Elkmont, Alabama
Weather: low 35 degrees, high 65 degrees, clear skies
The weather was the best today that we have seen in about three months. We'll have more cold weather before winter is over, but maybe there won't be any more snow.
The warmer weather encouraged us to do a few housekeeping chores outside that had been put off. Carolyn said she had been hearing what sounded like a leak when she washed dishes, but we couldn't find any evidence of it inside the house. The house has a crawl space that's easy to get in to, so I crawled in there to see if I could see the leak. After looking for several minutes with the water running, I couldn't see any leaks. What I think she heard was a drip from the drain line out of the kitchen sink that was hitting a 45 degree elbow drain where the line comes out of the wall and goes under the house. Further looking didn't find any sign of wet or rotten wood, or any wetness at all. I think I can cross that little job off.
The next little problem was evidence of a slight water hammer when the toilet in the hall was flushed. Looking this issue up on Yahoo gave me several tips on how to fix it. But, there is a bigger issue that we didn't know about before today. When the toilet is flushed, water leaks by the seal and runs out on the moisture barrier on the ground. I took the toilet apart and found that the wax ring had been installed improperly, allowing the water to leak. I repaired the issue with the water hammer, but I'll have to get a new wax ring tomorrow so I can repair that item. At least we don't have to use that bathroom, since we still have the master bath available.
So far, those are the only problems we have found in the new home base. We've got our fingers crossed.
I had hoped to trim the shrubs in front of the house, but ran out of ambition before I got to that. Maybe tomorrow, or the next day. If the weather stays nice.
I had to go in to town to run a couple of errands this morning. One place I needed to go was to the library so I could drop off some books and checkout more. What I didn't know was that the library doesn't open on Monday until 1300 hours, and I was an hour early. Not wanting to wait an hour, I went home. Again, maybe I can do it tomorrow.
Carolyn made a really nice chicken salad for supper, along with garlic bread and Romaine lettuce salad. Pretty good stuff.
If this nice weather keeps up, I may go get the RV and start getting it ready to travel. I know I'm ready to hit the road.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Las Vegas, Nevada: Capital Of Second Chances
Not all who wander are lost.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Lewisburg, Tennessee
Elkmont, Alabama
Weather: low 25 degrees, high 60 degrees, clear skies
Could spring possibly be on the way? Today was the warmest day we have seen in about four months. The same is forecast for tomorrow. Maybe we can do a little puttering in the yard.
I was feeling better when I woke this morning, and Carolyn was getting a little bored sitting at home. So, we decided to take a ride north of here up I-65, then back south on US 431 to see if there was anything interesting.
About all we saw worth noting (it still is winter) was a lot of ice hanging off the rocks next to the interstate. Of course, the route goes through some beautiful countryside, but we're getting a little tired of seeing nothing but different shades of brown.
We drove about 45 miles north on the interstate, then turned east, going through several little towns, including Lewisburg. The Tennessee Walking Horse Association is based in Lewisburg, and it made our day to pass by a place where a rider was putting his Tennessee walking horse through it's paces. Sorry, I couldn't get any pictures.
Lewisburg is the county seat of Marshall County, named after the first chief justice of the United States, John Marshall. here's the obligatory picture of the courthouse. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I like to read about the history of the places we visit.
After leaving Lewisburg, we drove south on US 431 to Fayetteville, where we took Tennessee 110 to Ardmore. There was a reason for going through Ardmore that I didn't tell Carolyn about. Since it was my turn to pick a place to eat out, I wanted to try a local Mexican restaurant that looked interesting. Plus, it was always busy when we went by there. So, that indicated to me that the locals liked it. I was willing to give it a chance.
When we got in to Ardmore, I asked Carolyn if she was ready for lunch. She said if we can a place to try. I suggested the Mexican restaurant, reminding her that it was my turn to pick. She went along with the selection, so we pulled in.
