Cooler Days and Andersonville National Historic Site

Sunday morning we got up around 7:00, packed our cooler bag and snacks and steered toward Georgia Veterans State Park in Cordele, GA.  We have a new Garmin GPS for the truck so I plugged in the address and we started following the directions given to us by the friendly feminine voice.  Soon we realized that we were not being steered toward Tallahassee and Thomasville so we turned off the device until we were nearly at Tallahassee on I-10 and then we allowed it to guide us again.  It is not always easy to stop for a meal when pulling a travel trailer so I had packed hard boiled eggs, crackers, and cheese for our breakfast going down the road.  It works for us.

This was going to be our third time at this particular park.  The first time was soon after we got the trailer and it was springtime and beautiful in the park.  The second time we met Joe and Judy there.  To be honest, our main objective this trip was to buy more sausage at Stripling's General Store, which has one of its locations at the entrance to the park.  We were pleasantly surprised as we approached the campsites to find that the park was nearly deserted.  With school started everywhere and the weekend over, there are not that many people camping --- just those of us lucky enough to be retired.  We had a beautiful pull through site and one end of the campground practically to ourselves.  

Monday there was a little cold snap and the weather improved drastically.  In fact it was actually cool outside -- great weather for sitting outside and enjoying the beauty of our location.  Both of us had brought books we wanted to read so we spent the majority of the day enjoying the cooler weather and reading.

During the day we made a trip into town where we picked up a $2.00 watermelon at WalMart and a sampling of sausage at Stripling's to make sure it was still as good as the first time we bought it.  That evening Bubba grilled pork chops and sausage which we enjoyed with some peas and creamed corn.

Note:  The watermelon was much bigger than it looks in this picture.

Before we left home I had googled places of interest near Cordele, GA.  The Andersonville National Historic Site looked interesting so we decided to check it out and we were not disappointed.

Andersonville was the site of one of the largest Confederate POW camps during the Civil War.  During the fourteen months the prison was in existence, 45,000 Union soldiers were imprisoned there with 13,000 dying in captivity.  The museum also commemorates the prisoners of war from other conflicts including those captured during the Gulf War.  A 30 minute video using the voices of former prisoners told the story of the physical and emotional torment suffered by ordinary men/women under extreme circumstances in service of their country.  After the video we went through the museum which contained artifacts of various prisoners in all the wars.  Then we toured the site of the actual camp and the national cemetery located there.

Sometimes you don't realize what a number really means until you see it like this.  There are 13,000 men buried here.  The headstones are so close because they were dying so fast that there was no way to build a pine box for each body so they were laid shoulder to shoulder in trenches.  Accurate records were kept by one of the prisoners and there are only a few headstones marked "unknown".  We were so moved by all that we saw here.  It is a wonderful memorial.

Our GPS took us round and about on some little country roads to get here so Bubba stopped to look at the atlas to determine a better way back.  He gave up and we went back the way we came.

The next morning we went to a Cracker Barrel for breakfast and then stopped by the local Harvey's where we bought green peanuts to boil.

And we went back to Stripling's and loaded up on sausage for the freezer.

We enjoyed watching the wildlife while we ate a pile of boiled peanuts and some $2.00 watermelon which was the best we've had all summer.

And after eating boiled peanuts all day, we still had two gallon bags full to take home with us.  We pulled them out on the way home and I shelled them for Bubba into a little bowl so he could eat and drive.  I'm sweet like that sometimes.

We decided to follow the GPS directions going home.  The way it directed us helped us to avoid travel on I-10 and going through Tallahassee.  We should have listened to it on Sunday.

I really like how we did two trips back to back.  I am for doing more of that in the future.  It's nice to come home, wash a few clothes, and go again.  It's almost like a "buy one, get one free" deal. We're looking forward to next time with Joe and Judy at St. Andrews State Park.

It. Was. HOT!!!

After coming home from our anniversary trip to the mountains, we were anxious to go camping.  We allowed ourselves one week at home and then we were heading for St. George Island for four nights.  It was hard staying home that week, but we were a little tired from our trip and also had haircut appointments and an appointment (I thought) at the endodontist to have the last step of my root canal completed.  We did get haircuts, but I had written down the wrong date for my dental appointment.  I had even taken antibiotics for the three days prior to the appointment as directed.  However, when we arrived at the office it was closed and the doctor was out of town for the week so I had to reschedule.  On a positive note, the antibiotics may have prevented me from catching Bubba's cold or whatever it was that he had while we were in the mountains.

