I Don't Know How To Tell You This......

Heiskell, Tennessee

Weather: low 63 degrees, high 85 degrees, partly cloudy skies, showers in the afternoon

My brother Terrell and his wife Kathy are moving from Texas to Maryville, Tennessee by the end of the year. In preparation for the move, they have bought a house just south of Maryville and off US 129. This highway is a route that will take travelers into the mountains. Since we are staying fairly close to the area, we decided to drive down and see where the house was located and make sure everything was okay, since no one is living in the house. That is, supposedly no one was living in the house. Terrell and Kathy, I don't know how to tell you this, but.......(just kidding, guys)

The traffic on I-75 was fairly heavy, but nothing to hold us up. Once we turned off on US 129, the traffic was less, and I was able to enjoy the drive along the Tennessee River and Fort Loudoun Lake. The river and lake were on my right side, while we could see glimpses of the mountains to the east. The first town after leaving Knoxville was Alcoa, which is named after the aluminum company. Alcoa has a large aluminum smelting plant here, and is probably one of the biggest employers in the area. Lynn Swann, former pro football wide receiver, is from here. In addition, the main airport for Knoxville is located in Alcoa.

Sam Houston's School House in Maryville.

Almost immediately after leaving Alcoa, we were in Maryville, a town of about 25,000 people. Since the town was settled in 1795, there is a lot of history. One of my favorite little tidbits is that Sam Houston, hero of the Texas Revolution, moved to Maryville in 1808 when he was 15 years old. He was a school teacher there before he began his career as a soldier and politician.

We found a Backyard Burgers, our favorite hamburger restaurant in Maryville. That was a little surprising, since all of them that we had seen recently were closed, probably because of the economy. It was a little early for supper, so we didn't stop. It gives us a little hope that we will find others down the road.

We found the house, located in a nice neighborhood on the way to the mountains. It will be nice to have someone to visit up here when we're looking for cooler weather. We pulled into the driveway to turn around, and noticed that the temperature was 81 degrees at noon. How about that?

On our way home, we stopped at Sam's Club to pick up a couple of things we needed. While we were in the store, a heavy rain shower passed over. Luckily, the rain stopped before we went out. After getting home, a shower went through the area and helped cool the temperature down from 86 degrees to about 75. Ahhhh. Just right.

I don't have anything planned for tomorrow yet, but I'm sure we'll come up with something.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Alcoa, Tennessee: Home Of Pat Summit, University Of Tennessee’s Women’s Basketball Coach

Not all who wander are lost.