A long-awaited (and long) post

I haven't had a post since Monday since half of the people who read the blog have been here since Wednesday. A quick synopsis of the work week before I give details of the Johnston-Butler family trip to Athens: it was a pretty slow week. Only 2 full animals came in for necropsy, and both were rabies-suspect which means I can't help or even watch. Only U of GA employees (+/- students?) can help...I guess it is a liability thing. I was pretty disappointed too, since one was a bobcat and one was a fox and I haven't gotten to see a carnivore necropsy since I've been here. The bobcat was actually rabies positive, which I didn't realize was more common around here. Mississippi is the only state in the area that hasn't had rabies in a terrestrial animal (basically meaning we only have it in bats) in the recent past.

So, since we didn't have much going on, I looked at slides under the microscope a lot, studied about pseudorabies in wild hogs, and researched vaccine regulations.

Joel and my parents arrived Wednesday night around the time I left SCWDS, and after unloading some stuff at the apartment, my parents went to eat at Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and Joel and I went to the Gyro Wrap- which was incredible, by the way. My parents then headed to their hotel so Daddy could get to work on his conference call/cutover, and I gave Joel a quick tour of the campus.

Thursday: I met my parents and Joel at "Peaches" for some fried chicken and collards, then dropped Momma off downtown while Joel and Daddy came back to the apartment. Momma walked around the town and we met up after I got off work/school, and we all went to eat at the Last Resort Grill which had been highly recommended, and it was indeed very good.


On Friday, Joel dropped me off at work/school and headed to Charlotte, NC to meet the ValleyCrest Regional VP for a job interview for a position in Raleigh, NC!!! The interview went very well, and Joel (in his suit) made it back in time to pick me up at 5. Momma fixed a crock-pot roast and mashed potatoes, so we had a meal at the apartment Friday night, and then we eached watched the latest episode of Life on our computers (thanks again mystery Alex, for the internet!).

Saturday was a full day of regional road trips. Momma and Daddy went to Madison, GA (the self-proclaimed #1 small town in America), and Joel and I slept a bit later and went to Washington, GA (no super title for this town). It was about a 30 minute drive for each of us, and full of beautiful scenery:

Unfortunately, BJ's Biscuit Barn was closed, so we didn't get to enjoy that experience.

Washington was a cute small town with a few antique shops and lots of old houses. We at lunch at "Alfred's on the Square," and got to hear the owner yelling at the kitchen staff through the open kitchen window. Our meal was fine, though the service left something to be desired, and they brought me twice as much food as I ordered. We learned near the end of the meal that the owner surprised everyone that morning with a new menu- they normall serve a buffet of chicken, greens, etc, and that day she decided to sandwiches and burgers. Oh well, it was an experience for sure.

Luckily for us, we happened to venture to Washington on the day of "THE ART SHOW." This consisted of about 10 tents set up in the middle of the square with a large "Welcome Hunters" sign. It must have been a big deal for the 4000 people in that town, because every store employee told us to enjoy the art show:


I loved this house. We couldn't tell if it was being renovated very very well, or if it was new construction that was built to look old?


Once we got back to Athens, Joel and I went to the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia which were beautiful! (especially considering the area has been in a drought forever). We could have spent more time there, but we wanted to make sure our car didn't get locked in at 6:00 p.m. Below are some pictures. A wedding was going on at the "Day Chapel" at the time, and I took a short video clip to try to show the woods, the chapel, and the bluegrass music in the background.