A Weekend in Tennessee

There are weekend excursions in the past couple months that have yet to be posted. I get busy with other posts. I get busy with life. Sometimes, I think the story is not very interesting. Other times, sorting through the photos and getting the commentary written seems a daunting task that always takes me much longer than it should.

I spent this past weekend with someone extra special to me. She and I have know each other our whole lives. Not even kidding. Our. whole. lives.

We decided to meet at a halfway point between our homes, Crossville, Tennessee. I drove five and a half hours. She drove five hours. We met in Cumberland County Tennessee. Beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. Friendly folks. Beautiful scenery. Fun shops. Food was sketchy (unless you wanted fast food, which we did not). Restaurants there keep odd hours. They close early. They open late. They close on weekends. Even Saturday. Really? We finally hit the jack pot Sunday morning for our last meal in town. We were headed to a BBQ place just outside of town which, according to the restaurant guide, was open seven days a week.WRONG. We pull into an empty parking lot. Okay, maybe they aren't open yet. WRONG. I exit the car, walk up to the door, read the sign listing the hours. Next to SUN: Closed. Really?  We turn back towards town and pass a little place called Tony's Place. There are several cars parked in front of it. We decide to give it a try. So, so glad we did. It was full of an older church crowd. White haired ladies donned with hats. You just know it's gonna be good. The food was delicious and the prices reasonable.

We did a lot of sightseeing, visiting, shopping, driving, and treasure hunting. The history of this little community is quite interesting. You can get all the facts about Crossville here. This area was staunchly divided during the Civil War. They sent roughly an equal number of troops to both sides. Because of it's central location and two major roadways, this area was easily accessible and suffered rampant pillaging. By both sides and guerrillas. This monument in the center of town lists those brave men who gave their life for what they believed. Several times, there are three to five names listed from the same family. On both sides.

An oddity of the area is the minister's tree house. It's called a tree house, but it looks like a house that swallowed a tree. It's ginormous. Made completely of scrap wood. I took photos of it from several different angles. Then, we climbed up in it. There is a chapel with a pulpit sculptured from wood. A huge cross, pews, and a choir loft surround it. There was also a lone chair. Sitting in the sunlight. Waiting for it's next occupant. A discarded trunk. And precarious floors and steps. After reaching the fourth floor, we decided we were high enough.

Sunday morning greeted us with rain. Mist. Fog. It looked dismal outside but we were determined to venture out. We were not disappointed. Similarly, even in the midst of what appears to be a trial, God shows His compassion towards us. Just look at the beauty in the dreary rain. Look at the treasure in the mist.

To see other photos, go HERE to ShutterClicks my photo blog. Or click on the camera in my side bar. Thank you for stopping by and visiting. 
Peace and Joy,
Susan

Psalm 119:18 (NIV) Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.