Translations

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Recent Hikes on House Mountain & Devil's Nose (published 12-12-2009)

Hiking is this Appalachian Irishman’s escape from the trappings of work and modern society. Living a harder but simpler life in the wilderness of Appalachia 150 to 200 years ago appeals to the imagination.

The following are eight photographs from recent hikes on House Mountain in Knox County, where the Appalachian Irishman is forced to live, by economic necessity, at the moment, and Devil’s Nose, in the Appalachian Irishman’s native and beloved Hawkins County. Enjoy the views!

The five, below, are from House Mountain, looking southeast, then northwest, from two bluffs. I took the photographs during my hike, on 12/5/2009. For previous entries about House Mountain, read My Mountain, House Mountain Winterland, and Best-Dressed Hiker.





The following three are from Devil’s Nose. The first, taken before my solo hike, on 11/23/2007, shows the mountain from the south. The other two, taken during the hike, on 11/28/2009, with my youngest brother, show the views, looking south, from the eastern bluff. For a previous article about Devil’s Nose, read Devil's Nose Mountain, Hawkins County.




HOW TO PRONOUNCE "APPALACHIAN" - REVISITED (published 12-12-2009; updated 11-20-2022)

Well, yuletide, holiday, and, dare I say, Christmas greetings, dear readers. My inaugural article – HOW TO PRONOUNCE "APPALACHIAN" (of 3/6/2006) – continues to generate controversy.

This article is my reply to the latest two comments (as of 12/12/2009) to my inaugural article. I decided to reply in this article, instead of replying in the comments to my 3/6/2006 article.

The original two comments, to which I reply now, are in the comments on my 3/6/2006 article. Sarah Jane commented on 12/10/2009. “Anonymous” (Ryan McGarvey) commented on 1/14/2009. In Appalachian-Irish tradition, ladies are first!

Here are my replies to both, in “ladies first,” not chronological, order. Enjoy!

Sarah Jane, thank you for dropping by! I visited your blog. Keep up the good work!

With due courtesy, ask those socialist-minded, Big Brother-oriented, “guvermit edukaters” up there to check any good dictionary, with phonetic pronunciation. They will find that “Appalachian” may be pronounced two ways. Keep pronouncing it as you were raised! Don’t let them fit you into their mold! Stand you ground, sister! Individualism trumps socialist conformity! Oh, I forgot. The Department of “Edukashun” stopped teaching phonics years ago. Maybe that’s the problem!

Additionally, to Ryan McGarvey (who changed to “Anonymous”):

How did I miss posting a reply to your foul ball back in January (1/14/2009)? I did enjoy the baseball pun.

First, allow me to educate you. Appalachians (not your improperly used possessive “Appalachian’s”) are not sheltered. We are aware of the rest of the world. We just know that our lifestyle is better. Also, check your phonetic dictionary, as stated above, to learn that “Appalachian” may be pronounced two ways. Y’all up north pronounce it your way. We ‘uns down here will pronounce it our way. Further, since when are English words spelled like they are pronounced? How do you say, for instance, “through,” “knife,” or “pneumonia?”

As I continue my effort to educate, I didn’t know that Maryland was neutral during World War II, and I didn’t know that the Confederacy fought during World War II. Amazing! What type of history were you taught by those “guvermint edukaters” up there?

Finally, you do have two redeeming qualities. You call yourself a Fells Point Irishman. Good job! Second, you state that you are not a liberal. If so, I wish you well, as you fight the masses of liberal lemmings in your area.

11/20/2022 update: I added the 12/12/2009 published date and this update to the title. I also indented and italicized my replies, for easier reading. I did update, for clarity, some wording in my original 12/12/2009 article. On 11/20/2022, website analytics showed that a few folks viewed this article, of almost 13 years ago, today.