Hello,

I wanted to let you know that this is the last post I will be putting up on this blogging site.  My wife and I have been re-working my web page and from this time forward I will maintain my blog there.  This is part of our strategy to create more of a "one-stop shop" for people so they won't have to go to multiple locations to access information about my books or me.

Over the next month or so we will migrate all the posts on this site to the blog portion of my web page so they are archived and still available should anyone wish to refer to one of them.  Once that is completed, this blog will be taken down.

I apologize for any inconvenience and encourage you to visit my website at www.jmichaelherron.com to see the new look and feel we have created.

Best wishes always,

J. Michael Herron

Ah, Sweet Sorghum

Fall in the north Georgia mountains brings not only the beautiful red, orange and yellow leaves, it also brings the much welcome cooler weather and…The Sorghum Festival.

What is Sorghum you ask?  Sweet sorghum is made from 100 percent pure, natural juice extracted from sorghum cane and has been produced in the United States since colonial days. Although it is grown extensively for syrup production in the southeastern states, some sweet sorghum syrup has at one time or another been produced in every one of the contiguous 48 states.

In early October the farmers of the Blue Ridge mountains start cutting and stripping the cane and before November comes, the best syrup in the world is ready to enjoy. Sorghum syrup is enjoyed in many ways; poured over pancakes and waffles, drizzle over butter-laden biscuits or bake it into cookies, cakes, breads and beans are just a few.  Do you have a favorite way of using Sorghum or an interesting story to share?  Post a comment, I would love hearing from you if you do.

The Sorghum Festival is this weekend and next here in Blairsville, GA and we will be heading there on Sunday, as I have to replenish my supply.  I use it, instead of honey, when making my Rye bread.  If you want my recipe for the Rye bread, just email me at by clicking here.

In my book, Appalachian Gold, which is set in the north Georgia Mountains, the heroine and her husband inherit his parents’ property on which Sorghum was raised.  Below is an excerpt from the book.  I hope you enjoy it.  And I hope you will enjoy trying Sorghum.

CHAPTER 6

On a wintry January night in 2007 their lives changed. Craig’s parents owned 90 acres of land outside of Blue Ridge in Morganton. They had named it Lasher Farms and made their living as farmers growing sorghum, wheat and rye. Their dream had always been to turn it into a winery and the previous year they had planted 40 acres in grapes. While returning from a winemakers and vintners meeting in Gainesville their car lost control on an icy patch and crashed head-on into a truck on Highway 52 not too far from Amicalola Falls State Park. The truck driver sustained only minor injuries. Craig’s parents were killed instantly.

Craig and Jordana took care of all the funeral arrangements in a daze. Nothing had prepared them for this. As an only child Craig inherited the farmland and house. Even though the home and land on the farm were free and clear there were a lot of expenses associated with running it. There was a small insurance policy but it did little more than pay for the funeral expenses and some farm equipment debt. They jointly made the decision to move to the farm so they didn’t have rent expense. Craig would continue his job as a mechanic. They would do their best to keep the dream of establishing a winery alive.

Jeremiah was now four years old. Jordana would continue to be a stay at home mom but now she would also be assuming a lot of responsibilities associated with managing the farm. Craig would help out during weekday evenings as best he could after arriving home and full-time on weekends. It was a steep learning curve as neither one of them really knew much about running a farm, let alone developing a winery. There was so much to learn and so little time or money to do it. But they also wanted to fulfill and share in the dream.

At the end of the first year of farm life they were both exhausted. Some days it was all they could do to take a shower and crawl into bed. One Saturday evening Craig was sitting with Jordana in the living room. He was staring into the fire in the fireplace. Finally he turned towards her.

“We can’t keep doing this. It’s killing us. We do nothing but work and there’s no time or money to do anything else.”

Check out my web page for a calendar of my book signing events, I would love to see you at one of them.

On the Road Again...Home at last!

Is technology ready for prime time release?

“Mike, we have no internet access!”, Susan yelled from the office.

”Well, it’s electronic and you touched it” came my standard reply to her frequent complaints of her computer not working.

We had just gotten home from a 5-week road trip to California and had lots of emails to catch-up on, plus we were already late in sending out the blog.  And she was right; our integrated DSL modem/router had decided to go on strike at that particular moment so there was no internet access.  Sometimes I think technology still isn’t quite ready for primetime release.