The restaurant is named El Olmeca, and was named after the Olmec culture of Mexico. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted and escorted to a table, where our waiter showed up about ten seconds later. Our orders and were quickly taken, and then we had a chance to look around. Wow! What a visual experience, with rich, vivid colors dominating the decorating, along with heavy wood chairs and tables.
The food was very good, but the one thing that convinced me these folks know what they are doing was the salsa and chips. The salsa had the right amount of spiciness and heat, and the chips were just right for dipping.
When we were leaving the restaurant, Carolyn said that was a keeper, indicating that I made a good choice, and she wouldn't mind going back. Well, good enough, I'll take that as a compliment. Now, I'll look for an American family style restaurant to try next. Who knows, maybe we can stop using the chain restaurants as much as we do.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Lewisburg, Tennessee: The Center of South Middle Tennessee
Not all who wander are lost.
Weather: low 25 degrees, high 60 degrees, clear skies
Could spring possibly be on the way? Today was the warmest day we have seen in about four months. The same is forecast for tomorrow. Maybe we can do a little puttering in the yard.
I was feeling better when I woke this morning, and Carolyn was getting a little bored sitting at home. So, we decided to take a ride north of here up I-65, then back south on US 431 to see if there was anything interesting.
About all we saw worth noting (it still is winter) was a lot of ice hanging off the rocks next to the interstate. Of course, the route goes through some beautiful countryside, but we're getting a little tired of seeing nothing but different shades of brown.
We drove about 45 miles north on the interstate, then turned east, going through several little towns, including Lewisburg. The Tennessee Walking Horse Association is based in Lewisburg, and it made our day to pass by a place where a rider was putting his Tennessee walking horse through it's paces. Sorry, I couldn't get any pictures.
Lewisburg is the county seat of Marshall County, named after the first chief justice of the United States, John Marshall. here's the obligatory picture of the courthouse. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I like to read about the history of the places we visit.
After leaving Lewisburg, we drove south on US 431 to Fayetteville, where we took Tennessee 110 to Ardmore. There was a reason for going through Ardmore that I didn't tell Carolyn about. Since it was my turn to pick a place to eat out, I wanted to try a local Mexican restaurant that looked interesting. Plus, it was always busy when we went by there. So, that indicated to me that the locals liked it. I was willing to give it a chance.
When we got in to Ardmore, I asked Carolyn if she was ready for lunch. She said if we can a place to try. I suggested the Mexican restaurant, reminding her that it was my turn to pick. She went along with the selection, so we pulled in.
The restaurant is named El Olmeca, and was named after the Olmec culture of Mexico. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted and escorted to a table, where our waiter showed up about ten seconds later. Our orders and were quickly taken, and then we had a chance to look around. Wow! What a visual experience, with rich, vivid colors dominating the decorating, along with heavy wood chairs and tables.
The food was very good, but the one thing that convinced me these folks know what they are doing was the salsa and chips. The salsa had the right amount of spiciness and heat, and the chips were just right for dipping.
When we were leaving the restaurant, Carolyn said that was a keeper, indicating that I made a good choice, and she wouldn't mind going back. Well, good enough, I'll take that as a compliment. Now, I'll look for an American family style restaurant to try next. Who knows, maybe we can stop using the chain restaurants as much as we do.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Lewisburg, Tennessee: The Center of South Middle Tennessee
Not all who wander are lost.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Battle of Sulphur Creek Trestle
Elkmont, Alabama
Weather: low 21 degrees, high 52 degrees, clear skies
We enjoyed eating out with Judy and Roger last night, but I must have gotten something that didn't agree with me. I was was under the weather all day, staying in my chair and watching television most of the day. I did get up enough ambition to go to the old railroad bed walking trail so I could try to find where a Civil War battle took place in 1864.
As soon as I was on the trail, I saw an interesting twisty tree. I wonder what made this tree get it's twisted shape?