We were scheduled to head out on Monday, the 25th, but a long time neighbor passed away on the Saturday before so we waited until after the funeral on Tuesday to leave.  This was the week when temperatures hit the high 90's all week.  I felt sorry for Bubba setting up the trailer in that heat.  I do some setting up also, but all of mine is on the inside.

It was so hot that we didn't even set up our recliners outside.  There was no way that we could enjoy sitting out in that heat.  First thing Wednesday morning we headed down to the beach.  It was beautiful and nearly deserted.  You can tell a big difference once school starts.  The water was calm and the perfect temperature.  Needless to say, we spent a lot of time in the water just floating and talking.  It was nice.  We carried our umbrella, chairs, and snacks and did some reading and dozing.  

The next day was a repeat of the first.  It's amazing all the things you find to talk about when you're just floating and relaxing.  One of our main topics was Amelia.  

Ever since Amelia was just a toddler she was fascinated with the bump on my chin.  I had never paid much attention to it, but she seemed so interested in it that I thought it must be hideous and I determined to do something about it.

So, when I went to the dermatologist in July I asked him to remove it even though my insurance would not cover a "cosmetic" procedure.  I thought Amelia would be impressed with my new look, but when we saw her earlier in the month she had this to say,  "Nana, I would never have a bump cut off me because it is just a part of my body."  Well how do you like that!

We also talked about old times - how we used to go floundering at night and would stay until the wee hours of the morning.  We tried to figure out if we are getting tired because we're getting older or if we have something wrong with us.  We talked about our parents and how we miss them, how times have changed since we were children, what the world will be like for Amelia, how Joe was doing in Alaska, where to go camping this fall, why it is so hard to find good fruit, what we wished we had done different in our lives, what we want to do in the future, and we counted our blessings.  Sometimes it is just good to float and talk.  Amelia and I like to do that also.

The worst part of camping is the unpacking.  Loading up is not bad because you do it over a couple of days plus you are looking forward to having a good time.  Unpacking takes about one hour which doesn't sound that bad, but let me assure you that it is not fun.  This time we decided to avoid the unpacking by parking at home without unhooking for a couple of days and then heading out again.  It was great.  We washed a couple of loads of clothes, packed a little more food and we were ready to go.  Our next destination was Georgia Veterans State Park in Cordele, GA.

Will it ever be cooler again??

It's Our 48th Anniversary! And Reflections on the Smokies

In the latter part of June, Bubba came up with a great idea for our upcoming anniversary.  He suggested that we rent a cabin in the mountains (Smoky) and have a little vacation.  Of course I thought that was a great idea and I immediately reserved us a cabin with an agent that we had used before.  By the time August arrived, we were both chomping at the bit for a getaway.

Our first stop was Atlanta where we spent the night with Amy, Darryl, and Amelia.  After all we had completed her Wild Kratts costume and couldn't wait to see her in it.

She seemed pleased with it although she did mention the fact that it was supposed to have black boots with it.  (No, we're not out searching for black boots.)

I think Amy may be hinting for a Wild Kratts costume of her own.  This is a good look for her.

We enjoyed our Sunday evening visit.  All of you who live close to your family need to be thankful.  It is rough when you don't see them often enough.  Everyone but us was out the door bright and early the next morning -- Darryl and Amy to work and Amelia to a camp she was attending at the gym.  Bubba and I took our time getting ready and then set out for Pigeon Forge via Cherokee and Gatlinburg.

Our first stop after a Cracker Barrel breakfast was at Jaemore Farms where we bought some delicious peaches and boiled peanuts. 

This is one of the best produce markets ever.  I didn't realize that there were so many varieties of peaches.  After consulting with an expert, we chose Sunprince peaches.  They were big and juicy.  You just don't get peaches like this in a grocery store.

This picture was taken in front of apple trees at Jaemore Farms.  I bet they have some good produce in the fall also.  Later we stopped at another smaller produce market where we bought some ears of corn (to cook at the cabin) and some South Carolina peaches which were good, but nothing like the Georgia peaches which were the best.

We took our time travelling.  We stopped for a few minutes at Tallulah Gorge.  This site used to sit right on the main road, but now it is on a loop off of the main road.

This is what the site looked like many years ago and it looks pretty much the same today -- except that there are not many people stopping there these days.

Do you remember when the Great Wallenda (Karl) walked across the gorge in 1970?  I bet there were a lot of people there that day.

