Sometimes photos are worth a thousand words...

The first photo is especially for Garry & George. It's the 1960 Jaguar Curtis is working on for the doctor. (From the amount of dust that's gathered "over time", I certainly am grateful that Curtis was able to work Tillie into a more prompt repair schedule...)

From the outside, Curtis' repair shop has 5 large garage doors in good condition that look like they open into your "regular" repair garage. From the inside... Well, there was no way I could begin to describe it, hence the photos. The last one is Curtis giving us thumbs up as Tillie is finally running again. She starts without being hot-wired and the use of a screw driver; the turn signals work (both directions at that!); the horn honks!; and just as important, the steering wheel is back in place (steering is just a little difficult when the wheel is sitting on the passenger seat.)

John drove her back to Mother's with no hiccups this time so we deemed it safe to add Texas to Tillie's "I've been there" map. (I suppose I should look for some gold or platinum stars to indicate repair shops where she's also been.)

No, Susan, no tent camping (yet). We've been staying at my mother's. Perhaps that's why Mother is smiling... she will no longer have to jockey with us for the bathroom in the mornings. Tomorrow night we plan to be parking Tillie next to the other Habitat folk in the campground (that is if Tillie hasn't gotten persnickety overnight!).

Ready for spring...

Is this a peach tree? Whatever it is, it sure puts you in the mood for spring doesn't it?

The owner certainly thinks it spring too. That backwards red Texas next to the tree on the left is a hummingbird feeder. I haven't seen any hummingbirds yet but will now be on the lookout.

Today was a "landmark" day in terms of eating. It's the first day we've been in Texas that we haven't had pinto beans. When the USDA recommended eating more legumes I don't think they were talking about Texans. You don't suppose pinto bean consumption has anything to do with how windy it is in Texas, do you?

Where oh where is Tillie?

Off to Brownwood today to get a better (or any) "handle" on what was happening with Tillie. Figured we'd just show up around ten since Curtis says he comes to work at 9 even though we've never yet been able to raise him by phone at 9... We were there at 10. Curtis wasn't. Is that Tillie we spot through the junk cars next to the building? Nope. That one's in worse shape than Tillie. Peeking in the garage windows Tillie was spotted inside next to a beautiful old Jaguar leaving us ponder if perhaps we weren't going to be financing its restoration.

Enough worse case scenarios! Better to do some shopping and leave the junkyard in charge of the dog. I tried calling every half hour or so to no avail. At noon John said let's just swing by one more time and, sure enough, Curtis is "in"!!!

Curtis was right. He is "sickly" (has the flu). And I was right. He is "older than dirt". However, he also really seems to know what he's doing (when he's well I suspect he moves faster...). The problem with Tillie was in the ignition which was so bad he said it was a miracle we'd made it all the way from NY. Some of the wires had melted and others had been badly spliced. He has made progress as he was out driving Tillie around last night and she started right up for John. However, during the "test drive" Curtis discovered the turn signals were also messed up (John had noted that on the way down, too) and something else wasn't working right so he had the steering wheel off again redoing those wires. To my way of thinking, working on the bus is probably a good project for someone who's sickly. He can take a nap in the back whenever he needs to which, noting the boots on the floor next to Tillie, may not be too far from the truth.

At any rate, John feels Tillie is in good hands and we're hoping Curtis feels better soon. I really didn't want the hassle of having her towed to the shop on the way into town that advertised "Horse breaking" and "engine tuning".

PS - The Jaguar belongs to a doctor in town who may have been waiting longer than we have...

And then it was Friday...

A framed house (part of our week's effort) and another group shot, this time not for the obit page even though the empty seat does make it look like we're missing one of our own. A bit of trivia particularly for John & Judy. The guy (his name is Law, upper left in the floppy white hat) used to wear a similar hat similar that said "HEAD". Pre-retirement he was an engineer who helped design the machines used in the manufacture of Head tennis rackets. Joe (standing to the left of John) is also an engineer. Why oh why didn't we just have Tillie towed to the campground and let these two guys get her running for us? On the Tillie update front - John talked to Curtis again this morning. He's still feeling "sickly" (obviously Tillie is too since he hasn't fixed her yet...) We're going there tomorrow to determine (among other things) if this guy is alive enough to fix her so stay tuned...

