A WONDERFUL DAY-TRIP THAT ALMOST ENDED BADLY

Judy and I were up at 7 and left by 8:15 in order to meet Neena and Ron at the Cracker Barrel in Lenoir City, Tennessee by 9.

Friday began our traditional fall road-trips, which usually begin when the weather cools significantly in October. The temperature Thursday night was down in the 40’s, and the high expected for Friday (10/3) was around 74, and, with the sky a deep blue, it was perfect!

After pancakes, biscuits, sourdough toast, eggs and such, we were off on our 75 mile one way tour of the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forest. The two forests are really the same stretch of wilderness, with Cherokee’s 640,000 acres lying on the Tennessee side, and Nantahala’s 531,000 acres lying on the North Carolina side of the mutual border.

Ron had actually just returned home from spending a few days camping, hiking, and kayaking inside the Indian Boundary Campground, which is located in the Cherokee National Forest area. He wanted to show “the girls” the beautiful area and some of the early fall foliage. He insisted he drive Neena’s Honda, on which he had just had about $1400 worth of work done, including new brakes all the way ‘round.

At the visitor’s information center in Tellico Plains, Tennessee, we made our first “pit stop” and shed our light jackets.

From there we made our way east on 165 to Indian Boundary Campground, and toured the camping area, looking at the spaces and noting the variety of camper types, pop-ups, normal trailers, 5^th wheels, and self-contained RVs.

We are becoming interested because of Charlotte and Gary’s recent purchase and subsequent trip to Florida, in their self-contained unit.

We then made another pit-stop and started around Indian Boundary Lake. It’s a 3.5 mile round trip, but we only went to mile-marker 1.0 before turning back to the parking lot. We plan to go back in about two weeks and make the full hike to see the full peak of the fall colors.

We left Indian Boundary and headed toward the 5500’ elevation at the Tennessee/North Carolina state line, known as Huckleberry Knob. We also plan to go back there during the peak foliage weeks, and hike out to one of the nearby balds. There are several “balds” in this area (not counting Ron), all due to the high elevation, wind, and cold at this level.

On each side of highway near the top of the “knob” are tall poles with a long board protruding at a right angle out over the road. You see at least two places where the forestry service has placed these poles. Do you know what they are for?

Think about it before reading on!

I didn’t know either because I was too busy shooting flowers to read the information posted at the overlook. However, the girls did read it and finally knew something we didn’t!

There is a large population of Glaucomys volans living in this area. That’s “flying squirrels to most of us, and these poles allow them to glide across the highway safely, avoiding being flattened in to tiny furry rugs! I know! I learned something too!

However, don’t go up there looking for them unless you stay until after dark – they’re nocturnal! (You can see a picture of one if you click on the link above.)

I got several great new wildflower shots during this trip, all of which can be seen my Flickr page (either click on the Flickr badge or the Wildflower link in the sidebar).

I’m including a scan of a “dragon” I found on a map of “The Dragon” (be sure to click this link), an 11 mile stretch of Highway 129, along the border of the Smoky Mountains National Park, that has 318 curves!

Motorcyclist and sport scar enthusiasts risk life, limb, and reckless driving tickets every clear day driving the road that beckons, “Ride me if you dare!”

There are several wrecks and deaths each year, on curves with nicknames like, “Pearly Gates”, “The Whip”, “The Wall”, and “Gravity Cavity!”

The dragon lady, used as a logo for “The Dragon” reminded me of our own “Dragons!” It may come in handy for future posts!

Of course, the day was filled with laughter from the back seat, which spilled over into the front! Hard as Ron and I may have tried, we couldn’t help but either laugh along with, or at, the two crazy Dragons in the back!

One story from Neena, which usually entails her view of how her older sisters abused her as a child, concerned how the power used to frequently go off in their neighborhood. Neena was probably 8 or 9, while her sisters Judy and Linda were about 5 or 8 years older.

