Show and tell at the End
of the Pavement
1978 - 2009
By Janice Boling
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Show and tell at the End of the Pavement
People brought in all kinds of things.
We never knew what might show up at the End of the Pavement including wild flowers, rare mushrooms, unusual rocks, ancient artifacts, collectibles, artwork, and a variety of other things to catch our attention.
Gomer with mushroom
Gomer found this wonderful Lion's Mane mushroom. It was beautiful, unusual, and tasted delicious.
Large spear head
Raymond was always bringing interesting stuff to the End of the Pavement. This was a great find -- a large spear head. He also brought a book to show us a comparison to other ancient American Indian artifacts.
We hunted arrowheads in the bottom fields after they were plowed and harrowed. It was best to go a few days after a hard rain which left the arrowheads on top of the dirt and easy to see. I always took a walking stick to turn the rocks. That made things easier.
Big John's arrowheads
Big John made a lot of these "modern" arrowheads while sitting around at the End of the Pavement.
See more of them on Big John's page.
Harold with his home grown potatoes
Between horseshoe games and tournaments, people took time to share all kinds of things. Harold grew these potatoes that look like fertility figures and he was pretty proud of them.
People brought all kinds of things to share. They even started bringing their loved ones' ashes but Larry put a stop to that. He didn't want the End of the Pavement to become a memorial garden or grave yard. As the older generation started to die off, that could have easily happened. The End of the Pavement was home but not a final resting place.
Photo submitted by Gregg Fortenberry
Beer coozies
Yep. We had coozies made several times through the years. This one was to commemorate Trout Camp 1996. I had completely forgotten about these things until Gregg sent me this picture of one.
See pictures of the parties at Trout Camp.
Chad sticks out his tongue
Chad could touch his nose with his tongue!
.Chad grew up to be a tall man - over six feet. I wonder if he can still do tricks with his tongue.
Bart ate a live crawdad.
This crawdad was a crunchy mouthful. Bart said he would eat it for $50 so we passed a hat to come up with the money. We would do about anything to create a little excitement. There was hardly ever a boring moment at the End of the Pavement.
Gomer and a blooming cactus
Gomer was proud of Gwen's Christmas Cactus.
A balancing act
Raymond was standing on a horseshoe stob while James looked on.
Bright red polish
These unadorned fingers were nice -- no jewelry or fake nails just classy red polish.
Moth on a car
This large moth was dead but in perfect condition.
Gomer and Gwen's Chevrolet Coach
There was a chevy emblem on the front of this Coach and it looked like it said Calwest Coach but I am not sure. I couldn't find anything like it on Google.
Sign on a tree
I've been beaten, kicked, lied to, cussed at, taken advantage of and laughed at, But the only reason I hang around this place is to see what happens next.
Candy cigarettes looked like the real thing.
It is hard to believe that we bought these for our kids but we did. One of the packs is called Round Up -- reminds me of Monsanto, the evil company that makes herbicides and causes trouble for the farmers by getting patents on seeds.
Most of us smoked back then and I guess we thought these candies were cute. I was one of the worst, smoking like a freight train, sometimes two packs a day.
Quitting cigaretttes in September of 1999 was the hardest thing I ever did. I chewed Nicorette gum for two years to keep from going back to the smoking habit. I swore to God that before I took a puff, I would go to the emergency room for help. I only had to do that once. They gave me a very expensive shot of Demerol -- and it worked. I did not light up ever again.
If you are a smoker, please consider quitting. Our local clinic offers a free cessation program. We have lost enough friends from lung cancer, COPD, and other lung diseases. Find out more about quitting cigarettes at Healing Hands Community Clinic.
What are they looking at?
Hambone, Gwen, and Teresa are looking at something on the ground. I can't remember what was happening. Maybe it was an unusual beetle or a caterpillar.
Brian's cast
Brian had a broken leg. He was always involved in dangerous stunts of some kind or another.
Tim with a halo on his leg
I do not remember how Tim hurt his leg but it looks very painful. I think he was in a wreck.
American and Georgia State flags
The flags looked very patriotic hanging between the trees. The 4th of July was always our largest horseshoe tournament day.
Public Notice
This public notice was hanging on a tree at the End of the Pavement.
Quilt square in a frame
This family heirloom was framed and hung on Gwen's wall at the End of the Pavement.
It was a quilt block that Gwen's Grandma Daniel made. There was a trunk full of them. When Gwen's mama died her sis Gloria had Earl Pickelsimer make frames for all of them.
Frisky - painting by Mary Ann Smith
We had several artists at the End of the Pavement. The subject of this painting by Mary Ann is a deer that Gomer shot on Owl Town.
Squirrel painting by Mary Ann Smith
Bird painting by Mary Ann Smith
Noah's Dove by Janice Boling
This painting was done in the 1990s while traveling with Richard in the Carolinas.
Painting of the End of the Pavement
I did this landscape of the End of the Pavement which I gifted it to Larry many years ago.
Abstract by Janice Boling
Tony Rich used to save up his sample cabinet doors and rejects so I could paint on them. This one was solid oak.
Landscape by Jimmy Flemming
Jimmy painted some beautiful landscapes, including large murals. Several were featured in regional magazines. He did the Misty Mountain Train Museum murals, several large scale public murals, and murals for private homes.
I bought this seascape from him many years ago. I loved the colors. See pictures of Jimmy on Brenda's page.