Another interesting thing I saw was some old power line poles that had apparently been left in place when the trail was being built. I wonder when these old poles were installed?
Black walnut trees are becoming hard to find as people clear land or cut them down for use in furniture. I found some of the trees today, including some of the nuts on the ground.
When I got to the site of the Sulphur Creek Trestle Battle, located about 1.25 miles from where I started walking, the first thing I saw was the creek. There wasn't much to it, since it was only a few feet wide. The railroad was an important supply route for the Union Army, moving supplies from Nashville to Athens and Huntsville. A Union fort was in place to protect the railroad and trestle. In 1864, the Confederates attacked the fort and took it after a battle of several hours. This battle was the bloodiest of the Civil War in Alabama, with over 200 men being killed.
At this time, the location where the fort was located has a modern, large home located on it. I wonder if they know the significance of their home's location?
Here's what the creek looks like. Not much to it.
That's about it from here. I hope I feel better tomorrow.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Virginia City, NV: History For The Taking
Not all who wander are lost.
Weather: low 21 degrees, high 52 degrees, clear skies
We enjoyed eating out with Judy and Roger last night, but I must have gotten something that didn't agree with me. I was was under the weather all day, staying in my chair and watching television most of the day. I did get up enough ambition to go to the old railroad bed walking trail so I could try to find where a Civil War battle took place in 1864.
As soon as I was on the trail, I saw an interesting twisty tree. I wonder what made this tree get it's twisted shape?
Another interesting thing I saw was some old power line poles that had apparently been left in place when the trail was being built. I wonder when these old poles were installed?
Black walnut trees are becoming hard to find as people clear land or cut them down for use in furniture. I found some of the trees today, including some of the nuts on the ground.
When I got to the site of the Sulphur Creek Trestle Battle, located about 1.25 miles from where I started walking, the first thing I saw was the creek. There wasn't much to it, since it was only a few feet wide. The railroad was an important supply route for the Union Army, moving supplies from Nashville to Athens and Huntsville. A Union fort was in place to protect the railroad and trestle. In 1864, the Confederates attacked the fort and took it after a battle of several hours. This battle was the bloodiest of the Civil War in Alabama, with over 200 men being killed.
At this time, the location where the fort was located has a modern, large home located on it. I wonder if they know the significance of their home's location?
Here's what the creek looks like. Not much to it.
That's about it from here. I hope I feel better tomorrow.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Virginia City, NV: History For The Taking
Not all who wander are lost.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Released From Doctor
Elkmont, Alabama
Weather: low 14 degrees, high 40 degrees, clear skies
I thought the warmer weather in the afternoon would make me more inclined to get out outside and do something in the fresh air. Nope, no ambition at all. It's going to have to be warmer than 40 degrees to make me feel like things are warming up.
I had to make another trip to the south part of Huntsville to see the doctor who operated on my wrist almost six weeks ago. The bad part of the trip is going through the traffic mess in Madison. It seems like once I'm through there, the traffic in Huntsville is nothing.
When I saw the doctor, he said the wrist was doing as he expected, and I was not going to have to go back to see him again. At least for that particular problem. I'm having some problems with that hand going numb and hurting at night, and he diagnosed the problem as carpal tunnel syndrome, which I had repaired on the other hand. At this time, I can stand the numbness and pain, but the doctor said if it gets worse, to give him a call and he'll do surgery on it. You can bet that I'll have to be hurting bad to call him. Not that I'm afraid of the surgery, but maybe it'll get better over time. Am I optimistic that it will? Well, no, but I need a break from surgery and doctors.
While I was in Huntsville, Carolyn did some more housekeeping, since I was out of her way. I do my best to keep her from doing anything that might cause her a problem with her vertigo, but I can't stop her if I'm not around. As expected, the vertigo flared up after lunch, so she was down for the count until late afternoon.
