A Feast for the Eyes

To reach Padre Island when we were in Brownsville, we had to cross the Queen Isabella Causeway.  The sight of the Gulf with all of the boats, dolphins, and parasailers; the towering hotels in the distance, is something I will never tire of seeing.  I now feel the same way about northeastern Tennessee.

By just walking out the front door of the trailer, one is transported into a cool green forest with mountains bordering all sides.  A quick walk around the trailer and you'll see Roan Creek rushing by.  The creek is two to three feet deep, currently, and maybe 30-40 feet across.  The water is cold and fast.  The creek bed is lined with smooth stones and small boulders.  This isn't exactly what you'd call a babbling brook; the water is choppy running over the stones and it is fast.  It has the general appearance of what you'd expect a river to look like when you go white water rafting.  And that is exactly what the campers here are doing:  Riding down the creek in innertubes.

Miniature waterfall at the entrance to Roan Creek Campground

Annie's favorite pastime: Standing in the cold water

I have been friends with the owners of Roan Creek Campground for over 40 years; consort came along a little while later and has fit right in.  It has been great fun catching up with old friends and sharing meals.  Their knowledge of the area is priceless.  We took a drive to check out a piece of property they own near the Appalachian Trail in the Cherokee National Forest.  My friend suggested we ride with them as the road to the property is very narrow and full of switchback turns.  We -- or maybe it was just me -- decided it was a good idea to drive separate vehicles.  We would drive our F350 dually and bring the three mangy mongrels along for the ride.  

My friend, who has always been the more level headed of our dynamic duo, just rolled her eyes and shook her head, then reluctantly agreed to us following them.  The road was very narrow and every 40-50 yards there was a hairpin bend.  There were several unnerving tight spots when we crossed paths with oncoming big trucks; but in the end, consort navigated the mountainous terrain like a pro.  His driving skills never cease to amaze me -- and almost always in a positive way.

While we were at the property, a horse-drawn, covered wagon passed by.  Now that's something you don't see every day.  The collage pictured below shows some of the tight curves leading up, and down, the mountain.  

We are presently parked in the Smoky Mountains, which are a part of the Appalachian mountain range.  The highest peak of the Smoky Mountains, Mount Mitchel, is 6,684 feet high.  The highest peak of the Rocky Mountains, Mount Elbert, is 14,440 feet high.   This should give us plenty of practice for future trips through the Rockies.  

This past Saturday morning, consort and I went with our friend to a flea market and fresh produce stand.  I was thrilled to find white squash, also known as Patty Pan or scalloped summer squash, at the produce stand.  In the world where I live, summer is not summer until you've had a serving of Patty Pan squash.

This picture is of a glass platter friend and I found at the flea market.  We knew immediately that one of us had to have it.  It was only $3, but a glass platter in a fifth wheel?  Every time we move the trailer it's as if we've had a small earthquake inside!  We finally decided I would enjoy the glass platter while parked here at Roan Creek, and she would keep the platter safe in her stationary home when we move on.

There is so much to see and explore here, and the weather is perfect for being outside.  We're still trying to figure out cell signals and internet.  It's a little hard to research where you're going to explore without access to a cell phone with internet.  We are slowly figuring it all out.

In the meantime, I think I'll head back outside to sit and stare at the creek.  My first-born recommends staring at the creek endlessly; he tells me I’ll find there everything I need to know, and all the news is included.  

Roan Creek Campground

Butler, Tennessee

We are parked at Roan Creek Campground outside of Butler, Tennessee, and it is beautiful.  The entire area is a pleasure to see and hear; it delights both the senses and the mind.  The above picture is the backside of our campsite.  It is lush and green everywhere with Roan Creek running through the campground.

This is a video of a kaleidoscope of Tiger Swallowtail butterflies.  

They gathered on the bank, then took off in a group as if playing a game of tag.

The scenery is everything here.  Southern Texas was desert; eastern Tennessee may be the perfect opposite.  The downside, for the moment, is that we have intermittent cell phone signal and absolutely NO television.  Consort and I were both prepared for no television and planned to take a vacation from the same.  I think it's more difficult for me, being the news junkie that I am -- thanks, D! -- but I was definitely due for a break from my 24/7 coverage.  We're working on the spotty cell signal and internet, but for now, it's a no-go.

Around Christmastime, I replaced the comforter on our bed in the trailer.  I like a lot of color in my world, and the new comforter filled the bill.  Consort was pleased that I changed only accessories and did not paint the walls.

The bed cover and shams looked great, but the headboard was really ugly.  It had a solid gold, satin-type fabric in the headboard insets.  I knew the fabric could be replaced and have had my eye out for just the right piece.

While we were on the road, I think maybe in Amarillo,  I found an indoor/outdoor rug at Walmart.  It was $10 and perfectly matched the colors in the comforter.  I wasn't sure how I was going to use the rug, but I picked it up and brought it home with me.

It didn't take long to determine this was the perfect replacement fabric for the headboard.

Consort removed the headboard from the wall yesterday, then I began the task of removing all the staples holding the insets in place.

