Visiting Jack Daniels: Spring 2010

This post is one I thought I published last spring after we got home from Alabama.  But I guess I never hit the "publish" button.  So here is my little report on our trip to the Jack Daniels Distillery in 2010.


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The tour is worthwhile, just for the humor of the tour guides. At least our guide was hilarious--a person I would have to consider a member of the classification of humans in the "character" category!


The tour at the Jack Daniels in Lynchburg, TN is free.  Lynchburg is an absolutely beautiful area to visit and drive through.  It sits in a beautiful spot in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee and has a long history and beautiful farms, particularly Tennessee walking horse farms.  The area is absolutely breathtaking in the spring.


 Now Jack is nothing I drink, actually nobody in this house -- but we were told it was an interesting, educational tour,  so we went!

The original office for Jack Daniels. He ran away from home at the age of seven and learned his trade from the "new family" he lived with.

We were told by our tour guide that all the trees were blackened from the vapors from the whiskey vats...we were told that it actually is healthy for the trees and protects them. The revenuers who were searching for the moonshine culprits in the woods back in the days of prohibition would look for the black trees to find the stills...

This was our tour guide and we found by visiting with him that he was from Michigan. This is the shelter for the firetrucks...still used on the campus.

The source of the spring water for the whiskey, coming out of a cave on the side of the mountain that backs up to the distillery grounds.  This same stream of water that has been in use for years and is some of the best fresh water in the world.

The trees with black trunks and branches and all the blooms were disturbing at first.  I kept noticing them and wondered what was up.  After all, trees shouldn't look like charcoal!  I was glad that the tour guide explained how they'd all been blackened.  

Visiting was like stepping back in time, and the whole little "city" is just a beautiful one that is very well kept.

The house that Jack built, and where all the tours start -- and it houses a gift shoppe and tasting room.

Southern porches are so peaceful and usually have one or more straight-back rockers.

My traveling companions.  :0)

I loved this whiskey barrel, turned on its side, with flowers spilling out...

It was a glorious spring day and all the blooming trees were a treat for the Michiganders that were visiting from a state that was still frozen!

There is nothing quite like a spring day in the deep south for a Yankee!

We walked from the distillery into the "town"...

If you ever have a chance to go, take the time to visit, you will love the whole area.  




  


I would like to talk GARDENS next week, 
how about you?

Fish Town

Last week when we went to the Leelanau Peninsula, we took some time to explore.

Two whole wonderful afternoons. One afternoon was calm and serene, with puffy clouds alternating turns overlooking the scene with gray clouds and a mix of sunshine.

The place was so intriguing that we are going to make it a point to go back and look around and discover even more about the place. We hope to make our trip again in the fall for the colors on the trees, and again in the winter for the snow and ice and beautiful landscapes in glittering white and shorelines littered with sharp gigantic pieces of turquoise ice that are sure to be tossed all over.

Of course, you know anything that looks remotely old or "vintage" or antique automatically catches my eye. I know that most of my readers feel pretty much the same way. I knew you'd want to see with me this tiny little village of Leland or "Fishtown" , as it's called.

On the day we visited, the red flags were a flyin' and the waves crashing on the breakwall. The winds were very high: 40 mph or more and the clouds looked ominous.

In my book, it all made for some unmatched, wild beauty....
gorgeous enough to make your heart ache: just a little.

But then I picked up the camera and my heart felt all better.

I worked on getting some photos of the spray of the waves as they hurled themselves into the sharp rocks, and I had a few successes. I wasn't the only person aiming the camera at the little marina.

There were a bunch of us nuts with cameras. We were all running around looking for the best vantage point to get our shot. And strangely, we were all smiling.

The smell of smoked fish begged me to stay and explore for just a little while longer. Smoked fish is a childhood memory burned into my brain from all the Great Lakes lakeshore travels we made in the summers with the old station wagon, a musty old tent and a cooler full of cold cuts and cheese.

The old green boat there on the left outshined all the new ones, in my book. It has more character and beauty than the most expensive, loaded multi-tiered vessel that was anchored here.

Plus, it's just plain CUTE, don't you agree?

I allowed it to be included in the most photos possible and it cooperated nicely.