I was a pioneer of such technology in 1981 when a friend and I began talking about starting an email company.  In those early years people hardly knew what a computer was let along a MO-dem!  It was an interesting and challenging job as we educated people on the benefits of email.  Back then email was a stand alone product, nothing like we have today.  It was slow and clunky with dial-up access, there was no wireless.  Email messages weren’t just downloaded into your mailbox to deal with later, they crawled across the screen at the “blazing speed” of 300 baud, so slow you could actually read them as they came in.  But, this was the new era of communication and I embraced it totally from the beginning.  Now I wonder if possibly I helped to inadvertently create a monster.
I started using email when I purchased my first Apple II computer in 1980.  At that time there was no publicly available email service and my friend and I were fortunate enough to be able to piggyback on a service called DeafNet which was run by the Deaf Communications Institute out of Framingham, Massachusetts.  The service used Telenet's Telemail service and opened up a whole new means of communication for their hearing-impaired membership.

When I started my company in 1982 there was still no publicly available email service.  We worked with many diverse and geographically dispersed groups that had a need to communicate.  We helped foundations communicate with grantees; universities without walls communicate with students and teachers; associations communicate with far-flung members.  At one time, after receiving a grant from the Agent Orange Class Assistance Program, we even set up an electronic pen-pal project called Keeping In Touch (KIT) which enabled disabled children of Vietnam Veterans to communicate with each other.  For those of you who may not know it, the offspring of Vietnam Veterans exposed to Agent Orange suffered disabilities such as spina bifida at rates significantly higher than the average population.  The program was called Keeping In Touch (KIT) and enabled home-bound youth to communicate with other similar young people.

Just to show you the cost of being an early adopter of technology, I spent $5,000 on my Apple II by the time I put in a Z-80 card to display 80 characters per line and a CPM card so I could run other programs.  By 1986 I had upgraded to a Macintosh computer, which at that time also cost around $5,000, and then spent over $1,000 for my first hard drive.  It held an astounding 5 megabytes and I wondered how I would ever fill it up.  Our first Laserwriter Plus printer cost nearly $5,000 and was capable of 300 dpi resolution in black and white.  It must have weighed nearly 100 pounds and took up a huge amount of desk space.  It was quite a workhorse, however, and produced over a million copies during its lifetime.  By 1988 I had my first cell phone, which also weighed a great deal due to the size of the battery, and had managed to use it to wirelessly send and receive emails. 

Here I am with my Mac, circa 1988

Two of our employees clowning around, circa 1988.  Notice the Mac.

Every once in awhile, when I get frustrated with today’s technology, I like to take a nostalgic look back at where technology was then. Nostalgia is great and gives us a different perspective when we take the time to reflect.  It is good to look back into history periodically to see how things once were, the “good old days” as we call them.  On our return home we did just that when we stopped in Tucumcari, NM, along the famous Route 66 and spent the night in the Motel Safari.  But, before we could take that nostalgic look into the past, Susan was using modern technology as she researched and booked the motel from her iPad as we were driving down I-40, something people from yesteryear traveling Route 66 wouldn’t have ever thought possible.

The Motel Safari was definitely a step back in time from the outside but had been updated with a flat screen TV and wi-fi yet the interior was still in keeping with the vintage feel.

Although construction on Route 66 began in 1926 it wasn't until 1959 that the Motel Safari was built in Tucumcari.  Originally it was known as the Best Western Motel Safari.  Almost every vintage motel along Route 66 was a Best Western at one time.  Best Western began in 1946 from a motel owner referral system created in California.  In 1962 the crown was removed from atop the sign and "Clyde" the camel was added.
 

Speculation has it the camel was added from a historical perspective, as camels from the U.S. Army Camel Corps once actually roamed the local area. In the 1800's during surveying efforts to find the best routes through the area to form a national road system (what would become Route 66 one day), camels were used as pack animals for the expedition.

I wonder what those camels would think about all of today's technology.

On the Road Again...week four

Remembrance of things past (and present)

Ah, Yosemite.  If you’ve never been there it’s a definite thing to add to your bucket list.  If you have visited, it’s worth a repeat visit.

