Grits ain’t groceries, eggs ain’t poultry, and Mona Lisa was a man. That has absolutely nothing to do with this post. But the song was on as I drove home from my hike, and I love that song!

Have you seen the movie, The Accountant? Like Christian Wolff in the movie, I too am a savant. But we’ll get back to the movie. Not back to me as a savant. Did I mention the movie has an Airstream in it?

It’s the end of the year and I wanted to get in one last hike. I took a 6.5 mile hike around Red Top Mountain State Park in Bartow County (GA). It appears it has been a while since I hiked. Maybe too much turkey, holiday cheer… Heavy breathing.  Sweating in 45-degree temperatures.   Accelerated heart rate.  Tells me it has been a while since I took my last hike.

I headed out to the park for a hike, which sits right on the shores of Lake Allatoona, which itself is fed by the Etowah River. If you live anywhere in the southeast you know we have had a terrible drought this year, and even though we have received some rain recently, clearly much more rain is needed to get back to normal.

In looking at any of these pictures of the lake, you may see white poles, which are navigational aids to alert boaters of shallow waters. Note that today you could walk to many of these markers. During normal conditions, when I go paddling on the lake, the areas around the markers are wonderful places to paddle – too shallow for motor boaters but ideal for kayaks. Today these markers might be better navigational aids for ATV’s.

So, I mentioned The Accountant? Have you seen it? Pretty cool movie. There is a Boston-born actor in it (Ben Affleck). There is an Airstream featured in the movie. And it was filmed (at least in part) in Georgia. So, with all that as background, why do I refer to The Accountant here? Because the very last scene in the movie is filmed here at Lake Allatoona – with Ben Affleck driving his Airstream across this bridge. Boom.

Happy New Year! And go Pats!