A day late and a dollar short. I’m sure you’ve heard that phrase often. Maybe you even said it about something or other or someone or other. I’m usually the one that’s a little late and a dollar short. That just means I was late getting something done and without all the resources I might need. I figured that saying had been around forever, but when I looked online it said the first published use of the phrase was in 1936. Thatwas way later than I expected. I thought maybe people had been a day late for a lot of things for a lot of years and I’m sure they have. But that time frame would fit Piper’s summer adventure in An Appalachian Summer. This cabin might fit right in too as she rode her horse up in the mountains to help the Frontier Nurses.
This cabin was in a different mountain range than the Appalachians. We were just down in the Smoky Mountains for a visit and took time to check out some of the historic cabins and also some of nature’s views. That’s why I’m that day late with this post. I don’t think the dollar short counts for me since nature doesn’t charge for the beauty you can see or the pleasure you can get from a walk in the woods with your grandchildren.
The kids were amazed at the idea of families living in such a small house. And I have to say I was too especially after my research into life in the Appalachian Mountains for my mountain stories. It was easy to imagine those lofts with wall to wall beds for the many children some of the families had. One of my granddaughters said that they were probably outside all the time. I’m sure she was right. The children would be working alongside their parents to build what they needed and to grow enough food for their table in summer and through the hard months of winter. They didn’t worry about the beautiful lawns we have now. they had way too much time to worry about grass except for finding what their animals needed for grazing. The people had to be self-sufficient because they didn’t have grocery stores nearby or money to buy anything even if there had been. They had to make do with what they could do on their own.
But you had to wonder as you stood in these old cabins and listened for echoes from the past, whether these people would have told you how happy they were in spite of the isolation and hard work. I like to imagine that they would have told you how they loved their beautiful surroundings. Just think about exploring in those mountains and coming across a waterfall like Grotto Falls where a person could stand under the water cascading over the rocks to splash down into a creek. I liked to imagine them enjoying this natural shower before they moved on down the mountain with the creek running alongside them. The sound of a rushing mountain stream has to be one of the best sounds ever.
Maybe these early settlers climbed up on a boulder to get a better look or just because it felt right to stand atop of boulder. That’s what my grandkids thought and then of course, in this day when every pocket holds a camera, it was picture taking time. But on every trail, one had to think about how it used to be before the tourists came. The mountains are old and have seen much. It’s neat to think back on some of those past times and to imagine.
Have you ever taken a trip to the Smoky Mountains and walked any of the trails?
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I love the Smokies! My aunt took my me and my brothers so many times that the hotel staff in Pigeon Forge knew our names. That was many many moons ago.
I went with my son’s family, (and 4 grandsons) a couple of months ago. When we were driving through Cumberland Gap, they wanted to hear all about Daniel Boone and the early settlers. I love that they enjoy history!
I work each summer at a local history museum that’s an early 1800s log cabin. The visitors are always amazed at how large families lived in such small houses, with no modern amenities. One teenage girl asked, “where’s the bathroom?” Her face was priceless when I showed her the chamber pot under the bed. 😅
We’ve been closed this year, but I’m happy to say we’re opening back up for weekend visitors next weekend. Yay! I can’t wait to talk history again!
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Sounds like a perfect job for you, Lavon, sharing that history. People had such different expectations back in the cabin living days. Everybody had to work hard to make a living or to keep a family fed. But I have to admit it seems hard for even me to imagine where so many children slept in those cabins. Now kids think they all need their own room when then very few had even their own bed.
I got to share a little history with my grandkids too while we were doing some of the sightseeing. Glad your museum is re-opening on the weekends.