We met my sister Judy and her husband Roger for supper at one of the chain restaurants. I know it was my turn to pick a local restaurant, but this particular restaurant was having a seafood buffet, and Roger said it was good. We'll try anything once (almost).
The food was good, but I have found as I get older that buffets of any sort tend to hurt me worse than I can hurt them. I can remember when I would get my money's worth from a buffet. Not anymore. Now, I think I actually lose money on them. The food was good, but I couldn't eat nearly as much as I might have at one time. That's okay, since we enjoyed supper with Judy and Roger.
By the time we got home, the food lethargy had kicked in, and it was a struggle to stay awake until the normal bedtime. The television programming didn't help as Friday night seems to be our least favorite night for television. I'm going to have to set up the television and computer so we can receive Net Flix or something like it.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Andrews, North Carolina: The Little Town With The Big Heart
Not all who wander are lost.
Weather: low 14 degrees, high 40 degrees, clear skies
I thought the warmer weather in the afternoon would make me more inclined to get out outside and do something in the fresh air. Nope, no ambition at all. It's going to have to be warmer than 40 degrees to make me feel like things are warming up.
I had to make another trip to the south part of Huntsville to see the doctor who operated on my wrist almost six weeks ago. The bad part of the trip is going through the traffic mess in Madison. It seems like once I'm through there, the traffic in Huntsville is nothing.
When I saw the doctor, he said the wrist was doing as he expected, and I was not going to have to go back to see him again. At least for that particular problem. I'm having some problems with that hand going numb and hurting at night, and he diagnosed the problem as carpal tunnel syndrome, which I had repaired on the other hand. At this time, I can stand the numbness and pain, but the doctor said if it gets worse, to give him a call and he'll do surgery on it. You can bet that I'll have to be hurting bad to call him. Not that I'm afraid of the surgery, but maybe it'll get better over time. Am I optimistic that it will? Well, no, but I need a break from surgery and doctors.
While I was in Huntsville, Carolyn did some more housekeeping, since I was out of her way. I do my best to keep her from doing anything that might cause her a problem with her vertigo, but I can't stop her if I'm not around. As expected, the vertigo flared up after lunch, so she was down for the count until late afternoon.
We met my sister Judy and her husband Roger for supper at one of the chain restaurants. I know it was my turn to pick a local restaurant, but this particular restaurant was having a seafood buffet, and Roger said it was good. We'll try anything once (almost).
The food was good, but I have found as I get older that buffets of any sort tend to hurt me worse than I can hurt them. I can remember when I would get my money's worth from a buffet. Not anymore. Now, I think I actually lose money on them. The food was good, but I couldn't eat nearly as much as I might have at one time. That's okay, since we enjoyed supper with Judy and Roger.
By the time we got home, the food lethargy had kicked in, and it was a struggle to stay awake until the normal bedtime. The television programming didn't help as Friday night seems to be our least favorite night for television. I'm going to have to set up the television and computer so we can receive Net Flix or something like it.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Andrews, North Carolina: The Little Town With The Big Heart
Not all who wander are lost.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Snow, Cleaning, And A Banjo
Elkmont, Alabama
Weather: low 21 degrees, high 33 degrees, clear skies
The little snow storm that passed through here last night only dropped a little over an inch of snow, but it was enough that the local schools were out again. These kids up here will be going to school until July to make up their snow days.
So, how did an inch of snow cause the schools to be closed again? The snow mostly fell after dark, and it froze on the roads. That made it dangerous to drive on icy roads, so I feel the authorities made the right decision to miss another day. Can you imagine the uproar if a school bus had wrecked on an icy road, and kids had gotten hurt?
The sun came out brightly about 0900 hours, and by 1300 hours, the snow was gone except where it was in the shade.
Carolyn went on a cleaning tear today, and it was all I could do to hang on as she pulled me along with her. She did the dusting and mopping, while I put stuff up in better places and vacuumed. Part of the house is closed off, since there's only the two of us, so it doesn't take that long to do the cleaning. Still, when Carolyn gets on one of these tears, the best thing to do is just go along and help so it will be over as soon as possible.
