Do Something Different!

 

Right now, we're having some nice weather for this time of year. Here, at least, spring is in the air! It's a good time to go out and do things, to even do something that's a little different!

Just recently, Greg and I were invited to go to an event that was new to us, a middle school robotics competition in which our young nephew was taking part.

Since we had never even heard of a robotics competition before, we did a little Internet research on the subject before we went. Basically, small teams of students work together on robots that are supposed to perform certain tasks in the competition. Each team member has a specific duty, like to design the robot, which is what our nephew, James, did in his team. Several teams compete against each other, and judges decide which teams win the competition.

We really enjoyed our time there with our relatives as we showed our support for a family member. 

Also, it's good to get out and do something a little different as often as possible.

Book Feature- "Down Memory Lane" by Becky Arnott

A few weeks ago my book, "Down Memory Lane," was republished on Amazon. (For more information on ordering, etc., please see the widget above.) It now contains quite a bit more information, and it also has photographs from my personal photo albums which helps to tell my story even better since you may have heard that "a picture is worth a thousand words."

On each of my new blog posts now, I'm showing a photograph along with a short narrative that is similar to what is in my book. (However, not all of the narrative in my book has accompanying photos.) 

This photograph is not in my book, but it could have been-

The photo above shows Greg and me a few years ago, enjoying the RC Cola-MoonPie Festival in Bell Buckle, Tennessee which is June 17 this year. It has music, contests, games, dancers, a parade, etc. As you can see in the photo, we even got to sit on bales of hay. Also, the refreshments there were great! This festival was something simple, inexpensive, a lot of fun, and- different! 

You don't have to go to Bell Buckle to a festival since there's probably a great festival or other neat event near you.

Restaurant Feature- Luke's Cafe

For a unique place to dine, you might want to try Luke's Cafe the next time you're in Abingdon, Virginia.

"Luke's Cafe ain't it Kool"

This cafe is different from the very artistic sculptures outside to the retro images of movie stars, etc. inside

And, the food is great!

My favorite is the Pimento Cheese Fruit Plate. So good! 

FYI- ilovelukes.com

Why not try something a little different this week! 

Positive thought: 

Thanks for visiting! Until around Sunday, March 12, 2023, Becky

Special Days

 

During the last few weeks, we have been busy doing different things, going different places. We had some really special days.

On Saturday, we had a yard (but mostly an inside-the-cabin) sale since it was rather cool.

We did really well for this time of year. We met some nice people, and we also reconnected with others that had been to our previous yard sales.

Another day, we enjoyed the warm fall sunshine on the pretty Virginia Creeper Trail which starts in Abingdon.

Yet another time, we met Mike and Betty at the Muster Grounds in Abingdon where we walked and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. It is a Revolutionary War site.

Some people dressed in Revolutionary period attire had a meeting there. 

After the Muster Grounds, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Luke's Cafe in Abingdon.

So good!

Greg and I had been working pretty hard on our semi-fixer-upper house and our business projects, so we decided to take a bigger break and go on a little trip to the beautiful Kodak/Sevierville/Pigeon Forge part of East Tennessee 

A nice-looking dog was on its way there, as well!

Our first stop was the Great Smokies Flea Market in Kodak.

While there, we saw something really cute in one of the booths, Sugar Glider Alley-

It was a sugar glider!

This little fellow can be yours for $300.00. I'd save up my money and get one, but I don't think that would be very wise since we already have two cats.

Lunch was next on the agenda.

As we drove by, we spotted Tony Roma's Smoky Mountain BBQ & Grill in Pigeon Forge. We decided to stop since Greg loves barbeque. We're glad we did because the food was excellent! We enjoyed our food outside since it was such a nice day.

We went farther into Pigeon Forge, to the Old Mill shops and restaurants. First, we stopped at the Creamery and had ice cream for our dessert. We then explored a few shops and...

enjoyed the beautiful scenery around the Old Mill.

(Painting on a Local Transit)

It was time to leave, but we really enjoyed our special day in East Tennessee, and vowed to return again soon to further explore this fascinating area.

We can still all have very special days despite all of the challenging, uncertain things going on around us right now. We just need to keep the faith, and to keep our President, our country, our world, our loved ones, and ourselves in our (positive) thoughts and prayers for an even brighter future.

Positive thought: "Every day is a part of life, so make it special."-Siddhant R. Shinde

Thanks for visiting! Until sometime between October 27-November 8, 2020, Becky

Celebrating in Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee

(At Cootie Brown's)

Greg and I are really enjoying being back home in the Southern Appalachians, near places that are familiar to us since we've lived in this general region most of our lives. I'm originally from Southwest Virginia and Greg, from East Tennessee. Right now we're living in Virginia, but we're just a stone's throw away from East Tennessee. We love where we live now. It's a nice central location for nearby Abingdon, Bristol, Kingsport, and Johnson City, as well as several small towns, some of which we've yet to explore.

February is usually a month of celebration for us, not only because of Valentine's Day, but because it's also my birth month.

We started celebrating early this year, when the "Tri-Cities Storm Tracker 5" weather team came to the new Food City in Abingdon, Virginia the first of the month. It was food and fun.

Getting Autographs from the Storm Tracker 5 Weather Team

(Greg Arnott Photo)

Then, came Valentine's Day-

We decided to celebrate by going to a new (to us) restaurant in Abingdon.

 We loved the arty look on the outside of "Luke's Cafe."

The inside was just as interesting-

It had a retro decor featuring celebrities from the past such as James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, and even Al Capone!

And, the food was very tasty!

Since we were so full from lunch, we decided to wait and have dessert somewhere else later...

like Anthony's Desserts.

We're so glad we decided to stop by. The place was all dressed up for Valentine's Day, and the shelves were full of goodies.

We decided to divide a piece of this luscious-looking berry cream cake, and we weren't disappointed. 

It was absolutely delicious!

After being out all day, celebrating, we later celebrated at home with valentines and flowers.

A couple of days later, came the birthday celebration...

at Cootie Brown's in Bristol, Tennessee.

We met with some family members to celebrate my cousin's and my February birthdays.

Cootie Brown's is a fun place to go, and the food is great!

They even let us bring in our own birthday cake!

Before leaving, we had to get some of  Cootie's famous key lime pie to take home with us.

And, a big wish of mine came true the last day of February when we finally got a big snow. I really enjoyed taking pictures of the beautiful snow-covered landscape around us.

One of Our Cats, Mitzi, Looking Out the Window at the Snow

Winter has come.

 "...can spring be far behind?"

-Percy Bysshe Shelley

Spring has already sprung at "Evergreen" in Kingsport, Tennessee!

Spring begins March 20 this year. Happy spring, everybody!

Positive thought: "Make each new day a celebration of life."-Pinterest
Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, April 5, 2020, Becky