We are home again. While it was hard to leave Tennessee because we had such a fantastic time, I’m happy to be home, too. Sadly, North Carolina, part of Tennessee, and Kentucky are under a state of emergency. Two days before we left, there were forest fires burning near Knoxville and it continues to spread. We found out from locals that it has been extremely dry for quite some time.

We have visited Tennessee twice before this giving thought to possibly being a place we could live part time, but until this trip, I wasn’t so sure. But Northeast Tennessee is absolutely beautiful and I could see being there part of the year should we be able to do that when we retire.

The blue ridge mountains and being in the tri-city area of Johnson City, Elizabethton, and Jonesborough offered lots of variety, while still quaint and felt like home in many ways.

My favorite part was driving along Watagua River past the Wilbur dam, though I did get a bit nervous when we drove higher into the mountains and signs that said, “You are now entering Bear country.” I can’t tell you how often I silently said to myself, “Just surrender and let go, Barb.”  I’m not a big fan of heights, but I did my best to overcome it so I didn’t miss out on the stunning beauty that was all around us.

On Tuesday we drove part of the Blue Ridge Parkway express through the mountains from Johnson City to Asheville, North Carolina – wow – that was absolutely gorgeous! There  truly are no words describe the beauty, but it is breathtaking.

There were many moments I silently paused and gave thanks for this beautiful land Mother Nature has given us.

And driving along Blue Ridge Parkway, when the mountains were clearly before us, I found myself in a state of feeling quite verklempt, wanting to weep for the pure beauty of it all – it just overcame my heart!

Our destination this day was the Folk Art Center which is home to the Southern Highland Craft Guild. The center showcases the finest in traditional and contemporary crafts of the Southern Appalachians.

And this is where I found my favorite find – a hand crafted hummingbird house!  I was so excited I almost squealed out loud!  Here it is hanging in my writing cottage until next spring when I can put it outside.

The instructions that came with it say to hang it under the eave or overhang away from rain, wind and predatory birds or insects.  There is no guarantee a hummingbird will build a nest, it states, but I’m going to hope like all get out that I get little baby hummingbirds!  It says that once a hummingbird does build a nest that the hatchlings return the next year. And get this?  The nests are about the size of a penny and the eggs are the size of a Tic Tac!

I have a good feeling about this – that I will have a wee family of hummingbirds – and heck, one has to think positive right?

I’ll be sharing more photos in upcoming posts. But back to laundry and catching up on email, etc.  But I’m really happy to be back and get to work again next week on projects! 

And oh!  Kylie and Gidget did very well on vacation – it just made my heart so happy to know they adjusted well, but I also sense that they too are happy to be home again, too.  But isn’t that what vacation is all about?  Happy to go, but happy to come home again. Makes one appreciate life all the more!

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