The Huntleys old farm house

I did a little research on this house and come to find out, I know a little something about this place than who ever wrote the article about this house. The website is www.fast-rewind.com . This is a site all about the 80s movies and so on. If you go there scroll down to the color purple under movies smartmenu. Enjoy!

The Color Purple

When I was in the 3rd grade, I noticed a new girl that started coming to my school. I didn't pay that much attention to her cause...I was a 3rd grader... and had getting home so I could play outside was on my mind. Next thing you know I heard from the grapevine that she had a crush on me and wanted to be my sweetheart. Since I'm such the lover boy, I accepted her crush and we were officially sweethearts. As time went on I didn't think much about it.. we just passed love notes back and forth.. you know the ones where you say... I like you- do you like me- check yes or no. Then I found out the church I was attending- was gonna deliver some fire wood out to their house. Let me tell ya now... I was all over that. For real now think about this... I was in the 3rd grade... how else was I going to get to her house. When we arrived we pulled up to this huge house, but when they lived there, It was very junky, beat up and old looking. I didn't think much about that either until I walked into the living room. What I seen in there gave me the chills and to this day I can still remember how it freaked me out seeing this. There was a door leading into the basement and on the door was a sign that said- do not enter... under that that was a drawing of a ghost figure. These days that would be a bunch of hog wash but back then it frightened me a little. Shoot, most 3rd graders were probably still checking under their beds at night for monsters.... I never understood that and I don't remember asking her anything about it. After a few weeks of sweet hearting.. I learned that they were very poor- so being the tender hearted guy that I am, I started giving her my pennies that I saved .... ain't I a stinker.. Now It gets interesting. Somehow it got worked out that she could come over to my house for a few hours and since I was the man of the house I wanted to show her around. So we went walking through the woods... before I go any further with this, I want you to know there was no hanky panky... I'm serious.. maybe a little pop kiss but that was it so don't even go there.... So were trotting through the woods and I had decided to bring my BB gun with me in case we seen some wild animals or some crazy freaks hanging in the woods. Well on the way back home she wanted to hold my BB gun. I want you to know that dad gum girl went and shot me in the butt with that thing... whew... man you talk about something that stings... it felt like a bumble bee the size of a pinto had stung me. By the way the pinto I'm talking about is a car made by ford back in the late 70s... not the bean. I was so mad... actually I wanted to cry but I had to be strong or at least in front of her. What made it even worse was she thought it was funny. After that the sweet heart thing started going down hill.. What, you think I enjoyed getting shot in the butt with a BB gun. I had that thing pumped so that it had a lot of pressure.... you know for the wild animals. I guess I was the only thing wild that day.... Anyhoo they soon moved away to who knows where. A few years later Steven Spielberg filmed the movie- The Color Purple in this house. Now ain't that something- Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey were in Lilesville. How cool is that. Back then I was too little to comprehend all that but I have always wondered what made them choose this house- here in little old Lilesville and why. In fact a good part of the movie was shot in NC. You know, I often wonder about those folks that lived there. Sometimes I wish I could run into my old so called sweet heart so I can ask her about that ghost figure on the do not enter sign. I would not even recognize her if she walked in front of me but I know one thing for sure though... If I ever do happen to run into her again, I will make sure she doesn't have a BB gun. I don't know which one hurt the most, her shooting me in the butt, or her laughing at me.

A tribute to Mom

I've been waiting for a chance to share some things with you about my Mom and what a perfect opportunity for me to brag on her noble personality. So without further ado, lets get started...
Mom was more of a stay at home mom I guess you could say. She took care of the cooking, cleaning and all the other things mothers are so good at... but what sticks out the most to me is her never ending dedication to faithfulness. Mom and Dad were married in 1972 and she stayed faithfully committed to him through out all his life. I know times had to be hard cause dad would often spends days- even holidays in the hospital because of his heart. Mom always had a loving reputation but she was never afraid to lay down the laws either... Trust me- I know for sure about that ... They could be arguing one minute and the next minute they were fine, like nothing ever happened. What they had was very special. When summer rolled around we as a family would go camping at the river with two other families and I remember mom saying she really didn't get into it like the rest of us did but like I said earlier, she had a mothers mentality and made the best of it when we went. Moms are good with stuff like that. I can remember dad telling mom " I'm off to the hunting club, Ill be back after awhile". I never heard any negative remarks against him doing that or anything else he was up to. That was the way they did things. Mom just had a lot of trust with dad.

