FAMILY VACATION IN TENNESSEE (Part II)

     

      After a very fun time in Nashville, we got up and headed for my brother’s home in Crump Tennessee.  It’s a little more than two hours from Nashville, and the car’s GPS led us right to Crump and then his home on the Tennessee River. Initially, Ricky didn’t have a clue as to who was parking in his driveway because he didn’t recognize the car and the plates said Florida. As we climbed from the car, he, of course, recognized moi. Lots of hugs and introductions all round.

          It was also Ricky’s birthday, so the fish fry he planned was for both his birthday and our arrival. As the afternoon moved forward, so did the appearance of guests and family, all with potluck items to add to the table. I introduced AJ, Haley and Tyler whenever possible, but they certainly didn’t seem to have a problem mixing in with all the guests.

          I had a chance to catch up with Uncle Gene who will soon be 85. He looks terrific, and while still sad due to his wife’s passing, he keeps himself busy around his place and eats most of his meals at a diner in town (more about that later).

          Ricky had a few assistants when it came to preparing and cooking the catfish. I stayed away from that section of the fish house, but should have investigated because whatever piece of equipment he was using to cook the fish looked totally foreign to me…something I’m going to have to ask him about the next time we talk.

          Not only did family attend, but either three or four couples who are Ricky’s neighbors. Everyone was very outgoing and friendly, and I appreciated seeing my nieces and nephews even though it didn’t seem as though there was enough time to catch up with everyone. I’m also certain you, my reader, has attended events where you wished you’d had more time with every single person there.

          The food was excellent, as it always is at a potluck. The catfish was cooked to perfection and my plate was practically overflowing with the various accompaniments. I also ate my first frog leg and was so amazed by how good it was that I had a second. It was a bit like a chicken wing only bigger and tastier. I wondered if I could get them in Seattle and still don’t know because I haven’t checked.

          The party went on for the entire afternoon and into the late evening. While I didn’t get a chance to talk a lot with a number of the folks, I went to bed thinking and hoping I’d get a chance in the days to come. In some cases, I did.

          That was Sunday. Monday, we just kind of lazed around for the morning. Ricky and Tomia did lead us over to the Shiloh Military National Park. Again, there was a video for us to watch and I learned so much about the earliest battle of the Civil War which lasted two days. Initially, it looked as though the Southern Military group was going to push north and defeat the Northern troops. It would have been a defining win for the South. Unfortunately, the Southern fighters were exhausted and General Grant was on the other side of the field for the North. Almost 24,000 soldiers from both sides died which is why it is called the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. Later I looked up this site and found that an actual tour can take up to seven or eight hours (if you like to hike) if you want to see everything that’s referenced. This Military Park also contains a cemetery and well-preserved prehistoric Indian Mounds.

          Ricky and Tomia went off to buy some jalapenos for jalapeno poppers. We stopped at a store and I bought salad fixings and corn on the cob. I had heard Ricky tell Tyler that we’d have duck for dinner. What I didn’t know as I watched Tomia fill the jalapeno peppers with cream cheese (No, I couldn’t help because there wasn’t enough room at the counter.) was that she was adding a piece of duck breast before wrapping the whole thing in bacon. Ricky then cooked them on the grill.

          I made the salad and Tomia showed me how to cook the corn in it’s shuck in the microwave. It’s two minutes per ear. When it’s done, you hold the skinny end with a hot pad, cut off a bit of the fat end and the corn slides out totally free of the silk. Amazing. Tomia then put the corn into two separate containers, each with a cube of melted butter. By the time we ate, the corn was saturated…and extremely yummy. Also yummy were the stuffed jalapenos. I ate two, and initially expected them to be HOT, but the cream cheese and fat from the duck breast somehow prevented the HOT from being too HOT.

          On Tuesday, we were off to Muscle Shoals and Haleyville Alabama. We went first to the Muscle Shoals recording studio. I had no idea that this little nondescript building was responsible for recording so very many artists. At one point, it was Detroit and Muscle Shoals that were responsible for recording the music we all love. The gentleman who provided the tour knew so many stories about so many artists, I now wish I had put my phone on record. If you’d like to learn more about Muscle Shoals, there is a great documentary which can be found at https://youtu.be/hKmGUIM1uAI?si=NJ1BU94hXdDn036-.

          Then we went to Haleyville so Haley could have her photo taken beside the “ville” sign. We were hungry and stopped at a Mexican restaurant that we found didn’t serve alcohol. We had a small appetizer, left and tried another Mexican restaurant. We could see the bar as we walked in, so this was the place. Tyler and I had medium margaritas and Haley had the fishbowl while AJ stuck to one beer. A little bit of shopping for Haleyville souvenirs and then we headed back to Crump.

