Finally after months of planning we will be leaving for our vacation in the Smokey Mountains! Our daughters put their heads together and decided we all deserved a family vacation. We have never had a chance to do this, with the sons in law and the grandkids. They have rented a large cabin big enough to accommodate the 10 of us, and we will all converge at different times. The husband and I were told we just have to get ourselves there, so we will leave this week.
Our first stop on this journey will be St Genevieve MO where we will have a brief pit stop. This is a very old town with rich history and strong French influence. We will probably arrive late afternoon so we will at least get to do a walk about. I don’t know about shopping but hopefully there will be a good local place to have a meal. After sitting in the car all day a walk about is definitely in order! If we enjoy it we will hit it again on the way back.
We plan to stay 3 nights in the Franklin TN area. There are a lot of great antique shops to explore. Two years ago when we passed that way, I only had a couple of hours so I will be thrilled to have some time. With a close proximity to Nashville we will probably take in a historic home and garden. I wanted to go to Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Estate but go figure, they are closed both days we are there. So I will find another home to visit. I also want to visit Leipers Fork where there is supposed to be good shops. Patina Home and Garden for one.
The Shilo National Military Park is just 100 miles down the road so hopefully we will do that as well. Have you ever done a civil war battlefield? I had the privilege of going with a friend to the 150 re-enactment of the Battle of Antietam. This was an aw inspiring experience that I highly recommend for everyone. I felt the cannon fire from the tips of my toes thru the top of my head. The husband and I visited the Vicksburg Battlefield in MS a couple of years ago. They are fascinating and reverent. Filled with monuments to the fallen. If you have any imagination at all you will hear the war cries, feel the cannon fire, eat the smoke. There are certain things in this country that I strongly believe everyone should take the time to do. This is one of them.
Then it’s on to Gatlinburg where we will all meet up. Florida will be there and I can’t wait to put my arms around them. It has been a year. That is just too long. What will we do? I don’t have a clue. Just be. Be a family, have some giggles, eat good food and the rest is just gravy!
I did plan for a girls day. We will be out numbered with testosterone so I figured by that time we might need a girls day. We will head to North Carolina for a day at Biltmore. Turned out we were only 1 hour 10 minutes from the cabin, so why not. Two years ago on the way home from Florida we drove right past the sign to Biltmore. I waved goodbye never thinking I would pass that way again. Though Biltmore has never been on my bucket list of have too’s, I will not miss this opportunity and I would like the girls to experience it. I have been so lucky to have toured so many historical homes so it will be interesting to see how this one measures up. Of course this home isn’t my period, I prefer much more mundane approachable 18th Century homes! It has been a long time since I’ve been in a palace though, so it will be fun. I’m looking forward to see how the girls react to it.
Well that’s it for now, but I will leave you with this. My robins on the pergola fledged. I caught this picture of the 3 of them just before they left the nest. It was so much fun to watch.
Mama used a dryer sheet for the base of her nest! Must have thought it would create some nice cush and smell good!!!
And, the pots in the front are spectacular. I just hope they survive with no one to water for two weeks. I’m going to try the wine bottle technique.
Thanks for stopping
Shelley
