Nashville, Tennessee

All my adult life I have wanted to go to Nashville, and believe it or not, I made it! After I paid $20.00 to park my car, I walked half a block down to the Riverfront Park. Way too much fun!



At my first sight of the Cumberland River, I couldn't help recalling this song by Matraca Berg.

"Oh Cumberland, I'm a faithful son

No matter where I run, I hear you calling me

Mississippi's wide and long, St. Paul to New Orleans

But my heart's resting on your banks in Tennessee"



Just at dusk, I climbed the stairs and walked out onto this huge bridge over the Cumberland River. It was so incredibly exciting and scary; strange combination. 

The town of Nashville was founded in 1779 as a river port and railroad center. In 1843 the city was named the capital of the state of Tennessee. Many of the buildings still standing were built in the 1800's and I passed by one that was actually used as a hospital during the Civil War.



 State of the art high-rises stand next to old brick buildings built over 100 years ago.

I love these old neon signs that light up the night with a flair.

When my son Isaac was in Nashville, he said he ate at Jacks BBQ three times and each time it was delicious. I was by myself and too embarrassed to go into any of the bars or clubs alone, so I stood on the outside looking in!



Well I wasn't really alone; after all I found Elvis!

Horse drawn carriages cart people all over the city streets. I've never ridden in one and wonder if they are a bumpy ride or ridiculously romantic; probably somewhere in-between.

 This is Mandolin Mike, a man like so many others, standing in front of buildings, stores, on street corners, playing their music for a few dollars thrown in the case by people passing by. He was actually very good, but not as good as some of our mandolin players at the Bluegrass group!

I stood and watched this group play and they were actually playing some decent country. The young man in the middle was doing his best to imitate Jason Aldean, but Aldean is "the man" and it is pretty darn hard to imitate him.

Nashville legends, painted on a huge guitar set up in the middle of the street.

Typical street scenario. Girl walks by. Guys watch girl.  Guys talk about girl.  Guys are convinced girl wants them. Guys go back to smoking cigarettes. 

Hard Rock Café all lit up for the night.

Bridge over the Cumberland River.

Nashville Skyline at dusk. I was on top of the bridge overlooking the city, talking to a nice young girl when I took this picture. It was so very beautiful, but it was getting dark and I still had nowhere to sleep. I thought about sleeping in the parking lot as my $20.00 ticket  lasted until 6 am, but then I knew it would be way too scary. So I found a Walmart right nearby and pulled in next to several RV's and Trailers and climbed into the back of my Subee feeling safe and sound.

Good night to all! Sweet dreams! Yours truly, Sissy Girl

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN and NC

I already miss the Smoky Mountains. On my way there, I got lost on a dirt road through snow covered trees that soon turned into a mud road run, curving and twisting through the mountains.

It was such a pretty drive but it was pretty obvious I was on the wrong path.

I finally landed at the bottom where a bearded young redneck directed me to Big Creek, a small campground with only 12 sites. I found this amazing campsite right on the creek with this view!

White and yellow trillium flowers were pushing up through the ground all over the place.

Just a short walk from my campsite, I came across this beautiful swimming hole with small waterfalls running into it. Although it was tempting to jump in, I was alone and afraid I'd go hypothermic and not be able to get out.

A ghostly moon shining through the trees. So very exciting for me to be here, close to the earth, trees, water, mountains and sky. 

That would be me at Big Creek, freezing cold but happy!

It rained for several days and I stayed around camp, sitting by the fire, resting and drinking tea. Then I got this inspiration to hike up to Midnight Hole. The trail started right at the campground and so I just walked up the trail in the rain. It was all very refreshing, fun and full of life.

Met lots of folks also walking in the rain. All very nice people who stopped to talk along the way. One lady was just as excited as me and was taking pictures of everything, especially the flowers.

The Midnight Hole turned out to be this gorgeous swimming hole!

A family of six arrived just before me and were getting ready to jump in the pool. Sure enough everyone but the dad jumped in, and you can bet it was freezing cold.

It seems everywhere I look, I see white, pink, magenta and lavender flowering trees. So pretty.

On Easter Sunday I packed all my gear and drove to the opposite end of the park. The views from the highway were phenomenal!

From Big Creek I came to Little River and found this campsite in Elkmont Campground.

