Life on the High Plains

 After stopping in Atlanta we continued our journey north to Asheville. I had booked a cabin through VRBO.  Some people like to stay in the city, some like the beach, but me...I am most at ease in a remote location surrounded by hills, trees, a babbling creek and not within site of another human being. This is the Lizzy Wright cabin that was built in 1895 by the Wright family...the two parents and nine kids.  The cabin was a one room cabin with a loft until the 1940s.  The parents slept downstairs and the nine kids slept in the loft.  In the 1940s a kitchen, bedroom and tiny bathroom were added.  It was just as charming as the pictures portrayed and the owner and caretaker were incredibly easy to work with. There was a barn across the meadow that dates back to the civil war era.  We received strict instructions not to enter it for safety reasons. There was a babbling creek that ran through the property.  The owner has placed several sitting areas ...

After Shiloh loaded on the bus we started our journey north towards what would be our "real" vacation.  We were heading to Asheville, NC to spend a few days. Our drive took us through Atlanta and I asked if we could make a stop to "smell the roses" along the way.  Lunch was the first order of business and we stopped at a Chick Fil A that was actually called the Dwarf House. Most of us know that Chick Fil A originated in Atlanta, but I knew nothing about the Dwarf Houses.  Apparently they're modeled after the original restaurant.  One side has a sit down restaurant with menu service, the other side is the fast food that we're all accustomed to.  Mary wanted to protest and not eat there because of some of their views, and I don't agree with some of them either, but I love their chicken and that's where we stopped. The quick stop I wanted to make in Atlanta was to the MLK Memorial to honor Dr. and Mrs. King for their service and ultimate sacrifice to ou...

 It's hard to believe my mom has been gone from 19 years.  I miss her each and every day.  She was a kind soul who loved her family to her core, especially her precious grandchildren. I love and miss you mom!

The next morning we started our journey to Fort Benning, GA for the first day of Mr. Bean's graduation celebrations. The festivities started with a family dinner.  Shiloh had to pay $35 per plate for this dinner and we had high hopes of a steak or chicken cordon bleu or something equally delicious.   What we got was a plate of spaghetti.  More later on how these young soldiers are gouged at every opportunity and get absolutely nothing free from the U.S. government. A group photo of the new Cavalry scouts who survived the 22 weeks of grueling training. The next day was family day.  We were told to be there at noon to pick them up and to have them returned by 1800 or 6:00 p.m.  It was closer to 1:30 when they were actually released so it was a short afternoon.  We spent it at the PX where Shiloh had to purchase some new uniforms.  No, they are not supplied free of charge to our soldiers.  At over $100 for the everyday uniform this is a big expe...

Continuing on with our road trip, the next stop was Nashville and a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame. In keeping with the "smelling the roses along the way" we stopped for geocaches every now and then.  The goal was to get one in every state we passed through. At one point though I had to point out the time to Irv and remind him that the Hall of Fame closes at 5 p.m. and that we'd have to forgo anymore caches to get there in time to view the exhibits.   Then we encountered a deluge of rain that was so bad we could barely see ten feet in front of the car and it slowed down our journey even further. We made it there by 3:30 so it was going to be a fast tour.  My all-time favorite country group is/was the Judds and they were inducted into the Hall of Fame this year the day after Naomi took her own life. I was there mainly to see their bronze plaque, but when we couldn't find it Irv asked about it and we were told it had been sent in to have Naomi's death date ...