-The Hiawassee River. The water was freezing, and I washed the bottom of my shoes in the river.

This is probably my favorite part of the whole trip. We went on a CARRIAGE RIDE!!! It was the awesomest ride ever!!! The horse's name was Hershel, and guess what, The driver named Candy let my sister and I ride in the front with her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also she let us each feed Hershel a carrot!!!

This is me feeding Hershel the carrot. Horses are really tall when you're up close.

This was another horse we saw named Molly with braids in her hair. Isn't her hair beautiful?

How cute is he with his little hat!?!

After the carriage ride we got white chocolate covered marshmellows on a stick!

It was so good!

Then we played in the little park. It was so much fun!

At the park we went on a bouncy see-saw. It was really fun.

We also got SILLY BANDZ! I got the fantasy pack and my sister got the spring pack.

I LOVE HELEN!!!!!!!!

May Fest Helen, GA

The Chattahoochee River flows gently through Helen, a re-creation of a Bavarian Alpine village, complete with cobblestone streets. Once a lumber town, it now has more than 200 specialty and import shops offering everything from candle making and glass blowing to cuckoo clocks and quilts. Dining options range from traditional German fare to traditional southern. A favorite getaway is Unicoi State Park with lots of trails for hiking and biking as well as swimming and boating on Unicoi Lake. Stop for a wine tasting at Habersham Winery or at Nora Mill Granary for some “Georgia Ice-Cream”, otherwise known as grits! Recreation is in abundance with mountain biking, fly-fishing, golfing, horseback riding, hiking, as well as tubing and paddling. Attractions include the Live Tarantulas Gallery, Charlemagne’s Kingdom, Scarlet’s Secret, the Black Forest Bear Park, the Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway and area waterfalls just to name a few. http://www.exploregeorgia.org/Georgia/Attractions/Helen/22222

Saturday morning we left early to go to Helen. It was a very long drive but it was well worth it.

These are people dancing in a circle while holding strings.

In Helen all the stores and restaurants looked like old time German buildings, and there was a German Bakery! IT WAS SO GOOD!!! Sausages too!

But first my parents went to a wine fest and they sampled some wine. We accidentally missed

the actual wine festival though.

There was also CARRIAGE RIDES! But we didn't go on one, but my mom said maybe next time, oh, and this guy let me pet his horse!!!

Also we went to this restaurant and ate our sausages, and my mom let us get a shake. It was so good!

We went to the BEST toy shop ever!!! It was called Jolly's Toy Shop. My sister and I made bracelets with our names on them and also there was a crossbow that I wanted but couldn't get because it was in the shape of a gun. There was also a tiny version of NEWTON BALLS! and a small ladder and two little people that you put on the top and then let them go and they race each other! The lady who works there was really nice too.

This is the bakery I was talking about. I had a small strawberry cheesecake!!! It was so good!!!

There was also a HUGE windmill and a sign that says HEIDI MOTEL.

And there was a peanut place with all kinds of peanuts, peanut brittle, cider, and boiled peanuts. Also there was a section with giant puppet-people, and when I pretended not to look one of the boys there pushed a button that made the peoples arms wave, but then I'd turn and stare him down!!! Also there was a coffee place my dad enjoyed, and then there was a grain store. We bought some cake mix and also this nice guy who told us all about how this big machine turned corn into grain. Also there was a pottery shop where I got a magnet for my bottlecap necklace. I had the BEST time ever in Helen!!!

The Royal Diaries

Hello blog readers, these are some books I've recently read. I'm starting a new book series called: The Royal Diaries. The first Royal Diaries book I read is Sondok, Princess of the Moon and Stars. This book series is based on actual people who have lived a long time ago. Sondok lived in Korea, A.D. 595. These books also have the history of the people in the books, also their Family Tree.

This is another Royal Diaries book: Lady of Ch'iao Kuo, Red Bird of the South. She live in Southern China A.D. These books are mostly about princesses from the past. Lady of Ch'iao Kuo is very smart, and people she loved, such as her father, died in war.

I just started this book yesterday. I'm on page 99 and so far it's pretty interesting. Elizabeth had five mothers,her first mother was Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boyelyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr, and she lived in the year 1544. These books are so awesome I'm going to read the whole series!

