What's REALLY going on around here?!

[hiknapster]

Great story, MBMouse. You have to follow the lead of the folks around here and you will do fine. Not step on any toes.

Reminds me of the time I broke the one key to my vehicle. I was at a service station and I had to call a locksmith. While we waited for him to come, I tried to buy two sodas for my daughter and me. The store manager would not take my money. She just refused.

[northcountrygirl]

Originally Posted by alleycat

I'm thinking the discount code to use is "titans" because it was sent to people who have season tickets to the Tennessee Titans. I'm not sure however; it'll be Monday before I can check because the e-mail is on my office computer.

Thanks alleycat. I really appreciate it.

[Ridgerunner]

Happyappy, I'm glad you're enjoying your new habitat. And if you think people here are friendly, you should visit South Carolina.

[TriDad]

yeah...I lived in SC so I guess that means me too

[happyappy]

Ridgerunner wrote: “. . . And if you think people here are friendly, you should visit South Carolina.”

And we can hardly wait to do just that!

I wrote in another thread before we moved out here that I did a little plotting with my drafting compass on a US map. The distance across Washington State is roughly 486 miles. From our place in the Seattle area plotting a radius of 486 miles, we could visit all of Washington and a little bit of Idaho and some of Oregon. But from Monterey in the same radius, we can visit all or part of Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. For me, that’s a genuinely thrilling position in which to be.

It overwhelms my mental abilities attempting to consider how much American history can be studied first-hand in this part of our Country. The next 50+ years will be much more intellectually fulfilling than the last 50+ have been.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by happyappy

Ridgerunner wrote: “. . . And if you think people here are friendly, you should visit South Carolina.”

And we can hardly wait to do just that!

I wrote in another thread before we moved out here that I did a little plotting with my drafting compass on a US map. The distance across Washington State is roughly 486 miles. From our place in the Seattle area plotting a radius of 486 miles, we could visit all of Washington and a little bit of Idaho and some of Oregon. But from Monterey in the same radius, we can visit all or part of Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. For me, that’s a genuinely thrilling position in which to be.

It overwhelms my mental abilities attempting to consider how much American history can be studied first-hand in this part of our Country. The next 50+ years will be much more intellectually fulfilling than the last 50+ have been.

YES! You are so right, this area is rich in history. I think the Upper Cumberland is particularly interesting as it was the last area of Tennessee to be settled by Europeans. I have a book called Upper Cumberland Historic Architecture, it was written by a couple of history professors from Tennessee Tech in Cookeville. You can find it on amazon. You might want to look it up, it's fascinating reading and will provide you with some fun Sunday afternoon drives.

Not too far from Monterey is Rugby, a historic little Victorian English village nestled in the middle of nowhere on the Cumberland Plateau. It's worth a visit. East Tennessee is packed with history. Someone posted in another message that Colonial Williamsburg is their favorite place, and holy cow that whole area around there is a must-see. You'll be doing a lot of road trips now that you're in this part of the country!

Also, I am just thrilled that you found the organic produce market near Cookeville! I'm anxious to go there myself. Also, if you go to The Good Shepherd store in Cookeville (on the corner of South Willow Ave and Buffalo Valley Rd near the Chevrolet dealership) they can give you info on organic meats and even organic soaps that are delivered there from a farm between Cookeville and Carthage.

[happyappy]

JMT,

Thanks for the info on Rugby. There are several sites on the Internet about the town including one for what appears to be a nice bed-and-breakfast inn. The best site I found, “Historic Rugby,” advertises the “33rd Annual Festival of British & Appalachian Culture May 19 & 20, 2007”. So your mentioning of Rugby just happens to be very timely.

I’ve wanted to visit Colonial Williamsburg for many years since I first got involved in raising draft horses. After joining various organizations and learning much about the old ways of farming with draft horses, I met some people who were wheelwrights and could also make practically anything on a forge. A couple of them went out to Colonial Williamsburg every year to put on demonstrations. My main interest in forging at the time was in learning how to make and fit draft horse shoes. I believe one can study the agrarian lifestyle quite well in visits to Colonial Williamsburg. The organization’s website is fabulous, comprehensive, and extensive, and filled with enormous learning opportunities.

I listened this morning to Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech at the website! And there is, of course, an overwhelming amount of information about my hero Thomas Jefferson.

We found The Good Shepherd our first outing to Cookeville and purchased some goodies. Next time we go, we’ll ask about the other things you mentioned.

[Shenandoah]

Originally Posted by happyappy

JMT,I listened this morning to Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech at the website! And there is, of course, an overwhelming amount of information about my hero Thomas Jefferson.

What website is that? You've just touched on two of my heroes. I run an informational website for the French and Indian War (1754 - 1763), and read extensively on our early Patriots and Founding Fathers. So, anything pertaining to our Early American History is fascinating to me! And I LOVE Colonial Williamsburg. I used to go there every year, but haven't vacationed in a couple of years. I'm very familiar with wheelwrights, draft horses, and blacksmithing, as there's alot of Amish in our area.

blessings, Shen

[happyappy]

Shen,

It's the Colonial Williamburg website. Can I post website addresses here?

http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/media/audio.cfm

I think I could spend several weeks perusing this site.

So, tell us more about your website about the French and Indian War. After reading your post, I searched and found an interesting website called The Philadelphia Print Shop, Ltd that has "A Brief History" that is very good.

[Shenandoah]

Originally Posted by happyappy

Shen,

It's the Colonial Williamburg website. Can I post website addresses here?

http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/media/audio.cfm

I think I could spend several weeks perusing this site.

So, tell us more about your website about the French and Indian War. After reading your post, I searched and found an interesting website called The Philadelphia Print Shop, Ltd that has "A Brief History" that is very good.

I'll PM you with my weblink, and anyone else interested, just let me know. It's only an informational site, with a discussion board for reenactors to share information.

blessings, Shen