A Mule Day Visit

Welcome!

This is a common sight in Columbia the "Mule Capital of the World" around Mule Day.

Each year, Greg and I look forward to the Mule Day event in Colombia, Tennessee, and this year was no exception. The celebration for us was even more special since we welcomed several people to this area to enjoy the festivities with us.

Before we went to our first Mule Day event, we all met for a tour of one of our most elegant mansions, Rippavilla Plantation, in nearby Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Trunk of Tree on Grounds of Rippavilla That's Hundreds of Years Old

After Rippavilla, we enjoyed a tasty meal at Farmers Family Restaurant in Columbia which has an all-you-can-eat Southern country-style buffet. We sure didn't leave hungry!

Next, we went to the Maury County Park fairgrounds where some of the Mule Day activities were being held.

There were arts and crafts, as well as flea market items for sale.

There was entertainment.

There was food aplenty.

And, of course, there were mule-related activities and contests.

We finished up our first day with an evening meal at the charming, historic Homestead Manor in Thompson's Station, Tennessee

Greg and Me, with Our Out-of-town Visitors

The next day, after taking everyone on a quick tour of our home, we all went to the highlight of Mule Day, the parade!

Folks come from near and far to see and to participate in the more-than-an-hour-long parade.

A Wannabe Mule, Watching the Parade

Next on the agenda was lunch at the popular Puckett's Downtown Columbia on Public Square.

Some of us chose their breakfast buffet which was a great choice!

That afternoon, we were back to Maury County Park for more Mule-Day fun.

One of the Blue-ribbon Winners

Dinner, anyone?

What about dinner at the Union Station Hotel in Nashville? 

Great idea!

It's a fabulous place with good food!

Broad Street, downtown Nashville, is vibrantly alive at night.

Nashville was a great way to end the two-day adventure with our visitors.

After all of this celebrating, we were dog-tired. We were ready to go home, to get some much-needed rest, and to dream about our next big adventure.

Happy Easter!

Positive thought: "Easter is the demonstration of God that life is essentially spiritual and timeless."-Charles M. Crowe

Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, May 7, 2017, Becky

A Day of Fun in Columbia, Tennessee

I just wanted to share with you a fun day we had recently in Columbia, Tennessee.

The occasion was a special one, the Mule Day parade, that we enjoyed with two special people, Mike and Betty, who traveled over three hundred miles to celebrate with us.

The Mule Day parade is one of the best parts of Mule Day.* Here are some of the highlights of the parade, in words and pictures-

Toward the first of the parade, there were men on horseback, carrying various flags, including the United States and Tennessee ones.

There were horses carrying beauty queens.

There was even a "horse of a different color"!

And, since this was the mule parade, there were mules, of course, as well.

There was even a pretend mule.

Even some of the spectators came dressed for the occasion.

There were canine fans, too!

Like my animal-lover Daddy would say, "Here's a little sweetheart."

The over-hour-long parade was spectacular with lots of other things like floats, fancy cars, and horse-drawn carriages, etc.

After the parade, we were hungry, so we headed over to Puckett's** for lunch.

Preparing to Visit Puckett's

I got the breakfast buffet instead of ordering lunch. Great choice!

We stopped in at The Old Curiosity Book Shop which was right down the street.*** 

Next on our agenda was the home of James K. Polk who was the 11th President of the U. S. (I found a cute mule-shaped cookie cutter in the gift shop which is now on display in our kitchen.)

We then went to an old graveyard to find a Confederate soldier's grave since Mike and Greg are Civil War buffs.

While there, we happened upon this adorable little calico, which was nice to see, since we didn't notice any cats attending the parade!

Question to ponder: A mule is a combination of what two animals?

"Always make time for the people that remind you, life is meant to be fun."

-"An Inspired Approach"

*For more information on Mule Day, please see my 4/1/12 and 4/6/13 "The Art of Positive Living" blog posts.

**For more information about Puckett's, see my 4/14/13 blog post. 

***For more information about The Old Curiosity Book Shop, see my 10/13/13 blog post.

(Note: The first and last photos were taken outside of Puckett's.) 

Positive thought: "Have fun!! (seriously)-pinterest.com
Thanks for visiting! Until next Monday, Becky

Puckett's Downtown Columbia Is Great!

Last week, my blog featured the Mule Day parade in Columbia, Tennessee.  This blog is about the great new restaurant we went to after the parade, Puckett's Downtown Columbia which opened just last month.

And, we weren't the only ones who decided to go there that day, as the place was packed!

Greg and I are familiar with the local Puckett's restaurants, as we've been to, and I've blogged about, most of them.  Each one is a little different.  According to Claire, one of the owner-managers, they try to decorate the different Puckett's according to each one's location.  She said that Columbia has an interesting history which they tried to show through the decor, with the help of a picker, William Powell.

The decor of each restaurant may be different, but one thing is consistently the same-the great food!

          I had the delicious fried catfish sandwich, along with squash casserole.

                    For dessert, Greg enjoyed the cherry cobbler with ice cream.

We've also tried their breakfast buffet which is fantastic!  There's everything from fruit to French toast.

                   Puckett's also has a nice selection of grocery items for sale.

Plus, everyone we chatted with that worked there was nice, including Allison, our waitress and Debbie who works the buffet and bakes pies.

So, if you're ever in Columbia, be sure to put Puckett's on your must-do list.  Bet you'll be glad you did!

F.Y.I.
Puckett's Gro. & Restaurant
15 Public Square
Columbia, TN 38401
931-490-4550
www.puckettsgrocery.com

Positive thought:  A great to-do list for a better life: being grateful, being positive, and making happiness a top priority.
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky