Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Knoxville, TN, to Summerville, SC, May 31-June 3, 2013


Any drive through Knoxville takes us to Farragut and past the home where we lived for 8 years....one of our favorites.



The Ashburns are Kara, my youngest daughter, and her new husband, Jerry.  This is their new home that we are seeing for the first time.


An upstairs living and a downstairs living


"Our room"


A storage/potting shed tucked behind the new double garage is becoming a workshop....Jerry's turf!


All of the above pictures are the original part of the 60 year old home they have purchased.  The picture just above this was the sunroom, now Kara's home office.


They added the left "wing" of this house.....



Their bedroom, bath and closets are on the main level....


and a spacious party room underneath the bedroom


Jerry's "prized" possession....maybe Kara, but more than likely the 1969 Mustang he has spent some years restoring.  


We went by Kara's former home.....a condo in the downtown area.  We met her new renter who is moving in soon.  Jerry's former home is on the market.


We walked to Market Square from the condo.....lucky day...it is Saturday and the Farmers' Market is in full swing.



Krutch Park borders the square.







Lunch at a nearby bistro.  Jerry is finally with us.....he has been on the road and did not get home till nearly midnight last night.


From one meal to the next......Jerry took orders for the meat....well done, rare, etc.....it was cooked exactly as requested!


We could have eaten inside, but everyone voted for the porch!



Eating again!!!!  This time for brunch with Jerry's parents, Pam and Jerry.  We are fortunate to have fun "outlaws".



Hangin' out with our grand dog, Pepper.  So ugly that she is cute.  Sorta.


To earn our keep, we help with some of the "moving" chores.  


Parting with some clothes is never easy....particularly the shoes!


The unique aspect of helping Kara move is her pocket change.  Kara and I have done this before....and I was astonished at how much money we found in purses, drawers, pockets....everywhere.  I think when she moved from D. C. to Knoxville, it was nearly $200 in change.  She said she had discovered over $100 during the initial move from her condo.  The change we found today was so sticky and gummy we had to "launder" it!


Any guess how much more there is?


Heading home on Monday, we drive through Newport, TN, where I lived for 23 years!!!  Tom and I met here and this was our first home.  We lived here for a year before moving to Knoxville.


The Smokies are looking smoky today.



The drive from Newport to Asheville on I-40 is a beautiful one.  Rockslides and one tunnel collapse have plagued this section of the interstate.  When I first moved to east Tennessee in l968, there was no interstate.....there wasn't even phone service in the mountainous areas.



WE ARE HOME!!!!!!


Found this in our front yard....bet we know who the culprit is!!!


The Barbieri's have been living in Germany for the past 3 years....They live on one side of the "center of the world" and we live on the other.....Thank you, Peck's!



Our lovely lagoon, fountain and sunset....we are back in our nest, safe and healthy.   We are deeply grateful for this epic journey and its enduring memories.
















Nashville, TN, Thursday, May 30, 2013


We are getting there.......but Tennessee is a long state, 500 miles end to end, and we are going end to end....


Green, green trees...lots of them....and BIG ones!!




We decided to stop in Nashville for a night.....and return to check out the Del Webb there.  We had looked some years ago and just wanted to see how it had "matured".  Lake Providence, as this one is known, started about the same time as ours...and is the same size.  



A billiards table in the "lobby"


A walking track and yoga studio on an upper level.  A larger fitness room with 5 TV's


There are lockers on all three walls of the locker room...


A massage therapist comes to the resort for appointments






Lake Providence is the only water feature in the community.....complete with water toys for residents' use and it is stocked with the above fish and a jon boat available for fishing.


An outdoor "theatre" for gatherings and concerts






Lots and lots of green space.....lots and lots of pergolas.....even at the pickleball and tennis courts and the bocce ball area.  Only two hard surface tennis courts...


An enclosed basketball court


Utility right of way land is dedicated to a community garden


Green space medians were centered in many of the residential streets.....with PARKING spaces.


Home exteriors are primarily brick or stone.....and prices are comparable....and HOA fees the same.  Somewhere between 700 and 800 homes sold.  They have "matured" very nicely.