2020 Nov 11-14, Trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (4 days)

Nov 11, Wednesday,  Hubby and I stopped at Cracker Barrel in Spring Hill for breakfast. We stopped several times for restroom breaks on our way to Pigeon Forge. We checked into Park Grove Inn in Pigeon Forge. What a view we could see the ferry wheel on the Island from our room.

Ferries Wheel 

Hubby took a shower, lay down, and took a nap. His stomach was giving him a fit, and he said I think I have a fever. After his nap, we rode to Applewood Farm House Restaurant for dinner.

Apple Barn 

For an appetizer, they brought apple fritters along with apple sauce and jute. I ordered a bowl of vegetable soup with cornbread. Hubby did not order anything but did eat some of my soup. That night, hubby ran a fever and had diarrhea all night.

The Incredible Christmas Store

Nov 12, Thursday:  The Incredible Christmas Store was just three blocks from our hotel, so I walked there while hubby slept. I walked across the Little Pigeon River, stopping to take pictures along the way. I bought a chocolate pretzel at the Christmas Candy Shop. When I returned, hubby was up, so we rode to the Old Mill, where I bought some stone-ground cornmeal and some apple fritter mix. We went to the Disney Store, where I bought Christmas toys for the great-grandkids. We ate lunch at Firehouse Sub and stopped in front of the Dixie stampede for a picture of the tall Christmas tree. We spent the rest of the day at Dollywood 2–9 PM. We rented a cart for hubby; he said he felt too weak to walk. We upgraded our tickets for the next year to $194.20 Our adventures began in the Wildwood Park area for children.

Santa @ Dollywood 

We meet Santa behind glass after we write him a letter and drop it into his mailbox. We watched a couple of shows outside, but all the inside shows were closed. We rode the train up the mountain, and there were plastic shields between each seat. We had to get tickets for the last train ride because the virus seats were limited. We stopped at the ice cream shop for some Rockies Road ice cream in a chocolate waffle cone. We returned the cart and walked back to our car.

Eating catfish at Huck Fins

On Nov 13, Friday I ate French toast for breakfast at the hotel. We rode to the Bass Pro Shop in Kodak and then to Katom Restaurant Supplies, where I bought two bottle openers and a thermometer. We stopped at Huck Finn's for lunch, where I ordered a two-piece catfish dinner with fixings. (Fixings include a bowl of white beans, onion, pickles, coleslaw, and hushpuppies) We took the bypass in Gatlinburg and ordered over the Smoky Mountains. We rode through Cherokee out to I-40 back to Sevierville.

Hotel Pigeon Forge, TN

Nov 15, Saturday We began our travel home, stopping to fill up with gas at Flying J. I ate a bagel for breakfast before we left the hotel. We stopped at Five Guys in Spring Hill for a late lunch or early supper. There, we both ordered a fully-dressed hamburger and crispy fries. They have the best hamburgers in town. Our last stop was at Krogers in Lawrenceburg to pick up a few groceries. After that long ride home, we were both very tired.

👩‍🍳👩‍🍳👩‍🍳👩‍🍳2016 April 23, Saturday Cornbread Festival South Pittsburg Tennessee

We traveled hwy 72 to Athens and took I-65 to I-565 through Huntsville. We took hwy 72 E, and we passed through several small towns: Brownsboro, Paint Rock, Woodville, Scottsboro, Hollywood, Fackler, Stevenson & Bridge Port Alabama.

Driving to South Pittsburg

We crossed the state line into Tennessee to South Pittsburg.
We arrived around 10:00AM and there was already a crowd of people. We waited in line with many other vehicles to get a parking spot.
We started walking to the downtown area where the Cornbread Festival was located. 
I spied a school bus that was being used to shuttle people downtown.
We loaded onto the school bus and got off the bus at the second drop-off. 

Cornbread Festival 

We paid the five-dollar admission to enter the festival. We proceeded to the area where we purchased tickets to take the Historic bus tour at 11:00AM which cost seven dollars each.

We were given brochures with the time stamped on them for our tickets.
The 10:00 AM bus had just left the historic City Hall.

We walked through the American Legion Hall (under restoration)
that house the quilt show.

One of the quilts on display

Next, we view some of the old cars that were on display.

Car Show

We went to the theater to listen to Blues Music for about ten minutes and to use the restrooms. 

Inside the Prince Theater

We walked past some of the vendors and walked back to the City Hall building to wait for the bus.
When the tour bus returned our guide got off the bus and said that she was going to give a talk before everyone loaded onto the bus.
Our guide began by telling the history of  City Hall, Marion Lodge, and American Legion Hall buildings
City Hall was built in 1887 the former First National Bank had terra cotta trim with decorative brick.

City Hall was built in 1887 

The building across the street now empty was the former Marion Lodge E& AM No 515.

Marion Lodge E& AM No 515

American Legion Hall housed the quilt show.
Everyone loaded on the air-conditioned bus, but there were not enough seats for everyone standing in line.
Everyone was asked to check their ticket to make sure that it had 11:00AM stamped on it. 
There were about six tourists that had a later date stamped on their tickets and they were asked to get off the bus and come back at the time that was stamped on their tickets.

