Summer leaves and autumn...leaves

Life (and September and October) must go on after Disney...

Wednesday, September 16 - We really miss live music and we've already eeked out one live show during Covid-19, but haven't been much interested in the numerous live streaming shows going on until now.  Our favorite band, Augustana, led by the ultra-talented, Day Layus, had a live stream show tonight from the famous Ocean Way recording studio in Nashville tonight and we just couldn't pass it up.

We even streamed the show on our TV thanks to our Amazon Firestick and it was a great set of Augustana favorites and brand new songs that are also excellent.  I bet this isn't the last time we do this! 

Friday, September 17 - We bought a ticket tonight to an interesting event brought on by the corona-virus pandemic.  Tempo is a stay-in-your-car drive-thru experience at the historic Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway filled with lights and music that was pretty amazing.  Part of the driving course was on both of the racetracks there also.  I guess you could say this was our first "rave" we've ever been to as well.

Before the show, we also stopped by The Baked Bear in Nashville for some awesome custom-made ice cream.  I got their signature ice cream sandwich with two cookies as the "bread" and Ashlee got a sundae.  They were both super-tasty and the place was jumping with nearby Vandy students making up most of the line going out the door.

Friday, September 25 - We watched another concert from our den tonight.  We bought the Fitz and the Tantrums live stream from Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado.  It was a great show and the camera angles couldn't be beat in regards to being there in person.  This just might be our new norm in seeing live music.

Saturday, September 26 - We drove up into Kentucky today to spend the night at Kenny's Cheese Farm.  We've been enjoying their products a lot lately, so we thought we would check out the source since they are relatively close by and you can now stay with them via AirBnB.  But our first stop was Yancey's Gastropub in nearby Glasgow for a great lunch and some solid craft beers. 

It was on to the Mattingly Farm, the home of Kenny's Farmhouse Cheese, next which is located in the small town of Austin, Kentucky.  They have a relatively new two-story cow-barn where you can watch the milking herd from large second story windows.  The second floor is also where they have two AirBnB rooms for rent, so you are actually staying in the barn.

Downstairs you can watch the state-of-the-art robotic milking machine do its thing cow after cow, 24/7.  The most amazing thing about this set-up is that the cows go in on their own to get milked and the machine recognizes each cow by an electronic tag, and thus knows if they need milking, how much to milk, etc.  Amazing! 

Our room in the barn was spacious, clean and had a great deck overlooking the farm.  It was quiet (not a lot of mooing going on when cows are happy and content) and no smells.  We got complimentary cheese which we enjoyed out on the deck after sunset, and a pint of fresh pasteurized milk which we enjoyed with some Double-stuff Oreos.  Oh so good!! 

The baby-barn was our next visit and they had several little beauties to pet and fall in love with. Back at the milking barn we ran into a momma cat and three of her kittens.  We also ran into Kenny, Jr. himself and had a nice conversation about their set-up here, the hit they've taken financially during the pandemic, and some of the history of this enchanting place.  
Despite constant visitation, the milk cows are a little skittish of human contact, but amazingly they adjust quickly and easily to robotic machinery like this little cleaning bot shown below that looks like something straight out of Star Wars...

Sunday, September 27 - We woke up to find that a newborn calf had been born overnight here in the barn at Kenny's!  Welcome to the world, little guy!!  We bid a fond farewell to our new cow-friends and headed out fairly early back south toward home.  What a great little getaway! 

We stopped for tasty and filling breakfast while still in Kentucky near the Barren River Lake State Park at Paradise Point Marketplace, an eclectic (to say the least) little roadside stand that was chock full of weirdness and joy.  It had a very Key West vibe to it for sure.  
We got home well before noon and enjoyed a nice afternoon of Titans football (win!), some backyard and pool clean-up and maintenance, and enjoyed our last beer with our feet in the pool this year since it's being closed next week (sad face).

Friday, October 2 - It was a sad day today as we officially closed the pool for the season.  Doris and Zippy were even consoling each other in close proximity which doesn't happen very often.  It was a nice sunny weekend too and we got a lot of yard-work done, but it sure would have been nice to take a float in the pool...

