Travel Locally

Welcome!

I really appreciate reading your comments.  This blog post was inspired by a comment someone made about my last week's post about the RC-Moon Pie Festival.  She wistfully said that she would have loved to have been there if it weren't so far away.  It was a wonderful festival, (and as an aside, I'd like to add that before we got there to the festival, they also had a foot race and a parade).

As great as the festival was, there are hundreds of other festivals throughout our country every year that are just as much fun.  They may not have the "world's largest Moon Pie," but they all have other interesting things that are unique to their particular areas.

Enjoyable things to do are not just limited to festivals either, for there are so many other things to see and do in our own areas, like landmarks, museums, restaurants, shows, libraries, parks, fairs, etc.  You don't have to travel miles and miles to find something to do, just look around where you are.

In fact, anytime I'm at a place that has brochures, I gather a few that seem interesting.  I found out about Bell Buckle and all of its festivals including the RC-Moon Pie Festival through a brochure.  Also, talking to other people is another great way to discover what's going on near where you live.

Magazines, brochures, newspapers, and the Internet are all helpful for finding out about an area.  Also, I really like it that our town often displays a banner in the town square, announcing the next special event such as a pancake breakfast or a music festival.

It's amazing that we don't take advantage of what's in our own backyards.  For instance, as incredible as it might seem, very few local people have ever seen the wonderful outdoor drama, "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, but people from other states, or other parts of the state travel many miles to see it.

Greg and I try to do something a little different each week, and once or twice a month, we try to have a little adventure, by doing something really special.

I guess you could say, investigate and explore where you are now.  You might be amazed at what's right around the corner in your own hometown.

Positive thought: "Adventure is worthwhile." -Aristotle  (I might add that adventure doesn't even have to be far away!)
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

Celebrating Summer with RC Cola and Moon Pie!

Welcome!

The first day of summer, what better way to celebrate than with RC Cola and a Moon Pie, or better yet, why not attend the RC-Moon Pie Festival in Bell Buckle, Tennessee where there are RC Colas and Moon Pies galore!

Bell Buckle

Today, Greg and I had a wonderful time at the 20th annual RC-Moon Pie Festival.  You could just feel the excitement and positive energy throughout the whole festival.  We took lots of pictures to share with you, to give you an idea on what it was like to be there.

Here was our day, in pictures-

People got there using different modes of transportation.

Some used the festival's transportation after they got there.

The festival even attracted the famous-

I can see why-

There were all kinds of booths with all kinds of interesting things for sale.

Nostalgia

And, then, of course, there was the food!

The Stars of the Festival

There was entertainment-

The winner!  This woman balanced two open cans of RC Cola on her head without spilling them!  Amazing!

Presenting the world's largest Moon Pie-

We had a wonderful time, and no doubt, so did everyone else who was there!

New friends were made.

There were all kinds of bargains.  This was only $1.00, on sale!

All kinds of delicious food was consumed.  What is this?  (The answer is at the end of this post.)*

It was all fun, but gotta go home.  Can't wait till next year!

Also, earlier in the day, on the way to the festival, we stopped by our neighbors' house to attend a bake sale which was a fundraiser for the Pregnancy Centers of Middle TN.  Nathan and Andrea were the coordinators, but some of the neighbors and others also baked all kinds of goodies for the sale.

Nathan and Andrea

P. S. The baked goods were wonderful.  Can't beat homemade!

*Answer to the above question:  It's a fried Moon Pie!

Positive thought: "Wherever you go, bring your own sunshine."
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

Inspiration

Welcome!

I guess these days many of us could use some inspiration, so I decided to have a blog post about the things I have found that inspire me.

One of the easiest ways for me to be inspired is to watch Youtube videos.

My all-time favorite inspirational video is "Susan Boyle First Audition" on "Britain's Got Talent."  Try to watch that without getting a lump in your throat or tears in your eyes.  It's about the little guy winning, overcoming the odds.  At the time of the audition, Susan was 47 years old, unemployed, and had a background of being ridiculed as a child by other children, but she overcame it all because she believed in herself and was determined to use her God-given talent.

In addition to the Susan Boyle video, there are some other great Youtube videos including those featuring "Random Acts of Kindness."  If you've ever lost faith in humanity, just watch ones such as these to see that there are still a lot of wonderful, caring people out there.

I love "Woman's World" magazine because it is so positive and inspirational.  Every week there are several sections that deal with inspiration-
-It's "Seven Days of Inspiration" has sayings such as "You are one of a kind and wonderful" which you could easily turn into an affirmation to say throughout the day, "I am one of a kind and wonderful."  (This is not being narcissistic, but instead, it is helping you to build up your self esteem in order to make you feel better about yourself so you can more easily face the world each day.)
-"You Deserve Good Things" is another short but inspirational feature.
-"My Guardian Angel" is a section where readers share their stories such as this week's story about Jeanne whose father (that had passed on) sends her lucky pennies.  These stories are commented on by angel expert Doreen Virtue.

Speaking of fathers, I'd like to wish all fathers everywhere a very happy Father's Day.  Greg and I send special Fathers's Day wishes to our fathers who are in Heaven.

Positive thought: "Every moment is a fresh beginning."-T. S. Eliot
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

The Pirates' House, Savannah

Welcome!

