Moon Pie Birthday Celebration here we come...

Moon Pie Exhibit at the Chattanooga Market

George and I grabbed the opportunity to dash downtown Sunday morning to the 17th season  opening weekend of the Chattanooga Market.  It's located in  the First Tennessee Pavilion with vendors from the area selling their wares such as jewelry, carved wooden items, knitted and crocheted pieces, pottery, photography and, of course, fresh food and vegetables, meats, cheeses and breads.  Also, the Moon Pie Exhibit was under a tent outside so I got to visit there and get my FREE Moon Pie and see the World's Largest Moon Pie made by the Chattanooga Bakery.

Largest MOON PIE...

Afterward, we went to lunch at one of my old-time favorite restaurants, The Long Horn (as opposed to The Longhorn).  They are known for their hamburger known as "The Wagon Wheel".  Well, had that BUT it just wasn't the same as it was in the 60's....disappointing.  Oh well, things change.

Linda's Amarylis

After lunch, George dropped me at Linda's house and we took off to some Open Houses that were advertised in the paper today. 

Found one on Mountain Creek Road called Villages on Greenway which was nice but did not hit all our buttons.

While we were there, she got a phone call from our cousin, Larry, who told her that our oldest cousin, Maxine, had passed.  We were surprised.  She had been in the hospital with an upper respiratory infection and just didn't recover from it.   Feeling sad...

We drove by our childhood home where we grew up and shared a bedroom together...don't know how we made it with only one bathroom!

George texted me that a big thunderstorm was expected to hit about 6:00 so we headed back to the RV and it started to rain just as Linda was leaving.  Fortunately, she got home before it got bad. 

I met Linda at 9:30 Monday morning as she had an appointment with her realtor who showed us five condominiums and we both fell in love with one at Heritage Landing.  It's been up-dated, move in ready and perfect for her plus she has quite a few friends that live there.  Here's keeping fingers crossed that it works out.  After the tour, we met her friend Linda for lunch at the Vine Street Market, which has moved from Vine Street so I'm all confused.  Linda lives at Heritage Landing so we went over to her place to check it out.  Her unit is right on the Tennessee River and wow-ed us. 

George cooked ribs in the crock pot today so he brought them up to Linda's for dinner, plus we still had some left-overs from our first night here.  He did more work on her garage door while we warmed up dinner.

Linda got a call that a ticket became available to the 32^nd Annual Women of Distinction Awards Luncheon held on Tuesday so I jumped on it.  The awards began in 1985 and my sister was inducted into this elite group of women in 1987.  The purpose is to honor distinctive women who set themselves apart through civic and cultural achievements and for their sense of style. It was an honor for me to sit at Linda’s table. 

As we entered the lobby, we were treated to a trio of musicians playing soft jazz music. There were some 800 ladies in attendance and it was a very special occasion, not to mention a delicious lunch.  The event was sponsored by the American Lung Association and held at the Chattanooga Convention Center Ballroom downtown.  A spokesperson for the Lung Association brought awareness to an even greater purpose – fighting lung disease.  Did you know that radon gas is the #2 cause of lung cancer among women?  So, have your home tested soon!

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Thumbprint Cookies

fter the lunch, we stopped at Koch’s Bakery to buy some of my favorite “thumbprint” cookies.  Then, Linda’s friend, Paula met us at the RV park as she and her boyfriend are thinking of buying an RV and she wanted to see ours.  We were happy to give her the grand tour along with a glass of wine.

Later in the evening, we took Linda out to eat at a fairly new Italian restaurant, Il Primo.  We were given a free appetizer called “Arancini Telefono Marinara."  It consisted of risotto and homemade mozzarella cheese, served with a vodka marinara cream sauce.  Linda and I weren’t that hungry so we split a dinner.  The food was outstanding but the noise level was a bit much.

Visiting with Grands....

FRIDAY:  Sydney, my sister's middle granddaughter, flew in last night from DC so my sister planned a little family get-together tonight at The Boathouse...can't wait for that.  Meantime, I made tuna salad and we headed up to Linda's house around noon.  George worked on her garage door opener, switched car tags, etc while we prepared lunch.  Then Sydney, along with her little sister Emma, and their dad, David, rolled in the drive-way with more lunch salads and desserts.  We laid out a smorgasbord of food on the bar, everyone fixed their plate and we ate outside on her deck.
 
George and I left about 3:00 and made a run to the bank and post office to get some documents notarized and off in the mail to Arizona then we met up with everyone at The Boathouse.  We had a little bit of a wait but, after all, it's Friday night and every restaurant in town is busy but it was worth the wait as we ended up with a great table.  David treated everyone to dinner while we caught up with Sydney and Emma's adventures and we pretty much closed the place.

OK, it's SATURDAY in a great Southern town and there's SO much to do....let's see, there's the 21st Annual Cornbread Festival in nearby South Pittsburg where they are having their famous cornbread cook-off.  Would love to go to this as Linda's friend, Marie, gave me my official Martha White apron at The Walden Club the other night. 