Back at the building site, part of our sheathing crew are still having a good time and dressed to the nines, of course. It was only this afternoon that someone brought to our attention that it was "dress-down" Friday. As one of the ladies said, "If I'd remembered I wouldn't have shaved my legs."

And the last photo is "happy" hour to which we are all dedicated as you can see. Temps in the 50's and that cold Texas wind blowing but neither stops this hardy crew. I think Jan, the second from the right, depicts it all. Hat, heavy coat with layers underneath, yellow gloves and a glass of wine in each hand. Her blood's gotten a little thick (or is it thin?) since she left Buffalo...

Birthdays & the Press...

Today was my sister Becky's birthday so of course I made her smile for that dreaded "Oh no, it's for the blog..." photo. Becky and friends have started a new fad - birthday "breakfast out" celebrations instead of some sort of evening "do". (The big advantages, of course, are no birthday candles to blow out or million calorie cakes to consume no matter how good they may seem at the time.) My sister & I gave up exchanging birthday gifts long ago but since we were in town and since we were being invited to breakfast it seemed only appropriate to take something. So last night before we left Mason we went shopping and found a book (previously read by someone) and a block with her initial. We had hoped to spell out her name but the antique/junk store was all out of vowels so we settled on just "B". John whipped out a ten for our purchase (obviously we were sparing no expense...) but Sam didn't have change so he told us just to take them and settle up the next time we were in town. By the way, Sam is the same guy who leaves the front door of the store wide open in case you want to look around and a note saying he'll be back shortly. Mason is an old-fashioned type of town.

And then there's the weekly newspaper, the Mason County News. Their "reporter" was at our lunch on Monday to take our photo and "get the scoop" and assure us of a good place in the paper. Sure enough. In this week's paper, there we are on page 3 right under the Obituaries (it's the most read part of the paper after all). We must have looked hungry because under the photo it says if "you would like to help feed these hard-working folks" to call Carlene.

In answer to your questions...

Some of you wanted more info on the new block product I mentioned in an earlier blog. Always at your service, I knocked on Kent's door this morning (he's the owner) to find out more. The blocks are made from recycled paper they get from Houston combined with cement and a "secret additive". The finished product is much lighter in weight than a standard block (I can lift one with one hand and I'm a wimp!) and has an R value of 3.2 per inch which means an R factor of 32 for the 10" wall it makes. Photo top right is their "sample" building. They've been making the test block by hand but now that the 6 year testing period is over, they have an automatic block maker being manufactured for them in Canada. When it's up and running it will produce 15,000 blocks per day. And for those of you who still want more info, the web site is www.masongreenstar.com . (Do I get extra Brownie points or what?)

Photo 3 is also a recycling effort known as "dumpster diving". I'm here to report the paint crew managed to recycle a whole bag of "good" things including the bottoms of a whole bunch of jean legs. We could all think of uses for those.

Photo 4 is of another water tank, this one built with a concrete base. The older shorter one on the right was probably a holding tank for water for the livestock. It's built of native stone as was the one in the photo from yesterday. If your computer lets you enlarge the photo you'll also see a bucket with a pink ribbon on it hanging from the tree limb. That's where the key to the house is should you want to go in and look around (it's for sale).

And lest you think we're all just play, bottom left shows the paint crew working on the exterior trim (we're not counting the miles we've painted so far). And the last one was the house site at the end of the day. It's a fairly "unusual" method of construction since the interior walls are going up first (notice the shower in place?) and then the exterior walls are being added. If I understood it correctly this was because the interior walls got done first etc. etc. So far it seems to be working although they did run into a couple of glitches (correctable) with the interior wall dimensions. The architect blamed it on the local wine he was enjoying the night he drew up the plans.

And for the Tillie update... John talked to Curtis who said not to worry, "I'll git it goin'." (we're just not sure when...) It's something to do with fluctuating power going to the fuel pump from the ignition. He also said it was "newer" (Tillie is a '76) than what he usually worked on (I told you this guy was old!).

Breakfast, building & bulls...

Today was another day of good eats! (If they don't quit feeding us we won't be able to move by the time this build is over..) Jimie brought us "tacos" for breakfast using her mother's handmade tortillas, a friend's farm eggs, and her father's homemade venison sausage. They were wonderful! Not to be outdone, Edna (photo upper right) invited us all to her historic home for a "sit down" lunch. Beans & homemade cornbread, pickled beets & tossed salad, German sausage & chicken and just in case we were still hungry, pound cake & Texas ice cream. Did I mention Edna is in her 90's? Texas & home cooking has agreed with her. And my mother, of course, was afraid we weren't getting enough to eat so made us a big meal filled with great vegetables. (Can't believe I'm still awake to write this!)

