Matriarch of the Payne family, Peggy Chumley, and her husband Bill, met me at Lone Mountain on June 6. Bill and Peggy’s daughter Margaret joined us, along with her children Shannon and Matt, and Shannon’s son Dean. We had a wonderful time sharing memories, and even making some new ones.
Besides all the old family stories Bill and Peggy tell with such relish, we also attended a meeting of the Claiborne County Historical Association. Bill contributed an old ledger from the early days of the Tazewell Waterworks. I had not known that Bill’s father once owned those very works. The group was most grateful to receive the ledger, and is a wonderful repository for old records of that nature.
I really enjoyed a tour of Tazewell and New Tazewell with Bill and Peggy. They pointed things out to me about the area I had never known before. I am hoping to do a tour with him again and take pictures of the structures that relate to our family.
While Bill, Peggy and I roamed the area, Margaret and her family kept 5 year-old Dean happy playing at a place they called Cave Creek. I have learned the directions so that I can take my grandchildren there in the future. I will post a map here soon for anyone who comes to Lne Mountain in warm weather with small children.
On Saturday, I followed in my mother, Aunt Al’s, tradition by making biscuits and sausage gravy. That evening they taught me to play “Set-Back,” a card game I had often heard my Dad speak of. Peggy was my partner, and I will tell you this, for sure: she may have slowed down physically, but she was shrewdly brilliant at cards! She is just as sharp as her mother, our Aunt Bertha!
On Monday, my birthday, Bill prepared one of my all time favorite meals, Liver and Onions. It was a memorable day for me to turn 61!
Bill and Peggy and I all left on Monday morning, but Margaret and her family stayed a few extra days.
We all had a great time, as the following pictures will show:
