Innehållsförteckning för September 2019 från Country Extra

A FEW YEARS AGO, I was thrilled to introduce my children to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Our family vacation to Tennessee included gorgeous views, a waterfall hike, a scenic drive along the loop road in Cades Cove and ice cream cones at the Cades Cove Trading Co. My son was on the lookout for wildlife, especially bears. To his dismay (and my delight), we didn’t see any. We did see crowds, though. Judging by the more than 11 million people who visited the park last year, there’s plenty of love for the Smokies. In hindsight, I wish I had spoken to Pat and Chuck Blackley before our trip. On page 24, these longtime contributors share not only their gorgeous photos of the park, but also their secrets to having…

THE MOUNTAINS KEEP CALLING me back to Glacier National Park in Montana. My husband, Peter, and I have been there three times and intend to go a fourth time this month to celebrate my 75th birthday. What a treat it will be! The photo at right was taken on our first trip there. On this late September morning, the sky was clear and the temperature was about 25 degrees. We boarded a Red Bus, which took us up Going-to-the-Sun Road. The “go over the cliff and you’re a goner” views were incredible. We learned so much from the jammer, the name given to the drivers of these 1930s replica buses. Glacier is my favorite of all the parks I’ve visited. It’s quiet and serene—just the way you’d want the rest…

Lake Havasu City, Arizona January Float over Lake Havasu and see the London Bridge from above during the Havasu Balloon Festival and Fair. havasuballoonfest .com Quechee, Vermont June Marvel at stunning views of Quechee Gorge during the Quechee Hot Air Balloon Craft and Music Festival. Or try the tethered option (a 100-foot-long rope connects basket and balloon to the ground). quecheeballoon festival.com Indianola, Iowa Late July-August The Dawn Patrol is why the nine-day National Balloon Classic stands out. Before sunrise, balloons lift off and greet the sun. nationalballoon classic.com Reno, Nevada September Pilots test their skills in the Great Reno Balloon Race. Spectators can compete, too—in the scavenger hunt and in the pajama party’s contest for best bed head. renoballoon.com Albuquerque, New Mexico October Hundreds of balloons rising in mass…

I think we would all agree that there’s something extra special about grandparents. They’re the touchstone when our parents are away—the shoulder to cry on or knee to sit on. They have the porch to swing on and a hill to roll down. They are the light always on and door always open, stories always flowing and laughs always rolling. With their arms outstretched, hearts overflowing and cookies in the oven, they are full of life and full of love. I started writing this story as a loving tribute to my grandparents, Bud and Arlene Meyer of Everly, Iowa, in celebration of their 60 years of marriage. I admire their character, compassion, empathy toward all, humility, modesty, kindness, stability and giving nature. I appreciate the positivity they radiate, the work…

1. A BUSHEL AND A PECK Cousins Abigail and Bryce wholeheartedly enjoyed their first apple-picking experience with my daughter, Laikley. I’m sure they will return to the orchard for years to come! CHARITY HOUGH Xenia, Illinois 2. WORKING THE LAND We took a drive to enjoy the fall colors near Long Prairie, Minnesota. There is an Amish community there and I captured this shot of a farmer plowing with his team of horses. THERESA REVERMANN St. Cloud, Minnesota 3. DELIGHT IN FLIGHT I love this picture of my daughter, Kay, cupping a butterfly in her hands from the butterfly bush in our backyard. We live in a small town with an arid climate, so it is always a treat to see butterflies find their way to our yard. LORI SHELDON…

1. Share your photos and stories with us using the online form, country-magazine.com/submit. 2. Note which department you are submitting for, and whether the material has been published before. However, your item may be selected to run in any section of our magazine, or elsewhere. 3. We do not return submitted materials. Although we are unable to acknowledge receipt of a submission, we will let you know if it is published. 4. We accept high-resolution digital images. Digital images should be about 4x6 inches at a minimum resolution of 300 dots per inch, or about 1200x1800 pixels. Photos must be in focus and of good quality. Please send submissions only through our online form. 5. If we print your submission in the magazine, we will send you a complimentary copy…

Sept. 20-22 APPLEJACK FESTIVAL If it’s made with apples (think pies, doughnuts, cider), count on it being at this festival in Nebraska City, Nebraska. Sample food, compete in the apple-peeling contest, watch the water barrel fights or check out the craft fair. gonebraskacity.com Sept. 28-29 FALL-DER-ALL DAYS Antique tractors line up for another run during this two-day festival in Froelich, Iowa, the birthplace of this modern farm machine. Festivities include demonstrations, down-home cooking and rides. froelichtractor.com THE 2ND PLANTING SEASON Fall is a fantastic time to add wildflowers to your landscape. Pollinators (birds, bees and butterflies) love them, and they’re native to your area so they’re less work. Here are a couple of our favorites. Coneflower Pollinators like this flower because its petals are bright, its landing pad…