Thursday, October 8 - We picked up lunch today at The Fat Man's Shack - a food truck of sorts over on W. Main here in town in front of what used to be the Mo' Cara Restaurant which closed recently (run by the same folks).  We didn't go to the restaurant near enough, so with some guilt (and hunger pains) we tried their smaller alternative today, and it was great!  We had chicken tenders with mac and cheese and a cream corn casserole that was really, really tasty.  We enjoyed our meal out at our new picnic table in the back yard in the mild fall weather.  This won't be the last time we do this!! 

We've had the distinct pleasure of hosting, Margie, as a foster kitten recently.  She's quite the corker, and is going to make someone a great cat.  She had to have mouth surgery due to an injury, and she was quite the little trooper while having to keep this cone on for 10 long days.  But she just rolled with it...literally.  We even named her by taking a cue from the great dark comedy film, Fargo, and the great, spunky character, Marge Gunderson.

Friday, October 16 - We both took the day off today and headed east toward Gatlinburg and The Smokies for the long weekend.  We couldn't check in to our room until 4 pm, so we took our time and advantage of the beautiful weather to make a few stops along the way.  The first one was the Bee Rock overlook near Monterey.  This was Ashlee's first time seeing it, but a long-time favorite of mine.  The fall colors were just starting to peep out.  This shot is looking south along Verble Hollow.

Our second stop was the Ozone Falls State Natural Area outside Crab Orchard.  While Ashlee was too skittish to look off the brink, I risked my life (not really) to grab this cool shoot of the 110' drop.  We can't remember if we've been here together in the past or not, but if so, it had to be a very long time ago and definitely pre-blog.

We stopped in Knoxville at Printshop Beer Company and had a flight each of some of their outstanding craft beers.  We sat outside in the lovely weather at one of their newly-installed picnic tables and gazed across the street as the Tennessee River drifted by.   Cheers to fun fall weather! 

We arrived at our cabin for the next two nights called "The Willow" at Treehouse Grove at Norton Creek.  Yep, it's a treehouse!  Pretty cool (and pretty pricey), so we were happy to split the room cost with our friends, Toney and Lisa, to help celebrate Toney's birthday tomorrow.  There are eight of these lovelies set in the woods near Gatlinburg and were erected as part of the TV show "Treehouse Masters" and designed by it's star, Pete Nelson.  Note the cool giant swing below the deck as well! 

The exquisite craftmanship and ingenuity of these tiny homes set in the trees is mind-boggling.  There was no expense spared either as the quality of the treehouses is undeniable.

The Tree House Grove sits alongside lovely Norton Creek which provides a beautiful soundtrack to your stay at the end of the private, dead-end road...very rare in this popular area.  We've taken note of some larger houses and cabins for rent also on this quiet road for possible future visits as well.

Toney and Lisa had to work before leaving for the mountains, so we met them for dinner at Calhoun's in Pigeon Forge tonight.  The wait to get in wasn't as long as predicted (an hour and a half), but with Covid 19 protocols and it being very busy in this area this time of year, we felt lucky to get what we got.  Our food was excellent, and we headed back to our treehouse with tummies full and sleepy eyes.  We gave Toney and Lisa the main bedroom downstairs since it was his birthday (and they are taller than us) and we took the (cozy?) attic.  It was a small space, but the bed was big and comfy and we slept just fine.

Saturday, October 17 - The treehouse doesn't have a full kitchen, so we had to head back out for a hot breakfast this morning of any quality, and we chose one of the many Flapjack's Pancake Cabins locations around the area.  The wait was longer than we were told this time, but worth it as the food was plentiful and tasty.

After returning to the cabin to shower and such, it was back to the extremely busy Gatlinburg for some fun.  We were LUCKY to find any paid parking as all the lots were full in town except one toward the end of the main drag.  Also LUCKY was the fact that I bought tickets online beforehand for the Skylift Park to check out the brand-new Skybridge.  The line to buy tickets was ridiculous!  We rode the newly-updated Skylift to the top of the mountain overlooking Gatlinburg.  This attraction was devastated by the huge forest fires back in 2016, but has come back stronger than ever with updated facilities and great new additions.   

The new Skybridge - the longest pedestrian bridge in North America at 680 feet with glass panels in the center to look straight down 150' to the trees below - was our main goal today, and it was awesome, especially with the beautiful weather we were having.  It moves a lot more than you think it would too!! 

We made it across and back!  Totally amazing!  The Skybridge is definitely a new iconic symbol for this area now.  This shot is from the fabulous and large Skydeck.

We also enjoyed some amazing skywalking going on right next to the Skybridge while we were there  by the folks with Rucksack Circus.  This was probably the only uncrowded walkway in Gatlinburg today!  After our time in the Skypark, we headed back down for an early dinner (we had a reservation this time) at the Cherokee Grill.  The food was once again outstanding.  We got back in time to the treehouse to enjoy some birthday cake, s'mores and libations by the community firepit where we met some other nice guests, and gazed at the billion stars above on a cold but clear night in the beautiful Smokies.

Sunday, October 18 -  Lisa and Toney had to head back early, and so we were on our own this morning before we too headed back west.  We did a few more stops on our way home including two rides on the awesome Alpine Mountain Coaster in Pigeon Forge, a walk-through The Amazing Christmas Place store in Pigeon Forge for Ashlee, and a beer for me at the Pretentious Beer Company in Knoxville.  We had a great time listening to the Tennessee Titans exciting overtime win over the Houston Texans on the drive back.  We got back well before dark to enjoy some outdoor backyard time with our kitties.  It was just another great little weekend of memories and fun for us.  

Wednesday, October 20 - In a rare occurrence, Ashlee and I find ourselves tied for first (in record) in our fantasy football league after 6 weeks.  And Ashlee is technically leading the league in total points.  It sure would be fun to play each other for the championship since we've never done that.  Go Rays and go Sardines!! 

We took advantage of an Amazon Prime sale and got our first-ever 50" TV for the den.  She's a beauty and was very easy to set up.  We watched an episode of the fun travel show called "Long Way Up" to test it out, and seeing Machu Picchu on the dazzling screen was certainly a good way to start.

Friday, October 23 - We went over to the Mt. Juliet Beer Company after work today to meet Ashlee's work friend, Andrea, for some beer tasting hosted by Calfkiller Brewing from over in Sparta.  Andrea is visiting Nashville this weekend and is into craft beer, so this was the perfect place to go we thought.  We had a great tasting with one of the CKBC Sergio brewer/owner brothers serving us some of their great beers.  We moved on to Homegrown Taproom for a great dinner and a few more brewskis and were joined by another of Ashlee's co-workers, Danny, and his wife, Kim.  

We lost Danny and Kim for our next few stops, but added, Andrea's sister, Christie.  We stopped by Living Waters Brewery in East Nashville, close to where our guests were staying.  This is a favorite new Nashville brewery of mine, but it was Ashlee's first visit.  She had some of their coffee since she was the DD and said it was very good as well.  With both sisters into beer and Living Waters' excellent IPAs, the place was a hit, and we closed it down (damn Covid 10 PM closing time). 
After a quick jaunt downtown, it was back over to East Nashville, but we got off the beer train and ended our night at Camp (Bar 308) for some of their signature cocktails.  They had a special Halloween menu going and I had the "Lost Boys" rum punch (photo above) that was very light and very good.  Thanks again to Ashlee for abstaining again as the DD.  We also closed this place down thanks to the depressing corona virus early closing time, but it was a fun evening...and there's nothing wrong with getting into bed before midnight on a Friday night...says old people...

Saturday, October 24 - So, what the hell is pork roll?  Evidently it's a big thing up in New York and New Jersey, served on a hot bagel for breakfast.  To see what all the hub-bub was about, we joined our friend, Bethany, at the fairly new Jersey Oven bagel shop in Mt. Juliet this morning for breakfast.  The verdict:  messy with the easy-over egg and ketchup, but pretty tasty overall...but I hate to break it to them up in Jersey, but down here, we just called that...processed ham or baloney!! 

