By Bonnie J. Bardos 

“…Whenever we lose track of our own obsessions,

our self-concerns, because we drift for a minute,

an hour even, of pure (almost pure)

response to that insouciant life:

cloud, bird, fox, the flow of light, the dancing

pilgrimage of water, vast stillness

of spellbound ephemerae on a lit windowpane,

animal voices, mineral hum, wind

conversing with rain, ocean with rock…”

 

~ Denise Levertov, excerpt from “Sojourns in the Parallel World “

 

Up, up, up into the wild blue yonder I went last weekend in a compact vintage Beechcraft with beige leather seats, flying over Biltmore Estate with sprawling fall gardens, the silver and brown ribbons of the French Broad River, quiet farms and rolling pastures, spanking-new cookie cutter subdivisions without even one tree, downtown Asheville, over a sea of mountain ranges rippling blue on the horizon.

Although the pilot let me fly — some people are asking for trouble, aren’t they? — I controlled myself from hollering “Curse you, Red Baron!” or asking when the peanuts and drinks were being served. I was pretty dang proud of myself for keeping check engine light jokes to myself, too.

I have to admit to straining my neck a good bit hunting for two other small aircraft up there near us, although they never appeared in our periphery. No UFOs were spotted either. On our return flight back to the airport, the GPS system went out, but the little plane landed safe and sound.

Sometimes you just have to do something that gets you up in the air and looking at things in a new perspective. And leaves you feeling like a little kid, happy to have been up in the air, happy to be back on the ground in one piece and ready to go again! (Do you think River Dog is ready for a plane ride?)

Saluda Tailgate Market’s last Friday this season is today from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the city parking lot off Main Street. A special holiday market will be on Nov. 28 from 1-3 p.m. Stop by for fall goodies and support our friendly local vendors!

At the Historic Saluda Depot, there’ll be a book signing with NY Times bestseller Dacre Stoker tomorrow at 1 p.m. with presentations later in the day (tickets available).

The City of Saluda and Saluda businesses will host a Halloween Stroll on Main Street today from 3-6 p.m. After the stroll, the Saluda Historic Depot (32 W. Main Street) will host a Halloween party starting at 6 p.m. Bring a dish to share and wear your favorite costume.

The City of Saluda will hold an open house Nov. 7 from 2-4 p.m. This will be a great time to see the renovated building.

Mark those calendars and get your tickets now for Saluda United Methodist Church’s annual turkey dinner, Nov. 14 from 5-7 p.m. at Saluda School cafeteria.

Happy October birthday to Cissy Thompson, Patricia Case, Joan Barker, Gary Corn, Aaron Bradley, Amanda Burrell Anderson, Lisa Orr, Marilyn Prudhomme, Bubba Dawson, Kirby Jackson, Mary Ann Asbill, Sheila Billeter, Carol Thompson, Mildred Hipp and Dean Bradley. Add your birthday to the list: no age mentioned unless you’re under two or over 100! Promise.

 

 

 

 

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