Pumpkins Galore

Friday I felt lazy, so slept in while Gary ran off to have his labs done at 7:45 am.  When he returned, he was hungry (of course) so we drove off to find food.  But it was lunch time by the time we got our rears in gear, and that was perfect, because we had wanted to try to have lunch at J.T. Hannah's, a new restaurant.  We settled on the chicken/steak combo fajitas (which we shared) and they were really good.  We continued on to Gatlinburg, but stopped before town at the liquor store for some wine.  Pigeon Forge does not have liquor stores, but you can buy beer in the grocery store, not wine and only get drinks at a restaurant.  Each restaurant has its own rules, and may not have mixed drinks, just beer and/or wine.  Strange around here.  Here we are (with iced tea).

I am impressed with the fall decorations around here.  They really go all out, so I wanted to give you an idea of the number of pumpkins, gourds and cornstalk bundles decking out the town AND our campground!

That's one BIG pumpkin - I wonder where they store that out of season?  Our campground is decorated nicely, too, considering the guys did it. (lol)

This evening we saw Cirque de Chine which was the second time for us, but the first time for Dixie and Willis.  Dixie sat next to me, and continued to gasp and grab the handles of her seat.  Some of the unbelievable contortions these young Chinese did could actually make you wince.  The finale was cancelled because of a previous accident.  The first time we went we remember sitting in disbelief as 6, yes 6, motorcyclists drove around and around in a mesh ball barely missing eachother.  We hope the 'accident' only involved hurting the motorcycles, not the performers.  Once again, we walked out truly amazed, and wondered if the physical strain on their young bodies would plague them later in life, or actually improve their physical wellness. 

 

Saturday was a work day at the CG Office, and I checked in 18 rigs.  I still am not comfortable just driving into a campground and asking for a space.  I know lots of people always do that, but I'm one that always makes a reservation.  We don't drive too far and I check out the campground reviews beforehand, sometimes weeks before.  We might get to the point when we feel comfortable just driving generally in the direction we want to go, and find something along the way.  But not just yet.

Today is also a great memory day for me - it is my son's 25th birthday.  Happy Birthday, sweetie!  He is on his way back from his fall tour of the east coast with his band.  You can check out his music at www.TristanClopet.com . 

After work, Dixie had cooked up hamburger stew and fresh cornbread.  We ate outside just as the moon was coming up over the mountain and three police cars and an ambulance arrived opposite our rig.  This is the same site where the ambulance had visited a couple months ago when the daughter had been choking.  I don't know what happened, but they gradually left with no flashing lights, so I guess all was well in the end. 

We hung out in Willis and Dixie's fiver talking about our upcoming trip to Texas until we called it a night.  It's very chilly at night, but warms up to upper 70s and low 80s.  Perfect Indian summer weather.