On my 5/11/14 blog post, entitled "A Trip to Fabulous Savannah," I wrote about our recent trip to a family wedding in Savannah.  On that post, I mentioned that Greg and I and some family members had enjoyed lunch at a restaurant there.  In fact, we enjoyed it so much that I decided to devote a blog post just to the restaurant, The Pirates' House, which is a popular tourist spot in Savannah.

Just looking at it from the outside, you know that this is no ordinary restaurant.

The Pirates' House has a rich history of sailors, seafarers, and, of course, pirates.  In fact, it's supposed to be "the most historic spot in Georgia," according to the brochure.  It even has an association with Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island."  (See F.Y.I. below for access to more detailed information about the history, etc.)

And, it's supposed to be one of the most haunted places!  They don't try to hide the various ghosts that haunt the place, in fact, they flaunt them!

Costumed "pirates" can take you on a haunted tour through the maze of dining areas, or you can tour on your own.

Also, the servers who work there are glad to share The (ghostly) Pirates' House tales with one and all.

In fact, waiter Elijah is a sensitive (like Greg and me) who has taken lots of paranormal photos in the restaurant and can help you take your own, as well.

Elijah, Leading Us on a Ghostly Search  (Is that ectoplasm in the hallway?)

With the nautical decor and ghostly goings-on, this place has a ton of atmosphere.  It's just a fun place to visit, a must-see when in Savannah.

Oh, and by the way, we also enjoyed our meal!  I had the Southern buffet, and Greg had the fish and chips.

Southern Buffet

To top it all off, the large gift shop upstairs has gifts galore for those wanting to buy souvenirs as a reminder of their wonderful visit there.

Everything was made even more special because of those we were with.  We all had a great time together.

Photo by Elijah

A close-up reveals what might be an orb between Greg and me.

Practice your posing, ghosts, for Greg and I plan on coming back to The Pirates' House to take more pictures! (and to eat more grub!)

F.Y.I.
The Pirates' House
20 East Broad Street
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 233-2225
www.thepirateshouse.com

Positive thought:
"You don't choose your family.  They are God's gift to you, as you are to them."-Joyce Brothers
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

Overcoming the Negative

Welcome!

I always try to have a positive tone on my blog posts, and this one is no exception, although at first it may not seem that way.  An recent incident made me realize that this post was long overdue.

(Be warned: This next paragraph is not pretty!)

A few days ago, I was walking in a park with a lake, enjoying the fresh air and beautiful sunshine, when suddenly, a duck ran over to another duck that was just standing on the walkway, and for no obvious reason, started chasing it.  Much to my shock and amazement, the aggressive duck knocked the other duck off its feet, and he held it down and started viciously biting it's neck.  I was absolutely appalled for, to me, this was a horrific scene.  Most of us hate to see unfairness and especially cruelty, so I started yelling at the duck, thinking that would put an end to the attack, but to no avail.  I then looked down at my feet and saw and picked up some pebbles which I tossed near the attacking duck.  Thankfully, that did the trick, for it let go of its victim which quickly got up and left for another area of the park.

I was glad that I could be there to help out that poor duck, but I started wondering why this happened while I was there.  Was there a deeper meaning to it all?  As I've written about previously, I believe that we are being sent signs all along, that we just have to pay attention to them and get the lesson from each one.

The first thing I felt I was being told was that we shouldn't be like an ostrich and stick our heads in the sand and try to pretend everything is okay when it isn't.  We need to enjoy life and to accentuate the positive, but not let any person or institution take advantage of us.  Be happy and positive, but always keep one eye open!

Back to my ugly duck story, what was his problem, anyway?  I noticed right off that the ducks looked different.  They were not the same type of duck.  Do you suppose the aggressive duck didn't like it that the other duck was different, that he didn't want that kind of duck around?  Or, maybe (s)he was jealous because (s)he thought that duck looked prettier or more handsome than (s)he did.  Who knows?  Maybe that duck was just having a bad day, or maybe...(s)he's just mean, period!

This brings me back to the other important lesson I was being taught, and that was that I need to quit procrastinating, and to finish the book I started on overcoming abuse which is a subject that most of us can relate to.

Although we want to see the best in everyone and give them the benefit of the doubt, the truth is that, unfortunately, some people act about as mature as that out-of-sorts duck.  Would you try to befriend a lion?

I have a lot of interests and one of my favorites is psychology.  Although I don't have a degree in the subject, I have studied it extensively, and I believe I could bring helpful insights to others through my writing.  I pretty thoroughly understand what makes abusers, users, harassers, bullies, gossips, name-callers, controllers, backstabbers, and even sociopaths tick.  We need to protect ourselves from these negative types of individuals, so we can live happier, more fulfilling lives!

I love people individually and in general, but I still keep one eye open!

This has been a pretty heavy blog post, so wash your eyes out with the following-

This past weekend, Greg and I visited a wonderful place to eat that we just discovered, The Cheesecake Factory in Knoxville, Tennessee that has over 200 menu selections made from scratch every day!  It's a relatively small chain, and there are only two in Tennessee.

The people there are friendly, and the food is delicious!

 Shepherd's Pie

There was so much food, we brought part of it home for the next day.

Carrot Cake

F.Y.I.
The Cheesecake Factory
West Town Mall
201 Morrell Road
Knoxville, TN 37919
(865) 670-7443
(Also, search online for the location nearest you.)

Positive thought: Smile!  God loves you!
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky