OK, so this is my last giveaway week for April 2011, although I hope to have more giveaways in the future. This week I have two prizes which I am delighted to offer, as they reflect on my roots growing up in the south.
My grandfather [Papaw] was from the mountains of North Georgia, where many Scottish and Irish settled in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. I feel a sense of peace when I go to the mountains that is indescribable. When we moved to Knoxville in 1971, I loved the proximity to the mountains. We went for Sunday drives a lot, to the Smoky Mountains. I spent a lot of time at Cades Cove, which is a beautiful place, part of the Smoky Mountains National Park. Two places I would love to take my kids are Cades Cove and the Museum of Appalachia.
It was with great delight that I came across this book, By the Light of the Foxfire, by Emory Rhea Raxter. We have a mutual Facebook friend. Emory is a native of Asheville, North Carolina and lives in Maryville, Tennessee, which is a stones' throw from Knoxville. The book is a suspenseful thriller but it's set in the Smoky Mountains. Emory was kind enough to send me an autographed copy to give away, and a copy for me to read. I have read it and I can report it's hard to put down.
My second prize is a beautiful handmade bowl from my friend Julia over at Brainella's Pottery. I love Julia's pieces because they are beautiful and functional, most of them, but she also uses whimsy, as in her owl vases. Even though Julia isn't a native southerner, you find a lot of hand thrown pottery all over East Tennessee in nice shops, and I associate it with the mountains. Pottery is a mountain craft. I am so delighted to give away one of Julia's beautiful pieces. Y'all check out her shop, too, for great gift ideas.
To win one of these awesome prizes, leave a comment and tell me about your experiences of the mountains, or of pottery. If those are totally foreign to you that's OK, too, just tell me you'd like to win!