Now that I've made you all hungry, we really did do a little bit of work today. The walls that were finished were delivered to the job site along with the shower. (Apparently last year they forgot the shower until after the walls were up and they had to drop it in from above before the roof went on, a method of installation none of them wanted to repeat.) And the paint crew finished the last of the interior woodwork that could be painted before installation.

Fourth photo is happy hour. It was just barely warm enough to sit out, 53 (frost on the ground again this a.m.) but we managed.

The 5th photo is the back of Edna's house. The "tower" is the base of what used to be the water tank for the house. Now she's on city water. These old water towers are all over town and are beautiful & quaint.

The last photo is Gus, the steer, who showed up today across from where Tillie is supposed to be camping. Curtis (I finally got a name for the current VW guru) called to say Tillie's wiring is a mess patched together in a tangle. Among other things, he thinks the ignition is faulty but thought he had another somewhere out in the yard (whatever that meant). Curtis sounded older than dirt to me. If he's been working on VW's for 40 years, he must have been 50 when he started! At any rate, tomorrow is yet another day so we'll see what happens...

Mason at last!

Then there were 20, Care-A-Vanners that is, here in Mason to help build a home for Jimie (pronounced Jimmy) and her daughter India (first photo). They are both very friendly and excited, of course, about what's happening. We all are.

Because it was cold (40's), windy, and looking like rain today everyone worked inside this huge empty soon to be factory to cut the wood and frame the walls to be taken to the home site in the next day or two. (The factory will soon be making a new type of building block from recycled paper and cement. I'll try to take a photo of their new product to post later in the week.)

Besides the wall crew a few of us wiser women went to the Habitat warehouse in town to paint trim and doors. We "wise women" did have several advantages... it wasn't as noisy; we had a flush toilet (the port-a-john didn't arrive at the other building until afternoon and although the men used the great outdoors, the women about knocked each other over in a race for the restroom at lunchtime!); it is next door to the Thrift Shop (you would LOVE it, Susan!) where we, of course, had to go to buy rags (and browse a bit...); and we were only a half block from the church that hosted us for lunch. Upper right are the buttermilk pies and the pecan pies they served for dessert. They do treat us well and between their cooking and my mother's cooking we'll be waddling off that plane when we return the end of the month.

How is Tillie doing? Wish we knew. John talked to the VW guru this morning (John didn't ask his name so we have no idea who he is except that he has Tillie), he wasn't sure when he would be able to look at her as he was "feelin' a little sickly today"....

About cats and rattlesnakes... last night at our welcome to Mason dinner, one of the Habitat board members was telling me about her 7 cats (and I thought George & Vicki had a lot of cats!). She credits her cats with keeping the rattlesnakes away from the house. Then she went on to say her husband never goes to fields without his pistol and shotgun. The rattlers she described as being 3 inches in diameter and stretching across the road (if that doesn't give you shivers I don't know what will). So I'm thinking, wow!, these must be some cats. But her theory is the pickings are slim for the snakes around the house because the cats keep the field mice population down. If it was me I think I'd adopt another dozen cats as added insurance...

Need I say more?

"It looks like a salvage yard" was my mother's comment about the garage where we had Tillie taken.

When Tillie finally makes it to Bridge in Seattle, her true owner, we'll obviously need something to take her place. Should we look for an older version... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56XL0TysIn0

or the newer version... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJXTBZLRfR4

A bit of trivia to add to today's reading... McCullough County Texas (where we're at) has more than three times as many goats as it has people and Brady is the home of the World Champion Barbeque Goat Cook-off that takes place Labor Day weekend. San Angelo (the closest big-deal town) just had their Stock Show & Rodeo. The Grand Champion Wether Goat sold for $22,500; the Steer for $18,900; the Lamb for $14,550; and the Barrow (pig) for $7,500. Be honest. When you think of Texas livestock, what would you think of first? Perhaps you should think again...

Gardens, garages & gastronomes...

Although these photos were taken yesterday, the activities are pretty much the same today except it is a tad warmer (do I dare tell you it is 70?!) and the sun has been shining all day. That equals spring planting here in Texas. My mother is hard at work in her vegetable garden planting Swiss chard to replace the turnips she just pulled. (And, of course, I have more laundry on the line...) It's amazing. From that little garden she occasionally has enough produce to give some away. Her words of wisdom for you to remember = "Cow manure is better than chicken manure".

