Weekend Tour Leads to Tapestry

Greetings!  Shannan and I exercised very early. Then we joined our friend and took off for a grand adventure in our typical Shannan, Joel and Tom style. First thing Saturday morning the three of us lit out for northeast Georgia. Our itinerary called for a stop at Goats on a Roof, Jaemor Farms, Babyland General (birthplace of the Cabbage Patch Kids), the Mule Camp Festival in Gainesville, lunch downtown and a tour of the North East Georgia History Center on the Brenau University Campus.

Things went splendidly. When we arrived at our last stop, the North East Georgia History Center, and the great day meter went off the gauge. A very kind woman at the information desk made several references to a Tapestry. She assumed we had come to see it. We had not. We began our tour outside in the memorial gardens. Once we finally made our way inside to the main exhibit hall, I immediately realized what she meant about the Tapestry.

The Tapestry is a hand painted replica of the Bayeux Tapestry. The piece has been acquired by the University of North Georgia. This one of kind full-size reproduction of the Bayeux Tapestry depicts historic events leading up to the Norman invasion of England. The original embroidered tapestry was completed in the 1070s and is currently housed in the Bayeux Cathedral in France. The tapestry stands as both a masterpiece of medieval art and a tremendous historic artifact that explains the Norman conquest of England via hand stitched illustrations.

It was a fantastic opportunity to happen upon the Tapestry for many reasons. One, the Tapestry is a real gem. Two, it was only displayed for one week. Finally, I was so inspired that I am arranging to have the Tapestry brought to our campus in the spring.

Exercise and Explore.

Tom

Greetings! Out of no where, I felt a pain, very reminiscent of plantar fasciitis, on the outer side of my right foot. I understand there is a facilities tension there. Nonetheless, I didn’t let this little nuisance stop me from enjoying a 30 plus minute run in Florence, AL. We were there on a weekend trip to tour a Frank Lloyd Wright house, Helen Keller’s Home and Pope’s Tavern.

Our tourist stops proved much more engaging than the short run I had before the dawn’s early light. Our hotel was right in the middle of a retail district. Rather than run along a multilane highway, I slipped off down a street behind the shopping centers. This allowed for a small glimpse of the rural community that existed before the plazas began breaking ground. It was a quiet morning and a terrific temperature.  I cruised along nearly in a meditative state. That was good and bad.

The good: it was very relaxing. The bad: I almost got lost as the winding road spit me back out in front of some retail establishments. The parking lots all look the same. I thought I was closer to the hotel than was actually the case.  I soon figured out the reality of the situation and picked up the pace to get back to the room in time to start the day of touring.

The best news came as I forgot about the pain in my foot until the next morning, when the ache returned, somewhat angrily.

Travel. Tour. Run.

Tom