Episode #133 - Ada and Melissa / Mother and Daughter (a Trail Dames story)

<p>Ada- In 2000, I retired from the telephone company in Chicago, Illinois, where I worked as a computer programmer and business systems analyst.</p> <p>In the ensuing years, I’ve developed a passion for painting and drawing (who knew!); herb and flower gardening and, of course, hiking. I find spending time in the mountains with the Trail Dames or on my own in nature to be rejuvenating and creatively inspiring. The best part, the very best part, is time spent in our gorgeous Georgia /North Carolina mountains with my awesome daughter.<br /> One of the greatest joys of my life here in Georgia is hanging out with my Melissa and our sister Trail Dames. I love this organization and its underlying principles. It is so empowering to encourage one another - one step at a time - and sit around the fire at night listening to one another’s experiences. We’ve laughed together until we cried and cried together until we laughed and watched our precious friendships deepen.</p> <p><img style= "display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src= "https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/show/118440/AM_1.jpeg" alt="" width="376" height="500" /></p> <p>I was delighted at our annual Standing Indian Campout to receive my official trail name, Falling Star (and, yes, there is an exciting story behind it).</p> <p>I recently took my granddaughter and 3 great grandchildren on a weekend camping trip to Fort Mountain with my daughter, Melissa; something I would never have tried until I received camping knowledge from the Trail Dames and hiking experiences with them. (And, yes, there are juicy stories we can tell!)</p> <p>At Fort Mountain, I spent an afternoon hiking with my 5-year-old great grandson. We stopped at every puddle, twig, bug and snail to touch, discover and question as only a 5-year-old can. I was completely captivated by that precocious little boy and felt very grateful for him and the gift of nature. 🙂</p> <p><strong>Melissa-</strong> I was born and raised in Southern Indiana in a small town called Huntingburg. It was the BE