We passed through Cherokee, NC, and stopped by a stream for a boiled peanut break.  Have I mentioned that I don't intend to be a good dieter on this trip?  I love boiled peanuts.  My pile of shells was much bigger.

We've stopped to eat by this stream before.  There used to be a Dairy Queen on the same side of the road in Cherokee and we used to always get lunch there and eat at a picnic table by the stream.

We crossed over the mountain, went through Gatlinburg and arrived at Pigeon Forge about an hour before check in time for our cabin, but we checked and the cabin was ready so we headed for our vacation home.  

After resting for a while we went to a Longhorn Steakhouse for our anniversary meal.  We were both steak hungry and had planned to eat at Alamo Steakhouse, but upon checking TripAdvisor I saw that the recent reviews for Alamo didn't look too good so we went with a sure thing and had a great steak.

All rental cabins seem to have a decorating theme.  Our cabin was called Fowl Play.  It was a beautiful cabin and carried out the theme by having roosters everywhere -- even the knobs on the bathroom vanities were roosters.  We did not have a mountain view (I should have checked), but we were in the tops of trees and it was pretty and peaceful.  We enjoyed the hot tub every day we were there.  

The air conditioner was turned down low when we arrived and I begged Bubba to just leave it cold and he agreed.  The next night I cooked a pot of chili which was really good in that cold cabin.  By this time, Bubba was exhibiting signs of having a cold or sinus problems but he was a good sport and pushed himself to go when I'm sure he didn't feel like it.  I'm sorry I made you sick, Bubba.

We enjoy spending time in the cabin about as much as anything else.  We read and watch tv, just relaxing enjoying the peace.

On Wednesday we went to Cade's Cove and took the 11 mile loop through some really beautiful country with a lot of history.

Bubba wanted me to title the picture below, "Two Broken Down Old Things."

One day we enjoyed a late lunch at one of my favorite Pigeon Forge restaurants, the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant.  This is country cooking at its best.  Every meal served there is preceded by apple fritters with apple butter and a glass of apple julep.  I've never eaten anything there that wasn't delicious.

I confessed before that I didn't intend to diet on this trip and I didn't.  During the week I had pancakes twice, Cracker Barrel biscuits twice, a cheese omelet with a cathead biscuit, fried chicken twice, steak, a loaded baked potato, chili with cheese and crackers, mashed potatoes, apple fritters, peach ice cream, a peach fried pie, boiled peanuts, hamburgers, and two cream-filled donuts -- plus lots of peaches and assorted snacks.  So far the scale is only showing a two pound gain.  How long do you think it will take for all that to catch up with me?  I'm waiting, but in the meantime I'm back on the program. 

We did a lot of shopping and looking around at the outlet malls in Pigeon Forge and also in downtown Gatlinburg.  The thing is that I don't want or need anything.  I do not intend to accumulate any more stuff than what I already have.  There was heavy traffic everywhere.  

The mountains are always beautiful no matter what time of year you visit.

Going to the Smokies always evokes a lot of memories for me.  I've been going ever since I was a little girl.  It has really changed a lot since then.

We used to carry a Coleman stove with us and Mama would always cook breakfast by the road on a picnic table.  I can still remember the smell of bacon cooking and how good everything tasted.  In this picture my mother is wearing pedal pushers, but I can remember that she used to wear skirts and blouses for travelling.  Sometimes Daddy would go with us, but many times we went with friends or relatives because he was too busy to take off from work.

Going through Cherokee, NC, always included having my picture taken with an Indian. 

On this trip, my Granny was with us and agreed to have her picture taken also.  Granny's slip was always showing and she always wore a dress.  Cherokee is looking kind of run down these days.  A casino has been built there and I guess that is where everybody is these days.  The little shops that used to be so much fun are gradually fizzling out.

When Daddy was with us, we always headed over the mountains early because that was the best time to see bears.

I can remember Daddy would ignore these signs and try to get the bear to eat something.  I saw a bear drink coke from a bottle one time.  The trip over the mountains would always involve a lot of stops taking pictures, having picnics, and wading in the cold mountain streams.

We always stayed at the Laurelwood Motel in Gatlinburg.  The motel was owned by the Woody Luther family and we got to know them well.  Up the hill from the motel was the Laurelwood Restaurant.

To me, these were deluxe accommodations.  They had a pool, shuffleboard, and tvs that would pick up more than one channel.  I read somewhere that rooms were $5.00 per night.  Gee, we could have stayed there for a month for what we paid per night for our cabin.  I wanted to go up and see what was left of the old motel, but the traffic was so heavy it would have been too difficult.  I later read that the whole thing, restaurant and all, had been demolished.

