free chicken

The countdown is on - Monday February 18th - 3 days to go!

Chick-fil-A store in Brainerd Village, Chattanooga, almost done!

Today is 1 day until opening and starts the 'First 100' event.

I just received a phone call from Buddy, chuckling, saying, "These folks must have just gone out and bought a tent, without a clue how to set it up, there are folks holding instruction sheets and others with tent poles looking clueless… they are thicker than hair on a dog's back in this parking lot!"

150 showed up at 5 a.m., 100 + 10 alternates will be allowed to camp out for 24 hours to be the first 100 in the store on opening day - tomorrow - and receive free chicken for a year.

The "First 100" qualified participants at the Grand Opening will receive a Grand Prize of one Chick-fil-A Sandwich Meal per week for a year (equating to 52 meals). An overnight stay is required. ~ CFA 

a nice new addition to the old Brainerd Village

 

hoarders

original Hoarders

Do you watch Hoarders on TV? Or out the window?

Hoarder - someone  who accumulates things and hides them away for future use.

Squirrelly - nutty; tending to move around a lot; restless.

Can you identify with this? Which one are you, hoarder or squirrelly?

Cold weather is here, hope you stored up a lot of nuts!  

farewell Chattanooga

We have been staying just south of Chattanooga since January, here for work. It is now time to move on, we will be heading out for vacation on Saturday - a week at the beach - and then back to our home in Ellijay, Georgia.

We have enjoyed our time here, meeting lots of nice people - campground neighbors, all the girls at Weight Watchers, even a real live blogger!

We have especially enjoyed the seeing all the sights and learning about the history of the area. Chattanooga lives up to its nickname of Scenic City.

More pictures here

Missionary Ridge

Chattanooga, Tennessee's Missionary Ridge was so named for the early missionaries who climbed the ridge on their way to the Brainerd mission to the settlement of the Cherokee.

In the Civil War, the Battle of Missionary Ridge, on November 25, 1863, was a turning point in the war, when Union troops rushed the ridge, pushing the Confederate troops entrenched at the crest of the hill to the south. This forced the Southern army to retreat into North Georgia, setting the stage for the Union advance on Atlanta.

The ridge now is known for its great views of the city, with many beautiful homes along its crest. Scattered along Crest Road are lots of monuments to the war, with several small historic parks along the way.

According to local lore, next to the war, the worst thing to happen to the ridge came in the mid 1960s when the majestic natural mountain ridge was carved out right down the middle for an interstate highway.

Crest Road is still a beautiful drive, with all the old homes, war monuments, and views of nearby mountains and Chattanooga.




Storming Missionary Ridge

(click to enlarge) An illustration of the Storming of Missionary Ridge in the Civil War. The illustration is captioned, "The Army of the Cumberland - The Fourth Corps, Under General Gordon Granger, Storming Missionary Ridge. - Sketched from the Left of the line by Mr. Theodore R. Davis" - as printed in Harper's Weekly newspaper and found on website Sons of the South.

Missionary Ridge History

My trip up the ridge.

Brainerd Mission

Brainerd Mission, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Brainerd Mission was a mission school established in October 1816, and classes were held there until 1838 when the Cherokees were removed from the Southeast. Near present day Chattanooga, it was the largest institution of its type among the Eastern Cherokees.


"It’s arguably the oldest historical site in Chattanooga," according to the mayor in 2005, when the city installed directional signs during a ceremony including the Principal Chiefs of both the Western and Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, the Daughters and Sons of the American Revolution, the Trail of Tears Association, and hundreds of Mission supporters.

The National Park signs designate the site as part of the National Trail of Tears Park System. Note the Cherokee language at the top of the sign.


At the height of its operation, the Brainerd Mission area consisted of 50 acres and 40 buildings, including boarding houses, boys' and girls' schools and churches, houses, a mill, barns, warehouses, carpenters' and blacksmiths' shops, as well as extensive fields, gardens, and orchards.

The Congregationalist and Presbyterian missionary founders believed that proper education for Indian children included instilling them with Christian religious principles and Anglo-American work habits.


