Castle Gwynn and the Tennessee Renaissance Festival

Ever wonder how it would feel to be in the middle of a fairy tale?

You could find out by visiting Castle Gwynn during their annual Tennessee Renaissance Festival during the month of May.

Greg and I did, and we loved it!

We got to tour the magnificent castle...

and, its lovely grounds.

During the Renaissance Festival, we visited little shops that had all sorts of interesting items.

                                                      M. Sotherden Art Glass

                                                Zenobia, Psychic Consultant

There was luscious food galore.

                                                     Remedio Concessions

There was all sorts of entertainment.

Just watching the entertainers walk by in costume was fun.

             "I have a feeling we're not in Kansas any more."  -The Wizard of Oz

Some of the visitors even came dressed for the occasion.

It's not too late to take in this unique castle with its accompanying festival.  You might even want to come dressed for the occasion, as well!  (I'm already planning my outfit for next year!)

F.Y.I.
Tennessee Renaissance Festival
P. O. Box 309
Arrington, Tennessee 37014
(615) 395-9950
www.tnrenfest.com

Positive thought: May we all live happily and positively ever after.

                                                                    The end.

P. S. Happy Mother's Day to all mothers everywhere, especially to my own special mother.
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

A Celebration of May

Welcome!

May is such a beautiful time of year that I decided to celebrate it by writing a short, but sweet, blog post about it.

 So, here's a celebration of May in words and pictures.

"Another May new buds and flowers shall bring.."
-Charlotte Smith

"Sweet May hath come to love us,
Flowers, trees, their blossoms don,
And through the blue heavens above us
The very clouds move on."
-Heinrich Heine

Recently, as I was going toward a shop, I noticed some beautiful roses. Impulsively, I bent down and took in their lovely fragrance.  A passerby noticed me and said, "I like that, someone taking the time to smell the roses."  (I thought that, yes, I do need to do that more often, and I resolved then and there that I would.)

Positive thought: Always take time to smell the roses.

The celebration of May continues as Greg and I are on our way to our weekly adventure which I'll share with you on next week's blog post.  I believe you'll love it!  Please stay tuned!

Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

Bell Buckle Cafe, Bell Buckle, Tennessee

I really can't say enough good things about the Bell Buckle Café in Bell Buckle, Tennessee (which is walking horse country).  It is superb!  We first found out about it in the Tennessee Magazine.  In the issue we read, it was voted the Best of Tennessee 2012 "Home/Country Cooking" in Middle Tennessee.

The Bell Buckle Café has a down-home atmosphere.

                 Signed photos of country-music celebrities line several of the walls.

This country décor sets the stage for the mouth-watering food that is served there.  (Our food was served by Renee, who did a great job.)

They have some unusual desserts that you don't find anywhere else.  For instance, they have homemade grits cake with strawberries and whipped cream, Moon Pie sundaes with vanilla ice cream, and chocolate cobbler (that I overheard one woman say was great which I don't doubt for a minute!) to mention a few.

                                         Oatmeal Cake with Caramel Sauce

Bell Buckle Café and the town of Bell Buckle of around 450 people are closely intertwined.  As we were waiting for a table in the café during prime time, we visited some of the interesting little shops (You don't mind waiting, as the time just seems to fly by since you're enjoying the shops so much!).

                                           
After we finished eating, we visited a few more shops, like the Doodle Bug Too which has handbags and jewelry and Perfectly Painted which has, among other things, a really cute resident dog named Bugzy.

                                                                  Bugzy

The items in these shops are good quality, and are very reasonably priced!  (I bought a pair of earrings, necklace, and bracelet, all for $12.00 plus tax, and they are lovely.)

                                                  My $2.00 Vintage Bracelet

We are going back to this wonderful little community again to visit more shops, and to the Bell Buckle Café to try their fried biscuits with homemade apple butter.  Yum!  Sounds like a plan!

F.Y.I.
Bell Buckle Café
16 Railroad Square
Bell Buckle, Tennessee
(931) 389-9693
www.bellbucklecafe.com

Positive Thought: "Scatter Kindness" -From a sign in the Bell Buckle Cafe
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

Positive Changes

Welcome!

And, a special welcome to two more Followers since last week!

A few months ago, Greg and I moved from a region we'd lived in most of our lives to another part of Tennessee.  The move was not an easy one.  We had to leave behind the familiar, and our loved ones.

Although things seemed strange at first, we adjusted, and learned to adapt to our new environment.  In fact, we now believe we did the right thing.  Greg's career move was a really good one, and new opportunities have opened up for my art, writing, and organizing business.

There's a ton of things to see and do where we live now.

We've met a lot of new people, and we've made friends along the way.

Our family members are only a phone call or an email away.  Besides, we get back to our old area every few weeks to visit and to shop at local stores.

Right now, we're living in a rental house with a beautiful view of a farm with its array of farm animals.  (Better than TV, and our cats love watching all the animals, including peacocks!)

We have definitely made some positive changes, and we plan on even more to come!

We need to move to a house with land of our own, closer to where Greg works, maybe even to another nearby town.

This blog post was inspired by another blog, River Cliff Cottage ( http://www.rivercliffcottage.com ), written by fellow blogger and new friend, Eva Beaule who lives in an area of Southwest Virginia near where I grew up.

I'm enjoying reading about her life in that rural part of Virginia which she finally came to terms with and decided she loved.  With words and pictures, she describes (sometimes humorously) her day-to-day activities and her beautiful house which is a work-in-progress.  I appreciate the fact that she's sharing her experiences which include the changes she's going through as she lives her life.  It's good that we can learn from each other along life's journey.

Nothing ever stays the same.  Change is inevitable.  We can either fight change, or we can go with the flow.  If we look for the good in every situation, we can always find it.

Positive thought: Every change is a golden opportunity.
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, 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

Mule Day, Revisited

               (Sign in front of a local restaurant.  More about it on a later blog post.)

Greg and I enjoyed the Mule Day parade in Columbia, Tennessee so much last year, that we decided to go back again this year.  For last year's Mule Day, please see my April 1, 2012 blog post.)

So here it is, some highlights of the Mule Day parade, 2013.  Enjoy!

Many were dressed for the occasion.

The participants-

As well as the spectators-

                                             These Boots Were Made for Watchin'.

                                                             Some Came Prepared.  

                                                                  Items Were Sold.

                                                            Friends Were Made.

All in all, everyone seemed to have a doggone good time.  Can hardly wait till next year!

Positive thought: "Expect the best from today and you won't be disappointed."
                              -Woman's World
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky