Blue Ridge Country

“There's a long, long trail a-winding / Into the land of my dreams.” –Stoddard King

It’s tough being the new girl in the office. You don’t know where the bathroom is, you accidentally take someone’s unofficial parking spot and you’re trapped in a nearly constant state of apology (“Sorry, I’m new here”).

So I’m the new intern at Blue Ridge Country. And I’m a Yankee (strike two!).

I’ve spent my (relatively short) reporting career here in the South, and upon graduation in the spring from Washington and Lee University, I will be moving to the Northeast. But my heart will always be in the Midwest, where I officially call home. The prairie, the Great Lakes, the people who refer to carbonated beverages as “pop” – I yearn for it in the same way our readers are drawn to the Blue Ridge.

A sense of place is more engrained in our identity than we think. And that’s why I love the people of the Blue Ridge – they know this better than anyone.

This season, I hope to be able to bring you these stories as well as happenings, witticisms and musings from the area.

Tweet at me @AtLeisure your thoughts, ideas, iPod playlists, fashion faux pas, whatever strikes you – I’m always looking for a good story…