Anyway, this particular night, the girl’s mother had fixed a big pot of pinto beans and other things, but the girls all love to eat their beans with something sweet. This night Neena had a big pile of beans and a coconut covered “snowball!” “Our first introduction to appetizers,” Neena said!

You do remember “snowballs” don’t you?

They were chocolate cake with a cream filling, covered with a marshmallow like icing, usually pink in color, and sprinkled in coconut!

Well, as Neena continued, she was just about to eat her “appetizer/dessert” when the power went off. The next thing she heard was Linda whispering to Judy, “Hey Judy, feel this!”

It turns out that both of Neena’s sisters were fondling the top of the snowball in her plate, and when the power came back on all the coconut had been rubbed off!

Of course you had to be there for it to be funny to you, but for some reason it hit me hard in the funny bone! I suppose I was waiting for her to say that the snowball was gone when the lights came back on, but even without the expected punch line I cracked up. The laughter spread to everyone and by the time the last one caught the laughter bug, we were all about to pee our pants!

No, this wasn’t the only moment of levity, but it was the most intense!

So, as we headed back toward home on north bound two lanes of Highway 68, toward I-75, all eyes focused in on two cars ahead of us. One had crossed the two north bound lanes was sitting in the median, while a second was sitting to our right at an intersection.

Just as we were about to pass between the two cars at about 50 to 55 mph, the woman in the Ford Ranger to our right decided to pull across. Ron had already lifted his foot from the accelerator and as she suddenly pulled into our lane, Ron made a slight right direction change in order to pass behind her if she continued across. The woman, who was close enough for us to see clearly was holding a cellphone to her left ear, realized her mistake and slammed on her brakes, stopping directly in our lane, and our path!

Ron corrected his earlier move and slammed on his brakes, sending them into anti-lock mode, and turned to the left to pass her in the left lane. As soon as the car was straight, and it was evident the woman was stopped, Ron released the brakes and we rolled on past.

I had a good close-up of her, still talking on the phone, as we passed.

With adrenalin coursing through my veins, I shouted, “Put down that damn phone you idiot!” Of course she couldn’t hear me, but I had to vent!

The last thing I do the night before one of our trips, and the first thing I do the morning of a trip, is ask the Good Lord to watch over us and bring us back safely. I’m thankful of two things: the answered prayer and that Ron had gotten the brakes fixed last week!

The beers Ron and I had at Aubrey’s back in Lenoir City, helped settle our nerves. Ron had Flat Tire and I had one Yuengling, and two wheat beers.

We hadn’t eaten since breakfast that morning so by the time we ordered we were starving, although, you couldn’t tell it by looking at us!

Neena and Judy split an order of Pizza Rockefeller and Chicken Quesadillas, Ron got the Grilled Tuna sandwich, and I decided on the Peanut Crusted Catfish! It calmed us and made us very full and happy once again!

Next week we’re off to a fall festival!

IT’S A GIRL!

Corey and I had great hopes that his and Tia’s next child would be a boy…you know, carry on the family genes and all that macho stuff…even though we’ll love a little girl just as much!

Tia and Corey left Lily in our charge Thursday (10/2) and went anxiously off to see the gynecologist. It was time to determine the sex of new offspring, to be born sometime around February.

Judy and I waited anxiously too, but also for Lily to wake up from her nap so we could spoil…I mean play with her! We listened attentively to noises coming from the baby monitor, until she finally began talking softly to herself. I went to her room and looked over into her bed. She was not there!

Corey had mentioned to us, as they were leaving earlier, that, for some reason, Lily, now 28 months old, had begun playing and sometimes sleeping behind the big recliner/rocker in her room. Corey had gone in that morning and found her looking out the window. “Deea daddy!” she said, pointing out the window at two deer browsing in the backyard.

