Stopper

Everyone in Hickory Tree (this part of Bluff City) has a name. Their name is not their given name but it isn't a nickname either: it is just the name that they have had for as long as they or anyone else can remember. Sometimes they don't even know where the name came from even though some of them are quite clearly names that must have originated from something that the person had done in the past, some character trait that they may have (or still) had, or even just a variation on their name.

So today we went to pay Stopper, whose real name is Ronnie as well, a long visit to repay his kindness for showing us how to get to Steve's party. Well, that and he's just a really cool guy.

Stopper has about a dozen farm cats. Cats out in these parts are rarely pets-- they usually are just around to take care of the mice and other small rodents. 

If I were to say that this cat didn't look sorta like a big cat of the Serengeti I'd be lion.

Stopper also owns a lot of horses. His land borders Ronnie and Kim's farm.

I wanted to know whose house that was but it turned out that it used to be someone's but it isn't anyone's anymore... it's abandoned but it's still Stopper's house on his land.
I'm not going to lie... I honestly did not want to get any closer to that house. It felt seriously haunted.

This is the front of Stoppers house. I thought that these stone owls were really cute!
That sure is a great pair of hooters.

Here is another view of Stopper's land only this time it is facing the road. Right past the red barn you can see a sliver of gray-- that's the road. The home on the hill is right across the road. The road is two lanes but you would swear it was only one the way that Justin drives on it... 

This view looks back on the land that Justin and Stopper own together. I don't remember how many acres it is but it would be good land to develop into a campsite for people who come in on race weekends.
I'm going to be gold-digger honest here-- when I first met Justin and he told me that he owned land I found that crazy attractive. I still do. Every girl crazy 'bout a land ownin' man!  

Inside Stopper's house I took a terrible Selfie (a picture of one's self taken by holding the camera at arms length, in case you have been living under a rock).
I never take off those bracelets; they are going to have to fall off first.

This is Stopper. He was sitting in his favourite chair while Justin and I sat on his couch. The little fuzzy thing that he's holding is a tiny little Yorkie named Izzy. This was the second dog named Izzy who we encountered within the week. I'm not going to say which one was cuter because things could get ugly up in here.
Marcy is cutest dog.

Like just about every house in the area, Stopper's is covered in wood paneling. I'm not going to lie-- I freakin' love  wood paneling. 

Marcy takes a peek into Izzy's sleeping crate. She proceeded to steal a toy.

I can't get enough of how many interesting cultural artifacts there are in this area. If it isn't taxidermy it's dolls in western garb or horses. Lots and LOTS of horses.
That horse carving in the center is pretty envy-worthy.

Izzy and Marcy get acquainted. Everyone loves Marcy and Izzy was just so cute that I couldn't help but pick him (her?) up every chance that I got. Izzy only weighed, like, four pounds so she was pretty quick and slippery.
Marcy's wardrobe has been provided by a trip to CVS Pharmacy and my uncontrollable love of things with owls on them.

As we were leaving I got a beautiful shot of the pasture and the mountain. The place where the eaves of the house meet the trees on the mountain is where Justin's family's house is. The road up to their house is paved in gravel and is the longest driveway I've ever been up. 

Justin leaving Stoppers house. Nobody ever goes in the front door-- they always enter through this plexiglass-encased sunroom. In the carport to the right is a Four Wheeler; just about everyone has an all terrain vehicle whether it is a Four Wheeler, Jeep, or a horse. 

We had a great time visiting and talking with Stopper. We mainly just caught up with what had happened over the last year since we had seen him last time. He will, hopefully, ride his Four Wheeler up to the house for the New Year's party that is going to happen tonight.

I am both looking forward to it and dreading it because DAMN is it a noisy ordeal! Haha!