Or, there is the 100th Birthday Celebration of the Moon Pie at the Chattanooga Market.  They are giving out FREE Moon Pies and the Chattanooga Bakery is making the largest Moon Pie in history...speaking of which, did you know that Moon Pies are made in Chattanooga? 



Or, there is the Amazing Acrobatic Cat Show at the Chattanooga Theatre.  Their bus was parked in our campground this week and I so wanted to go over and say HI but never found the time...bummer.  All the cats were rescued and trained to walk the tightrope, balance on a ball or blow a trumpet.  Now, who wouldn't want to see that?



Last is the Battle Below the Clouds BBQ Cook-Off at Ruby Falls.  Twelve teams of back-yard BBQ-ers compete in the Third Annual Cook-Off, plus, can you believe that I've never been to Ruby Falls?

Naturally I wanted to attend all of these functions but Linda got a call yesterday from our cousin Larry and we invited him and wife Vera over to our RV for lunch today so, more family time.  They arrived about 11:30 and George and I gave them the royal tour until Linda and David arrived with pizza's.  They stayed several hours and we all got caught up on what's up in everyone's lives.  It's been a few years since I've seen them so it was great catching up.

After they left, I changed clothes and we headed back up to Linda's (sure glad we are only 10 minutes away).  She and I left for our Multi-Class Reunion at RBHS.  Each of us sat with our own classmates and I saw several people that I haven't seen in years.  They served a nice BBQ dinner (notice there is a LOT of BBQ suppers in the South), then more visiting.  Just as we were getting ready to leave, a big thunderstorm came up with lots of lightning and hard rains so we waited about 20 minutes until it passed before driving home. 

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I think I have worn Linda out as she turned down a glass of wine at our place and just wanted to go home and put her feet up.  I'm still raring to go...

Chattanooga,...My Beautiful Home Town

TUESDAY:  Left Callaway Gardens and took the back roads to Chattanooga, after all, isn't that what RV-ing is all about?  Seeing the country-side?  Well, we think so and, every chance we get, that is how we roll.  So, Highway 27N it is through  LaGrange, Carrollton, Buchanan, Cedartown, Rome and Calhoun (GA).  Along the way, I laughed myself silly at all the goofy street names so I have a few for you...(PS:  I DID NOT make these up).

Yellow Jacket Creek

• Hog Liver Road (Really?  I've heard of chicken livers but not hog liver).
• Booger Hollow Road (You can pick your nose on this road...HA!)
• Dug Down Road (Seriously?  Dug down to where?  China?)
• Collard Valley Road (Guess you can pick collards here).
• Short Horn Road (Hmmm...as opposed to longhorn?).
• Booze Mountain Road (Bet you can get some moonshine here).
• Suck Creek Road (Sucks to be here).

The "Hills" of TN

We got into Chattanooga about 4:00 and went to my sisters house to deliver my Lexus to her and she was thrilled with it.  She is passing her old one on to her two youngest grandchildren who will be attending UT Knoxville this Fall.  Then we had hors d'oeuvres outside on her deck surrounded by beautiful trees, bushes with lavender blossoms and her koi pond.  She fixed bacon wrapped water chestnuts with a homemade chili/BBQ sauce for dipping, cheese straws topped with a bottle of 45 North that I brought from Michigan.  Dinner was all homemade as well...chicken/artichoke casserole, Caesar salad, dainty little biscuits followed by blueberry cobbler.  My sister is just the best cook...she gets that from our Mother.  Delightful evening!



WEDNESDAY:  Linda and I went downtown to the Courthouse to transfer my car title over to her, ran a few errands then she treated me to lunch at Nicki's, one of our favorite old restaurants.  In our younger days, it was a drive-in and it's just as popular today as it was then.  After that, we drove around town looking at a few condominiums that has roused her curiosity.  Her husband passed in December and she is warming up to the idea of moving off Lookout Mountain and into a condo, which I think would be perfect for her. 




Nicki's Drive-In

For dinner, we took Linda to 1885, a popular bistro at the foot of Lookout Mountain.  We had drinks at the bar until a table on the outdoor patio became available.  The food was excellent and there was a cool evening breeze to end a perfect day.

The Walden Club Dinner

THURSDAY:  Thunderstorms woke us up throughout the night and it was still raining hard in the morning so, we stayed in the motorhome until the rain passed.  When it cleared up, we had nice cool temperatures throughout the rest of the day.  I met Linda at 5:00 and she treated me along 4 of her friends to dinner at the Walden Club which is a private dinner club on top of the Citi building in downtown Chattanooga.  We started with a bottle of champagne, then a wonderful dinner plus a spectacular view of the city. 