After lunch, we decided to go for a drive down another country road, but didn't see anything of particular interest. The countryside continues to be beautiful, even with it's winter coat on. Some of the trees are starting to get little leaf buds, so spring should be around the corner. Temperatures in the 50s are forecast by Sunday, so maybe we'll get a break from the cold.
When we started fulltime RVing, Carolyn got rid of many things that she liked to use in the kitchen. There's only so much room in the RV, and it made more sense to get rid of stuff than to store it. This past week, I ordered two items that she has been missing a lot, a potato ricer and a banjo slicer. The items arrived today, and she is tickled with them. I wonder if she has any good stuff planned to prepare with the new tools?
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Columbia, South Carolina: The Magic City
Not all who wander are lost.
Weather: low 21 degrees, high 33 degrees, clear skies
The little snow storm that passed through here last night only dropped a little over an inch of snow, but it was enough that the local schools were out again. These kids up here will be going to school until July to make up their snow days.
So, how did an inch of snow cause the schools to be closed again? The snow mostly fell after dark, and it froze on the roads. That made it dangerous to drive on icy roads, so I feel the authorities made the right decision to miss another day. Can you imagine the uproar if a school bus had wrecked on an icy road, and kids had gotten hurt?
The sun came out brightly about 0900 hours, and by 1300 hours, the snow was gone except where it was in the shade.
Carolyn went on a cleaning tear today, and it was all I could do to hang on as she pulled me along with her. She did the dusting and mopping, while I put stuff up in better places and vacuumed. Part of the house is closed off, since there's only the two of us, so it doesn't take that long to do the cleaning. Still, when Carolyn gets on one of these tears, the best thing to do is just go along and help so it will be over as soon as possible.
After lunch, we decided to go for a drive down another country road, but didn't see anything of particular interest. The countryside continues to be beautiful, even with it's winter coat on. Some of the trees are starting to get little leaf buds, so spring should be around the corner. Temperatures in the 50s are forecast by Sunday, so maybe we'll get a break from the cold.
When we started fulltime RVing, Carolyn got rid of many things that she liked to use in the kitchen. There's only so much room in the RV, and it made more sense to get rid of stuff than to store it. This past week, I ordered two items that she has been missing a lot, a potato ricer and a banjo slicer. The items arrived today, and she is tickled with them. I wonder if she has any good stuff planned to prepare with the new tools?
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Columbia, South Carolina: The Magic City
Not all who wander are lost.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
USB wifi Adapter
Elkmont, Alabama
Weather: low 22 degrees, high 35 degrees, cloudy, breezy, snow
I wanted to continue my good health efforts of the past few days with my walks, but decided to check the weather before setting out for another trek. Good thing I checked, because when I was planning on going out, the wind chill was in the low 20s. I learned my lesson yesterday, when the wind chill was in the high 20s, and I could hardly talk when I got home. That meant no walk today, but at least I didn't almost get frost bite.
Instead of the walk, I puttered on the computer some, finding that the internal wifi card was not working correctly. Actually, the switch turned off on it's own, and nothing I did fixed the problem. I went to the HP website, but all I found there was plenty of other HP users with the same problem. Apparently, there is a problem with the software, and HP has chosen to ignore it. They will allow you to ship the computer back to them so they can fix it, but the cost is more than a new computer. Many of the frustrated users installed an external USB wifi card that bypassed the internal wifi card, so wireless signals can be received. The cost was much less than what HP wanted to charge, by a factor of about ten.
So, I drove into town and picked up a USB wifi adapter and installed it in the computer. The installation was fairly easy, even for a non-geek like me. When I attempted to connect to our router, I discovered that the router was not working correctly. I did some poking around and troubleshooting, but it still didn't work. Eventually, I gave up for the day. I may have to reinstall the router, but that's a last resort.