From my sister’s home in Bodfish (Lake Isabella) we made the drive to Yosemite in a little over four hours.  We found the park to be completely clear of smoke from the Rim Fire although we could see plumes of it billowing up from the distant mountains.  We drove up to Glacier Point so I could give Susan an overview of the park and point out some of the things we would be visiting.

The Rim Fire

From Washburn Point I was able to show her both Vernal and Nevada Falls far below us and behind Half Dome.  Because of the lateness of the season (September) and the drought California was experiencing the falls were at a minimal amount.

Vernal Falls is the lower one & Nevada Falls the upper

 

I took Susan out to Glacier Point and showed her the spot from which they used to push the coals to create the Firefall.  In 1969, the last year the Firefall was held, I hiked a brief ways down the four mile trail that leads from Glacier Point to the valley floor with a group of boys from Devereaux Schools in Santa Barbara.  We packed sandwiches, brought flashlights, and watched in awe from a spot about halfway down the length of the Firefall as it took place.  I was prepared for the spectacular light show.  I was not prepared for the sounds that accompanied it.  As the coals turned white hot and crystallized as they cascaded down the cliff face they created a sound I can only characterize as a giant wind chime.  It was enough to mesmerize even a group of teenage boys and we hiked back up the trail with the aid of flashlights subdued by the sight we had witnessed.

Half Dome and Yosemite Valley below

To the right of the trees is where I watched the Firefall

From Glacier Point we drove down through the Wawona tunnel and saw what is probably the most famous view of the valley, El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridal Veil Falls (hardly a trickle in September).  We drove back to our accommodations in Oakhurst with many memories.

The view just through Wowana Tunnel

The next day we left early and made the more than one-hour drive to the parking lot at Curry Village where we caught the shuttle to Happy Isles.  We then hiked to the top of Vernal Falls and a little beyond.  Aside from the more than 900-foot elevation gain, those numerous steep granite steps (over 600) play havoc with old knees.  I had to rest a number of times at various spots on the way up.  Amazingly enough I can remember when as a (much) younger person I picked up a toddler who was having trouble negotiating the steps and carried her to the top where I returned her to her grateful parents.

Vernal Falls - normally the water is clear across the face 

 

Climbing the more than 600 granite steps

Look closely to see the white granite stairs that snake up the mountain

From the top of Vernal Falls

One thing I have learned is that my mind hasn’t yet arrived at the same acceptance of my age (72) that my body has.  My mind still thinks I can do these things before my body says “That’s enough!” and calls a halt.  When I was younger I made the hike from Happy Isles to the top of Half Dome and back in a single day!  It is not only a 15+ mile round trip hike but you gain some 4,600 feet in elevation.  The last part of the ascent is done up cables.  I was hiking with a young lady I wanted to impress and so, after taking her picture, I went out and posed with my feet hanging over the rock ledge that extends out from Half Dome.  When I realized where I was, I crawled back to the point from which she took my picture before beginning the long hike back.  So much for my male bravado!

After our hike that day Susan and I spent some time gratefully soaking in the 2-person hot tub at our lodging.

The next day we decided to visit the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees.  For those of you who have never seen a giant Sequoia Redwood tree this is a site to behold.  We took a narrated tram ride up to the upper grove and the museum then hiked back some 2 ½ miles to where we caught the shuttle to the car.  We took 3 hours to do the hike only because we spent so much time admiring and photographing these amazing trees.  I remember being awestruck by these trees as a small child of 8 and I was equally awestruck as a 72 year old adult.  You have to see these forest giants to believe them!  We spent another night in the hot tub soaking out our aches and pains.

That's me at the very bottom and this isn't one of the largest trees

Susan and me at the California Tunnel Tree which was cut in 1895

           The Giant Grizzly is the 25th largest living giant sequoia in the world and is 2,000+ years old, 209 feet tall, 25 feet in diameter with one of the limbs is 7 feet in diameter.

Yesterday, our last day in Yosemite, we took in all the sights of the valley floor.  We went to Camp Curry and the amphitheater where I used to watch the evening’s entertainment before the Firefall started at 9 pm.  We went to Yosemite Village and purchased sandwiches at Degnan’s Deli for our lunch.  We took numerous pictures of Bridalveil Falls, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls (dry), El Capitan, the Merced River, and all in all played tourist.  I am amazed at how many languages we hear spoken among the visitors.  I recognized German, French, Spanish, Russian plus many others I wasn’t sure what they were.