At present all that is left of the 50 acre mission site is only the cemetery, just under an acre in size, and in the middle of a shopping mall parking lot. So much for resting in peace…

Chickamauga

On my quest to play tourist before leaving this area, I set out for the little town of Chickamauga, Georgia on Saturday. This town is full of Civil War history, near the Chickamauga Battlefield National Park.

My first stop was the Gordon-Lee Mansion, built by James Gordon in the 1840s. The house served as headquarters for Union General Rosecrans, and also as a hospital during the battle. It is now a bed and breakfast, and on the day I was there it looked like they were setting up for a wedding.

On the way to the main street shops, I passed by the D. A. Jewell house, built in 1907. It is for sale if anyone is looking for a little getaway place.

On the main street I found several references to the Civil War, Mountain City Mercantile has Civil War clothing, Oh! Fiddle-Dee Shoppe with quilts and nostalgic items, and Scarlett's Tea Room with the Frankly My Dear suite upstairs.

Walker County Regional Heritage Museum resides in the old Depot building. The museum displays Civil War artifacts, arrowheads, and a large display of Lionel Old Gauge model trains.

I was asked a couple of times if I had arrived on the train, which puzzled me at first, but then I saw a line of folks disembarking. Tennessee Valley Railroad has a trip from Chattanooga to Chickamauga that stops at the old depot for tourists to shop.

Chickamauga is a wonderful little town, all the shopkeepers are very friendly, a great place to visit or even to call home.

~click picture above for full album

Coolidge Park

Once an abandoned shipping yard, Coolidge Park has carried the spirit of revitalization from downtown Chattanooga to the North Shore. The park features a century-old, hand-carved carousel. A large fountain with stone horses, lions and sea turtles sprays water to cool youngsters on hot summer afternoons. A large common area along the riverfront allows for games, picnics and relaxing afternoons. Two stages and a pavilion area offer space for weddings and other special events. Park admission is free.



The carousel was first carved in 1895 and was an attraction in New York, Massachusetts, and Atlanta's Grant Park before moving to Chattanooga.



The Walnut Street Bridge was built in 1891, the first structure to cross the Tennessee River in Chattanooga. Almost 100 years after its construction, the bridge was closed on the advice of engineers who feared its collapse. Committed citizens spoke out against its destruction, and funds were raised to save the bridge. Renovated as the longest pedestrian walkway bridge in the world, the 2,370-foot Walnut Street Bridge in downtown Chattanooga reopened in grand fashion in May 1993.

bridging the gap

Our days here in the suburbs of Chattanooga are numbered, we will be moving on in a few weeks.

I had hoped to see a lot more of the area by now, but just haven't gotten around to it. So I queried local blogger Bonnie about the must-see spots. She sent back a list and offered to meet me and show me around.

I agreed to meet Bonnie in the northshore area. I arrived early to see the nearby Coolidge Park with the restored carousel, fountains, and the Walnut Street pedestrian bridge over the Tennessee River. My original plan was to walk the length of the bridge (and I would still like to do that), but the 100+ temps yesterday prevented that.

I met Bonnie at 'A Novel Idea' bookstore, and we walked down the block to a little café - to cool off with a coke and air conditioning while we got acquainted. We sat in the window watching the traffic go by - cars, bikes, people, strollers. I learned about the history of the area from this Chattanooga native, we shared pictures of kids and grandkids, talked about a number of things including books, religion, jobs, and of course blogging!

Thanks Bonnie for showing me around this area of town, and for all your suggestions for more places to see. Now I just have to get busy and see them all before I leave.

And thanks for getting me out! Since beginning to work at home I have become a hermit, and at first the thought of meeting someone in person - from the internet - was just too scary! But you said it well, "Don't you find that people come across the same online as they do in person, for the most part?"

I am glad I took that step, thanks for helping me bridge the gap, and it was good to meetcha!

penny postcards

Chickamauga Battlefield as seen on a penny postcard.

These postcards cost 1 cent to mail until postage was raised to 2 cents from 1917 to 1919 to cover the cost of World War I.

Chickamauga Battlefield today (click picture for full album):



~more post cards here

yard sale

Starting today!

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the World's Longest Yard Sale.

The route spans 630 miles and 5 states, August 2-5, 2007. The four-day event has been going on for two decades, created by Tennessee tourism officials and promoted by communities along the route, designed to pull drivers off interstates and onto the old federal highway to see some Southern sites.

The popular annual sale is heralded in local newspapers and even on HGTV.

I have never been a fan of yard sales, but this looks like it would be quite entertaining!

~pictures found here

family campout

Family campout weekend - the ABCs of our weekend - by Susan's grandkids:

A is for the awesome weekend and going to the aquarium
B is for butterflies, bumper cars, burning wood
C is for camping out, campfire, eating at Cracker Barrel, and chocolate for s'mores
D is for dogs walking by and Do I Have to Do the Dishes?
E is for eggs and sausage on the campstove


F is for frogs and fish at the aquarium
G is for grandparents and graham crackers for s'mores
H is for having fun and hot weather
I is for inside the camper, and "I enjoyed these days" said Sarah
J is for jellyfish and juicy steaks over the campfire

K is for time spent with grandson Kyle before he leaves
L is for LAKE WINNIE!!!!
M is for Madison and Marshmallows
N is for napping and 'not here' sign
O is for orange juice, being outside, and Oh! Zone ride

P is for pancakes, penguins, people, pictures
Q is for quiet nights, quarters for the dryer
R is for Racheal, roller coaster, and RAIN
S is for Sarah, swimming, skeeters, snoozing, and s'mores
T is for tents and Tennessee

U is for camping under the trees
V is for packing the van, voting, and Very Fun
W is for getting Wet on Water rides
X is for Xtra fun, Xtra exciting
Y is for your company, yummy s'mores
Z is for zooming butterflies, zooming roller coasters

photo album here

baseball and fireworks

Chattanooga, Tennessee celebrated the country's birthday on July 3rd, with two fireworks shows downtown, one on the river with a patriotic concert featuring the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera - Pops on the River, and a second at the ballpark after the Chattanooga Lookouts baseball game.

We were inclined to avoid the crowds, but our youngest daughter Carrie would have none of that - she drove here and joined us in the sold out crowd at the ballpark. We ate hot dogs, popcorn, nachos, peanuts. We sang Take me out to the Ballgame. The home team won in the 9th inning!

We watched dueling fireworks - the river park fireworks on one side, and the ballpark fireworks on the other, while rocking to the sounds of Springsteen's Born in the USA and Neil Diamond's America. It was great fun, thanks Carrie for getting us out there!

Point Park

High atop Lookout Mountain, Point Park was built in 1905 to commemorate the Civil War "Battle Above the Clouds," as part of the Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park.



Point Park is just one of the stops made this week by Sue Turner on her recent trek through the Chattanooga area. She is hiking the Great Eastern Trail as the first hiker to attempt the entire through hike on the new trail.

The American Hiking Society blog documents Sue's trek through this area with lots of pictures here.

Sue is hiking on many trails that we have hiked in the past, such as at Cloudland Canyon, Pigeon Mountain, and Point Park. She hiked through Walker County, where Buddy is busy building a new bank - I wonder if she passed by there?

Cherokee Eye

In the old days a great Indian chief lay dying in Lookout Valley. He was the last member of a once powerful tribe. The old chief regretted that there was no one to mourn for him after his death, that no one would ever know that he had lived. He prayed to his gods for a token, a sign that he and his tribe should not perish utterly, but in some way be remembered in days to come.

As he prayed, a great storm swept up the valley, shaking the mountain and throwing down huge rocks. The next day the dying chief looked up and saw on the side of the mountain his own likeness carved from rock. He died content knowing that he would not be forgotten as long as his image looked out over the valley.

When the Cherokees came to this section in later times, it was said that they often brought food to the base of this stone profile and in time came to call it do-da nun-yu, or "Father Rock", even thought the old chief had not been a Cherokee.

With the passing of the Indian, no notice was taken of the rock image by the white man. It was called Sunset Rock and the great chief was forgotten in spite of all his gods had done for him. It was not until a few years ago that the rock was again noticed for what it was - a great Indian Profile. Once again there is some one to look upon the image of the old chief and mourn for him.

Look through the hole in the rock,
do you see the profile of the Indian chief?


Cherokee Eye located at Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Garden, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Reflection Riding

Today is National Arbor Day, an unofficial holiday observed in all 50 states of the United States, the day the US pays tribute to its trees. Celebrated the last Friday in April, the holiday was proposed by Julius Sterling Morton, Secretary of Agriculture in 1872.

