Off to see the Wizard -continued

Phase 3: Texas to Virginia...

Our journey out of Texas was filled with even more Blue Bonnets and Indian Paintbrush than I could ever imagine.  Apologies to Norm for the lousy first shots...it was my inexperience with the camera that was the culprit!

Oddly enough, when we crossed into Arkansas, the land was covered in bright, yellow flowers (I guess they just had to be different from Texas).  After a rainy day of driving, we settled in at the Riverside RV Park in North Little Rock, a little park near the base of one of the bridges that transverses the Arkansas River.

 I was delighted when Norm called me to the window sometime after dark to show me the ever-changing light show on the bridge!

 Morning brought us clear skies and a beautiful view of the city, as we drove off towards Tennessee.

By early evening, we were winding our way around Memphis

and did manage to catch a shot of it’s landmark pyramid, even though local traffic was rushing us through.

But our destination was Natchez Trace State Park, halfway between Memphis and Nashville, so on we went.  Once arrived, we loved the park so much, that we stayed an extra day just to enjoy it.

Even Gracie appreciated the restful break...she was able to catch up on her beauty sleep!

This park was my first encounter with the bird pictured here...who sang, and sang, and sang ALL night long!  It wasn’t just one tune, but a compilation of a dozen or more differing chirps, whirls, whistles, and peeps that mesmerized me.  I don’t think this bird ever sleeps, because the next day he was at it again!

After a bit of research, I believe it is a Northern Mockingbird  –which is actually the state bird of Tennessee (how appropriate!)–  but will wait for our birding experts, Stan & Denise, to confirm that for me(!)  I did make a recording of its song(s), only because I thought them so comical and entertaining...but can't easily get it into the blog for you to hear (I guess I need more blogging experience...or more patience!)

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology website allaboutbirds.org is a great resource for learning about birds.  It offers photos, videos, and song recordings to help identify them...and it’s all free.

After leaving Natchez Trace, we headed further into Tennessee for a stop in Cookeville so that we could meet our little “second niece”, Giovanna Kirk.  She, and our second grand daughter (Annie) were born two days apart.  They should have a fun time growing up close together as second cousins!

Our next stop, just before winding our way into North Carolina, was a darling RV park called the ‘Dumplin Valley Farm RV Park’.  Yes, there really is a Dumplin Valley –aka Kodak, TN– and it hosts a huge Bluegrass Music Festival every year.  The ‘farm’ part is gone, so they started adding a few RV spaces years ago for the festival goers, and turned the barn into a stage.  It’s set in a beautiful countryside, with farms and ranches still surrounding it...

There’s space for hundreds of RVs now, but it was very quiet while we were there.  That is, until the Dumplin Valley Raceway across the road started up at 7 pm!!!

We thought, surely they will end by 10 pm or so, but ‘round and ‘round they went until almost midnight.  Didn’t keep my weary driver awake, though  –thank goodness!

Next morning, we crossed the border into North Carolina...

...and into Krispy Kreme Country!!!!!

 On our way to our old stompin’ grounds in Sylva, we kept passing these spindly, scrawny trees with the most beautiful, lavender blooms...one after another.

A big sign at the Welcome Center read “In case you’re wondering, the trees along the roadside with the lavender flowers are Paulownia (pull-own'-ee-a) Trees, also known as Princess Trees, and originated in China.”  I guess they got tired of explaining that!

Once in Sylva, we camped at the Nicholas’s for about 4 days.  As their home is an animal rescue refuge, it’s always overrun with puppies and kittens awaiting new families.  We desperately wanted to bring this one with us, to give to Emma & Annie, but we knew we’d be banished forever if we dared!!!!

 The Nicholas home is the birthplace of “The Church of the Pina Colada”...and as their kitchen sign clearly states...

I think Norm, Ben, and I can vouch for that!  Thank you, Karl and Veronica, for starting such a wonderful tradition, and encouraging the growth of so many ‘missions’ across the country...Decatur, GA; Seattle, WA; Naugatuck, CT; Bend, OR!

Town hasn’t changed much...

But there’s a magnificent new library, and Karl gave us the red carpet tour.  It was more beautiful than anything I could imagine for the little town of Sylva...

and even has a full theater for presentations and free movies!

Too soon, it was time to head for Virginia. We left the Nicholas’s with heavy hearts, but looked forward to seeing all of Norm’s (and my!) family, and especially little Henry who fortunately lives there, too.

 We arrived in Virginia on May 1^st, forty-two days into our journey!

...and have since gone on to the Atlantic coast, Connecticut, the fabulous grand daughters, and more... but those 'bits' will have to be posted later!

Off to see the Wizard -continued

Phase 2: Hangin’ around in Texas...

