you know you're in the mountains when...

josh and i were so excited to get to head to the cabin for a few days over the fourth.  we kind of felt like we had taken a bit of a beating over the previous few weeks so we were thrilled at the prospect of leaving town for a while to visit with family, hike, bask in the 68 degree weather, and just stop for a while. 

one of the first ways that we were reminded of our arrival at true mountain living was when we got to the cabin late that first night and pam called downstairs to jim to remind him of a very important task:  "jimmy, go outside and turn the water on!"  we swept a few bugs off the floor, spread out our sleeping bags, and tried to convince the kids that they really did want to go to sleep. 

you've already seen what parts one and two of our first full day in cashiers held, but we were thrown full-force into a whole new world when the music festival began.  everybody was digging the authentic bluegrass of the first several groups...

...especially jack and josh.

and then "sweet tater" took the stage.  who (or what) in the world is that, you ask?  let me enlighten you.

this, my friends, is "sweet tater" (along with their beards and overalls)...

these men loved every minute of what they were doing, and despite the fact that i wanted to rip my ears off and eat them, it was such a joy to watch them play.  especially this guy...

how precious is he?!?  if you're like i was, you're staring at his "instrument" trying to figure out a) what it's made of and b) what kind of music it makes.  well, you're in luck because he told us a little story about the "gut bucket" (no joke, people, that's what it's called.)

he's playing a tin wash bucket turned upside down with a hole drilled into the top.  this type of instrument is typically made with a long stick of some sort to attach the string to, but this jolly little man got creative and used his grandfather's musket to make his version of the GB. 

you can't find stuff like this in birmingham, folks.

we finished the night out with a few more bands, a fireworks show, and a lot of fun laughs with family.  good, good times.

the weekend was off to a fantastic start, but unfortunately, things took a bit of a nasty turn the next morning when abby had a run-in with a wasp.  don't think a wasp sting is that big of a deal?  come back tomorrow...