Doesn't this place look just loaded to the gills with all sorts of interesting stuff?

The little downtown was as cute as can be, quaint, with general stores, a gas station straight out of the 1940's and a bridge with flowers spilling over the railing.

The town's population that day was from states all over the country.
We saw plates from the north, south, east and west.

It wasn't just the wind and the high waves taking our breath away...

It was the step back in time we took, just for an hour or so.

Hope you enjoyed your look around with me!

Next I will share a Coast Guard rescue we watched happen just down the coast a bit.

Stay tuned!

Sweet Southern Comfort

The south land has claimed my daughter as her own.
Yes, she's the one, who as a kid, always said she'd live in Alabama someday.
And so she does. And we visit....and we always leave in tears. It's going to get worse. It's bad enough now!

And...she's totally enmeshed, even traced her genealogy to prove that she's a Daughter of the Confederacy. And so there with the group she can join other descendants of the south: something I can claim no connection to. It's only through her daddy.

We just got home from a week-long visit. I have my pictures and the sweet memories. But let me say this: I love the south. I have gone for thirty years now, being married to my homegrown southern boy, we've always made the trip and visited. But now things are going to change.

My grandson is there.

Yes, in case you didn't know it, our daughter and her husband are having a baby!
The first week of June!

We saw him this week; that precious little face, something that seemed impossible has happened, and a dream is about to come true. Through American invention, genius, and pure ingenuity, Jamie was able to be treated for infertility problems and now because of that great American spirit and innovation, we have the ability to look through the womb and see the precious baby inside!

Here's the first picture of our little fella's face...distorted maybe just a bit by the amniotic fluid and the way he's all squished up in there...but what a joy to see him! They even could tell us he has lots of hair...the shadows showed it sticking up all over his head!

We went with the other set of grandparents and our youngest son and we all saw him at the same time. What a special moment that was...the whole day sparkled.

I was able to be there for the baby shower...in a little town nearby at the old "Freight House", a really neat historical building--now a restaurant-- that once held freight from the train that still rumbles through town many, many times a day. Three trains went through during the baby shower alone.

I was so happy to be able to be there for the fun....

and to see friends and family...

And to see my grand doggies....first there's trusty old Bryant, the super hound.

And his little girl, Daisy.
(She's so EEYORE-ish!)
Just can't get enough of those forehead wrinkles and sadder than sad eyes!

And we got to see my little grandpug, Josie.
I tried her out in the crib.
Cute.
But not quite as cute and sweet as a real live baby.
(She did well for the tryout but didn't make the cut...sorry Jamie!)
She wuvs me, can you tell?

We made a few short road trips, while there. We always have to go one day for an "adventure"...so we did.

And...I wanted so much to stop and ask...
"WILL YOU PLEASE SELL ME THIS HOUSE?!"
(But I'm a chicken!)

And...did I mention I got to see DAISY?!

Well...I did!

Oh...and we worked on the baby's nursery:
It's retro cowboy themed.
I think you'll like it.

Here's a few teaser pictures...
I have more! Oh yes, I do!

And. Did I tell you that our family loves John Wayne? So much that he's in our grandson's nursery.
We wish there were more men like The Duke.
Politically incorrect, I know.
But we really don't care.
It's the American way.

Oh, while we were there, I stalked some real estate. And I talked Lem into a new project...our second home. Picked up fer cheap on a nearby mountain.

Sweet Home Alabama....

Stars Fell on Her.
She's the HEART of Dixie.

And she's where part of MY heart lives.

(And, I am JUST KIDDIN' about the house. So stop thinking about how crazy I am!)

More details coming on all that took place last week during our visit. For now, this is just an update because I've got a busy week coming up. And on top of that, I'm a little loopy from being on the road so much this week, eleven hours just today!

My niece's wedding shower is coming up Sunday, got to get busy on that!

But from my count, I've got at least SEVEN STORIES in me from this little trip.
(One big story from the trip is that our eleven-year-old Suburban, Dixie, made the trip one more time!)

I bet you can't wait to hear those seven stories, can you stand to listen? And to look at a million pictures?

Okay, but don't say I never warned ya!

And...I'll be by this week or next...to catch up with all of you on your blogs!
I've missed you!