El Capitan rises 3,000 above the valley floor

The Merced River and beautiful Yosemite

Views of Yosemite

Susan and I made a promise to each other to return to Yosemite in the springtime before the crowds descend upon the park but while the falls and river are still flowing near their peak.  Hopefully that will happen in the next year or two.

If you’ve never managed to visit some of the magnificent National Parks the USA has to offer I would urge you to do so.  I’ve been to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Yosemite, Crater Lake, Carlsbad Caverns, Glacier, Denali and a number of others.  One day, now that I’m getting older, I hope to take a train trip and stay at some of the lodges.  I think I’m probably past the point of hiking into the Phantom Ranch Lodge at the bottom of the Grand Canyon but I might make it on mule back.  At least I’m not too old to dream!

On the Road Again...week two

We left Flagstaff at 5:00am Thursday.  The further west we drove the lighter it was early in the morning.   This was a good thing for driving but I have to admit, the desert scenery was nothing to behold.  With miles and miles and miles of nothingness and with temperatures around 90 degrees at eight in the morning, the desert isn’t my favorite place!  

Needles, CA

We arrived in Santa Barbara a couple of hours too early to check in so we took a walk on the breakwater.  The fog was just beginning to come in and with the breeze coming off the ocean it was a welcome relief to the heat.  We sat out at the end of the breakwater just enjoying the view and people watching.  The view from the end of the breakwater across to the wharf and the mountains behind is always so calming and peaceful.

The breakwater and harbor

 

View from end of breakwater towards wharf

Festivities for Susan’s reunion began that night with dinner and drinks for about 12 of her classmates and a few spouses.  At the very beginning it was obvious classmates were so glad to see each other and celebrate their 50^th high school reunion.  

Friday we met one of Susan's sister, Jill, and her husband Tony for lunch out on the wharf.  It was great seeing them and the wharf is such a beautiful place to eat.

Mike, Susan, Jill and Tony

Friday night about 60 or so met at Rusty’s Pizza for pizza night in anticipation of the big event the following night.

Saturday started off early as I dropped Susan off at San Marcos High School where 30-40 classmates, friends and spouses toured the old school.  After the tour we visited with friends before heading back to get ready for the festivities that evening.  Susan and the reunion committee had to be at the Rec Center, where the dinner/dance was being held to decorate before everyone arrived.  The reunion was a huge success with everyone being transformed back to the 60s and high school days as they danced to the music of their era with the Brian Faith Band (aka Ernie and the Emperors), a band from their era.  Now, I have to brag a little and share with you the gift Susan's classmates gave her.  It is a picture of the Court House and all her classmates at the reunion signed around the matting.  It was a special tribute to all the hard work she did in making sure this milestone reunion happened.  She doesn’t want to take the credit for making it happen as she keeps saying IT WAS A TEAM EFFORT!

 

The reunion culminated with a picnic Sunday where classmates were able to give their final hugs and say their final good-byes until the next reunion.  I had as much fun as Susan did during the reunion weekend and was sad to see it end.

Monday we were able to visit Susan's other sister, Diane and her husband, John.

John, Mike, Diane and Susan

Tuesday was a very relaxing day as we got up and got ready to head to Camarillo to visit my sister.  The place we were staying had a little private patio where we could sit out and eat our breakfast and have our coffee.  Tuesday was no exception as we played a game or two of cribbage and slowly started our day.  It was my niece’s birthday so my sister took everyone out to dinner.  Since our time was limited, it was a great way to visit and catch up.

Mike and my sister, Patty

Today we headed down to Costa Mesa to visit my 2^nd daughter, Trish, and her family.  We drove along the Pacific Coast Highway with some beautiful views of the ocean.  Although the ocean is beautiful and I love the beach, I can honestly say that I would never want to move back to Southern California with all the traffic and crowds.

Along the Pacific Coast Highway

Along the Pacific Coast Highway

Even though I haven't done much writing on this trip, so far,
I figure all the activities will surely give me lots of material for future stories.

Until next week.

Week One - "On the Road Again"

We snuck out of Blairsville in the middle of the night, or at least that is what it felt like at 4:15a.m.  But with a 12-hour drive to Branson, and not knowing what the weather was going to be along the way, we wanted to get an early start.