Sure enough, I found her playing behind the chair. She bowed her head, wrinkled her brow, as she often does when seeing someone new for the first time, or first time in a while, and diverted her dark eyes. “It’s Papaw, Lily,” I said softly.

“Papaw? Whur Momma Judy?”

I hollered down the hall, “Momma Judy, come see Lily!”

From then on we had a grand old time, playing, making animal sounds on command, “Dog!” she would say, and one of us would bark, and so on down the farm list! We mimicked other weird noises she made, and after each she laughed and continued making other sounds. Little special silly things that entertain a youngster and warm two old people’s hearts!

Later, we heard the garage door open, as her mother and father returned, so we did the proper thing and hid under her “blankie” for them to find us!

Corey walked over to me and gave me a big hug, and I have to admit I thought he was going to say “It’s a boy!”, but instead he began apologizing to me.

“I’m sorry dad,” he said, half smiling, “I tried, but it’s a girl.”

“That’s great,” I said!

I think Corey actually thought I would be very upset, but I wasn’t. I already have Katie Bug and Lily, and couldn’t love them more – they mean the world to me! Therefore, having another little girl to call me “Papaw” is just wonderful.

He was remembering that my father’s first born, all his brother’s first born (he had six brothers), and my first born had been boys. We just had hopes that the sex tradition would continue, but with Lily’s birth it was not to be for him. This was his last chance to put a “stem on the apple”, since their plans are only to have two.

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed for Corey. Being the kind of loving person he is, and with his love of sports, he would have made a great dad for a boy. However, he will also be a great daddy for two little girls. So be it…my prayers to God were simply to just “consider” giving us a boy, but that we would accept his will. “Just let her be as healthy and pretty as Lily!”

I’m also including the ultrasound shots the doctor made (click to enlarge). You will note the cute little nose in one, and what the doctor labeled as “girl parts” in the other. Looks like my prayers have been answered. She is healthy and beautiful…just like me!

The only thing left to do now is to wait for her first words – “PAPAW!”

CONCERTS LOST – FRIENDSHIPS RENEWED

Almost a month ago, I ordered tickets online for “The Raconteurs” that were appearing at the Ryman Theater in Nashville, Tennessee. The email confirmation I received, complete with official transaction number, and total paid, said that a follow up email would announce the arrival of my tickets, 48 prior to the event.

I then got online and made hotel reservations within walking distance of the venue, and forgot about it.

The concert was scheduled for Tuesday night (9/30), so since I had not received the tickets I called TicketsNow Monday and asked what was going on. They said that the tickets had been purchased just prior to my purchase, and that they had been trying to get in touch with me. They said they sent two emails with no response. I asked why they hadn’t called me - the number plainly on the purchase order!?

Anyway, the only tickets left were behind columns in the old theater, so I canceled everything, including the hotel.

As an aside, I had told my mother that Judy and I would take her to her long-time friend’s house in Gallatin, Tennessee for the night, while we attended the concert. Sadie has been a friend of the family for hundreds of years…so it seems.

She and mom first met in Sunday school years ago, and became fast friends. When my dad became too sick to work, and retired from TVA with a medical, mom decided to go to work. She decided to become a nurse’s aide. She asked Sadie to go to the classes with her even if she never worked. Sadie agreed, and as it turned out Sadie actually worked longer than mother did!

I say all this to illustrate their bond. They haven’t been able to visit much due to their ages and health, so we decided to go on to Nashville as planned and let them have the day to visit. Judy and I made plans to shop and visit some local attractions, and mom was to call me when she was ready to go home. (Note: Nashville is only a little over a hundred miles away, so a day-trip is easy.)

[PHOTO: Sadie is on the left, mom is on the right, and Sadie’s son Robert is hugged up in the middle.]

They thoroughly enjoyed the day and caught up on all the recent events, and probably shared a tear or two. Mom lost her third husband, Bill, in February of 2006 and Sadie’s husband Robert died in April that year. I overheard Sadie remind mom that the last time they saw each other, over 4 years ago, both men were in wheelchairs. Mom told us later, as people of her generation tend to do, she and Sadie had visited the graveyard where Robert is buried, and then dined at the Cracker Barrel.

