The red dot at the top of the angle is Bristol TN. The middle dot is Johnson City TN. Lower dot is Grandfather Mt. NC

A LONG OVERDUE VISIT WITHMARY AND REENA KURIACOSE

AND SEVERAL EXCURSIONS WITH THEMIt was only now on this trip that Mary Kuriacose reminded me of how it all began. At that time Mary,

born and living in India, was in communication with Rev. Ernest Braun, MSF. Rev Braun, who was the rector of the seminary when I began my studies in St. Louis, Missouri, was now living in Rome. Mary, who learned to speak English as a child, was studying linguistics and was interested in obtaining several books on linguistics written in English. Rev. Braun wrote to me asking me to obtain these books and send them to Mary. And so began a correspondence with Mary that has lasted to the present time.

At that time Mary was single and working in the customs department while continuing her education. Mary is fluent in Sanskrit, and speaks several of the Indian languages.

Mary married in the early 1960s and bore Reena, her only child. Not too long afterwards she came to live as a single mother, and later became widowed.

Mary went to great lengths to assure that Reena received a good education. Reena studied medicine and became a certified doctor, and then went on to specialize in ophthalmology. Later Reena came to this country, but since this country does not acknowledge the certificates from India, it was necessary for her to study and retake the examinations. She is now on the staff of a University hospital in Johnson City, TN.

For a long time an effort had been made to obtain a visa for Mary to come and visit Reena, but always the request was rejected. Suddenly about a year ago for some reason a visa was granted not only for a visit, but also for permanent residence. And so mother and daughter are now together again. This was, of course, the first time I met Mary in person.

I asked them while I was there , and they said that ordinarily when they are alone in the house they speak their native language , Mayalam of southern India, but when I was present, out of courtesy, they always spoke English. I would like to add that their grammar is faultless.

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THE HOME OF MARY AND REENA KURIACOSE

REENA AND MARY

FR. LIENERT AND MARY

REENA AND MARY

GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN, NC5946 feet above sea level.

• Geologists say that the oldest part of the mountain is an intrusion of granitic rock 1.1 billion years old. Most of the mountain is metamorphosed beds of sand stone. The mountain was created 730 million years ago when Africa and the North America continents collided.

MILE HIGH SWINGING BRIDGE

• This picture was taken on thethird of July, 09, and at 51ºF it happened to be the coldest morningon record for that date. It also happened to be unexpectedlyand extremely windy at this milehigh elevation. Everyone had come unprepared for this drastic changeand so only the young and heartylingered to savor the scenery.

It is called a swinging bridge because

it is cable-suspended across a deep rift so to as to give access

to a spectacular lookout point.

MEMENTO OF DANIEL BOONE

There is an extensive museum on Grand-father Mountain showing the wide range ofminerals found in North Carolina and, many historical events about the mountain. Among them this unique memento of DanielBoone. He was known to have hunted on this mountain in the 1760s. On this one occasion he carved into a tree that he had killed a bear on that tree, and signed hisname. Later when the owner of the property saw it, he cut that section from the tree and saved it. Many years later a mold and thencopies of it were made. This is one that is conserved in the museum. Take note, William Kenneth.

BRISTOL CAVERNS, TN

Bristol Caverns are located next to a town by the same name, They are only a little more than twenty miles from Johnson City

They are relatively small and do not display any extraordinary formations either in size or form.

Nevertheless the very process by which they are formed are always a cause for wonder because of the time and chemistry involved in their making.

These caverns were known to the Iroquois, but only because of the several square feet of a hole that opened to a chamber several hundred feet deep.

An early settler was in the process of digging a cellar into the side of the hill several hundred feet away from the hole when he broke into a wide room of the cavern.

It is said that he rented the cavern to neighbors for storing anything at all in the chill of the cavern during the summer, and non freezing temperatures during the winter.

There is little purpose in placing titles over the following

pictures.

F I N Have a great day.Rev. James Lienert