The snowfall started today about 1540 hours, and the area is expected to have accumulations of about three inches. Carolyn says she's sick of the snow. I don't mind the snow, and believe me, it's better than an ice storm. The snow shouldn't last on the ground more than a couple of days, as the weekend is supposed to be sunny.
The rest of the day was spent like a typical cold winter day - reading, surfing the web, television, etc. Someday, the weather will warm up enough for us to bring the RV home so we can get it ready to travel. I know we're ready to hit the road.
More later, be safe,
Today's Town - Cuero, Texas: Turkey Capital Of The World
Not all who wander are lost.
Weather: low 22 degrees, high 35 degrees, cloudy, breezy, snow
I wanted to continue my good health efforts of the past few days with my walks, but decided to check the weather before setting out for another trek. Good thing I checked, because when I was planning on going out, the wind chill was in the low 20s. I learned my lesson yesterday, when the wind chill was in the high 20s, and I could hardly talk when I got home. That meant no walk today, but at least I didn't almost get frost bite.
Instead of the walk, I puttered on the computer some, finding that the internal wifi card was not working correctly. Actually, the switch turned off on it's own, and nothing I did fixed the problem. I went to the HP website, but all I found there was plenty of other HP users with the same problem. Apparently, there is a problem with the software, and HP has chosen to ignore it. They will allow you to ship the computer back to them so they can fix it, but the cost is more than a new computer. Many of the frustrated users installed an external USB wifi card that bypassed the internal wifi card, so wireless signals can be received. The cost was much less than what HP wanted to charge, by a factor of about ten.
So, I drove into town and picked up a USB wifi adapter and installed it in the computer. The installation was fairly easy, even for a non-geek like me. When I attempted to connect to our router, I discovered that the router was not working correctly. I did some poking around and troubleshooting, but it still didn't work. Eventually, I gave up for the day. I may have to reinstall the router, but that's a last resort.
The snowfall started today about 1540 hours, and the area is expected to have accumulations of about three inches. Carolyn says she's sick of the snow. I don't mind the snow, and believe me, it's better than an ice storm. The snow shouldn't last on the ground more than a couple of days, as the weekend is supposed to be sunny.
The rest of the day was spent like a typical cold winter day - reading, surfing the web, television, etc. Someday, the weather will warm up enough for us to bring the RV home so we can get it ready to travel. I know we're ready to hit the road.
More later, be safe,
Today's Town - Cuero, Texas: Turkey Capital Of The World
Not all who wander are lost.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Elkmont, Alabama
Elkmont, Alabama
Weather: low 24 degrees, high 40 degrees, cloudy until noon, then mostly clear skies
Hoping to build on my attempt to be healthier as evidenced by my long walk yesterday, I bundled up and went on another walk today. Big mistake! The wind was blowing, but didn't seem to be blowing that hard. But, it seemed that no matter which direction I was walking, the wind was still in my face. I toughed out the cold wind, but when I got home, I could hardly talk because my lips felt frozen. If I had taken a minute to check the temperature, I would have waited until the afternoon to walk. When I got home, the wind chill was down to 24 degrees. Sheesh! That's just too cold for these old bones.
About lunchtime, Carolyn asked if I wanted to go to town for lunch. Well, I didn't mind going to town, but I wasn't really wanting to eat at one more fast food restaurant. Instead, I suggested meat loaf sandwiches. She said that was a good idea, and that she had forgotten about the meat loaf. The sandwiches were very good, and probably better than anything we could have gotten in town.
We still went in to town after lunch, and stopped at a thrift shop operated by a homeless persons shelter. We have been looking for a side table for the couch in the living room, and thought there might be something there we could use. As might be expected in a place like this store, most of the stuff was old and wore out. We found one table that might have worked, but we thought the price was too high. Heck, we could probably buy a new one for what they wanted. Maybe we'll check the furniture store where we bought the couch.