Mom was also a warrior and a survivor. In 1996 mom married one of dad's closest friends. After all, dad told him to look after mom when he was gone. A few years into their marriage she faced yet another challenge. A challenge she was not ready to go through again. Her new husband was diagnosed with cancer and only a hand full of months to live. As much as she dreaded to go through this horrible situation again she stood tall and showed the greatest example of love that I have ever seen. Instead of putting him in a nursing home she took care of him right by his side- sometimes going without food just to make sure she was there for him- even up to when he took his last breath. After she got through all of that she was bound and determined to stay to herself but little did she know there was another mountain to climb. Mom was told she had breast cancer and needed treatments. After knowing what she has been through and the sacrifices she had made for others I was hurting inside. Wondering why in the world things just couldn't be better. After going through everything I seen her go through mom still found the strength to trudge through this mountain she was facing. All though it was not easy she was simply surviving. To this day I am happy to say she has recovered well and enjoying her life at home with her dogs. In closing I would like to say thank you for everything you have done for me and everyone else that has felt your kindness. I am so proud of you and I love you more than words will ever say. You are truly a blessing to be around. One more thing mom... I know I wasn't exactly planned, but I want to thank you for letting nature take its course.....Hey- If you and dad wouldn't have been fooling around... then I might not have been here to tell you how much I love you. your son, Brian

Mom # 2

I bet you didn't realize I had two Moms did you.... well I didn't either until I married Shelly. If you haven't figured it out yet, this is my mother in law. I'm always hearing people talk about how they dread going to see their mother in laws or should I say " the In laws". Well I don't know what in tar-nation they're talking about cause my mother in law is a blast to be around. Always cheerful and showing off her cute little smile. What makes it even better is they live within 10 minutes of the beach. Wait just a minute now... before you start thinking that's why I enjoy going to see my mother in law or ... the In laws.. let me clarify this for you. I would love my in laws if they lived in an old dilapidated trailer park. So what else can I say- I have the best Mother and the best mother in law someone could possible ever ask for.. period.

Mothers Day colors

Sunday,13th of May

Today was a very special day. Not only was it Mothers day but it was also Shelly's birthday. My sister Penny spent most of the weekend with us so we all had loads of fun. We went back to Lilesville to see mom and went out to take more photos so I can share more stories with you but I came up a little short for my love muffins birthday. I took her out to eat ( her choice) and I got her a few cards but no gift..... I know. I guess I'm just a bad husband. She even showed me something she liked for an idea... Well, this by no means is a cover up for my actions but I just wanted to get something for her she didn't know about. I hit bottom this time....hey gimme a break I'm only human. Shelly- being the best wife in the world was just a little sad but I apologized for my slack. I really love to do the just because gifts, but for some reason I go blank when I am supposed to get something by a certain date. Yes I know that's why she gave me an idea but what I really wanted to do I could not afford. I realize she is not looking for me to do something high and mighty but just the thought and effort to do some things is what goes a long way.

Lilesville pool

During the summers before I was old enough to work I spent a lot of time here at the pool. I always loved coming to the pool esp. when all my friends were here. We always had a blast whether we were swimming or sitting around. When 4Th of July rolled around they would have contest like who had the biggest splash, best dive and so on. All while the fireworks went off. My favorite was when we would rock the pool. That is what we called it when we had enough guys that knew how to do a can opener, cannon ball or anything that had a big splash that made big waves. What we did was we all lined up at the diving board and continuously jumped off until the whole pool was rocking with waves... get it now.. I had lots of good times here but when my parents bought me my first dirt bike, this place was least on my mind.

Chewnings convience store

This use to be a cool convenience store believe it or not. It sits just above the pool about 100ft or so. I still remember people walking up to the store to get a coke and some chips with their towels wrapped around them and their stringy wet hair. After the store went out someone tried to turn into an arcade but that didn't last too long either. Some things I wish never changed. I personally liked it better as a store than an arcade.

Blewett Falls

As you can tell, people from around here like to fish. On any given night, even in the wee hours of the morning, you will find people throwing nets while their poles are set in a holder.

Yes we are still in Lilesville..... I bet you didn't know we had tropical waters here in L.A huh... There is no telling how deep it is, it could be 10ft or it could be 40ft. There is water holes like this all over the place here in Lilesville .

