With Gratitude +
Our Top 5 Moments of 2016
In 2016, we visited two counties and traveled over 30,000 miles. Just WOW! There are days when we feel every bump, curve and motion, and we ask, "Why?" However, most days as we're driving or computing or laying on the sofa, we simply look at each other and know that the itch is spiraling to the surface, and it's time to pack our bags. If we can't make it to another world, we find our own version a few miles down the road. That invigorates us, and fuels us for our ordinary life - which by the way, is quite extraordinary.
Reflection is often challenging but always necessary. In order to figure out tomorrow, we must understand yesterday and respect today and the ground on which we have decided to stand. We have found ourselves doing a bit of questioning in recent days as to the how we tell stories, the angles we pursue, the verbiage that drives our dialogue. Then, I get a voicemail from a friend that I might see twice a year. He tells me he just finished reading my book, and his voice suddenly dives, almost in disbelief sprinkled with a dash of guilt.
"I had no idea how good a writer you really are."
Validation comes in many forms. Today, it came via voicemail.
We confess to our writings being unique, more of a personal voice without lists and Top 10s. We avoid the controversial and seek the historical. We like to branch out on our own and see who gets in our way! Some of the most wonderful people with the most inspirational stories have been accidental occurrences. We like that. That's the reason we travel. To trip over the story. To be engulfed by what happens on the fly. To take a risk and be amazed. This is why you should travel.
So forgive us for this post - we feel a list is in order. It will more than likely be the only time during this year - or any year - that you will read a list compiled by Seeing Southern. And we like that just fine.
Reflection is often challenging but always necessary. In order to figure out tomorrow, we must understand yesterday and respect today and the ground on which we have decided to stand. We have found ourselves doing a bit of questioning in recent days as to the how we tell stories, the angles we pursue, the verbiage that drives our dialogue. Then, I get a voicemail from a friend that I might see twice a year. He tells me he just finished reading my book, and his voice suddenly dives, almost in disbelief sprinkled with a dash of guilt.
"I had no idea how good a writer you really are."
Validation comes in many forms. Today, it came via voicemail.
We confess to our writings being unique, more of a personal voice without lists and Top 10s. We avoid the controversial and seek the historical. We like to branch out on our own and see who gets in our way! Some of the most wonderful people with the most inspirational stories have been accidental occurrences. We like that. That's the reason we travel. To trip over the story. To be engulfed by what happens on the fly. To take a risk and be amazed. This is why you should travel.
So forgive us for this post - we feel a list is in order. It will more than likely be the only time during this year - or any year - that you will read a list compiled by Seeing Southern. And we like that just fine.
#5:Watching Paint Dry - See Rock City
watching paint dry
Scott Hoskins of Chattanooga is 36 years old (second from the right). He owns the company and employs the men that keep history legibile. It makes him feel good when he and his son passes this barn and his son pops up and says, "My daddy painted that barn." He says that each time he paints a barn, he feels a piece of history run through him. This business means more to him than anything he had ever done before, which is evident by the smile on his face and passion in his voice. And on a 98 degree July day, it was completely worth it to be climbing ladders and spraying paint. When his time is up, he says, his five children will pass by this barn and many others and talk about how their daddy painted See Rock City barns.
As Len and I sat in Maryville, Tennessee, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., we sweated, ran for the shade, made a run to Taco Bell, sat beside our Jeep, and all the while, these men never stopped working. We were as amazed at the changing beauty of the barn as in the personality and drive of the four painters. They never stopped. They never complained. They became a part of history today.
As Len and I sat in Maryville, Tennessee, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., we sweated, ran for the shade, made a run to Taco Bell, sat beside our Jeep, and all the while, these men never stopped working. We were as amazed at the changing beauty of the barn as in the personality and drive of the four painters. They never stopped. They never complained. They became a part of history today.
#4: Bryson City and the Nantahala
running the river and the rails
For years, we have passed by Bryson City on our way to Cherokee, to Gatlinburg, to Pigeon Forge, to some other place. This year became the year when we stopped. We stayed at the Historic Calhoun House in the heart of downtown, close enough to hear the whistle of the Smoky Mountain Railroad. Luke Hyde, the owner and Innkeeper (lower left), made us feel more like family than guests, offered us his first floor room and made us amazing biscuits each morning. He told us of how he played football in high school and even brought out one of his game balls. The don't have stories like this at the Holiday Inn. We boarded the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad and everything just melted away. The sounds of the chug-chug and the hissing through tunnels replaced cell phone notifications. If that was not perfect enough, we took on the Nantahala, and being one that chooses to look at water rather than diving into it, I (JUDY) pushed my limits and discovered that it was quite incredible. Travel makes me do things I would not normally do. It inspires and moves me to mountain tops not normally scaled. I like me; another gift of travel.
#3: Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama
Just wow! No, really. Just wow! When we received the email asking for our sizes so we could be fitted for our astronaut suit, I thought Len would have a stroke. And I think, the most powerful testimony of how wonderful this experience was was told via Len's smile. As a child, he was smitten by space. He remembers each lift-off and landing; he can call the astronauts by name and what role they played in the mission. He relived every single moment of his childhood, appreciated the magnitude of what these men and women did for America, and then, got to take a ride for himself to experience a smidgen of their adrenaline rush. Huntsville, Alabama, has a jewel in its crown: the US Space and Rocket Center. DO NOT miss this. Do NOT let your children miss this. Be an astronaut if for only a bit.
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#2: Grenada and the Southern Caribbean
seeing the island of grenada - living on ....ish time, s/v mandalay
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"When you see the Southern Cross for the first time,
You understand why you came this way." As far as the eye could see, nothing. Occasionally a white sandy beach dotted with palm trees appeared on the horizon. If you were lucky, a human might emerge from an old wooden shack just long enough to stoke the fire or turn the fish on the pit. Our view from the Windjammer Mandalay never grew old; even when there was absolutely nothing to see, in the darkness we saw clarity. And on that night, when we finally saw the Southern Cross, we knew that this was a once in a lifetime moment and that we would never pass this way again. Those are the moments and lessons that travel delivers. From the Southern Caribbean, we brought home: a people's love of country that was greater than its poverty; a joy in one's heritage; the rebuilding of a country from natural and man-made disasters; the peace that solitude can provide; an intense appreciation for what was waiting for us when we returned home.
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(above right) Charlie had a small roadside hut along the road which led into the rain forest. He would sit on his chair just off the road with only a breath between he and passing cars. The local drivers always stopped and talked to Charlie and the driver would share the man's story. We stopped and Mandoo (our driver) laughed and joked with Charlie. Charlie never said much, but simply laughed and nodded towards us. Across the road, he had taken what we would consider garbage - old tires, plumbing supplies, wood - and created a mural of sorts. Ine the bright greens and yellows of his country he wrote, "Have a nice day. One love."
#1: Ireland
seeing ireland
.Granted, this adventure had an underlying meaning: we got to see our grandchildren for the first time. I still can't say that without squealing, our rainbow at the end of the journey. However, the number of rainbows that accompanied us along the way was staggering. As surely as it would rain, sleet and spill sunlight in the span of 5 minutes, our journey gifted us spectacular sights at every turn. From natural wonders to intimate pubs, we conquered driving on the wrong side of the road with grace, never harming a sheep along the way. We traversed every one lane road from Dublin to Donegal and held our breath to make sure our little Ford would fit. In the silence of our winter journey, we realized that there was never a better time of year to visit Ireland. Never void of green, its landscape offered stories of its people, and we were allowed to navigate its beauty without the onslaught of crowds. That, my friend, is the way you experience Ireland. There is never an off-season for travel.
When we return to our home, we revel in what we have seen and almost immediately Len asks, "Where to next?"
Thank you for coming along on so many of these journeys. We appreciate your support more than you'll ever know. Join us in 2017 as we return to a few loved places and carve out some new ones as well: Key West, Italy, Sicily, Missouri, England, Ireland.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We're a hoot!
With gratitude . . . L + J
Thank you for coming along on so many of these journeys. We appreciate your support more than you'll ever know. Join us in 2017 as we return to a few loved places and carve out some new ones as well: Key West, Italy, Sicily, Missouri, England, Ireland.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We're a hoot!
With gratitude . . . L + J
