One of the ubiquitous butterflies.
The flights from Providence to Newark to Nashville were uneventful, although I don't find the regional jets that comfortable. We landed in Nashville around lunchtime, and picking up the rental car, headed northward around Nashville on the Briley Parkway. We stopped in Clarkesville TN to grab a lunch before continuing on up I-24 to Cadiz and our hotel.
There isn't a lot to report about the reunion other than it followed the usual pattern set down over the years - a hamburger/hotdog cookout on Saturday evening as folks arrive from diverse parts of the country, followed the next day by the potluck that marks the 'official' get together. Since Robert and Adrienne took over the farmhouse, they have been the 'hosts' of the event, although Mom is still very much involved in directing activities.
I didn't take many pictures, although the handful are shown below.
One of the ubiquitous butterflies.
Olen (with his back to me)…
…reading a poem of about 7 typewritten pages that was a sweet remembrance of life on the farm.
Looks like he has a appreciative (or, taking a page from Ruth, is it captive?) audience in Ann, Cleve, and the Tidwell clan.
Seated are Dad, Mom, and Lottie.
Assembling the reunion portrait: the eldest generation seated - Dad, Mom, Lottie, Fred, Ruth, and Olen.
The hay bales in the field casting long shadows in the late afternoon sun.
We stayed an extra day (Monday) to hang around with Robert and Adrienne, while Cindy drove into town with Mom and Dad to handle the assorted local finances. For dinner that evening we drove over to Patti's Settlement for dinner - the wait was over two hours for a table (on a Monday night!). Cindy, Mike, Mason, Robert, Jonathan, and I took the opportunity to play a rousing round of miniature golf at the course that is part of the establishment (Mike and I tied for first). When we returned to the restaurant, where Adrienne, Mom, and Dad were waiting, it only took a few more minutes for us to be seated.
The next morning we convened one last time at the Cracker Barrel next to the hotels and interstate for breakfast before Jonathan and I hit the road for Nashville and the flight home. We both were fortunate to have our seats upgraded on the Houston-LAX leg of our flight (the Nashville-Houston leg was another regional jet), and had a comfortable flight.
I had to work the next day, so Jonathan went to pick up Xena at the vet. I gathered by her reaction of staying plastered to me the following week that she found the experience not to her liking.
So that completes the journey and this chapter of the travelogue. At this time, we don't know where we will go to next, although it is a frequent question we get. I'm interested in Vietnam / Cambodia / Laos or possibly China, but Jonathan seem rather unenthused by those options. I think we're both interested in the Antarctica trip offered by Country Walkers (although the thought of crossing the Drake Passage and its heavy seas doesn't exactly thrill me). So at some time in the future, I will edit the links at the top and bottom of the page that now read 'next vacation' to begin the next chapter in our travelogue.