The things you'll see....

Hi again,

A few weeks ago I had a Saturday off and really didn't know what I wanted to do with my time. I considered going to a festival but figured that would end up with me bringing more "stuff" into the house because I frequently get caught in the moment and think I want the crafts being sold there. When I get home I always wondered why I spent the money for more stuff to sit around my house. But I digress...

The day was too beautiful to waste so I decided to set off on an exploration with my camera in hand. It turned out to be such a fantastic day. I intended to blog about it before but the time got away from me. Luckily, the day was so memorable I'm still able to recall it. Hope you enjoy the journey...

Do you ever take a road just to see where it leads? If you do you might find...

The Bush Bean Museum and Family Cafe - Chestnut Hill, Tennessee

(Don't scoff - it was actually quite an interesting stop along the way)

I took a tour of the museum created about the Bush Bean family's start in canning and learned about different bean recipes. You can even get your picture made with Duke (he's not really there but they photoshop him into your photo). Now, I admit that my wee crush on Sugarland's, Christian Bush, might have something to do with the interest I had in the museum. Turns out he wasn't there either. The nice gentleman at the museum explained that Christian's branch of the family had a "fallin' out" with the bean side so Christian's not involved. Sigh.

You can also have lunch at the Family Cafe next door and try the Pinto Bean Pecan pie. Let me know how it is - I didn't have the nerve to try it, though I might have if Christian had been there.

An old-time soda fountain at Tinsdale-Bible Pharmacy in Dandridge, Tennessee.

I found out that Dandridge is the 2nd oldest town in Tennessee. I guess I should try to find out what the oldest is but I was really more interested in knowing why the soda fountain was closed on weekends.

A beautiful flower that was enjoying the gorgeous day.

I was thinking of my friend Bonnie when I took this picture. I know she loves flowers and thought I would snap this. I didn't alter or edit it except to crop out the background. The glow was all its own. I guess it appreciates the sun in a way we humans just don't get.

A porch decoration that made use of three strong autumn elements...

What's more seasonal than a pumpkin, mums, and a black cat? Throw in some autumn leaves and it would have been perfect.

Beautiful scenery

or even...

Live entertainment & the truest form of Southern Hospitality ever...

On my way to Dandridge, driving down this little curvy road, I noticed a sign Pizza Sampling & Live Music from 12-2 on Saturday.

There was a woman standing outside the RV, singing. With no one around. I thought to myself, 'now here's a woman who really LOVES to sing.' I decided if she was still out there singing when I went back, I'd stop and listen. Anyone who loves to sing that much certainly sparks my interest. I mean, I love to sing but I'm so bad at it that I won't even roll down the windows in my car if I'm singing. This lady has a karoke machine and is standing outside the RV singing. Just because.... So on my way back, I pulled into the driveway at Scrappy's. I was trying to turn around and find a place to park where my car would be out of the way when a lady came out of the building behind Scrappy's. I thought maybe she was going to ask where I was going or something. Nope.

She asked me if I wanted pizza. I thanked her but declined. She said 'it's FREE.' Well, now, how can you turn down free pizza? So I asked if she had any cheese pizza. She offered to check. Came back out and informed me that she had put it in the oven and it would take 7 minutes. I went into Scrappy's to get a soda and she introduced herself as Ann. Introduced me to the store-keeper. And the other people sitting there listening to the singer (there was an audience of five by that time). They were all quite friendly and Ann thanked me for stopping. We had a nice, albeit brief, discussion about the singer (whose name I've forgotten) and how she sings in Pigeon Forge.

When I was telling my sister about this encounter, she said 'that's Americana.' My friend Mavis stated it sounded like Mayberry - in a good way. It was both. But let me just say that it was a VERY charming encounter. This group of people was welcoming and friendly. The pizza wasn't the best, nor was the music. But when it comes to hospitality, Ann & Scrappy's really knocked it out of the park.

So...if you find yourself with a day to spare where you have time to go exploring, try it. You just never know what you might find. And if you have a wonderful day like mine, let me know. Better yet, call me before you leave. I might want to go with you :)