We met Bethany for breakfast because we were all on our way to tour the Mound Bottom Archeological Area and its prehistoric Indian mounds which is part of the Harpeth River State Park over west of Nashville.   We took a 2.5 mile loop with our knowledgeable guide, Randy, down into the bottom and around the giant main mound and large plaza of a Mississippian period town of pretty good size.  

Looking at Mound Bottom from Google maps, it's pretty obvious why these truest of Native Americans chose this place for bountiful water and protection on three sides.  To the west is evidence of an even larger town known as Pack Site linked by the neck of land by a trail connecting the two areas into a huge complex. Also, as you can see, it was a quite chilly day, but the rain held off during almost all of our tour. 

Since we were in the area, and deserved a reward after our " learnin' and hikin' " foray, we stopped by the famous Loveless Cafe for lunch.  We grabbed a table outside even though it was chilly, so we didn't have to wait on seating inside.  The food came fast and was plentiful and delicious.  Ashlee says we've been here together before, but I don't recall it and it definitely was pre-blog.

To work off some of our big lunch, our last stop of the day in West Nashville was the recently-updated Percy Warner Park stairs known as Allée.  This is quite the elevated jaunt, but we conquered them, once again dodging rain and enjoying the fall colors.

Tuesday, October 27 - In a rarer occurrence, Ashlee and I find ourselves still tied for first (in record) in our fantasy football league after 7 weeks.  And Ashlee is technically still leading the league in total points.   Something's gotta give this coming week, however, as we must play each other.  It sure would be fun to play each other again for the championship since we've never done that.  Go Rays and go Sardines!! 

Friday, October 30 - Thanks to some poker winnings I recently had, we bought access to the Michael Franti livestream concert from Bali tonight.  It was a fun show, but could never replace being with Franti live and in person.

Saturday, October 31 - Happy Halloween!!  It was a beautiful day to head north and check out the unique and historic Octagon Hall House in Franklin, Kentucky.  It wasn't too scary in the daytime, but the tree shadows on the house are a bit spooky.  

I had seen this unique house from the outside before, but never went inside, and Ashlee had never seen it.  But inside Octagon Hall was weird, not scary, just weird.  It was disappointingly junky, cluttered and not very well maintained.  They used mannequins to simulate life in the old home, but they were more comical and creepy than informative. And the staff were smoking in the historic house.. WTF?  We left rather quickly and were now not looking forward to tonight's ghost hunt here.   

A nicer surprise just down the road was Chaney's Dairy Barn where we had some delicious homemade ice cream (cow tracks for Ashlee, bourbon crunch for me) which we enjoyed outside in the warm afternoon.  This working dairy farm is a neat little place we will have to remember to visit again when we are up this way.  

I booked us a boat tour inside historic and beautiful Lost River Cave in nearby Bowling Green just as a time-killer until the ghost hunting back at Octagon Hall.  It turned out to be a highlight of the day.  We had a great tour guide, Paige, and the boat ride inside a huge cave under a busy city is pretty damn unique.  

We had an outstanding dinner at Novo Dolce 2.0 Gastropub in Bowling Green.  I went for their voodoo pasta and Ashlee had the steak tips and fries in a succulent bourbon gorgonzola sauce.  Their beer and cocktails menus were impressive as well.  Gotta come back here! 

We got back to Octagon Hall at 7 PM for the start of the ghost-hunting tour and it was actually worse than we thought it would be.  The tour guide was smoking as well now, and NO ONE was wearing masks but us.  We took a half-assed history tour of the home led by what looked to be a biker.  Man, this sucked bad.  We went outside to cool off and get a break from the smoking before the actual ghost-hunting started...and never went back in.  Just not worth it.  We got some awesome shots outside and the night was cool and pleasant with a rare blue moon (in Kentucky as well - remember the song?), so why subject ourselves to anymore of that bullshit going on inside.  

What a shame and a waste of time and money.  At $50 a head, you'd think you would get better, but it is what it is.  Not sure where all that money is going, but it's not back into restoring this unique structure.  At least it was a beautiful night to be outside with the blue moon and Mars shining to the right of it.  And, hey, we were home in an hour.