8/26/17

Life on the Tennessee River


Cabins on the water at Hales Bar Marina, about 2 hours southeast of Nashville
Viewing the solar eclipse on Monday, Aug 21
Picture taken 10 minutes after the solar eclipse (99% totality) 
One early morning
A hummingbird perched above the feeder

saw a reflection of the boat while feeding the fish
Osprey atop nest and cormorants congregate at the channel marker
This post is shared on Weekend Reflections.

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8/16/17

24 hours in Chattanooga, TN

A cousin and his wife were on a mission to show their grand kids America the beautiful. While on their 6-day road trip from Florida to Texas, they swung over to see us. With only 24 hours in Chattanooga and rain in the forecast, it was a challenge to show them this great outdoorsy city.

Hiking to the waterfalls was out of the question. We opted for Raccoon Mountain to learn about turbines and the generation of electricity.

The cloudy weather with a few sprinkles here and there created this gorgeous vista of the spectacular Tennessee River Gorge with fog enveloping the mountain and river.
do you see what I see? a barge appearing (viewed from Raccoon Mountain Visitor Center)
Around lunch time, we went to get pizza at our preferred pizza joint in Jasper. We had forgotten this town is on central time, so we were early. To kill time, the gung ho captain drove to nearby Foster Falls for a quick look. The rain had quit, and the sun tried to peek through every now and then.
Foster Falls
It was sprinkling again when we picked up the pizza. Back at the marina, the rain stopped and the sun appeared again, promising a good day.We could tell our guests were eager for a boat ride. And the captain happily complied.



Beautiful sight of osprey and cormorants hanging out together
As we were dropping the hook at our favorite cove, the rain started again. This time it came down hard. We moved our lunch from the flybridge to the salon (nice to have dual helm station for inclement weather). We had recently salvaged some old home videos and took the opportunity to show the kids their parents' wedding. Little did they know their grandfather can sing!


Half hour later, all was dry and the sun re-appeared. We cruised up river a little before heading back to the marina.

Next stop: Lookout Mountain. We drove past the touristy places like Rock City and Ruby Falls, and went up all the way to the top - Point Park, where battles between the North and South were fought during the Civil War. It was 6 pm. The Visitor Center was closed, so we just walked around to admire the scenery.


We went back to Chattanooga downtown to take some pictures.
Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge
Hunter Museum
We were now starving for some barbecue. In downtown, we usually go Sticky Fingers. How was it? Read my review on TripAdvisor here.


So that completes our whirlwind tour of Chattanooga. We hope they enjoyed it as much as we did showing them our adopted city.

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Experience

8/7/17

Looking for Bargains at the World's Longest Yard Sale, Dunlap, TN

Living in Tennessee for 10 years has taught us a great deal about the south. No matter how much America has changed over the years, the south still retains its signature Southern hospitality. Their passions for college football,  music, gardening, barbecue and yard sales run deep and are infectious. 
Fleamarkets and yard sales are big in Florida too, but it's nothing when compared to the South. Case in point: if you lost your bags on a flight, chances are you might find your belongings at the Unclaimed Baggage in nearby Scottsboro, Alabama. A unique shopping experience for sure.

I was very excited to return to Tennessee, just in time for the world's longest yard sale, a fun event that takes place the first weekend in August. For 4 days (Thurs - Sunday), vendors set up all along Hwy 127 from Hudson, Michigan to Gadsden, Alabama, some 690 miles of yard sale shopping heaven. Some people drive quite far to hunt for bargains (treasures or junk, you decide). I was at Dunlap Friday, and met a mother and daughter who drove all the way from Austin, TX!
Bargain hunting in Dunlap, TN
Mother and daughter drove all the way from Austin, TX 
Horse drawn machine, anyone?


If you were hunting for bargains at the world's longest yard sale this past weekend, I hope you found what you were looking for. Enjoy your new found treasures!

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