I am not in prison at the Brushy Mountain Prison in Petros, TN (the prison was closed in 2009) nor have I ever been. I did however grow up in Wilkes County, NC and live there once again. The Brushy Mountains are a spur of the Blue Ridge Mountains which are separated from the main portion of the mountains by the Yadkin River Valley. The Brushys are at a lower elevation than the main portion of the Blue Ridge and where I grew up and live today is in the lower elevations of the Brushys.
The Brushy Mountains are best known for apple orchards and moonshine. The climatic scene of the movie Thunder Road was even filmed on one of the roads in the Brushy Mountains. The religion of the area is certainly more fundamentalist protestant Christian than Buddhist or Hindu. I however have been on quest to understand myself and the world for as long as I can remember and I am still seeking those answers and stumbling along the path.
The Brushy Mountains are a beautiful area that has seen some development in recent years but much of the area while it has been farmed and the timber has been harvested still has a wild quality. I certainly enjoying walking in the woods and exploring the hills and the streams trying to figure out just which tree is which and what is the world is that plant and why haven’t I seen that before.
The connection with nature is for me certainly a part of trying to come to terms with this life.
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