I suspect you thought all our problems with Tillie had finally been resolved. Well........... only in our dreams. Tillie drove around town the first day we were in Brady but the minute John parked her under the carport she decided she liked it and has refused to budge. In a snit about taking her out in the middle of winter, I guess, and she is taking no chances that we might take her back. Her "buddies" this time are my brother-in-law on the left who brought over, Mike, the guy on his knees and is the best mechanic in the area. Mike actually got her running yesterday but when John went out to start Tillie up shortly after Mike had left, she refused to start again. Mike is on his way over again today but if that doesn't work it may mean a trip on a flatbed (whether she likes it or not) to another VW guru about 40 miles away. He has parts although I'm not sure what's left to be replaced...

And under the category of "not to be believed".... about a dozen blocks from my mother's is Brady Donuts which has the best donuts in Brady according to my family. Although there are no signs to tell you, they also serve wonderful Cambodian food at lunchtime (we can now testify to that). If you've never been to Brady, it is in the middle/heart of Texas a "million miles" from anything non-Texan and where BBQ brisket & Mexican food rule. However, no food shortcuts for the owners. They use the real ingredients driving 2 hours one way to the Austin Asian market for things like lemongrass & spicy basils that aren't available locally. The next time you pass a donut shop you might give it a second glance and wonder what else they might be cooking up in their back room...

A morning in Brady...

Brady, the county seat of McCullough County, has a beautifully restored old courthouse. If your computer can enlarge the photo you might note that while they left the jury seats original (they swivel but are unpadded to keep the jurors awake I imagine) the general seating is nicely padded and comfortable. My sister goes for training at the courthouse this afternoon as the Democratic representative to help count and scan the absentee and paper ballots received for Tuesday's primary. When asked to bring a couple of her Democratic friends she allowed she didn't have/know any other than her husband & mother. (I know you are smiling out there, Joe...)

Next stop, Damuth Taxidermy. Never in my wildest dreams would it have occurred to me to stop there but it was fascinating and their work is impeccable. Museum quality to be sure. George & Joe - if you need a little stuffing done, send it here. On the other hand if you just need a set of antlers to "show off", the guy in the bottom left makes fake ones that look just like the originals. He says hunters sometimes have several sets made of a favorite rack to give to friends as souvenirs. The turkey "wing" was particularly spectacular and my mother & sister want everyone to note the table legs just in case you were wondering what to do with any spare legs you might have around the house. It's an amazing business employing 15 people full time and "memorializing" (my term, not theirs) everything from life-size giraffes for $27,500 (they just did one as a matter of fact) down to fresh water fish for $14 per inch. (Think about it KK...)

Back to the living, we passed a "Nut Hustler". I thought it was for picking up pecans & John thought it was for shelling pecans but it turns out it is used for spraying the trees to keep the bugs out of the nuts.

And finally, a trip to the supermarket to show you times are changing even here. Used to be stores here did not have olive oil or, if they did, it was in very small bottles. Now you can buy it in quarts. Of course lard is still king taking up 2 shelves and available in 25 pound buckets...

Of family & spring...

This is my mother posing with a batch of her homemade hand-rolled hand-cut egg noodles made with farm eggs we brought from New York. She does make the BEST chicken and noodles which, if I remember the story correctly, my father insisted she learn to make the "right way" from his mother. She earned an "A".

And in case you're wondering, she a naturally happy person which is why she is smiling and not because the bottle of wine has been partly consumed...









Today was the day "set aside" for my sister and I to help Mother prep her next quilt for the frame. Years ago she ran out of quilt projects so I suggested she make one for her own bed for every season. This is the one for fall but has been stashed away for a bit while she quilted quilts for others. In the meantime she mislaid the name of the pattern so if any of you quilters out there know what it is, please let us know. She's already got it on the quilt frame. She listens to Diane Rehm while she quilts and tells me she's fallen behind in her listening.



One last photo for you folks in the northeast. Since Texas seems to have sent you their snow (in feet we understand), perhaps that means you will soon be receiving spring flowers as well.

Of snowmen & Olympics...

I assure you that although this snowman on the left does look a bit like me after that harrowing trip from NY to Texas in Tillie, we did NOT bring it with us for NY. It is impressive that Texas had enough snow to make a snowman this time of year especially since the normal temperature for late February is 66.

The other two snowmen look a bit more jolly.

Perhaps they also think it a bit silly that school in Brady was closed yesterday and delayed two hours again today... Can't be too careful I guess.

With predictions of nothing but sun today and temperatures in the high 40's I hung laundry on the line. Pretty pathetic that all over France I had my choice of clothesline shots to include in the daily blog while here in the US I only saw clothes hung out three times on the trip down and have to take pictures of my own clothes on the line. However, it is my mother's clothesline and she still hangs out clothes when possible. (Rumor has it she's 88...) Perhaps we need to create an Energy Conservation Olympics with competitions in laundry hanging or garden digging or.... submit your suggestions...

The forecast for today is for a big melt

And now for the real scoop...

Our adventure from yesterday that I was too weary to post last night...

After looking across the Mississippi into Louisiana for two days, Tillie finally added this state to her map. And we began seeing signs for things perhaps you won't see other places. Crawfish - loved the sign at a restaurant advertising them "live or boiled" (no need for a comment here, your imagination is as good as mine...). Then there's the person with BBQ barrels in his side yard and a handwritten sign saying "Fresh Coons" with a painting of raccoon just in case you didn't think you read it right. It seemed a bit early for lunch (or dinner or...) so we just kept going. "Strange Stump Grinding" was another goody.

But even in Tillie on Louisiana back roads it doesn't take long to cross the narrow part of the state so before noon we were in Point Blank, Texas. Another blink and on we went with the temperatures dropping. John reconnected Tillie's "heat" (by the way she can really crank out the heat when the outside temps are above 60... As the temperature outside falls so does her heating capacity.). Early afternoon we were in Huntsville the home of Sam Houston and his statue which is the "World's Tallest Statue of an American Hero". (Give it some thought. I suspect even where you live you could come up with being the world's something or other...) While we did take the time to find Sam, we passed on visiting "Old Sparky", Texas' first electric chair, at the Texas Prison Museum. (Was that just Tillie or did we all shutter as we drove by?) We were intrigued by the sign outside the working prison by the Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice for their "Horse Development Program". (Is this for horses gone wrong?) But time was short because of the approaching snow so we decided to "bite the bullet" (seems a most appropriate phrase to use in this part of the world) and drive on to Brady. The rest is, of course, history (please refer to yesterday's blog is you are unsure if we arrived...)

Natchez to Brady...

A quick post so those of you who are following us won't think we're stranded somewhere... again...
Even though we hadn't planned to drive this far today, the treat of snow for tomorrow at my mother's in Brady (what is with this weather?!!!) spurred us on. For once Tillie ran like a top up until... With only 11 miles to go she began to cough and the generator light came on. We turned off clock, unplugged the GPS, put the lights on low which helped some. Then John remembered he'd turned on the heater fan earlier. When he turned that off, walla, she returned to normal. Since we almost never drive Tillie at night we had forgotten how bad she is at multi-tasking. So we made it to Brady without incident!!! Then the most amazing thing happened. About 4 blocks from my mother's we pass a VW just like Tillie coming out of a side street. He was amazed too because he followed us the rest of the way and we're now "in the know" about area mechanics should Tillie feel "the need..."

A Day in Natchez...

Oh, the joy of sidewalks beneath your feet without the anticipation of "breakdown"! We woke up this morning to find Tillie tucked snugly in the parking lot so we were left to explore Natchez uninhibited by the limitations of a certain yellow vehicle. Using the suggested walking tour we walked the river front and "below Natchez" as JE suggested. Very pretty (but I think we're still panting - strolling downhill is one thing after several days of sitting but going uphill is another story...). At Rosalie Mansion John was allowed to run his hands across the keyboard of the piano which, I'm to point out to Terry, is a Chickering, the same year & maker as ours at home. (However, even tone deaf me can tell you there's a world of difference in how they sound.) In this same parlor room were also two ladies spittoons (not that that has anything to do with anything...)

Several churches, walkbys of many other beautiful "homes" & a visit to the Natchez Coffee Roasters (no roaster in sight and our coffee was served in a paper cup. Now really, they should be able to do better than that!) found us wanting more so it was off to Longwood, the largest octagonal house in the US. Our tour guide pointed out (for our benefit I'm sure) that NY state has the most octagonal houses - 130. This one was started before the Civil War and the project abandoned when the war started with just the exterior and the "basement" completed. We should all have such basements. Very elegant so don't take pity on the Nutt family who were "forced" to live there without completing the upper floors. Although a bathroom was in the plans for the second floor using rainwater collected off the roof, the family "made do" (sorry...) with a 5 seater outhouse, 2 rooms, one with seating for 3 and one for 2, no waiting. Amazingly, there were to be 6 floors (in the house that is) plus the basement. The person who bought the property from the family and gave it to the Pilgrimage Garden Club stipulated it was never to be completed. We understand a ghost wanders the building and they have a great Halloween party in case you are interested. Also, amazingly, that is Tillie you see parked outside. Longwood was just a bit too far out of town to walk. Even more amazing, Tillie didn't require a mechanic today either!!!!!!!!!

Dinner tonight was at King's Tavern, thought to be the oldest building in Natchez (late 1700's) where the food is good and the ghosts are renowned, especially Madeline. She apparently had been having an affair with King, the tavern owner, and his wife had her killed. Her body was discovered bricked into the fireplace in the 1900's and she still haunts the tavern (or so says the Enquirer). Two other bodies were also found but I guess they keep a low profile. Supposedly if you take a photo in Madeline's bedroom you'll see her aura. (You do see it, don't you?)

Tupelo to Natchez

Look familiar? And just so we get this out of the way because I know you are wondering... the "mechanic of the day" is Chris Moak who came to our assistance, roadside no less. (His friends from just across the road from where Tillie decided to stop gave him a call.) For a real job Moak repairs huge Caterpillar generator motors on oil rigs in the Gulf. For kicks he plays around with a friend who is a VW guru. (The guru, although Moak is certainly no slough, was off digging an outhouse for artifacts... for fun...) At any rate, the guru has the part we need but we have to wait until he gets home so we left Tillie beside the road and Moak brought us to a hotel he recommended. He'll fix Tillie and deliver her to us later. Mississippi folks are the best!

Now that that bit of info is out of the way... we started the day at Elvis' birthplace in Tupelo. This is John age 65 next to Elvis age 13. Age is only an illusion. It also turns out Tupelo's shimmering and shaking is not limited to Elvis. It's also the home of America's first fish hatchery which we chose to bypass. Instead we hopped onto the Natchez Trace Parkway again and headed to Natchez. 260 beautiful miles through Mississippi countryside with no traffic lights or stop signs and almost no traffic. I counted 11 vehicles in the last 33 miles we traveled. Along the way we saw turkeys, deer, hawks, heron, daffodils, armadillos, cotton fields, Spanish moss and had a picnic lunch beside the Pearl River. It's a great way to cross Mississippi and enjoy one of our National Parks.

The one off the parkway stop we did make was at the little town of Kosciusko for gas. By chance, it turns out to be the birthplace of Opray Winfrey so of course we had to go take a look... Obviously no one has caught on that if they were to capitalize on this and open something for tourists on the site they might go a long way in bringing in some added jobs and revenue to the low income folks on this back country road. PS - This was the first stop of the day where Tillie had to be "defibbed" to get started again.

Given Tillie's fickleness, we dare not push our luck by traveling on a Sunday so we're staying put in Natchez for a day. Monday we have a better chance of finding someone new for Tillie to meet.

Tupelo, Tupelo, Tupelo

Today dawned bright and sunny, warm at last with blue skies. Tillie started right up and we headed west across the rolling red clay hills of north Georgia into Alabama. My only notes from this morning were lots of fishermen doing their thing and spotting the first clotheslines with clothes hung out to dry. And, just in case you're interested, there's a zoo for sale near Paint Rock, AL.

Finally (we gained an hour and are now in Central Time), it was time for lunch so we decided to find something in the neat downtown section of Athens, AL. As we were rounding one corner of the square there was a loud snap and, E-gads!, no clutch (so much for lunch...). While John was once again groveling around under Tillie, I put on my "sleuthing hat" and went in search of info regarding a VW mechanic. Tillie must have the luck of the Irish because, sure enough, Hill Automotive was only 4 blocks away, and downhill at that so we could actually roll her there. Bruce (the beloved mechanic for today) did not have a new cable but was able to splice it with another one he had. Now let's be honest. You're thinking what a pain in the butt this all is and how it must be costing us a fortune. But that's not really the case. We get to meet a lot more people than you probably would zipping by in a nice new car. And, I suspect, if any of these things went wrong with your car you might still be waiting on parts. These old ones can get going again with practically nothing other than a little ingenuity. And the mechanics like them (and take pity I suspect) so never seem to charge the going rate. (The total of all 4 emergency stops with parts is still under $200.) There are some really GREAT people out there!

