What A Wonderful World

I know it's been a while since my last post but Bret and I spent our 20th Wedding Anniversary in Gatlinburg TN, Asheville NC, and Charleston SC. We had a blast! We loved spending so much time together and not having to deal with the daily drama brought on by Heather or Holly.

First Stop - Timber Rose Lodge, which I highly recommend to everyone who is planning a few days stay in Gatlinburg, TN.

I have been looking for statues to put in my, what I like to think of as a cottage garden, for some time. I had an idea of what I wanted but have had no luck. We were driving off the mountain when I spotted a statuary business (Concrete Statuary Designs (865) 436-3534) and asked Bret to stop. We pulled into the parking lot and I was in heaven. There were fountains, decorative benches, cherubs, birdbaths, animals, and the not so basic....Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Racing Cars, Mythical Gods, Dragons...etc. you name it they had it! I was on a mission. Eureka! I found just what I was looking for. There she stood proud and beaming, a replica of the "Savannah Bird Girl" from the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. She is not exactly like the original but I knew I had to have it. I waited patiently while the woman was helping other customers...when she was finished I walked up to her and was in the process of telling her which statue I was interested in when out of the blue she yelled - "Hey Joey, get over here!" I stood there surprised - the only thing I could do was wait for her to stop yelling. She looked at me and said, "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off but I had to get his attention." OK, um we would like to buy the statue of the bird girl...she started yelling again "Hey Joey, they want the bird girl get over and get it for them.." I looked at Bret and we both grinned and shook our heads...where else can you stand in the middle of a parking lot full of statues and yell for Joey to come help these people. We got the bird girl and a rabbit loaded in the trunk of our car. I followed the woman to the office and she yelled over her shoulder are you going to pay with a credit card or cash? I told her a credit card. Oh good, she says because I've already closed out the cash drawer. I asked if they were closed. She said yep, but I wouldn't turn down a purchase over $200....I just shook my head. When we pulled out of the parking lot, Bret and I had a good laugh. We decided that "Savannah" weighed too much for the trunk. We still had to go to Charleston,SC. When we got back to the lodge, we managed to get her out of the trunk and in the back seat face down. It looked like we had a dead body in the back seat. What an adventure and we have't left Tennessee.