          On Wednesday, Ricky took Tyler and Haley fishing on the Tennessee River and my niece Anita came to visit. AJ went for one of his marathon walks. Anita shared lots of family information and delivered t-shirts she’d planned to send in 2019. Some health issues took precedence and she didn’t remember they were tucked up in the closet until we came to visit. Niece Tina (Anita’s younger sister) runs a dog rescue operation in addition to her regular job. The run/walk happens the beginning of November and on the long-sleeved t-shirts, there’s always an “in memorium” section. The 2019 carried the line, “In memory of John Karlberg.” I had no idea the news of his passing had gone far enough to be remembered there. AJ, Haley and I each got a shirt, plus I brought one home for Thor. Anita also told me Tina is looking up in the attic for another shirt that remembers either Kaizer or Karma, probably Karma, which she’ll mail out to me.

          Both Tyler and Haley caught a big catfish that afternoon, and as we sat on the deck, we saw them returning up the river. I didn’t personally see the fish being cleaned, but there are photos. The results went into the freezer and I’m sure Ricky and Tomia will think of the kids when they chow down.

          I thought we had planned to go out to dinner (my treat) on Thursday. First, we went to the Tennessee River Museum across the river in Savannah. It was very interesting to learn about the area and how it developed because of the river. I also brought home the Historic District Driving-Walking Tour Guide. Number 13 is called the Williams-Churchwell House. It was rebuilt in 1869 because the original was burned in the Civil War. The blurb about the house didn’t include any family information. Number 20 in the guidebook is the Churchwell McGinley Taylor House, built in 1876 and purchased by E.P. Churchwell in the 1880s. He was a merchant in downtown Savannah and the home has remained in the family for over 125 years. I’m gonna have to ask Ricky if we’re related to those Churchwells.

          When we left the museum, we ended up parking behind some buildings, but I didn’t know why until we got inside where we found Uncle Gene. It’s the place he always has breakfast and lunch. He was treating all of us to lunch. It was cafeteria style, and I ordered the chicken-fried steak (HUGE), mashed potatoes and deep-fried okra. I could have had corn and peas, but they were reminiscent of when Grandma or mom opened a can and cooked them for hours. I also passed on the corned bread, biscuits, bread. A glass of sweet tea went well. I wasn’t able to eat it all, so Haley (who ordered a hamburger from the menu) finished it off. Ricky had ordered a piece of caramel pie which he shared with the table. OH MY, it was yummy and I ended up with the last couple of bites. Uncle Gene ordered three servings of banana pudding. I haven’t had banana pudding like that since the last one my momma made. Another few bites and I was…as they like to say…full as a tick. I also had a feeling there’d be no dinner out that evening.

Back at Ricky’s, I went for a walk in the hope my tummy would decrease in size. Walking back, I ran into Ricky who was taking Haley and Tyler to Uncle Gene’s to fish in his pond. Tomia and I sat around and chatted about stuff for a while. When AJ returned from his walk, Tomia drove us over to Uncle Gene’s. Now, when I say he has a pond in his back yard, I mean a POND. He told me his property line is on the other side of the trees on the opposite side of the pond in the middle of the creek back there. He doesn’t do all the upkeep himself any longer, but has someone come in a mow the hay on one side. He said it was due for a second mowing right about then.

I think everyone tried their hand at fishing except me and AJ. We sat with Uncle Gene on his back deck and watched the fishers and the ducks and one swan move around the pond. Tyler and Haley caught some small fish, but released them back into the pond. The day was coming to an end when we said farewell and piled back into the vehicles to return to Ricky’s and pack. The sun was still shining as dusk fell.

We packed up, including three boxes that would be shipped via UPS the next day. I had the smallest box and Haley and Tyler the largest. Haley said in the future, she was going to buy one of those hard suitcases and carry her stuff back home in that…far far cheaper than UPS. Then to bed with a bit of concern about Hurricane Helene…would it hit Nashville?

The next morning, it was windy and rainy. We said our thank yous and farewells, stopped by the UPS store with our boxes and hit the road. I was happy to be in the back where I couldn’t see the highway because I think visibility at seventy miles an hour, or whatever speed AJ was traveling, was pretty much zero.

Still, we arrived in Nashville without a problem, turned in the car and went to our rooms at the Hilton adjacent the airport. AJ had applied for and received permissions for us all to enter the airport and take advantage of the restaurants and gift shops. We did and I wanted ribs one more time; however, the rib joint didn’t look all that appetizing, so AJ and I ended up at Hattie B’s Chicken. It was both hot (cooked) and hot (spices). I asked for macaroni and cheese but got fries which was fine. Once again stuffed, I picked up a couple more souvenirs before heading back to the hotel and bed.

The next morning, it was still windy, but the rain had stopped. The airplane was on time and lifted off without a problem