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is an amazingly beautiful event and a bucket list must-do. If the wind conditions are just right (hot air balloons can go up and down, but it’s the wind that moves them sideways), you’ll be in for a magical day, starting before sunrise with the morning glow. That’s when the balloon crews inflate their vessels. My husband, Daniel, and I watched the morning ascension, when all the balloons go up at the same time, creating what looks like a patchwork of quilts moving through the sky. Afterward, we left the field and took a drive around town. Every time I looked up, I saw hundreds of balloons. We returned later and walked around the field to watch the huge balloons being reinflated for the evening…

My grandfather, Pap, had only a second grade education. When he was 14, he lied about his age and went to work in the West Virginia coal mines. Later, after moving north to Confluence, Pennsylvania, he found steady work on the Youghiogheny River dam and bought a 100-acre plot of land. While working on the dam, he also built a two-story home with a general store on the first floor, the house I lived in across the street and a feed store. He cleared 10- and 20-acre sections of land by hand with only a team of horses named Prince and Queen. Pap worked from sunrise to sunset with those horses. When I was 3 years old, I sat on Gram’s lap on the back porch every evening and waited…

Squirrels befriending people on occasion is nothing new, but this critter was different. He first appeared at my grandparents’ house in Port Charlotte, Florida, many years ago. Babaw, as I called my grandfather, noticed that this squirrel wasn’t skittish around people, nor was he quite as destructive as the others. One day in the backyard, Babaw tossed an unshelled peanut to the squirrel, which happily retrieved the nut and scampered off with it. The next day the squirrel showed up again, and Babaw tossed him another peanut, only a bit closer this time. The brave little guy scooped up the prize and went on his merry way. Before long, the squirrel warmed up to my grandfather, sitting on his lap and eating peanuts right out of his hand. Babaw named…

In each issue we hide two needles (black or white). If you find them, enter online at country-magazine.com by clicking the Contests link at the top of the page. We’ll draw winners from all the correct entries. Winners receive a one-year subscription to Country. In the July issue, we hid the needles on pages 19 and 60. No purchase necessary to enter to win. Purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Sweepstakes is open to legal residents age 18 years or older of the U.S., its territories and possessions. Sweepstakes begins on Aug. 21, 2019, and ends on Oct. 22, 2019. For official rules, visit country-magazine.com. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Sweepstakes sponsored by RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC.…

In 1945 I lived in Pottsboro, Texas, with my grandmother. Mom had joined the Women’s Army Corps and Dad was in Hawaii serving in the Navy. Across the railroad in a small house lived a couple we called Mr. Jack and Mrs. Donna, who most of the time sat outside on their front porch where it was much cooler. While she mended clothes, he whittled an animal or a toy for us kids. One day I asked Mr. Jack about the large project he was working on at the time. To my surprise, it was a pair of stilts for me. When he finished, I saw that he had used an old belt and cut it to fit over the parts of the stilts where my feet would go. Then…

A canopy of trees arched over the quaintest country road I’d ever seen. The sign read Stoney Lonesome Road, a hidden gem just south of Rochester, New York. Soon we eased out onto an open road where old barns garnished rolling hills, and golden wheat fields stretched out before us like giant patches in a homemade quilt. We pulled onto a dirt driveway that led to the top of a high ridge. “You can see the entire property from up here,” said my fiance, Bill. “My grandparents grew the best strawberries and cantaloupe in Monroe County. People came for miles.” His words trailed off as if the view had carried him to a different time. “I love it here.” I wasn’t a “country” girl—I’d never even been close to a…

I turned in to the little gravel driveway leading up to the Honeyberry Farm in Bagley, Minnesota, ready to put my hands in the dirt. The farm would be home for the month of September. I was here as a volunteer through World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, or WWOOF, an organization that links temporary volunteers with a network of organic farmers. When owners Bernis and Jim greeted me at their homestead and invited me to join them for a dinner of garden-fresh potatoes and corn, I instantly felt at home. The interior of the small log cabin nestled next to birch trees and wild berry bushes exudes an old-fashioned warmth that seems held over from Minnesota’s pioneer era. Outside are 5 acres of fruit trees and bushes, open to…