By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — Maybe Brian Bowlin wasn’t stopping to smell the roses… but he sure was capturing a lot of images of the flowers in front of Blowing Rock’s Town Hall and in front of Memorial Park, along Main Street.
Asked what brought him and his friends to Blowing Rock on this day, Bowlin said, “Well, when we left Grandfather Mountain there was a decision to make: where to go next. Looking at a map, we saw that Blowing Rock was close by so the choice was to come on over.”
“As a kid, my family went to Tweetsie Railroad one time but we didn’t come here, to Blowing Rock,” said Bowlin.
In speaking with Bowlin, it became obvious neither he nor his friends knew what to expect. He admitted they had thought about going to Banner Elk, but decided Blowing Rock looked a little bigger and there might be more to do.
“I am so glad we came here. This town is beautiful,” he said. “These flowers are really something to behold. They are gorgeous. And, it is such a busy small downtown, very vibrant. And this is on a Monday afternoon! A lot towns are not as busy as this, especially on a Monday. And I have to say the people and the shops are very friendly. Ask for a recommendation and folks just quickly throw things out: where to go, where to eat, what to do.”
Early in his professional career, Bowlin recalled that he worked to pay his way through college, became a substitute teacher, then went to work for a church. While serving the church, he obtained a counseling degree and subsequently decided to put the degree to work in the Tennessee public school system. He is now a guidance counselor at Morristown East High School (Morristown, Tenn.) and a resident of Church Hill (west of Kingsport).
For this visit, Bowlin was with two friends, Jenny Bishop and Greg Wright.
“Greg teaches math at the University of Tennessee and Jenny is a retired schoolteacher in Kingsport,” said Bowlin.
Right on cue, the two friends caught up with Bowlin and were also marveling at the flowers.
“This town is so beautiful,” said Bishop. “I think one or all of us will be back!”