More photos from Lilesville

Bucyrus Erie

This is what a drag line is suppose to look like.

Yea, yea, yea I know, another weird meaningless photo... Wrong again. I can however see why you are scratching your head wondering- what in the world does this picture mean.. well sit back and read on and I will tell you. These are the pit roads used by the mining company's around here and several of the roads had a few miles worth of travel to get to the plants. With that being said dad would often take me out to watch the drag lines and the haul trucks go by and would put me in his lap so I could drive. I was to small to reach the pedal at that time so he done the pedal pushing and I did the steering until I was tall enough to do both. So what I'm saying is these pit roads is where I learned how to drive. Dad was cool about it to. You would think we were going to a fire if you seen us flying down those pit roads. By the time I was old enough to take drivers ed, I had so much experience driving I was wanting to lay the seat back, crank the radio and hang my arm out the window to get my farmers tan started while the others were nervous and tense. Needless to say I passed with flying colors. I've said this before and I will say it again, that man was a genius. He knew how to blend everything together to make a perfect mix. Almost like he had planned all this stuff out one day before I was even born. I mean seriously, he was just taking me out to watch the drag lines work but what he was really doing- was teaching me how to drive.

Gone Fishing

If there was one thing in life that dad loved to do, it was fishing. It didn't matter if he was in a boat or on the banks as long as he had a fishing pole in his hands he was good to go. Good gosh... I mean if you even talk about fishing, you would see a grin start to stretch around them jaws and of coarse living in Lilesville, we were conveniently located near the Pee Dee river. Well, when dad got his boat he also got about 20 cane poles to go with it and let me tell ya... he would use almost all of them at one time. That rascal would be sitting on a pole coming out from behind on the side and from the front - while holding one in his hand. I'm not kidding......that man was talented when it came to fishing!!! If there was anything in the Pee Dee to be caught, he was going to catch it. I don't know how in the world he done it but he did. I remember going out with him sometimes looking for a trot line. He could take a line-bait it- drop it to the bottom and find it a few days later- and yes it would have fish on it.... catfish.
With all the times I went fishing with him- I never really took interest in it but I loved being out on the water. My goodness- If I would have only had a camera back then...after a good day of fishing we would come home and he would clean em , cut em and put em in the freezer until their appointment was due for the el- frying pan-o. Man- there was so many frozen fish fillets in that freezer you could eat for months.....I wish so bad that ole fart was still around... as the days-months -years go by, I think about all the things he done for me and how I wish I could take care of him like he took care of me. You know something though...for as much as I could care less about fishing you can bet your buttercups when Saturday morning rolled around, this how it would go >

Dad wake up .. it's 6am...I got the boat hooked up and were all set...
we will stop by Whit's store and get some crackers, coke and a new
pack of Levi Garret.... get your hat cause were going fishing.

What a neat looking little church here in Indian Trail. This church has always caught my eye since we have moved to the area. It just looks so neat the way it's lit up with the stone structure. It almost looks like a little castle.

Thanks

I would like to send out a special thanks to Chad and Jessica Lingafelt. They have been very helpful to me when It comes to computers and this blog. In fact if it wasn't for Jessica I probably wouldn't be writing in this blog. One day while at work, my wife started telling Jessica about what I had been wanting to do and the rest is history. Jessica sent me her blog and I was hooked. These guys have incredible knowledge about computers or any other electronics you can think of. Although I try to figure this stuff out on my own before I go ringing their doorbell through emails- they help me when I need help. So this one is for you Chad and Jessica. You guys rock!

Summer time

OK now, enough is enough... I'm ready for some good ole warm weather. These little cold fronts make it seem like summer time is never going to get here. I'm not a picky person ya know- I love going just about anywhere... but what I really love though is getting out to the beach when it's around 95 degrees- kick back with your chair and some sunglasses and lay out in the sun. That is sooooooo relaxing. Since we do not have that kind of weather yet, here is a few pictures that will hopefully warm things up a little.

