Tennessee, Lebanon - Monday, March 5, 2014 - Visiting with Friends

We left the RV Dreams Rally in Sevierville after breakfast on Sunday.  It was a great rally and we made some new friends who are in all different stages of RVing.  Sean and Christine have been RVing for a few years and are just now starting to think about the fulltime lifestyle.  Guy and Sue are picking up their brand new coach in Indiana this week and will be fulltiming before too long.  Rick and Teresa have been fulltiming for two years now – what a great group of people.  We had lots of wonderful conversations.  We look forward to keeping up with them and their travels.

 

 

We headed toward Nashville to meet up with our friends Barbara and Ann.  The traffic wasn’t too bad.

But, the roads were kind of rough in spots.  The teddy bear took a tumble from the shelf above the fridge.  He usually travels just fine, today got the best of him.

 

 

We parked the coach in a WalMart lot and Barbara and Ann whisked us off to Monells at the Manor for lunch.

This beautiful manor home was built in 1893 by retired railway president Col. E. W. Cole.  After a 1929 fire, his daughter rebuilt it for her home.  After a couple of other changes of ownership it became the New Orleans Manor seafood buffet restaurant in 1977.  Monells opened on Easter Sunday in 2011.

The entryway is breathtaking.

 

 

The dining experience takes place in dining parlors where tables of twelve are set up.  Monells is all about the shared experience of dining with others so the food is served family style.  We shared our meal with a delightful young couple from the Chicago and Fort Wayne area.

 

 

Sunday is “Chef’s Choice” lunch.  There was apple pie, tea, sweet tea, fruit tea, lemonade, water, cornbread muffins, biscuits (so light you wouldn’t believe), peach preserves and butter on the table when we arrived.  Tossed salad, slaw and cornbread salad came next.  Fried chicken, pork roast, Cajun catfish, pot roast, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green beans, turnips greens and corn pudding were passed around several times.  What a great meal!!

This is us after the meal, ready for a nap.

 

 

We followed our friends home, back through their woods.  Their drive is eight feet wide – so is our coach.  There were a few times I just couldn’t look, closed my eyes and held my breath, but we made it.

The horses seemed to be glad to see Greg.  Once they found out he didn’t have any sugar cubes or carrots they went on their way.

Here is a picture of their newest baby

When we woke up Monday morning, this was the view from our front window.

We saw several tom turkeys out strutting their stuff as we headed up to the house for breakfast.  Barbara and Ann just spoiled us during our stay – such amazing ladies.  We always enjoy our time with them.

 

Here we are following Barbara and Ann (little red car) out of Tennessee.  They took a “shortcut” we wouldn’t have been aware of.  Once we got to Kentucky we  took separate ways back to Indiana.

Before we left they asked if I liked reading.  I answered “yes, I read a lot”.  They were redoing their office/library and this is what they sent home with me.  Since we don’t have a “library” in the coach, it’s a good thing we have some extra storage in the
basement.