Leaves have Left

And so have we; left that is.  We arrived in Tennessee about 4 weeks ago amid the gorgeous colors of autumn.  As we were leaving today, we noticed that most of the leaves have fallen and the area is getting ready for winter.  Here is one small exception, taken in a sheltered canyon from I-40.:

It is time for us to move south.

Since we haven’t posted since the weekend, we should mention a dinner we were treated to last Monday.  The President of Holston Home has a very old, rustic cabin in the woods at the foothills of the Smokies.  In this case, rustic means no electricity and no water.  Lighting is from candles and older gas lamps.  He prepared a sit-down 4-course gourmet meal for 14 on his hearth and outdoor grills (with some help from his wife).  She admits that he does most of the cooking for the family.  A great time was had by all!

Another good meal was our own going away dinner at a local BBQ joint.  The best part came after the meal as we gathered at the History House back on campus for a last night of cards and laughter.  After working and being together for 3 weeks, we’ve made some good friends.  We will be working with Gene, Carolyn, and Janet at another project in January so we’re glad we’ll be seeing some of them again so soon.  As Mike, one of our project members and a minister, said, each project changes your life a little bit.

We have had great weather over the weekends, and last Monday was rainy, but since then the guys have been able to work outdoors putting in 3-rail wooden fencing while the gals were able to do some more painting and Christmas decorating at the History House. 

Our 3 weeks are up and 5 rigs hit the road this morning, two going north, two going south, and one to the west.  Paige wants to see Savannah GA so we got halfway there today (Friday) and will easily finish that leg tomorrow.  We will play as tourists for awhile before continuing on to our Florida project by mid-week.