Valle Crucis News
by Callie and Ethel Foss

March 3, 2010

I am sorry to have missed sharing the news the past few weeks. To be honest, there has not been much to report. I am happy to see the sunshine peeking out of the clouds as I write the news this Monday morning! Callie and I migrate to the big windows to sit in the sun and warm our winter bones! Actually, we both enjoy the winter since we are able to get out every now and then and are not stuck at home. We have LC to come check on us, for which we are eternally grateful. I believe we are going to have a glorious spring and summer so we are busy with seed and flower catalogs. The bugs should be good and frozen by now and not create havoc in the gardens when spring time does come our way.

Have you seen the pair of golden eagles flying around the valley floor recently? We had an email from a Valle Crucis resident asking if we had seen them. Callie and I have not but if you do, please let us know! We did some research on the internet and discovered that the golden eagle is dark brown with lighter golden brown on their heads and necks. Their wingspan is over 7 feet and their length is about 3 feet.  Golden eagles usually mate for life. We will keep our binoculars close by and hope to get a glimpse of these spectacular birds.

I have such an interesting story to share with you all. Do you remember Stallings Jewelry Store in downtown Boone? Constance and Bernard Stalling’s son Andy has relocated to Boone with his wife Emily. Andy and Emily have lived all around the United States and have decided to retire to Boone. While going through some old photographs, Emily found a stack of pictures from the snow storm of 1960. Come to find out, Bernard organized a photo contest for folks to send in their pictures of the blizzard. All of the photographs had names and descriptions on the back of the photos and one had a name and a phone number. Don’t you remember when we did not have to dial the entire number but could dial 2-0000? Or farther back, the party lines? Anyway, Emily called the phone number on the back of a photo with a young girl in the snow dressed in a bathing suit. Wouldn’t you know, her mother answered the phone and she and Emily had such a nice chat. The girl in the picture turned out to be a classmate of Andy’s!  Just one of the blessings of living in a small town.

If you are wondering about all of the cars at the elementary school Saturday night, I snooped around for news and found out it was a benefit for Charlie Hart. Charlie had a heart attack around Thanksgiving and is recovering quite well. Several of his friends decided to have a fundraising party to help with medical bills and the result was a wonderful gathering. Folks brought casseroles, salads, breads and desserts to share with all present and several bands entertained throughout the night. Gay Gingrich, Susan Lawrence and Debra Jean Sheets played some tunes and so did the Corklickers. Several other groups played as well to fill the evening with music.

The cake walk was a fun part of the festivities for many of the well-wishers. I heard the silent auction was a success too with many beautiful items donated to support Charlie and his family. There were folks from all over the county but some of the Valle Crucis friends included John Scarlata, Rebecca Keeter, the Coopers, the Pitts, Dede Workman, the Clements , the Heistands, Patty and Noah Crosswell, Laurel and Will Jernigan with their precious baby boy Owen, the McAuliffes, all of the Thornton family, Patti Sjostrand, Judy and Marshall Shipp, Claudia Hudson, Anne and Mack Green….just to name a few. I am sure the Hart family was overwhelmed with the community support!

It looks like the icicles along Hwy 194 were indeed a joke. A little bird told me that Powerade powder was the key ingredient to the coloration of the ice. Oh well, the geology theory was good for a while!

We heard our friend Lillian Parks is moving to Wilkesboro. We will miss her presence with us here in the valley and I know her church friends in Boone will miss her also. At least she is not too far away for a visit every now and then. Best of luck to you, Lillian!

Our reader Rick from Florida reports a cold winter there. Folks in the sunny state just are not used to continued cold temperatures for weeks on end. The good news is spring arrives pretty quickly in the south; in fact, I heard there are daffodils blooming in Charlotte!

Congratulations to Cameron Hastings, our Valle Crucis School 6th grader on her repeat performance to win the Watauga County Schools spelling bee in 2010. I am not sure any student has won two years in a row so this makes Cameron’s success even sweeter. She will compete in the regional spelling bee in Winston-Salem in March 14. We will be cheering for you, Cameron.

Happy birthday wishes for the last few weeks go to Ginger Fore February 17, David Vines February 21, Anne Green February 26, Muriel Moore February 27, Anna Jenson February 28, and Chris Page March 1. Happy anniversary to Allyn and Maria Morton February 22, Noyes and Suzanne Long February 26, and Tom Eshelman and Jeanne Finan March 4. I hope all of your celebrations are wonderful.

Please write to us on e-mail at callieandethel@hotmail.com. If you need to send it by the postal service, mail it to:

Valle Crucis News
c/o Sandy Shook
Watauga Democrat
474 Industrial Park Drive
Boone, NC 28607

Have a great week, stay warm and be safe