Tivoli Theatre

After dinner, we walked a couple of blocks to the Tivoli Theatre where the Chattanooga Symphony was performing La Mer.  Linda worked for the Symphony at one time and, of course, knew everyone there.  The Tivoli, also known as the "Jewel of the South", is a historic theatre building built in 1921 at a cost of $750,000 and would take millions to replace today.  The Theatre was one of the first air-conditioned public buildings in the United States.  It can seat 1,750 people within the orchestra, upper boxes, loge, upper and lower balconies and currently has a Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Pipe Organ.  This building is a significant landmark in Chattanooga and it was a delight to re-visit this spectacular old building and spend a special  evening with my sis.

Chattanooga Symphony

Program

 

 



The BIG BASH!!!



GIRLFRIENDS!

OK, I didn't elaborate on our BIG BASH Farewell Party because I didn't have pictures to share so here we go...my closest friends and golf buddies planned this really amazing party for us which was, once again, overwhelming.  I really didn't expect to be speechless, I didn't expect gifts, and I didn't expect the really cool cake, so, you officially "wow-ed" me!

But, knowing Bev and Nan, I should have known they would go "all out" for us.  Present were Nan and Marshall Albarelli, Bev and Randy Albrecht, Heather and Larry Devlin, Pat and Bob Greenan and Janette Chaisson.

The party was at Nan and Marshall's house and her Lanai was beautifully decorated with  grass skirts around the tables, beautiful floral centerpieces with orange hibiscis, special placemats and napkins....the works!  Marshall grilled burgers and brats and everyone brought a dish except me...I was supposed to make potato salad but absolutely ran out of time because of the last minute packing of the POD.  Which is another story....

The party was to begin at 5:00 and, early in the afternoon, I made a panic phone call to Nan and Bev that we were running late so the two of them got on the phone, called the other party-goers and golf carts full of friends started showing up to lend a hand.  George lost control of the POD and Heather took over, barking out orders to Janette and others and, in no time, the POD was packed to the gills - minus our sofa.  Had to make an emergency phone call to my bud Eric, owner of Almost Perfect Furniture, to come pick it up.  It absolutely would not fit (along with our other "all important stuff").  THANK YOU "POD SQUAD"!



Karen and Nan



Karen and Bev

Karen and Heather

"Mints and Nuts"

Karen and Pat

The party was postponed an hour or so then we were greeted by Larry's soon-to-be famous margaritas.  He doesn't drink them but he makes THE BEST!  I was then ushered over to the table where they had a fabulous cake made for us, gifts, and the cutest sign saying "We MINT to tell you, we will go NUTS without you", complete with little dishes of, you guested it, mints and nuts.  Honestly, it was just THE BEST party and I will cherish every moment always.




Karen and Janette

THANK YOU GIRLS FOR A GREAT GET-TOGETHER AND FOR ALL OUR FAVORITE THINGS...LOVE Y'ALL!




Callaway Gardens

We arrived in the charming little town of Pine Mountain, GA on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and after getting unpacked, we walked around the downtown area and visited the locally owned shops and boutiques.  Pine Mountain is about an hour SW of Atlanta and home to Callaway Gardens and FDR State Park.  After our walk, we grabbed a bite at The Oyster House where George had his fill of oysters on the half shell and I had my usual - shrimp.  The place was packed and the food was delicious.


Sunday morning we toured Callaway Gardens, a 2,500 acre resort complete with beautiful gardens, lakes, picnic areas, 2 championship golf courses, lodging, restaurants, bike and walking paths, tennis and 10 zip lines.  The Cason Callaway family acquired this land in 1930 and made it their home.  Over the next few decades, the property developed into the "Gardens" that it is today.  In 1952, the "Gardens" opened to the public and has provided respite, recreation and adventure to all ages.   We were unable to golf here as there was a tournament going on but we sure enjoyed the rest of the resort.

The Chapel

George and I have committed ourselves to begin a walking/hiking regimen and today was the perfect day to start.  It was a cool 67 degrees with a light breeze.  We began by walking around the Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel, a quiet serene experience. 

The building is reminiscent of a 16th century Gothic Chapel with gorgeous stained glass windows and a custom-built pipe organ.  The Chapel hosts many weddings throughout the year.  And there was no shortage of wildlife like this egret in the pond next to the Chapel.

Egret in the Pond

Next was the Overlook Azalea Garden. The azaleas bloomed weeks ago; however, the Mountain Laurel were in full bloom along with the Iris, Honeysuckle and other beautiful flowers.  Nothing like a nice walk around these beautiful gardens with a light rain and the shining sun!

Mountain Laurel Blossom



Orange Honeysuckle

Pansay

 My favorite visit was to the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center.  The building is a large glass enclosed conservatory with lots of tropical plants and flowers which provide nourishment for the many species of butterflies inside.  One landed on me but George wasn't able to get his camera focused in time...very special.

Upon leaving the Butterfly exhibit, it began to rain harder so we decided to pack it in for the day, watch a movie and get our laundry done.

We intended to play golf on Monday, however, the rain chased us away which was OK so we drove around a bit and had a leisurely lunch at Country's BBQ in LaGrange where George enjoyed "nanner puddin" served in a mason jar....his favorite!