Gatlinburg has changed so much.  There used to be a few little restaurants and shops.  Street parking was always available.  Now, the cheapest parking is $6.00 on River Street and $10.00 for a lot off the main street.  The pictures below are like I first remember seeing Gatlinburg.

Pigeon Forge used to be nothing. There were two or three motels that caught the overflow from Gatlinburg.  Now it looks like Panama City Beach.  Something I read said that ten million people each year visit Pigeon Forge.    

This is a picture from the 60's.  If you've been to Pigeon Forge lately, you know that there is not a gap in the buildings/attractions anywhere and the traffic everywhere is bumper to bumper.

Bubba and I have been back many times through the years.  When Amy came along, she also had the Smoky Mountain experience.

Just like the trips when I was a little girl, we stopped a lot, took a lot of pictures, and waded in the mountain streams.

So, am I ready to go back?  I'm disappointed in the way things have changed, but it had to if ten million plus people are going to visit each year; however, I'm looking forward to making the trip with Amelia one day.  I want her to see the mountains and wade in the streams just like Amy and I did.  I want to tell her about the Cherokee Indians and take her to see "Unto These Hills".  After all, it's a family tradition.

We headed back to Atlanta on Friday making a stop at Jaemore Farms where we bought more peaches, some plums, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes.  We also had a small dish of their homemade peach ice cream and a fried peach pie.  My only regret on this trip is that I got the small cup of ice cream instead of the large.  We spent Friday night at Amy's and headed on home Saturday since Bubba was still not feeling well.

This was a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary.  I can tell you that although we saw many people pulling their travel trailers, this is something I don't think we will ever do.  It is fun to stay in a cabin every now and then.  Thank you, Bubba, for this trip and for 48 years together.  You're the best!

What About the Rest of the Summer?

Usually I just write about the "big" things we do like camping trips or having Amelia come for a visit so I thought I would write about what I've been doing the rest of the time.  I'm a little disappointed with myself because I feel like I spend too much time in my recliner.  I love to watch tv, read, and surf the internet.  I admit it.  I feel guilty because I'm afraid when I get older I'm going to regret the time I spent doing nothing.  I think Bubba is feeling the same way, but the truth is that we don't really know what we should be doing.  We could travel more, but we don't really have any where specific that we want to go.  Of course there is always yard work and housework, but it tends to lose its glamour after a while.  Physically we don't know if we are on target for our age or if we are "sickly" because truthfully we don't have a lot of energy. With that being said, I would like to highlight some of our recent activities.

I keep thinking that I want to sew again.  I have a sewing machine that is approximately 40 years old that I pull out every now and then.  I wanted to make Amelia a dress so I found an easy pattern and some cute material and went to work.  It took me about three days on and off again to complete the dress.  She seemed to like it although I don't imagine that she has ever worn it anywhere; however, it gave me a project to work on for a while.  Sewing is just not practical anymore.  Prices have gone up so much on material and patterns that you can buy something ready-made just as cheaply.

Dieting has really taken a lot of the fun out of going anywhere.  Trips to town used to be centered around where we were going to eat.  Now it's typically at the same two or three places so that I can have a diet friendly meal.  So far I've lost 35 pounds.  Eating out is not as much fun, but eating at home offers a lot more variety.  I've tried several new recipes that are in line with the Weight Watchers "Simply Filling" plan that I like.  Pictured below is the chicken parmesan recipe.

Bubba and I both love fresh tomatoes.  Today we made our third trip to pick tomatoes.  They are $9 for a five gallon bucket and are totally worth it.  Pictures below are from our first trip and our last trip.  The bushes are looking pretty bad now and we were told that this was the last day the field would be open this summer.  They are planting a fall crop that is supposed to be ready in October, so we can look forward to that later on.

We have been to the beach several times this summer.  This has been the best summer in a long time for the beach.  The days have been sunny (a lot) and the water has been perfect.  It is so nice to lie in a beach chair and read and then get in cool water when you get too hot.

Bubba has painted our bathroom and is going to lay new tile on the floor.  I have cleaned out some drawers and closets and plan to get rid of even more "stuff".  