Once the staples were removed, I measured and cut new panels from the rug to replace the original fabric.  Of course, I chose a rag rug for my fabric, and it is not meant to be cut.  There are heavy yarn threads running throughout the rug that hold it together.  Once I cut the rug to fit the headboard insets, I had to go back and stitch -- by hand, where's my sewing machine?? -- all the edges so the rug wouldn't fall apart.


While I was working on this latest project, we had a mobile RV repair unit at our site fixing another broken cable in a slide.  This is the fourth cable that has snapped on one slide.  We've got to figure out what's causing this problem or learn to fix the problem ourselves.  There are lots of other things we'd rather spend our money on!  But I digress...

As I sat at the kitchen table stitching up the sides of the rug, the repair guys worked on the slide.  It took them a couple of hours to replace two cables.  All the time they were working, and I was stitching, one of the repair guys told stories -- you know, just life experiences.  He was a really good storyteller and made the afternoon fly by in a most enjoyable way.

Consort and I were well pleased with the end results, both the slide and the headboard.


NOTE:  I am writing this blog in a parking lot in front of the Coin Laundry.  We drove a half an hour, more or less, to get into town.  We have grocery shopping to do, a little laundry -- and access to internet and cell phone.  All of this to say, I will blog each time I have access to the World Wide Web.  Bear with me, faithful reader, as I figure out this newest move.

The view from the road

Nashville

We stopped in Nashville for a few days and met up with some friends we met months ago in central Texas.  They have been full-time RV'ing for 15 years.  They are on their final voyage.  After 15 years, they're moving into a stationary house.  We wish them well.

Nashville is a great city with lots to see and do.  Consort and I only skimmed the surface.  We definitely plan to revisit.

The above pictures are from Centennial Park in downtown Nashville.  We went on a very long, uphill hike to the dog park only to find it closed due to the coronavirus... arghhhh!!!!!  But the park and the entire downtown area is beautiful.  There are blooming Magnolia trees lining the streets.  Completely breathtaking!

The architecture, both new and old, was interesting.  I love seeing old buildings reclaimed and housing new businesses.

One of the new businesses we stopped into was Antique Archaeology, Home of the American Pickers.  Consort is a big fan of the TV show American Pickers.  They had some really unusual things in the store.  Consort settled for the bumper sticker to add to his collection.

We stopped and ate lunch at White Castle burgers.  I've only eaten them a couple of times, and both times were with my grandmother in Kansas City.  In honor of what would have been her 100th birthday, consort and I shared a sack of burgers.  They were quite tasty!

Who goes to Nashville without stopping for a peek at the Ryman Theatre?

And for you football fans, the Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans.

The hills in NE Tennessee beginning to gain some height.

Consort dumping our stored fresh water to lighten the load before heading into the Smoky Mountains.

The rise of the Smoky's.

And just like that

We’re on the road again. 

See ya next time BA. We love ya!

Pictures of BA

Round two

Mural on the Broken Arrow Visitors Center

Depiction of mineral springs.  GSx3 &I passed this each day on the way home from school.  I had an elaborate story I would tell the boys that focused on the spring.

PAC where we're parked!

Perfection

Consort and I do not know why this rat sculpture is in the Farmer's Market.

Broken Arrow Brewing Co. a block off Main Street

I love these two pictures contrasting the old and new:  Charging stations for electric cars and

a working grain elevator in the background.

This nasty creature was found lurking outside our front door.

Time to move on down the road.

Notes from the road

Broken Arrow

We landed in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, late Saturday afternoon.  All the weather forecasts called for Sunday to be a rainy day, so we made the drive from Amarillo to Broken Arrow in one day.  It was about six to seven hours in the truck, but completely uneventful.  We plugged in an audiobook, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, and nearly finished it.  I think there's a couple of chapters left.

I've taken a lot of pictures of downtown Broken Arrow. The downtown area was christened the Rose District a few years ago, and its Main Street lives up to the name.  It is lined with roses.  Consort and I judge it to be the prettiest Main Street we've seen in our travels.  People were out brunching, walking dogs, jogging, quite a few just window shopping.

It looks as though the coronavirus killed a couple of new businesses on Main.  I hope that's not the case; I hope they're just remodeling.  SHOP LOCAL!!

Since there are so many pictures, and I haven't figured out a good way -- or any way, for that matter -- to line the pics up side by side, I've decided to spread them over a couple of days.  The weather was overcast this morning while consort and I were out walking the dogs and snapping photos.

The view from our front door

Parked at the BA PAC

This is our front yard.  Heading out on a morning walk.

There's usually a water fountain in this square that's lit at night.  It's currently closed to dissuade social gatherings.

Looking north on Main Street.  The roses!

Sculpture on Main Street, Binding Contract, by Bradford Williams

Franklin's on Main in Broken Arrow.  Toast, next door, serves great brunch.

Rocket Fizz.  No trip to Broken Arrow is complete without a stop, with grandsons, to this excellent candy shop.

Bad photo of the rooster sculpture by J. David Nunneley a local Broken Arrow artist.

Looking north on Main Street.