We headed up toward Chattanooga and through Nashville, down I-40 to Jackson and then up into Missouri, across 60 to Springfield and then down to Branson.  The trip went smooth until Wanda, our GPS, took us through Branson instead of on the north side of Branson, adding about an hour to our trip.  This is why we call her Wanda; because we always “wanda where she will take us.”

As we were checking into our timeshare we were asked if we wanted to attend an owners update meeting where they would give us a $120 prepaid Visa card.  We have been to many of these and know them to be a 2½-hour sales meeting.  Since we had nothing planned the next day and the meeting was just across the parking lot, we said yes to the offer and ended up making the equivalent of about $25/hour each.

After two nights in Branson we left around 4:00a.m.  Since it was going to be a 14-hour drive we wanted to get an early start.  We headed north through Springfield and caught 54 heading west.  It was a pretty straight shot going through Wichita and then catching 50 and going on into Pueblo West, CO.

Just past Ft. Scott, KS

We had a wonderful two-night visit with our daughter and her family.  It had been a couple years since we saw them and the grandkids have shot up like weeds!  Our two-night visit ended all too soon and again we were on the road..

We headed south out of Pueblo West.  Pueblo West is almost desert and there is constant wind there and all along I-85 as we were heading south making it good country for windmills.

 Windmills around Walsenburg, CO

We went through the Raton Pass into New Mexico, through Santa Fe and into Albuquerque where we caught I-40 and headed west to Flagstaff, AZ.

The drive today wasn’t quite as long but it sure felt good to check into our motel and unwind with a glass of wine.

The next day we spent at the Grand Canyon, which has been the highlight of the trip so far.

Heading out of Flagstaff on 1-80 heading towards the Grand Canyon.  After so much desert it felt good to be amongst the pine trees.

There are paths all along the canyon rim as well as trails down into the canyon.  We decided to walk along the rim for about two miles.  The paths go RIGHT along the rim affording fantastic views of the canyon.
 

Here I am standing on a rock along side of the path we were on and as you can see, it drops off into the canyon below.

On the way back to Flagstaff we stopped at the Desert View overlook and got a great picture of the Grand Canyon with the Colorado River flowing through.  Normally the river is more of an emerald green but due to all the rain they have had recently it is now a muddy brown.

The Little Colorado River Gorge was just as awe inspiring as the Grand Canyon but in a different way.  There weren’t the beautiful reds of the Grand Canyon but deep, narrow gorge was spectacular.  The Little Colorado River flows into the Colorado River.

Here are Susan and I at an overlook at the Little Colorado River Gorge.  Notice the desert land behind.  It is in stark contrast to the deep gorge we are standing in front of.

Today we were up and on the road at a little after 5:00a.m. for the last leg of this part of the trip.  We are heading for Santa Barbara, CA where we will spend four days at events for Susan’s 50th high school reunion.

As you can see, I haven’t gotten much writing done on this leg of the trip but plan on spending some time during the next legs of the trip.

Until next week.

On The Road Again!

I’ve been a little preoccupied the past week getting ready for our 5-week road trip from Blairsville, GA to Santa Barbara, CA.  We are attending both Susan’s 50th and my 55th high school reunions.  This is going to be a first for me since it will be the first reunion I have attended in the 55 years since graduating from high school.  Did I just say 55 years?  It is hard to believe that it has been that long.  I wonder if I will recognize anyone.  I sure hope they will be wearing name tags!  Now, you have to understand, I haven’t changed a bit since high school  (smiley face) so I am sure they all will recognize me.   I couldn’t find my high school senior picture but this one is from April 1962 so that is close enough.  If you were one of my classmates you would recognize me, right?  

Susan, on the other hand, has been on the reunion committee for the past three reunions and has been interacting with her classmates during that time so she has an advantage of knowing what most of them look like.  Still, it’s been 50 years since she has seen some of them.  What do you think, will they recognize her?

Over the next 5 weeks or so would I thought I would share with you highlights of our road trip so you can be part of the fun and adventure as we drive across country with a stop at the Grand Canyon, attend reunions, visit friends and family, explore Yosemite and a multitude of other activities as yet to be determined.

Remember to leave a comment and let me know what you think, will our classmates recognize us?