Friday, April 1, 2016

A is for Appalachia

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Appalachia is a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York to northern Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi.  The region has long struggled with poverty and the people of the region have been sensationalized and stereotyped as toothless moonshiners, barefoot hillbillies, and ignorant hicks.

Common images that come to minds of many Americans when they think of Appalachia...

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Images that come to my mind when I think of Appalachia...

The state capitol building in Charleston, WV Via

Beautiful sunsets

Riding ATVs with my family

A glorious, above the cloud view from my parents' house.

My maternal (extended) side of the family - Four generations, from my great-grandparents down to me, the end of the lineage.

The Wild and Wonderful

My paternal grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary

The New River Gorge Bridge Via

Where I grew up

The New River

The lush, green mountains in summer

Pioneer Farm @ Twin Falls State Park Via

The iconic gristmill @ Babcock State Park Via

WV, the place that is always in my heart.


This is the first of twenty-six alphabetized blog entries that I am publishing this month as a part of the 2016 Blogging A to Z Challenge.  Many bloggers who participate in this challenge select a theme.  My theme is - "Whatever I Think Of."  

For more information on the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge, click here.

22 comments:

  1. Visiting from a to z challenge. West Virginia is a wonderful state. last time we were there we visited the state capitol anf also ate at biscuit world which we had never heard of until we saw all the road signs. We were on way to D.C. and were taking a side trip to see the area where the writer of The Waltons was from.

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    1. You ate at Tudor's Biscuit World, I bet. Tudor's is pretty much exclusive to WV, so you ate a West Virginian specialty. Thank you for the compliment of my home state. WV often gets a very bad rap.

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  2. What beautiful photos and images. As a quiltmaker, I have a different appreciation for Appalachia. I think of warm brown calicoes and red accents. Log cabin, around the world, Jacob's ladder are quilt patterns that come to mind for this part of the world. I was lucky enough to visit Berea College and view the stunning handcrafts there.

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    1. Thank you. I live about 2 hours from Berea. Have heard lots of people talk about the mountain crafts that are available there and how beautiful they are, but I have never been. Will have to go one day just to have a look-see. Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. What a lovely tribute to Appalachia! The photos are lovely and certainly different from what people think from movies past.

    Thank you for visiting my blog.
    Mary Montague Sikes
    Notes Along the Way
    The Artful Way

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  4. Hey girl, I'm glad I know another person doing this challenge. Have you before? This is my first year, I'm excited and looking forward to it.
    Have a great weekend hun xo

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    1. No, this is my first year. I love a good challenge, so I figured I would give it a shot! Have a great weekend yourself!

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  5. soooo i had heard the word 'Appalachia' before but had no idea what it meant lol so thanks for explaining :)

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  6. Cool post.

    I think Appalachians got tied in to Deliverance, which wasn't fair.

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  7. Stereotypes are terrible. I have always been proud of my mother's Appalachian heritage. They were hard working, resourceful people. Sure some had faults but most were very ethical.
    Too Much To Choose From
    Science Ladybug

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    1. Yes, they are. I couldn't agree with you more. If I may ask, where was your mother from?

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  8. It is sad that we take stereotypes and make them all of the reality. Your pictures do show how wonderful Appalachia is. Have fun with the Challenge!

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  9. Nice post highlighting all the wonderful things that you love about Appalachia.

    @WeekendsInMaine
    Weekends in Maine

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  10. That's very true- those ARE the images that came to my mind first, but your West Virginia is so much prettier! I'm from NJ so I know about the stereotypes. I want to yell at people "we're not all 'meatballs' like the Jersey Shore cast!!"

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  11. Cool images! Thanks for sharing! I have had a lot of fun near the New River

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