Submitted by Chrelle Booker

I’m often asked about the mountains and the fall leaves. While the mountains are pleasant to look at, I love the beach and ocean. With no sea nearby, when I have a desire, I take a ride around Lake Lanier.

I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying what our country has to offer from Seattle’s Space Needle to the Florida Keys. I’ve sailed on the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. I’ve been in a castle, even touched the prison bars of Alcatraz. I’ve seen sunrises in the Bahamas and sunsets at the southernmost point of the United States. What I’ve learned is, all roads lead to Tryon. Nothing can be finer than to be in Carolina …

I don’t like power outages; however, I love what they do for all of us in our little jewel of a town. At least once a year there are conversations about whether it’s best to cut back trees and limbs, alternative energy and above ground vs. buried utility lines. Whatever the case, I like the way power outages slow the pace of life. When the daylight fades into the quietness of night or complete darkness, there’s a simplicity in the ability to hear your thoughts. I savor the opportunity of this quiet stillness and consider it a gift.

Now there is a limit! When hours and days turn into five-plus days, I want lights. Seeing a Pike truck or a fleet of them make you want to do the “Happy Dance.” You don’t know when the refrigerator is going to murmur or the digital clocks are going to blink, but when they do, it’s like making the winning point in a championship game. It’s such an ecstatic moment.

I also love conversations, whether with my mechanic, at the bank, at the post office or at my newspaper office. In “The Friendliest Town in The South,” all of us are reminded that we are people overflowing with gratitude to be shared in the best humanitarian way. There are two significant words that carry us forward: Thank You! So, I love the Foothills, particularly Tryon, because they are like a ‘Thank You’ and a smile to me. •