On another rainy day I hiked up to Laurel Falls. Three golden leaves of autumn were still holding on, refusing to let go; sometimes I get that way and find it hard to let go of one place and move on to the next. I find myself grumbling and whining until I get settled in again. Such a sissy girl!

Tall skinny trees on the trail up to the falls.

That would be me standing in front of the falls in my turquoise tennis shoes. Its very wet and slippery up there and I saw 4 people slip and fall flat on their backsides. Not good when there is a huge cliff directly in front of me that goes straight down to another waterfall.

Huge swallowtail butterflies exploded on the scene near the river. It was the strangest thing. Random blue, gray and brown butterflies mixed in with the swallowtails, crowding around this one certain spot on the rocks near the river.

 A crazy place on the Little River called the Sinks. I stopped here early one morning on my way to Cades Cove. Had the place to myself, which was really quite nice.

 Looking out over a large grassy meadow in Cades Cove, an old farming community that was established in 1830. When the park was established in 1934, the families had to move out and the area and farms were preserved. Its sad but that's how a lot of the parks were established.

An original grist mill built by John F Cable over 140 years ago. The mill and wheel are still in good working condition.

The wooden flume led down to the mill where it dumped a load of water onto the top of the mill wheel to power the whole operation.

I watched this guy run the mill, grinding the corn into cornmeal, packing it in bags, and keeping everything moving smoothly. It was amazing.

Don't you wish you could run like that? Well Lindsay and Cara probably could, but most likely we wouldn't be able to match up!

John Oliver came to the Cove and bought the land in 1826. His home remained in the family for over 100 years until the park was established. The house is awesome and has a beautiful stone chimney. You can go inside, climb up the stairs and see the large upstairs room where most of the family would have slept. 

Oliver chose the most beautiful sight to build his home. So peaceful and inspiring. I wanted to stay there all day and just chill.

 An old Methodist church built in 1902. When I walked in the church it was filled to the brim with a group of photographers climbing over the pews, yelling back and forth to each other and all trying to get the best shots. Every time I walk in a church, it feels sacred to me, so I  quietly walked to the front and sat down in the pew. In the quietness of my heart, I talked to God, and sure enough the photographers left the building, one by one, until I was alone in quiet, peaceful contemplation.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name." Psalm 103:1

 This was one of the strangest barns I have ever seen. Its called a cantilever barn and provided shelter for animals, lofts for drying hay, as well as a storage place for large machinery. Pretty clever if you ask me. Good night to one and all. May God bless you and keep you safe.

Charlottesville, Virginia

 Downtown Charlottesville is one of those very cool towns with history and old, funky buildings mixed in with art, upbeat ideas and happenings. Me and Dorothy, Dan and Eli took one day and roamed the city, listened to live music and visited the art gallery.

Eli found a chalkboard wall and immediately the artist in him, grabbed some chalk and started in.

This old building appealed to all my senses.

When I get to heaven, I hope to live in a house with beautiful windows like these that reflect the light, color and shadows.

Dan treated us all to dinner at a fantastic hamburger joint, that made me very happy.......

After dinner, we roamed the city and sat outside, drinking coffee and people watching.

I was so happy to see these young kids playing Bluegrass music, and playing it very well I might add. Made me miss all my Bluegrass buddies back home. Love you guys!

Fun places to shop, look and browse.

 We passed this very special tile chair that somebody said we weren't allowed to sit in; therefore I promptly sat down and Eli took my picture.

 Eli, Kyle and Dorothy; how I miss you guys!!!!!

 The whole family, Dan, Eli, Kyle, Dorothy and Rex the dog; I kept trying to bring Rex with me as I totally fell in love with him, but nobody liked the idea. They probably wanted me to take the stinky little pug dog, but I wanted Rex!

Me and Dorothy, my little sister who always looks 17. So good to be with her and her family for a whole week. Must do this again!

On several nights, Dan built a huge bonfire in the backyard.

 So much fun to sit around the fire and talk. Their backyard is so spacious, with very tall trees, flowering plants, moss and grass.

On our last walk together, Dorothy took me down to the Rivanna River and we walked the trail bordering the river. Amazing that this much natural beauty is in the heart of this old city.

 An old building near Dorothy's home is now an antique shop, overflowing with junk in every single corner, space and shelf. Fun but a bit stifling inside; I like the outside much better.