Our first dental appointment with the amazing Dr. Nunnally was Tuesday, April 1^st.  I should have taken this as a warning when the date was offered, as I did hesitate, but thought “Oh, don’t be silly; it’s just another day on the calendar.”  Well, the joke was on us, as they had only scheduled us for our preliminary cleanings, and not the impressions we needed for our partials to be made.  It was going to be another week before we could be seen for those!  –and, another two weeks before they could be constructed and returned from the lab in Arizona.  Three weeks with nothing to do but wait!  –and eat pie at our favorite café!!!!!

 

This family-run, historic establishment is one amazing place.  Packed with customers trailing out the door at peak times (and still fully occupied at others), it always manages to run like a well-oiled machine.  Our favorite place to be seated was the counter; it plops you right into the center of the action where orders pour out of the kitchen at amazing speed, and wait staff and dishes fly by with nary an upset or error.

Everyone is so good at their job, and so concentrated –yet smiling and friendly.  And the coffee cups never go empty.  No one stands idle, as there are always napkins or boxes to be folded, coffee ground and coffee filters to be filled, pies to be cut, tables to be cleaned, counters to be tidied, or some other of the myriad tasks to running an excellent food service business. 

 

                        
                            "The Meringues"  --they tower at 8" tall!!

Many employees outside of the family have been there for 15 or 20 years, and love it.  The wait list to be hired here is very long  –folks are treated well, have health insurance, and earn paid vacations.  I’ll bet there’s one heck of a Christmas party to boot!

All that leads to happy customers, too  –like this one! He's simply in awe of this place.

Then there are those of us content with the ‘Blue Plate Special’.  Today’s was Mama’s Pot Roast, with your choice of three sides.

But I won’t say I didn’t have a bite or two of that pie!

         Joyously, on April 6^th, we had some special birthdays to celebrate.  Happy Birthday! to our precious granddaughter Emma, and our dear friend Stan.  We had a slice of pie in your honor, and made a dinner toast to the two of you!

           After a few days of this gluttony, we realized we had better put some distance between us and our dearly beloved Blue Bonnet Café, so we pulled up camp and headed east towards Austin.  There seemed to be much to do there, and I was looking forward to the gardens and museums.  The drive was lovely, and opened up to much more greenery, rolling hills, rivers, and flowers.  The Blue Bonnet is the Texas state flower, and the fields and roadways are blanketed this time of year in Bonnets and Indian Paintbrush  –pallets of blue and orange/red everywhere.  We passed lines of cars pulled off to the side of the road so that folks could photograph them, roll in them, let their kids or pets play in them.  Apparently, it’s a big tourist attraction here in the Hill Country.  I did the best I could to capture a photo at high speed, cuz Norm don’t stop for no stinkin’ flowers(!)

So I got these close-ups at the Blue Bonnet Café, where their namesake abounds –a living version in the landscaping...

and a beautiful stained glass version displayed in the window...

Once we entered Austin’s boundaries the traffic became horrendous!  Seems that with all their growth in the past several years, the city has not chosen to upgrade the road system  –supposedly a ploy to keep population down(!)  Well, it isn’t working.  Folks are pouring into the area, prices are skyrocketing, and it’s very, very crowded.  As one fellow told Norm, “Austin is an island of blue in a sea of red” (the only open-minded, liberal, progressive place to be ...if you want to live in Texas).  In addition, almost every driver is either texting or talking on a cell phone; a vehicle running a red light (by a long distance away, and at very high speed) was seen all too often!  It was a disappointment for us, since it kept us from going into the city any more than we absolutely had to.  Maneuvering in crowded traffic is difficult and stressful when –like a turtle– you carry your house on your back!  No gardens, no museums, just a day’s worth of grocery shopping –then high-tailing it back to camp.

            Camp, on the other hand, was delightful.  Miles of lake-shore dotted with miles of trails, and hardly any other campers on the weekdays.  We practically had the place to ourselves.  Best of all, no PIE in sight!!  So we spent four days exploring the trails and viewing the flora and fauna. 

While deciding how we were going to spend the remainder of the third week, we got a phone call from our dentist’s office.  Our partials were expected back early, which meant a four-day savings in time for us!!  Though we were enjoying the cool days, the hot ones were debilitating, and besides...we really wanted to get on with the trip!  –Grandbabies await!!

        So we happily departed South Shore Park and headed back towards Marble Falls in order to be close to town for the next visit.  

Our dental work was completed on Thursday, and everything felt comfortable and proper (one ‘fake’ tooth for me, and three for Norm  –to replace the extractions we had done in previous years).  We decided to give it two days of trial before leaving the area.  Of course, the only true test was a meal or two at the Blue Bonnet!  Now content that all is well, we are leaving the great state of Texas tomorrow (4/20), and continuing our journey eastward.  

Gracie is very thankful for the change of scenery from her perch!  Virginia, here we come!!

Postscript:  I never realized how time consuming it would be to create these posts in a "summary" format, as opposed to the daily (or almost daily) emails I used to send out!  I apologize for the long delay in last month's journal, and hope to catch up soon. This trip has been so different on many levels, and the time to sit and write has -oddly- just not been there.