OUR SOUTH

I've been thinking a lot about Doc Watson since he passed away a couple of weeks ago.  He was so great.  One of the things I've realized is that his music makes me truly proud to be born and raised in the south.  Somehow his innovative style of music is able to convey our culture, our people, and our land.

Sometimes I feel like I would rather be in a place like the Rockies or the North Cascades, which are certainly more grand than our smaller, older, denser Appalachian mountains.  And sometimes, I tend to see some of the negative things about the south, but I've come to realize every place has it's dirty secrets; you just have to be there long enough for them to present themselves.  In the end, I don't think I'd rather be anywhere else but the south.  Here are three good reasons.

Our Land
I grew up in East Tennessee and it seems to get more beautiful the more I go back.  The rolling green hills and the rivers are comforting.  A little to the south is the mountainous smokies and western North Carolina.  We just got back from Waynesville where the mountains are more layered and dramatic.   

We have beautiful mountain lakes, like Lake Burton, where we just spent a couple of nights at Will's little red cabin...

We have killer waterfalls, rivers, and wildflowers in deep wilderness like the Cohutta's in North Georgia (these pics from a trail run to Jack's River Falls earlier this year)...

Our Food
In my opinion, we have best food possibly in the world.  I love the pig...and we know how to cook the pig.  I love our vidalia's, our peanuts, our collards, and our rainbow trout.  I love cooking with butter.  And grits.  I love the recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation.  Our food is dripping with culture.  From cajun to cakes.  My mom makes THE best gumbo and pound cake.  Trust me, I've tried most of them out there.  A lot has been written about southern food lately.  And new southern restaurants are popping up all over the country.  Rightly so.  Most of the food is pretty simple, but the technique and ingredients are key.  Anyway, go make some fresh grilled trout, summer corn and collards for dinner.  Enjoy!

 
And of course,
Our Music (and our People)
Three from Doc...

Windy and Warm - One of my favorite instrumentals that highlights Docs style and ability

Sittin on Top of the World - Highlights Docs personality

The Lone Pilgrim - Just because