Indian Trail Hardees

I know what you are thinking...man this guy must have ran out of ideas to write about if he is showing a picture of Hardee's. If those are the words you were thinking then you are wrong. This is no ordinary Hardee's. I'm sure they make burgers like any other Hardee's but what I see is sentimental value. To make a long story short I needed a root canal and my dentist sent me to a specialist in Charlotte. On the way back home from a visit to the specialist we decided to stop here and grab something to eat. When I say we- I mean dad and me. Little did I know this was the last time we ate out together. Every time I ride by this place, that day is what comes to mind. I am not a big Hardee's food lover but what made it good that day - he was there with me. To top it off, a song came on the radio on the way home that sums it up best. The song was Hero by Mariah Carey. If there was one thing I wish I could do, it would be to contact and tell her personally what that song means to me. I'm not talking about a chit chat over the phone either. I'm talking about a face to face conversation so she can look into my eyes when I tell her. If I had an endless bank account, I would make it happen even if it cost me tens of thousand of dollars... Things like that have no price tag. If there is someone you love or very dear to you then I would suggest you make the most of every momment you have with them. You never know what you got till it's gone.

My trip to east L.A

For the past few years, I have been spending some of my vacation time in L.A. No not California, but rather a small quiet town in N.C. east of Charlotte. I really enjoy using some of my vacation here cause first and foremost, I get to spend time with mom and those crazy dogs... but other than that I just roam the town from one end to the other and see what has stayed the same. Oh yea... believe me- nothing hardly ever changes here in Lilesville area, or at least nothing I could tell this time around.... but ya know- that alone is what makes this place so unique to me... is that it remains the same. I have so many good memories of this town... I guess that's why I love to ride around and see the sights. When I am able to come back in town to stay a while, it's almost like a breath of fresh air. It's so calm and peaceful out here that it's relaxing...No matter where I go in life or where I make my choice of living, I will always come back to Lilesville for a lengthy visit. After all this is my home town...my roots and where good memories flow like fish in a stream.

An old mill

While I was in town I paid a visit to a landmark that has caught my attention since I can remember. I have always wanted to get to the bottom of this place and see what was down there and decided the time was now. This was an old mill that shut down and was suppose to be reconstructed into a historical museum but before the reconstruction could begin the old abandoned mill caught fire and this is whats left of it. I would love to see what this place looked like before it shut down. I did learn that my great grandfather worked here but I'm not sure of the dates or how long he worked here. Still though-how cool is that..There is even a beautiful waterfall flowing from behind this part of the mill.

Would you believe me if I said that this machine was in operation about 12 years ago. Well its true, I might be off a year or two but I know im pretty close. I have even been inside while it was operating. My Dad knew the fellow that run this thing and he would let us come out and watch. After several times of coming out, he start waving for us to crawl up in the cab so I could see from the operators seat. I can remember hearing the horn blow when it finished loading the trucks with material when I was growing up.This machine was called a dragline. There are some pieces missing but this dragline could turn completely around and had about a 100ft boom attached to the front and a bucket big enough to park you car in. The company was W.R. Bonsal sand and gravel.

Anybody home

Shelly and I both love to see old houses like this. We always say to each other-wonder who lived here or wonder how old this place is ....what were the people like... It's mysterious in a way. I know you are going to think I fell off the deep end but...ever seen the movie The Goonies.. sometimes I think maybe there is a secret passage way that leads to some great treasure or something. As much as we love looking at these old houses we really take caution around these places. You just don't know whats on the inside. There could be a crazy bum in their waiting to knock you in the head. I guess that's what makes it so spooky when you are walking up to it...

T.V or not T.V

I sure do miss the 80's..... I miss the movies-the music and the hair styles that most women had with long hair. Yes that's the one- the style where you sprayed a can of aqua net hair spray to keep their hair teased while wearing acid washed blue jeans with holes ripped in the knees. Before I get carried away on that, let me get to the point of this story. I hardly ever watch T.V any more. I just don't have any desire to watch any of the programs that come on unless it's something on the learning channel, discovery, history and the rest of the channels like that. Oh I left one out, since we have digital cable we have vh1 classic. That one I really like cause they have videos from the 80's. You know- as much as I like that channel I still don't watch it that much- only if I catch a show in time and I have nothing else to do. But- and that's a big but- I would be glued to the television if the programs back in the day or at least my day came back. Here are the programs I miss the most.. Street Hawk- Knight Rider- Airwolf- C.H.I.P.S- Sanford and Son- Dukes of hazard- 3 Stooges- and the A team. Sad but so times has changed. I remember getting off the school bus running to the house so I wouldn't miss the top 10 countdown on MTV. Now-a-days you turn MTV on you get Jessica Simpson trying to cook a chicken. If you like programs like that then I would say enjoy them while you can cause there is no telling what will be on next. As for me I am still stuck in the 80's.