While Tillie was having her afternoon "fix" with Bruce the mechanic, I went exploring Athens. Loved the Limestone Drugstore (photo above) in the old bank building so wandered in to see what it was like inside. Turns out while you wait to have your prescription filled, you can get an ice cream at this beautiful old soda fountain. There is absolutely nothing on the outside to indicate it's there so if Tillie hadn't broken down I would never have gotten my first ice cream cone of the year. Cost me all of 81 cents I might add. Maybe I'm the lucky one!

Mid afternoon we were on our way again. Saw signs for Ivy Green, the birthplace of.... Helen Keller but decided to pass it by. About 5 miles beyond that was a sign for "Coon Dog Cemetery" but decided to skip that as well. I know, I know, we've just got no sense of adventure sometimes. But eventually we hopped on the beautiful Natchez Trace Parkway and made our way at a leisurely 50 mph Tillie pace to Tupelo (I just love that name). It's the birthplace of.... Elvis Presley so we'll probably be dreaming of hound dogs, or maybe coon dogs, all night.

A tribute to chickens...

Today was a GREAT day for driving & enjoying the scenery. No snow, moderate wind, a relaxing time to take some notes for you as we traveled into South Carolina. Loved the NC license plate that read "S*NSHINE"; and the billboard for a motel that advertised "Fresh, new bedding" (as opposed to?...); Blenheim world famous ginger ale (now you know if you didn't before); a truck towing a container that read "Rain for Rent" (expect this is a low time of year for them). You can also tell it's getting warmer inside Tillie as well. John left his snow mobile boots in NJ and we shed our hats in NC. In SC we unzipped our coats and in Georgia I put away one of my lap robes. Things are looking up!

Tillie must sense that this may be her first and last trip through the south so seems determined to check in at least once a day with one our nation's backyard VW gurus. Today when we stopped at the Georgia welcome stop, Tillie refused to start again. John worked on her while I chatted up the personnel to locate "Hooker" who turned out to be only about 10 miles away. I also called AAA for a tow, but John got her going in time so that little "excitement" could be canceled. Hooker worked her right in and after putting in new timing stuff, she's running like a top again. (Can't wait to see who she'll find for us tomorrow...)

We didn't make it quite as far as we'd intended today so tonight finds us in Gainesville, Georgia which as luck would have it, is the Poultry Capital of the World, a fact that the tourist info office at the border fails to mention in its info but which we think is pretty neat. Never, ever have we seen a monument dedicated to a chicken, one of my favorite birds.

Of Bluebirds & BBQ

Much to our amazement, Tillie started right up this morning. Guess the hot wire/jolt last night acted like a defibrillator and set her to rights. However, (why is there usually a however?) she absolutely refused to go into reverse and only begrudingly went into second. So it was back to our now favorite mechanic at CJ Buggs. A little adjustment to the clutch (plus, I suspect, a good talking to her by Charlie that if she didn't shape up she'd be sitting in a snow bank until spring with her cousin who is waiting on a new motor...) and we were on our way down the beautiful Shenandoah Valley.

Lunch found us in Union Grove, NC the home of the oldest old time Fiddler's Convention in North America and also the home of the Cook Shack. That's the kitchen to the right with the cook who makes the best cheeseburger in NC. And to the left (with me) is LW Lambert who has been world banjo champion 11 times in his career. He's now 84 but still plays most Saturday mornings along with other bluegrass bands at the Cook Shack. So if you're in Union Grove on a Saturday morning stop by for some great pickin' and some great cookin'!

Then it was on to Hickory to George & Vicki's where it is sunny (YES!), above freezing (YES!), the snow is mostly gone (YES!), the robins & bluebirds are everywhere (YES! YES!), the pork BBQ is just as good as we remember (YES!), and George & Vicki & the cat kids are looking great (YES!). While "the guys" were out doing guy things, I spent a relaxing afternoon seeing some of the wonderful things Vicki is doing in her photography classes at the college. She's on the high honors list - no surprise.

Tomorrow we're off again, to where? is yet to be determined.