I insisted that Mushy let me drive us when we went up to the Smokey Mountains today to check out Cade's Cove. Wanted to show him how cool my car is. I live for this guys approval, to a shocking degree. Well hell, he's pretty cool, and I figure it's like getting my older brothers acknowledgment. We're that tight, and I'm lovin' it, as you can probably tell.
We had breakfast at a Cracker Barrel along the way, and then drove into the mountains. Absolutely beautiful! The traffic on the loop tour was ok, though we had to contend with onlooker slowdown when a lot of folks saw a bear in a tree. People were getting out of their cars and off their bikes and shoving their kids up close and trying to get a picture of the critter. I told Mushy that maybe we'd get to see a bear eat a tourist, and have some really cool pictures to post. No such luck. He had the idea that he should probably drive while I take pictures. I think that's how it happened anyway, but he ended uop taking the wheel and I took a lot of pictures through the sun roof.
We stopped along the way to look at a lot of cool old log cabins and barns. There's a road that winds around the valley and the old farms are still there, for folks to check out. The architecture is amazing to look at, and thinking about these folks carving a life out of the wilderness all those years ago inspires me. I can't help but think that people have gotten a lot softer in the generations that have passed since then. Makes me admire some of you out there that are still doing it, in your own way. Here are a few of the better shots I took...
A barn...
A farm house...
Another barn...
A smoke house, or something...
Another farm house...
A blacksmiths shop at one of the cabins...
The water wheel that powers a mill at one of the farms. Still working, and the corn meal was for sale. Very cool to watch...
And a nice shot (Mushy touched it up) of some Swallows (?) that were nesting in one of the old farm houses. There are more shots I could post, but I'll just wait till I get home and see about it. Probably just upload it all to FlickR. We had a great time today, seeing all these sights, and talking along the way to and from the park. I'm getting a huge amount of fun out of picking this guys brain. There's a lot there for me to learn.
Mushy's lovely wife Judy cooked up a wonderful dinner tonight, and his mom drove over and joined us for supper. Wonderful down home cooking; Steak and gravy, mashed potatoes, peas, corn bread, and cole slaw. Now were workin' on our pictures, posting on the blogs, and getting ready to call Bruno. Talked to the Goddess last night, and had a fun little chat.
Well, that's enough for now. Hope you folks are having as good a time as I am, but I seriously doubt it!
By the way, nether of us are reading blogs lately, so don't get too pissed with us. We'll get back to it regular next week. Promise!
8 comments:
I'm glad y'all are having such a grand time! :) The photos are fantastic.
That's a kind of green, in variation and intensity, that we only see for a brief flicker during the winter, out here in dryland.
Boy, I'd like to get turned-loose in that blacksmith shop! Let's make it in the WINTER season, though...!
You mean you're not spending your vacation at your computer reading blogs? That's crazy talk! :)
Mud swallows to be exact.
You were in some beautiful country.
what a nice time you are having...how cool that you and Mushy are such BUDS
Damn that's some pretty country out there... lot of history to look at too. My folks live out in Georgia and it sees like every other park out there was a Civil War battlefield. Love that stuff.
Finally got my shots posted on Flickr - found out more details on some of the old homes in the "Cove!"
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