When we left the thrift store, we took a ride down another of those many country roads in the county. Eventually, we ended up in the little town of Elkmont, which is where our address is located. We live about two miles away from Elkmont. I decided to take some pictures of the downtown area. Now, you need to understand that Elkmont is well off the beaten path, and you have to want to be going there to get there.
I have written many times about how much we like small towns. We think they are the backbone of the country, and are the most likely places to find evidence of the American values that we grew up with. Life is a little slower, people have time to stop and talk, and the American flag is flown. Front porches are still used for visiting and watching the traffic go by, high school football is the biggest thing around, and most people have a back yard garden. They remind us of our younger years.
This first picture is of the Elkmont train depot. The trains stopped running years ago, and the tracks were removed and the right of way converted to a walking trail about ten miles long.
These next two pictures pretty much sum up what downtown Elkmont looks like. None of the stores are used any more, except for a small gas station/convenience store around the corner.
This next picture is of the old railroad bed, which has been converted in to a walking trail.
Most of the houses in town are older and modest. There are a few newer homes, and a new post office was built to accommodate the people moving in to the surrounding area.
So that's Elkmont, but could be many other little towns that we have visited across the country.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Tupelo, Mississippi: Birthplace of Elvis Presley
Not all who wander are lost.
Weather: low 24 degrees, high 40 degrees, cloudy until noon, then mostly clear skies
Hoping to build on my attempt to be healthier as evidenced by my long walk yesterday, I bundled up and went on another walk today. Big mistake! The wind was blowing, but didn't seem to be blowing that hard. But, it seemed that no matter which direction I was walking, the wind was still in my face. I toughed out the cold wind, but when I got home, I could hardly talk because my lips felt frozen. If I had taken a minute to check the temperature, I would have waited until the afternoon to walk. When I got home, the wind chill was down to 24 degrees. Sheesh! That's just too cold for these old bones.
About lunchtime, Carolyn asked if I wanted to go to town for lunch. Well, I didn't mind going to town, but I wasn't really wanting to eat at one more fast food restaurant. Instead, I suggested meat loaf sandwiches. She said that was a good idea, and that she had forgotten about the meat loaf. The sandwiches were very good, and probably better than anything we could have gotten in town.
We still went in to town after lunch, and stopped at a thrift shop operated by a homeless persons shelter. We have been looking for a side table for the couch in the living room, and thought there might be something there we could use. As might be expected in a place like this store, most of the stuff was old and wore out. We found one table that might have worked, but we thought the price was too high. Heck, we could probably buy a new one for what they wanted. Maybe we'll check the furniture store where we bought the couch.
When we left the thrift store, we took a ride down another of those many country roads in the county. Eventually, we ended up in the little town of Elkmont, which is where our address is located. We live about two miles away from Elkmont. I decided to take some pictures of the downtown area. Now, you need to understand that Elkmont is well off the beaten path, and you have to want to be going there to get there.
I have written many times about how much we like small towns. We think they are the backbone of the country, and are the most likely places to find evidence of the American values that we grew up with. Life is a little slower, people have time to stop and talk, and the American flag is flown. Front porches are still used for visiting and watching the traffic go by, high school football is the biggest thing around, and most people have a back yard garden. They remind us of our younger years.
This first picture is of the Elkmont train depot. The trains stopped running years ago, and the tracks were removed and the right of way converted to a walking trail about ten miles long.
These next two pictures pretty much sum up what downtown Elkmont looks like. None of the stores are used any more, except for a small gas station/convenience store around the corner.
This next picture is of the old railroad bed, which has been converted in to a walking trail.
Most of the houses in town are older and modest. There are a few newer homes, and a new post office was built to accommodate the people moving in to the surrounding area.
So that's Elkmont, but could be many other little towns that we have visited across the country.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Tupelo, Mississippi: Birthplace of Elvis Presley
Not all who wander are lost.
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