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Ff-·[ , J/ 11 ·1•·· ~:';1 P ' p" r.=-:J •.:.'; - By CEL.ESTIJ IE Sl LEY' chanm.d wi t' its beauty and THE OTHER DAY I went in ,·c1ri etr. Si x Flag;; O·;c-r Gco:·~i" to ,;Tl' s not a bil like :\loot1c\·'s sec 85 li ttie He;id St;irl children from th;;-tfr11i:~~1r.:mcc; La ke us2d tr, be ."' I marvelied to pl otog ~a p 1er Bill \\'il ,;r,:i, . nursery launchl d on ·aarif s outing, pro1·i cd by readers . thi nking of U1e days 11·hc11 I took m · children there for a who senl in conlribuli ons of big outing. green s t a m p s and ~omc money . I came a11·ay from my A DAY OR SO before two fi rst gl.i.mpse of thi s \'a st fri en~ls , Caroly n B e c k n c l l am usement park t o L a 11 y Mann and Leah Loga n, spo ·c cosily in my pres2nce of new Ce estine Si bley's column appears i n The Atla l! ta Const itul'icn . pl aces to eat in our town. Thcv asked i'nc ho-,1· I li:.:ed the Lio1i 's Head a1,d The Ab!wv and I said , " Huh'1 \\'hal .-s that?" "You have io ge l out and sec more ." Ca ro:1·n told me fi rm!)'. "We 're: going lo take you in hand. " And I mad e a resolu~ion to get oul more and see more anrl w -·nt slraight homr , fl ushe with righ teousness born of new resolve, ch,rng0d lo my jeans and stra ·: h::it and went blackberryin g.

JN SPITE of 1,·b2t I say, I r ea ll y enjoy ihe q11iet co~mlry pleasures. Black berries ar e reaching their pea · around Sweet Apple settlement now and it would be terrible to be k it ing· off to Seven Fl ags or some entici ng new resta urant ea tirig all mann er of gorgeous food when the blc1c ·bt:rric.s are hangi.J 1g · then~ on the vine grtt ing over-ripe. Some prople can pc1ss up bl ackberries, I real ize. The re are those who are afrc.id of sn akes and tho~e who hale bri ar~ and c,·cn more who ar.., tu rned ba ck b\' chi~gers. Bu i I kno11· of rw nlrasrinte r way to pass the ho;1rs of the sun·s setling and twili ght's setllin g in than in a c-crt:1in pa::.:(ure do1rn on Little Hi\'Cr pi c:!,ing bcfl' ics. The hav h::i. hrfn Frr., 11lv cut and t:12 random straw(c_; 1hc mowers lcH h Ve turned to gold. Th e summer , un h:.i.; dried them and in (he dr:-·i ng bro ught out t.i1at S\\'ed July fra grance that's like none oth er. In the oak t recs on the hil:s the Ju y fli r.;; sav; av:ay and dow 1 on the ri1·er ban· frogs start th eir late c\·cniiig symphony, puncln ating it \':ith an occasiona l soft, coolin g " plop" into the w::tcr. A mock ingb ird sings fr om th e beaut ifu l big poplc1r in the center of the pc1sture ai1'.l cardina ls make gentle n:r;ht-coming-on murmui'ings in the alders by th e »trearn. IT'S E_ASY Lo reach the li ttl e berri es and there are pl en,y of them but Lhc big on es , th e long bl ue b! ack onrs that look as fat and tempting as li LLlc sausages , hang way bac: _in the bri ars. I al \';ays pause be fore reaching for one of them and th.:-n. fu lo·.\'ing t:1e cxdrnple of my nPig-hbnr Doc. T s[a;;,p on th e ground, rustle the bu 5hcs ,i ml sin g lu!-lily. " You can'l see snake, 11 ·hcn it's this thick ," says Doc, plunl:ing a ha ndful of berr ies info his bucket 1rith a tu nefu l sound. "I li ke to th ink the sna ·es can't see me eith er."

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•. IT'S THE PROPER attitude for a acdicated b!ack-berrver and it ma. ·es fur a mu.si'cal out in er. At one rnd ofJ th e pasture Doe heists a tu ne abou t fai thless lo\'Crs. At 111\' end I sing my fa, -oritc, "I Don 't Wa nt io Walk \','ithou You, Baby." ll1 E;antng juo:t th e opposite if c 11y snakes 2rc listen in g ai1d in be!l':ecn I hear a mtunL:ed c11rsf fro m somcbG,,r/y wiJ,) \•· as briar ~ ,afcbcd and r,rndo:n slap~ at mo;;qu itos a:id hor.-e mes. IT'S NOT Si·.:: Flaf;~ . n0r ycl go ing out lo dimir·r. Hui if. rc:~1ll ls i,, fi-·c r0:)h!er and a fr,·; ghssc.: , t Pie preltic.•t jc-lly you ever saw. �