Love the mountains. We visited the Smokies many times a year which sometimes included hikes, like to Abrams Falls in Cades Cove. These trips were the highlights of my 2 son’s lives growing up. Living only 3.5 hours drive from Gatlinburg helped. I “echo ” a big amen to everything you said. Your descriptions of the mountains and the unique people who lived there make your books such enjoyable read. Glad you had a fun trip. Love the pictures
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The Smokies were one of our family destinations too, Barbara. Probably where we went on our first family trips with the kids. So it was fun to go with the grandkids and relive some of those memories. There was a little boy playing in the Chimney Rocks picnic area creek that made both my son and me think of how he loved to play in the creek when he was about the same age as the boy. We hiked to several of the falls then but I have a hard time remembering which ones. Seems we did go to Abrams Falls once.
My husband, along with my sister and brother in law, have been hiking in the Smoky Mountains for over 20 years. Love Cades Cove and the old cabins along the way. Our most memorable hike was to Mt. LeConte. It took us all day to reach our destination. There was a tornado the night before and rain along the way… we had made reservations a year in advance for one of the primitive cabins built in the 20s ….we decided to go with our plans despite the less than ideal weather. We met the llama train and wrangler along the way ; bringing supplies to the mountain top complex; other items are flown in by helicopter. Once we arrived we enjoyed a delicious dinner in the large dinning hall with other hikers ; many interesting stories shared ! As we made our way to our cabin, we were given a bucket and directed to a spigot where we got warm water for washing up . Our cabin consisted of 3 bedrooms and a central fireplace where everyone placed their drenched boots in hopes they would be dry for the morning descent. Our room consisted of bunk beds and a stand with a wash pan and a small mirror on the wall . The other 2 rooms accommodated additional friendly hikers. No electricity…headlamps and flashlights were essential as we prepared for bed after a long day. We arose at daybreak and were greeted by a beautiful sunrise and clear weather ! We joined the others for a breakfast consisting of too many items to list here….and wonderful fellowship as we all prepared for our descent down the mountain to our vehicles. Needless to say ; this was an unforgettable experience !!
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That’s something I’ve always wanted to do, Nancy. I would never get my husband to do it though. My daughter and I considered it for one of our mother daughter trips, but we didn’t make the reservations early enough and went to a beach destination instead. The way you describe it makes me wish I had pushed harder to do it some years ago. I’m glad you shared your experience. Very interesting. I hadn’t imagined it quite that rustic. You all were troupers to go after such bad weather.
That is so wonderful that even your grandchildren are older they still go on trips with you and are around you so much. That is a blessing and seeing them in the photos just warms my heart so many kids have that snobby way that at 12 they have had enough of their relations and get in with people that influence them into bad habits, I have never been to the smoky mountains nor anywhere in that area although i love the cabin and so glad that it is still standing. We watch Barnyard Builders and they take down some old cabins and it is so sad to see history be a pile of boards although they are reused but still some of them should be still standing for others to admire how small they lived in and I bet never complained just happy to have a roof over their heads and wow do I know that feeling when i was 5 and went to the receiving home I was so worried they would put me out in the street at that age. I gobbled every bit of food as I had not had much at all and loved sleeping in a bed as I was alone at night and so scared i slept in front of the door till my dad got done bartending which was almost school time. Thank you for posting these pics!
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My grandchildren are fortunate to have good parents who make sure they still do family things. You weren’t that fortunate, Peggy, and I know you had a rough childhood. It makes me happy now when you talk about how your husband helps you out and how you have flowers and a good house to enjoy along with books to read.
But we did have a good time exploring the mountains. We did our best to stay safe and wore masks when needed. We went to the aquarium one day which is one of my son’s favorite things to do. His youngest daughter loves the manta rays. I thought maybe we would be there until close with her watching them. 🙂 But it was a good time.
My family has traveled to the Smoky Mountains. My husband and I don’t hike anymore, but, we love the beauty of the mountains.
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My husband never really liked hiking but used to go with us when we wanted to go up into the mountains. But now he doesn’t hike anymore. I still love walking the trails so it was fun having my son’s family to hike with. Of course, the kids loved playing in the mountain streams. Me, I sat on a rock and watched that fun.