South Pittsburg Tennessee Historic Tour ticket

We then began our tour through the crowded narrow streets of South Pittsburg. We had a great driver, he managed to back up and turn around without hitting a single car and there were lots of marks along the sides of the road.

We saw on the third street at Holly The Christ Church Episcopal completed in 1884.
At 217 Magnolia we saw the home originally built by Joseph Lodge in 1878.
At 310 Magnolia the home of Avery and Kate McCuiston, they owned the Bargain Store on Cedar Avenue. 
At fourth at Magnolia was saw a house built by the Old English company about 1877.
At 401 Oak House was built by City Company in 1890.
At 316 Oak House was built for the Headquarters of the Old English company and was used as guest quarters, not a home. 
At 504 Oak we saw a house owned by ST Haskew, sold and used as a boarding house.
At 518 Laurel we saw the house that James Scott a Texan who ran a dry goods store.
At 500 Laurel we saw the AA Cook home he sold to MM Allison in 1898 who was mayor and judge.
At 401 Laurel we saw the house built for Dr. TW Johnston a physician for the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railway Company.
At 414 Holly we saw a house built for Luther B Sartan.
At 518 Holly a house purchased in 1887 by Thomas Richardson a druggist.
At 610 Holly we saw the home built in 1909 by Walter Denham.
At eight at Elm, we saw the Chapel on the Hill built by Angus Macrae, a native of Scotland.
The tour bus dropped everyone that wanted to tour the Lodge Factory at the sixth street at the railroad. 

People going into the Lodge Factory

The Lodge Pans display the Lodge was founded in 1896 by Joseph Lodge, the original plant was located on the north side of town. The foundry operates two molding machines and produces over 20,000 pieces of cast iron a day.

Touring the plant

After we finished touring the plant we walked back to the festival, stopping to look at the tractors on display. 
Vendors were cooking all kinds of food.
Vendors were selling all kinds of wear.
There were rides of all kinds.

Carnival Rides 

We were getting hungry so we looked for a local restaurant stopping at Harvey's Pirate Restaurant for a hamburger and fries. 

Harvey's Pirate Restaurant 

We went to the cars that were on display there were three times more cars than earlier. 
We walked through looking at some of the vendors. I bought four postcards and we bought a bee catcher. 
We stopped at the Lodge Store and began our walk back to the van.

The Lodge Store

A nice young man offered to take us to our car in his golf cart. 
People were still coming into the downtown area and they had to park along the highway.
It had been a long day, we were getting hot and tired and still had a two-hour drive home. 

April 2016 A busy month

April 1 rode to Mule Day in Columbia Tennessee 

April 1& 4 went to Chiropractor

April 2  rode to Columbia TN to watch the Mule Day Parade ate lunch at Jacks Lawrenceburg, TN

April 5 We went on a tour of Tiffen Plant in Red Bay ate lunch Jacks Red Bay, Al 

April 6 CBS classes

April 7 went to Get Dirty at the Library: Landscape Design for Sustainability

April 8 went to Chiropractor

April 8 Took Dad to Dentist & Emergency Room

April 9 went on a guided walking tour of historic Downtown Athens

April 9 Earth Day Sheffield, Al 

April 11 Took Dad to the oral surgeon to get tooth cut out

April 12 We went on a tour of the Belle Chevre Goat Cheese Factory in Elkmont Al ate lunch Preston’s Restaurant Lexington, Al 

April 13 Last Class of CBS 

April 14 Get Dirty at the Library: Growing Herbs

April 16 Walking tour of UNA by Thomas Hale

April 17 Athens Cemetery Stroll 2-5PM

April 19 Started Weight loss Program Took B-12 Shot 

April 21 Get Dirty at the Library: Fighting Invasive Plants

April 22 Jewish Passover Meal at First Methodist Church Killen 

April 23 We went to Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg TN ate lunch Harvey’s Pirate Drive-in

April 25 Took Dad to the oral surgeon he got two teeth cut out

April 26 Took B-12 Shot 

April 26 Went to Florence Ophthalmology PC Doctor Gray

April 28 Went to Get Dirty at the Library: Composting

April 30 Went to Guided walking tour of Athens State University ate lunch at Wildwood Deli 

I AM ~POEM

I am from the English and Irish breed; from panned fried Idaho potatoes and steaming hot Aunt Jamima yellow cornbread.

I am from a warm cozy loving home, full of children running, screaming, laughing and playing from dawn to dusk and the smell of apple pie baking in the oven.

I am from Butterfly, Swamp, Bulk, and Common Milkweed that grow freely in fields.

I am from the fighting Irish Walls and traveling English Rumbold’s; long live the queen of England.

I am from Charles’s many, stormy, sailing voyages to Mary Hasbrouck, Dunedin, New Zealand, Shang High, Hong Kong, China, just to name a few.

My crimson blood flows deep, within for wild adventures, many travels, and the love of history.

Salvation fills my soul with one true God.

I am from the Heart of Dixie, the birthplace of Helen Keller, home of Roll Tide, singing group Alabama, from Hawk Pride Mountain, and the catfish filled singing Tennessee River.

I am a devout Christian woman who would give you her last morsel, a grandfather that loved the spirit of the drink.

Stored away in my attic are memories of letters, and pictures filled with hot cotton fields, raging ocean waves, smoke-filled mountaintops, and the deep love of family.  

What a life!