Georgia Mountain State Festival, Hiawassee, Ga

We're BACK!!!!

I just want to say that we had the best time in Hiawassee and I can't stress how BEAUTIFUL it is there....only to be beat by fall time when the leaves are changing. It was GORgeous!

Our motel was on top a hill overlooking the mountains and a big lake.

Britt even had a good time, which I thought she would have been bored.

Let me say here that there isn't a tree, leaf, mountain range or body of water that I didn't take there picture with! BAHHHHHHH-HAAAAAAAHHHHH!

I took this one of Court enjoying the view...and the three of them...

3/5th's of the family!

More of these pics in a sec...so anyways, Ronnie McDowell was performing Friday night and we were there for that. Also, he brought his SON along...Tyler Dean...his 19 year old son. Court was all eyes...

So, after the show, Court went to get her picture taken with his Daddy and lo and behold, there was Tyler Dean...checking HER out! So, I was sort of smiling and I looked back at Court and there she was checking HIM out! HAAAAAA! Then I looked back towards Tyler Dean and there was Mike...checking BOTH them out! and he wasn't smiling! BAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Mike just rolled his eyes and went and stood by the wall.

They talked...

I made them pose together... and again.... Other people wanted their pics too! She went back stage and they talked some more. She came back out to where we were looking disgusted! I asked her what was wrong...DID TYLER DEAN SAY SOMETHING TO UPSET THE BABY? (horrors!!) She said no, that he told her he just recorded a song he wrote called, "TAYLOR SWIFT". WHA???! She said, "Mama Taylor Dean is HISTORY...I ain't liking no boy who writes songs about other girls." HAAAAAAAAAAA!!! And she was done with that!

Then Britt had to get in on it too...notice her HUGE smile!After all that eyeballing, it was time for Court to sing...

and she sang!She was invited to perform the next night when the Bellamy Brothers was there.

So, the next day (Saturday) we hung around the fair grounds and I had to take pictures of them...This picture is great and it ain't because of my awesome photography skills! hee!! Here they are with Mike's parents...

Here they are in a replica of an old house...in an old school bus...I took this one looking thru the window in an old school house...

They grabbed my camera and took some pics...

Why is it when you give a teenager a camera, they take pictures of THEMSELVES?!

Then the Bellamy Bros. went on...

He liked me! HAAAAA!

I had to get Court's pic with them. Britt didn't want to.

Then we waited for Court's turn to sing...this is what she wore... So, we entertained ourselves...

and ate! Britt has been working out everyday and has lost alot of weight...!

I didn't get a lot of good pics of Court singing because I wasn't sitting in the right spot and I wanted to listen and watch the crowd response.

After she sang "How Great thou Art", she got a standing ovation! That did her alot of good to get that type of response. ALOT of places she sings at, the crowd doesn't appreciate traditional Country music or Southern Gospel. There was over 2000 people there who loved it and she was SOOO happy to perform for them!

After that performance, she was...and hopefully it all works out...invited back in October to headline her own show with that band. I've learned in this business to not get too excited about things because they don't always work out, but knock on alot of wood, she'll be back and that could lead to other things! That's how it works!

I had woke up Sunday morning and went to get some coffee in the breakfast area. The hotel there is like a big lodge with huge windows overlooking the mountains and lake. I noticed some guy out on the porch taking pictures with his massive camera. Hmmmm...not to be outdone by ANY means, I go and grab MY beautiful camera...and I go outside and plop all my equipment on one of the tables out there. The only thing I didn't have was my tripod, which I didn't bring, but will next time.

Can't no one call ME slow!

I made a big production of changing my lenses and attaching the polarizing filter etc...

HE IGNORED ME! whatever.

So, it was then that I turned to see what he was taking pictures of and it was the most beautiful scenery!

So, after all that, we packed up, loaded up and headed back to home. BUT FIRST, I wanted to stop and get the girls pics by a lake....

and coming down the mountain, I wanted to get their pics at a scenic outlook pull off place...I liked the fence...

and I took this pic of Britt and it's probley my most favorite one of the whole trip...

I took aLOT more and you can check them out to the right here under album #3 photos.

I wanted to say here too that ASHLEY CALLED while we were there! She is doing GREAT! She was SOOO happy to walk on land! They were only on land for a couple days and now they're headed out again. She should be calling home in a week or so. She sounded great and said she bought me some COFFEEEEE! LOVE IT!

Have a great day everyone!

Joan