"Arbor Day is not like other holidays. Each of those reposes on the past, while Arbor Day proposes for the future." ~Julius Sterling Morton




Adjacent to the Chattanooga Nature Center is the Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Garden, 300 acres created as "a place of natural beauty where people could escape the pressures of city life for a moment of solitude in harmony with nature, a place of reflection of the natural beauty reflected in the surrounding ponds and creek."

We visited the Riding last Sunday afternoon along with the Nature Center. We did a little hiking - just about a mile, some geocaching, and rode the three mile loop road around through the meadows, up the hillsides, and down by the creek. Not far off the interstate at the base of Lookout Mountain, this peaceful area lives up to its mission.


kind hearts are the garden
kind thoughts are the roots
kind words are the blossoms
kind deeds are the fruit

(from a plaque along the trail)


Webshots photo album here

Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Garden web site here

Chattanooga Nature Center

We played tourist last Sunday afternoon and visited the Chattanooga Nature Center. The center participates in the Red Wolf Recovery Program. The red wolves are the most endangered mammal in the United States, with only around 300 in the world.



There were 5 red wolf pups born on April 13th and the center has a live camera in the den so the public can see them.



We walked through the Discovery Forest Treehouse... and were reminded of the treehouse we built about this time last year with the grandkids. We would like to bring them here to see this one, but would that really be a good idea, or spark more construction plans...



We saw lots of wildflowers, plants, trees, and birds, including a red-tailed hawk, owl, eagle, and buzzard.





A great place to visit, I recommend it if you are in the area.

Webshots photo album here

Chattanooga Nature Center web site here

MSNBC article on red wolf recovery here

Local news story on the red wolf pups here

(Note: We took all the pictures except for the wolf ones, we saw the adult wolves but they were behind the fence and in shadow, so pictures are from the Center's website)

Historic Coke Ovens

Coke Oven Park in Chickamauga, Georgia

While Chickamauga is most well known as the location of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, it has an industrial history as well.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the Durham Coal Company operated coke ovens here.

The beehive ovens were designed to turn coal into coke for use in the Iron and Steel Foundries in nearby Chattanooga Tennessee.



Just another stopping place of life on the road... wish you were here!

a walk in the park

I found local Camp Jordan Park a couple of miles away. I tried out the two mile walking track one afternoon, watched the ducks in the pond for a while. Sometimes you just gotta get outside.

There are three geocaches located in the park, that is how I found it in the first place. Yesterday Buddy and I went to find the caches, and found another walking trail through the woods. A beautiful sunny day to be outside!

We live in a fast-paced society. Walking slows us down. ~Robert Sweetgall

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. ~John Muir

My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-three today and we don't know where the hell she is. ~Ellen DeGeneres

Chickamauga Battlefield

The Battle of Chickamauga - September 19 - 20, 1863, 2 days, over 34,000 soldiers killed.

The 8000 acre Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park was established in 1895, with 1400 monuments and historical markers scattered out over the area, each marking the exact spot of a particular regiment or headquarters. The picture above is of the Georgia monument, one of the many monuments donated by each state that participated in the battle.


We took the driving tour of the park and saw a lot of the monuments. There are over 50 miles of hiking trails through the park, the only way to see some of the sites. It is remarkably quiet and peaceful here, and we are looking forward to trying out some of the trails.

More pictures found here.

Tennessee waters

Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Beautiful weekend, just had to get out of the house. We have never been to the new Georgia Aquarium, and even got free admission for Christmas, but way too many folks had the same idea, checked online, all booked up for Saturday. So we headed north to Chattanooga, which is closer than Atlanta and a lot less crowded. We visited the Tennessee Aquarium - we had been there before and always enjoyed it, and now they have added another building.

We then drove to nearby Raccoon Mountain, a TVA project on the Tennessee River. We had a nice visit with the couple who volunteer at the visitor center at Raccoon Mountain, both retired from TVA. We learned all about the making of hydroelectric power at this facility. They apologized for not being able to take us down the 1000' elevator to see the actual power plant deep under the mountain, but since 911 that tour has been closed. Did some hiking and caching.

Tennessee River Gorge at Raccoon Mountain