West Highland Terriers

West Highland White Terriers, commonly known as Westies, are a breed of dog known for their distinctive white coat. Originating in Scotland, the breed was used to seek and dig out foxes and badgers. Commonly, Westies have bright, deep-set eyes that are dark in color. Their ears are small, pointed, and erect. A male typically weighs between 15 and 20 pounds and a female between 13 and 16 pounds. Westies are prone to allergies and dry skin problems, and bathing too frequently may aggravate these problems. Washing once a month or on a longer interval will generally not cause problems. However, frequent brushings are needed to keep the coat clean and oils evenly distributed throughout the coat. As with most other dogs, westies generally require around thirteen hours of sleep per day. In order to accrue their needed sleep, westies will usually follow the sleep patterns of their human companions and also take several naps during the day. The average lifespan of a Westie can range from 12 to 17 years.

Daisie - when we first got her; before she went to the groomers. We got Daisy at the Cobb county Animal Shelter just after Thanksgiving. We were the first ones on the list to get her. I was so happy when we got her.

Daisie's Beau (Beauregard) - just after his visit to the groomers. Isn't he so cute! We got him from people in Canton.

Daisie & Beau

I love you dogs!!!

Books I've Recently Read

I love to read, and these are some of the books I've recently read. This one is called The Adventures of Erasmus Twiddle the famous not- detective. He solves a ton of,well, not the usual mysteries other detectives might solve, but they are still important to Erasmus Twiddle.

This one is called The Shadows of Ghadmes. I can't remember her name right now but this is her first children's novel and it's a cool story. It's about a girl named Malika, and then there's a guy who got hurt in the street and one of Malika's mothers saved him and they all took care of him and helped him escape.

This one's Chu Ju's House. This story takes place in China. Chu Ju's mother had a baby named Hua and Chu Ju took care of her and was worried about Hua being sold to an ugly looking lady who takes a look at her.

And this is Anastasia, Absolutely. It's about a girl named Anastasia who walks her dog Sleuth, and after he poops Anastasia drops her moms sketches off in the mail, but she accidentally puts the dog poop in the mail instead! Afterward she throws her moms sketches in the trash at home. Soon she finds out what she has done and is afraid she might get in trouble for putting the poop in the mail. Then she sees that the mail box is gone and thinks it's because of her. When police come to her house, they talk about a person putting home made bombs in the mail box...

Addie's Long Summer is about a girl named Addie whose cousins come over and seem to turn her world upside-down. One of her cousins is seventeen who helped Addie's mother a lot and the other cousin is twelve who was not as nice as her sister and ordered her around. Addie also has a friend named Tilla, and when one of her cousins makes fun of Tilla in front of her. Addie gets upset, Addie is also upset because she showed her cousin her and Tilla's special secret place. But when they all go camping, Addie saves her cousin. So it turns out that the cousins, are homeless and poor, not the way they used to be, that's when Addie understands why her cousin was the way she was.

READING IS THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Santa Was Great to Us!

Hello readers, this is a picture of me, my sister Athena, and Daisy our dog with Santa.

My sister and I got some awesome presents this year. I got this awesome jewelery cabinet, and lots of jewelery! I love it!

This is me and my sister opening all the jewelery.

I got lots of bracelets, necklaces and earrings!
I got slipper-boots too and they are so comfortable!

I got Hello Kitty earrings, star earrings, butterfly earrings, panda earrings,and monkey guitar ones too, I love wearing earrings!

My sister Athena always wanted the Strawberry Shortcake Cafe, and she got it, and trust me, she likes it.

I also got The Velveteen Rabbit from my aunt.

And this is my crazy uncle Richard.
He's the best uncle ever!

I got a cd by Miley Cyrus and it has my favorite song, Party In The U.S.A., and some new songs I like.

Athena and I got some more barbie clothes which we love.

And then I got, um, I can't remember what was in this bag.
Oh, I think it's my new blue shirt from Justice.

Athena also got lots of other things she really wanted. G-FORCE!
We watch it all the time. Plus she got a Dora movie.

Then I got this awesome beadweaving set.

Some more barbie clothes.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!