I have been telling Bubba for a long time that we needed to upgrade and get a new tv. Saying that I had to talk him into it is an understatement.  Finally I did.  We bought a 40 inch Samsung Smart TV and the really unbelievable part is that I hooked it all up and programmed it myself.  The wall mount was complicated, but between reading the instructions one line at a time and watching YouTube videos, we were able to get it done.  The end result looks pretty good.  With changing furniture around, installing the tv, and doing some work on the bookcase/entertainment center we had, we spent about four days focused on this project.  Bubba loves it and actually admits that we should have done this a long time ago.

In my last post, I mentioned that Amelia wanted me to make her a Wild Kratts bat costume and I told her that when she said yes ma'am/yes sir, etc. consistently that I would make her one.  Well she has been doing that really well for the past two months so I knew that I had to keep my end of the bargain.  This past Saturday was a miserable rainy day so I got Bubba to help me.  He is so much better at crafty things than I am.  He took care of the ears and the wings while I handled the gloves and the vest.  Since we took this picture we added a black mask and a blue shirt to go under the vest.  I'll post a picture of her wearing the costume when we give it to her.  I hope she enjoys it as much as we enjoyed making it for her.

We had planned to do a lot of fishing this summer, but the river was too high and then it was too low.  Now they've torn up the landing we like to use.  We're still hoping to get some fishing in this fall.  Bubba has a new lantern that he wants to try walking and floundering with the next time we are camped in a location to make that possible.  He did manage to go throw his cast net yesterday.  When he returned, he tapped on the door for me to hand him something and I couldn't help but get a picture of him in his mullet fishing ensemble.  He is quite the dapper fisherman!

The Best Laid Plans

Isn't is funny how you can plan exactly what you are going to do for a long time and then in a matter of hours the whole plan can change?  That has happened to us a few times but none as big a change as our 4th of July plans.  Earlier this year we made plans to camp at Seminole State Park with Joe and Judy over the holiday.  Reservations were made and when Amy asked if we could keep Amelia so that she and Darryl could participate in the Peachtree Road Race, we were excited that she would get to camp with us again.  In fact in planning ahead and anticipating the hot July weather and the lack of a good place to swim, we had purchased a small inflatable pool to take with us so that Amelia would have a place to "cool it" right at our camp site.  As the time approached for us to meet Amy in Eufaula to get Amelia, the plans began to change.  Joe and Judy have a beautiful garden and it was starting to look like their peas would be ready to pick during the week we were supposed to be at Lake Seminole.  Now we had to decide if we wanted to go without them which would not have been as much fun or camp in Opp at that state park; however, when we called for reservations we were too late.  The park was full. 

Then Joe and Judy invited us to camp in their yard.  When we arrived, they had a spot already picked out for us.  We used their electricity and water all week, had good tv reception, a swimming pool close to our trailer, and all the peas and cucumbers we could eat.  Oh, and we had wifi most of the time.  John was able to come that week so he and Amelia enjoyed playing and swimming together.  It could not have worked out better.  

We went to Opp on Tuesday and came home on Saturday.  The week could not have been any more enjoyable if we had planned it that way the whole time.  

Amy came on Sunday and stayed until Wednesday.  It was nice to have her with us for a while.  On Tuesday we all went to the beach.  Amelia loves the water.  Once again we had a beautiful day for it.  That night we had a slumber party which meant that Amy, Amelia, and I watched a movie in our pajamas and ate popcorn.

I have been encouraging Amelia to say "yes ma'am, no ma'am, yes sir, no sir," and I told her on her last visit that when she did it all the time I would make her the Wild Kratts Bat Costume she had been asking me to make.  She is doing great so I bought the materials I would need this week and plan to take it to her when we go in August.  Now this may look easy to you, but I'm telling you that these simple projects have a way of requiring a lot of time and effort on my part, but what a fun way to spend my time.  I don't know what she plans to do with it -- but she does have a vivid imagination.  She talks about nocturnal animals and non-venomous snakes.  At least Wild Kratts is an educational show.

Cute things I want to remember are:

• If you kiss someone on their cheek and they put their hand over the kiss, it saves it for later when you need a kiss.
• She knows so many birthdays.  She said that she knows Jesus's birthday, but doesn't know God's.  She says that she will ask him when his birthday is when she gets to heaven.
• She still remembers all the presidents in the order they were elected.  She can just say them, she doesn't even have to sing them.
• She knows a lot of facts about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
• John had made her gift bag with a pencil, suckers, and two friendship bracelets made out of rubber bands.  She thanked him and hugged him. He blushed.

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray."  So we didn't follow our original plans for the 4th of July, we made better ones.  We had our granddaughter with us and enjoyed the hospitality of our loved ones.  It just doesn't get any better than that.