When Judy and I left, the first order of business on our mind was food! We watched as all the signs scrolled by, trying to decide what we wanted for a “quick lunch”! I have been craving Chinese food for some time, so when I saw “Peking Chinese Restaurant” I quickly checked the place out. From the outside it appeared the place used to be a Pizza Hut or something, and needed a coat of paint, but there were so many cars parked around the place we knew it must be a local favorite.

It was delicious…as you can see in the photo of the Kung Pao Chicken I had! So, if you are ever in the Lebanon, Tennessee area, look for it!

Judy then wanted to shop at an outlet mall at the Lebanon exit off I-40, so we killed some time and money there!

We actually killed enough time there, that by the time we had toured Cedars of Lebanon State Park, and stopped to take this photo of the Cedarvine Manor, a bed and breakfast, mom was calling. After a five hour visit, she was ready to go home.

When I said goodnight to hear at her door, she hugged me and thanked me again for taking her to see Sadie. “You just don’t know what that meant to me!”

Well, that meant something to me as well.

MEMORIES ON WATTS BAR

Last Sunday (9/28) Charlotte and Gary called and asked us to meet them at Blue Springs Marina, which is located on Watts Bar Lake, near Ten Mile, Tennessee.

They suggested we have lunch, a big burger, at the marina’s restaurant called “The Crow’s Nest”, before going for a slow cruise up the river to, and around, Thief Neck Island, which is nearer Rockwood, Tennessee.

Of course we jumped at the chance for one more cruise before colder weather comes. We’ll probably have one last fall cruise, so we can enjoy the color of fall, but this may be the last in shorts and short-sleeves!

The burgers we ordered were big 10 ounce bad boys with all the trimmings, and choice of fries or onion rings. They were delicious, and held us for the balance of the day.

Along the way we passed “Camp Buck Tom”, which evoked memories for Gary. He related a story of his first visit to the historic local summer camp for Boy Scouts.

Gary said they arrived just about sundown, and were allowed to get 1 or 2 hours sleep before being awaken by attacking Indians (counselors dressed the part)! The “Indians” tied the sleepy scouts to each other, hand to hand, and were lead off into the deeper darkness of the surrounding woods. The frightened little captives were marched until dawn, and then put to work clearing areas around the “real” camp. They were given only water and just enough cold food to keep up their energy.

Later the counselors sat everyone down and asked if there was anyone who felt like they couldn’t make it through the week and wanted to go home. Two or three boys raised their hands and were lead away. Once the others were out of sight, the remaining Scouts were rewarded with a grand breakfast of everything one could imagine!

The rest of the week there, he said, was filled with games, swimming, canoeing, good food, and other things that make up a great summer came.

If you click on the photo, you can make out this year’s tents!

We circled Thief Neck, where Judy and I used to plug the banks bass fishing, and just lounging in the sun. It was good to see the island and to rethink all the old memories.

Memories like the time I got eaten up by seed-ticks squirrel hunting, and shooting two crows with one .22 shot! There were also the Saturday and Sundays that several of us gathered our boats on the island to eat, drink, laugh, and ski! Those were good times, even the day I lost my bathing suit and had to crawl up onto my boat “naked as a jaybird”! (I have a photo of that somewhere, wearing nothin’ but a towel!)

Ah yes, I even remember “My Girl Bill”, a gay family friend, and the day “Big Ronda” mooned us from another boat! Ronda had butt…lots of butt!

We circled our memories, stopping along the way, from time-to-time, to give in to nature’s call. At one “pit stop”, we saw a persimmon tree, heavily laden, with its bright red-orange fruit (click for a larger view). Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the boat close enough for a good close-up shot.

The girls, including Neena, who decided to join us even though Ron was off camping at Indian Boundary, had another great day of cackling laughter. Gary and I enjoyed a few brews and a cigar apiece.

A side note: Terri and Steve were off with Tony (the Dragon’s brother), visiting San Francisco.

It was a wonderful day filled with memories of past days on Watts Bar.

TACOS AND PUPPY DOGS

Monday night was taco night at Tracy’s. No, it’s not a tradition, but about once a month Tracy decides to make her mom some delicious tacos. So, Judy and I throw a diet Mountain Dew and Coke into the car and drive the 15 to 20 miles across the county for some family fellowship.

The tacos are always great, but the real treat is visiting, having fun with our daughter and granddaughter, and the ever energetic Roxy, the new Boston terrier addition to the family.

Katie always has to sit or lay against her Granny, for some social grooming, and general flea removal!

Kristin, Katie’s life long friend, was there to make Tracy fell less left out of the grooming session going on across the table.

Eddie, well, Eddie never lets anything get between him and his taco! Kind of like me, only he never seems to grow like I do!

Roxy was all dressed out in her new University of Tennessee sweater. Little does she know that the team sucks this year!

On the way over Judy told me about the sweater and said, “I’ll have to have Tracy try it on while we’re there.”

I said, “Wow, I want to see that!” That’s when she smacked me.

THE LONG GRAY HALLWAY

Raise your hand if you remember the opening scene, a long gray hallway in a Los Angeles hotel, in the Pink Floyd movie “The Wall!” Remember the cleaning woman switching on a vacuum cleaner and then goes about her business, while inside one of the hotel rooms, “Pink” (Bob Geldof), oblivious to the outside distractions, sits listlessly staring at a television. The flickering, blue-black images resolve into historical footage from World War II, and Pink sees his father killed at the Battle of Anzio.

Well, there are hallways, mostly in hotels, that often remind me of that opening scene. This past week, in a hallway in the building where Smith Barney is housed in Knoxville, I again had that sort of “de’ja’vu feeling” when I rounded a corner and started down the hall to a conference room. There, along the walls, were those half-moon lights, simultaneously spraying light toward the ceiling and diffusing light toward the hall floor, lining the corridor just like in the movie.

In my head I could hear the conversational sounds coming from that TV set in the movie, the sound of the dive-bomber as it released its payload, the vacuum cleaner purring, and the tap, tap, tapping on the hotel door the cleaning lady made as she fumbled her key-ring for the master key.

Some movie scenes, especially those with great sound tracks, are burned into my brain forever, and this is one of my favorites.

The conference room reminded me of nothing in “The Wall”, but out in the hallway, I heard the click as someone started up a vacuum. It was almost surreal, but only to me…the old “Sixties Kind of Man!”

Two other concerned mutual fund investors and I were greeted by our “money men,” Doug Whitman and Scott Rhea (Rhea Whitman Group). We all exchanged pleasantries, then Doug handed us our box lunch (ham sandwich, a fruit assortment, two chocolate cookies, and a cold bottle of water), and we sat down around a long typical conference room table lined by comfortable gray leather chairs.

The topic of the day was “Market Volatility and the Long-Term Investor”. Many people have naturally called the group asking questions related to the recent market fluctuations, the housing market, bank failures, and the “bailout!”

So what does this have to do with Pink Floyd and a “long gray hallway”? Nothing I suppose, just a way of getting to tell you about Scott’s reassuring talk Wednesday, and then a way of wrapping up the tale. His words and graphics really did put my mind at ease.

Back in 2005, I rolled my 401K, managed by Department of Energy, over to a mutual fund package managed today by Scott and Doug’s group, who are a part of Smith Barney and ultimately the Citigroup, Inc. They believe, as I do, that you must “wait out the storm”, and trust that your portfolio will have cumulative growth over time.

This is but one downturn of the market – there have been many, and there will be others. However, the history of the market proves out that the end result will be growth of a properly invested and diversified portfolio.

In fact, the best time to invest (any amount) in the market is when you are at the bottom of a “Bear Market”. Are we there? Only time will tell. But buying shares while costs are low can only mean the cumulative value of those shares will eventually increase!

So, while we walk down this “long gray hallway” of uncertainty, let us have faith in America, and believe that the odds are in the favor of the long-term investor – the bulls! Now is not the time to pull out and give up. Now is the time to buy and/or hold!

A STROLL THROUGH MARKET SQUARE

On Wednesday, Ron and Neena asked us to pick them up at the Honda service department in Knoxville, and that we would then go see the Farmer’s Market, while their car was being serviced. The Farmer’s Market is held each Wednesday and Saturday at Market Square. It sounded like a good way to get out of the house, so we agreed to go.

We parked in the garage behind the Mast General Store and first browsed the store, picking up a few unique things like a tomato and onion keeper! Nothing you really need, just something to look pretty sitting on the kitchen counter, and might keep the bugs off a once sliced tomato or onion for a day or two!

I perused the candy barrel assortment of bite-sized candies while Dragons touched and felt their way back toward the front door! I have more candy shots over at Flickr!

We left there and headed south on Gay Street toward the First Tennessee Plaza to Garrett’s Downtown Deli! We picked up a couple of ham, Ruben, and club sandwiches to go. We then trudged back down Gay Street and cut over to Krutch Park, found a nice outdoor table and sat down to eat.

The day was marvelous – in the high 70’s, low humidity, and the sky as blue as you could possibly imagine! The only problem we had was one pesky yellow jacket that kept landing on Judy’s mayo!

After licking our fingers and lips, we walked on down to Market Square and toured the few vegetable, flower, jewelry, and hotdog stands in attendance for Wednesday’s Farmer Market.

We noted one street corner preacher, hawking the “good news”. I remember coming to the same street corner as a young boy and being amazed at a sweating, white-shirted, weird sounding man standing on a fruit crate screaming at passerby’s about their pending doom in an “eternal burning hell!”

Oh yes, I remember how uneasy I felt back then, as we passed him standing up there, but thank God I know the truth today! I suppose that’s why I felt no embarrassment in taking this guy’s photo. He was just another man, standing up for his beliefs, and I have my own.

A few steps later and we came across a “happy blogger” sitting, what appeared to be, uncomfortably on the concrete square, her laptop plugged into one of the outdoor outlets she found on the side of a light pole. I’m sure she was browsing Mushy’s Moochings, or maybe The Silverbacks!

Judy and Neena bought a few tomatoes and green beans, and we headed out. The intended destination was the Downtown Grill & Brewery, however, on the way, Ron got a call that their car needed to stay over night. So, we decided to head back to the Honda place, pick up Ron and Neena’s garage door opener, stop by Wild Wings, and take them on home.

Wild Wings was a welcome sight, even though we weren’t hungry, Ron and I knew the “cold beers” are fresh and cold there. So, we had about 4 a piece, Ron had the Fat Tire draft and I had the Yuengling draft! Neena had a glass of wine, and Judy ordered the mixings for a “shandy”!

It was a drink that Denise had introduced her to while she and Fat was visiting! Ron said the only thing keeping him from being totally embarrassed was the fact that none of the glasses were labeled, but when Judy started sucking it down through a straw, we both almost walked away! The shame of it!

Did I mention that we weren’t hungry? Well, we weren’t but we tried their onion rings anyway…hot and spicy battered, juicy inside, and ketchup all over the outside. Wow…they were good and spicy hot! We had been ready to go when the “rings” came up, so Ron and I had our excuse for the 4^th round!

After two pit-stops on the way home, and barely making it to Ron’s bathroom, Judy and I got them safely home and left.

It was a great day and we are eternally grateful to them for getting us out of the house on such a beautiful day.