Even though I have never been apple picking before, it seemed like the right thing to do with the little man. Since Friday was officially the first day of Autumn, we decided to head north for a little family fun and adventure. We got a late start out of Atlanta and ended up arriving in Ellijay around lunch. We had heard a lot of great things about a bar-b-que place called the Pink Pig so we made that our first stop. The Pink Pig is in Cherry Log between Ellijay and Blue Ridge. The food was fabulous, the service was great and the prices were reasonable so we will be back the next time we are up that way.
Since we were close to Blue Ridge, we decided to head up to Mercier Orchards. We knew that they didn't offer apple picking on Friday but we heard that they had the best Apple Cinnamon bread so we decided to ride up there to check it out for ourselves. The bread was good but the "farm stand" was a little too touristy for us so we headed south to B.J. Reece Orchards. By the time we made it back to Ellijay, the clouds had too. We had to settle for buying apples from their shop. We got a bag of Jonagold apples and a few other things before heading home. I'm sure we will be back to do our apple picking before the end of the season.
Today, one of my favorite bands R.E.M. announced that after 30 years they were breaking up. I haven't been listening to R.E.M. for 30 years but I have been a loyal fan for about 20 years. I have seen them perform live a total of 3 times and each concert was as great as the one before. As a student at the University of Georgia, I found out just how legendary R.E.M. was. Their first concert was performed in church and even though the church was torn down the steeple was left to mark the spot. Every incoming freshman makes Wuxtry Records a must see, since it is the store where Michael Stipe met Peter Buck. And you have to get your meat and 3 fix at Weaver D's (where its automatic) before leaving town.
No other band has left such a mark on such town as R.E.M. has done with Athens and its not just the music. Since the members lived in Athens for many, many years they were active in the community and the preservation of historic buildings. They were artistic and business leaders who gave back to their "hometown."
Fortunately for Athens, R.E.M.'s influence on alternative music made this small town in Georgia a hot spot for tours. I saw the Counting Crows and Dave Matthews Band perform live before they hit the big time (ok I'm dating myself with that confusion) and it was all because of R.E.M. So with a heavy heart, I want to thank these four boys from UGA who changed college radio forever for all of the great music and memories.
Its too hard for me to choose my favorite R.E.M. song so here's a video of all four members performing their classic hit, "Losing My Religion."
