A Step Back In Time

While we were in Tazewell, TN we came across a gas station that was restored to what it was like in the 1930's. The Rose Service Station that was a Gulf Station opened in 1930 and operated until 1956. After the station closed it became living quarters until 1968 it was vacated and stayed empty and deteriorated until 2001.  In 2001 the town of Tazewell became the owner of the property and did a complete restoration of the station.  The Gulf station features authentic signage and cylindrical glass gas pumps. It is open week days 8:00 to 4:00. The station was featured in the film "Thunder Road". 
It was fun to visit the Gulf station and even though the 1930's station was way before my time it was fun to step back in time for a few minutes and just take in what life was like back in the 30's, 40's and 50's.  If you are ever in the Tazewell area take a few minutes and stop by the Gulf Gas Station.  You will not be disappointed.  Check back tomorrow for more of our day trip we took on Saturday.  Next stop, Cumberland Gap!

A Cute Distraction

We, Tim, Lisa, George and I, headed out to go check out a dump truck yesterday and ended up getting a little distracted.  We had to drive to Tazewell, TN yesterday to a farm even more remote from where we are to check out a 10 ton dump truck George wants to purchase for the farm.  He has a major project to work on and the dump truck would make the project a little easier.  Anyway, while looking at the truck we were greeted by three friendly dogs. After looking at the truck, the owner of the dump truck took us into his barn to see his baby goats.  They were adorable and were glad to see visitors.  Tim and Lisa held a couple of the babies.  While we were checking out the goats we found out an interesting fact about goats, they like candy canes!  Anyway, we enjoyed playing with the goats and the truck is being thought about.  It was a good start to our day.  Check back tomorrow and see what happened next!

I Have The Greatest Sister In The World!!!

My sister Pam and I have a great relationship and I am the luckiest sister in the world to have Pam as my sister.  I couldn't of picked a better sister if I could have.  We talk every single day, we FaceTime, and we know all that is going on in each other's lives.  We are not only sisters but we are best friends and when we are together we do not get sick of each other.  So yesterday I received another a surprise packager from Pam and it was a little gift to help Tim and I enjoy our "Spring Break".  She sent us a bunch of food gift cards to use while we are on our Spring Break.  See, I have the greatest sister in the world.  Thanks Pam!  I love you to the moon and back!

A Garage Is Built

George has been working on his garage for a little while and yesterday Tim and George installed the last thing for the garage, the garage door.  They have been working on it over the past couple of months and it is looking really good.  The siding went up fairly fast followed by the windows.  A shower and wood shed is also part of the garage which is built onto an outdoor deck.  The wood shed has sliding doors to get the wood easier and the garage door had to be engineered to fit the opening.  George and Tim did a great job and it is looks really good!  Nice job!

"Risen"

Yesterday, with the weather turning nasty in the afternoon, we decided to go to the movies.  Before we did we took a little drive to pick up a package at Fed Ex then headed over to Ruby Tuesday for Linner (late lunch early dinner).  We then went and saw the movie "Risen".  Risen starts with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the Roman tribute.  Pilate has assigned the Tribute to find Jesus's body because Pilate did not want the Messiah to happen.  The Tribute started his quest and that is all I will say.  The movie was very good and very well done and I would highly recommend it to all especially if you are a Christian.  It tells a wonderful story and a very good message.  Check it out, I think you will like it.

Mad Max: Fury Road

What am I missing?  Tim and I watched "Mad Max : Fury Road" last night and we cannot figure out why in the world that was nominated for an Academy Award.  We have seen all the Mad Max movies and this one was our least favorite.  I really did not care for any of them but this one by far was the worse of the worse.  It had a couple of big names in it but that was about it in my opinion.  There was nothing redeeming that came from that movie.  Even Tim can't figure out what all the talk was about the movie especially since he likes Mad Max movies.  So if you want an action movie with lots of excitement then this is the one to see.  Oh yeah, and if you figure out why it was nominated please let me know. 

Another Gloomy Day

We woke ip fog yesterday and it stayed over cast the whole day and it looks like today will be the same.  We had a lot of rain last night that will continue today and is forecasted for tomorrow too. We know the rain won't last past Wednesday because on Thursday we are expecting snow!  I don't know about you but on gloomy days getting motivated is a lot harder for me.  I did manage to complete another door prize for my sister but other than that I did not do much else.  If the rain really does continue today and tomorrow we may have to go to town and go see a movie.  I guess I will check and see what's playing.  I do want to see "Risen" so today may be the day.  Check back and see what we did!

The Golf Cart Shelter Is Complete

The Golf cart shelter that Tim started a couple of days ago has been completed.  The shelter is built really well and is very sturdy.  I know that we no longer have to be concerned that a wind will destroy it like it did the previous shelter.  The shelter has a flat roof but Tim engineered it so that it is pitched with the hill so water will run off and the roof will be able to sustain the weight of the snow.  It is a bigger shelter and so now the golf cart is even better protected from the elements.  The tin roof that Tim put on matches the shed that is right next to it and it makes it look like a unit.  Thanks Tim for the new shelter, you did a great job.

Getting Ready For Spring

George was up early and down in the orchard working on the beds for planting the crops this year.  We all spent some time Friday night deciding what we wanted to plant this year.  Last year a little bit of everything was planted to see how things grew but this year we are planting the crops we want to have and eat.  While George was working on the beds Lisa and I were busy pruning the grape vines to get them ready. At first we were going to keep some vines to make some wreaths but by the time we were done pruning we were both pretty much done with wanting to do anything with them.  So after lunch we collected all the vines and put them in the burn pile to be dealt with later.  It was a good day to be working in the orchard because it was cool and overcast.   So we have officially begun to get the orchard ready to plant.

Barn Quilts - Cocke County, TN

While driving around our area I kept seeing these quilt squares on barns and I had heard of barn quilts but never really paid attention to them until now.  Barn quilts started about 300 years ago when immigrants from the Rhine area of Germany came to this country for religious freedom: Amish, Mennonites, Lutherans and other Reform groups.  Prior to the 1830's barns were not painted due to the expense of the paint but as paint became a little more affordable the Pennsylvania Dutch started painting and decorating their barns.  The barn quilt trend peaked in the early 20th Century and slowly began disappearing until the 1980's when they were revived.  Now there is a Barn Quilt Trail through out the United States and in Eastern Tennessee there are several well established one.  After talking about Barn Quilts with Lisa she became interested too so yesterday we took our first Barn Quilt tour and we decided the first one should be in the county where we live, Cocke.  Cocke County barn trail had about 8 barns listed, officially, and so I mapped out a course, grabbed my GPS (Lisa drove) and we headed out on our quest to look at barn quilts.  The first two barns on the list were in Parrottsville and when we drove up to the first one we saw the barn but the quilt on the barn was at an angle that you could not see it unless we entered the property.  This barn didn't have a road that we could see so we drove past it hoping to get a glimpse of the quilt but we could not.  So, we were on to the second barn and we had the same result.  Needless to say at this point we were thinking this could be a bust but we were determined and it was a really nice day out so we continued our quest.  We stopped for lunch in Newport before continuing on our journey.  The next barn we went to was in Newport but once again the quilt was hidden from sight.  Then next stop the address didn't exist in the GPS so skipped it because we still had more to see.  The last barn listed in Newport was our first success in seeing the barn quilt.  The quilt was called Maple leaf and it was located on Bryant's barn.  We were finally successful on our barn quilt quest so we continued on.  Our next stop was Cosby but we made a quick stop at Carver's Apple Orchard to check out their produce barn.  In Cosby we found the two barn quilts listed but neither of them were on barns.  The first one, Drunkard's Path was located on the Smokey Mountain Visitor Center in Cosby and the second one, Smokey Mountain Memories. was on a fireworks store.  The important thing is they were barn quilts.  The last barn quilt we never made it to.  It was in Del Rio but the GPS led us a stray and tried to kill us.  We followed the GPS and the further we went the roads got smaller and smaller and eventually turned into a single lane back road that was breaking away.  At that point we decided it would not be a good idea to continue and we turned around eventually.  We were on Rocky Top Road and on our drive we were twisting and turning all going up hill.  Lisa had to back down the narrow road until we got to a spot to turn.  That is not an easy feat when there is a ditch on one side of the road and about a 40 foot drop on the other side of the road.  I got out of the car and guided her down the road until we hit a turn around spot.  She did great and that was the end of our barn quilt tour in Cocke county or so we thought.  As we were heading back towards  home we did come across a barn quilt that was not listed on the tour.  It was at Rocky Top Farm View.  It was a nice one and a good way to end our Cocke Country barn quilt tour.  Even though we were not as successful as we thought we would be on our quest we still had a good time and the ride was nice; okay most of it was.  Lisa and I will be heading out on another Barn Tour but our next one will be a well established tour in Greene County. 

Tim's New Project

Now that the Little Cabin on Wheels is complete Tim has started a new project.  During one of our winter storms we had a huge wind gust that took out our golf cart canopy.  The canopy was one like you see at soccer games and a wind gust literally picked up the canopy and twisted the legs so bad that it could no longer be used.  Tim decided to build a permanent shelter for the golf cart instead of just getting another canopy.  He dug the post holes and set the posts and yesterday he built the structure.  Since the golf cart sits at an angle, because it is on a hill, the structure had to be engineered so that when we drive down the golf cart driveway to the shelter we no long have to duck to clear the canopy.  This is a big relief to me because even though I cleared the cloth canopy most of the time it was not ALL the time.  Cloth doesn't hurt but wood will. Great job so for Tim!  Thanks for the shelter!

The Little Cabin On Wheels Is Completed

For the past few months Tim has been building an RV for us to travel in.  Now that our RV home is pretty much set up for good Tim decided he wanted something we could still travel in but it had to be small enough to pull with our Jeep Compass.  Instead of spending thousands of dollars buying a little RV Tim decided to build one at a tenth of the cost.  To see the building of the Little Cabin on Wheels go to my other blog, Travels With Ruth:
travelswithruth-ruth.blogspot.com
Tim did a great job and we are now ready to take it on our first "official" trip.  We are going to Columbia, SC for a week in March.  Thanks Tim for the Little Cabin on Wheels!

Who Is Alexander Hamilton?

Who is Alexander Hamilton became the number one google question after the "Hamilton" performance on the Grammy's Monday night.  The question was mostly asked by teenagers who had no idea who Alexander Hamilton.  I guess they never bothered looking at the $10 bill.  So, who is Alexander Hamilton?  He was one of the founding fathers of the United States, chief staff aide to General George Washington, an interpreter and promoter of the U.S. Constitution, founder of the nation's financial system, the Federalist party, the U.S. Coast Guard and the New York Post.  He was the first Secretary of the Treasury and was the primary author of the financial policies during President George Washington's presidency which lead to the creation of the National Bank system in the U.S.  He was born out of wedlock in the West Indies in 1755, was orphaned as a young child but was given an education by some local wealthy men who saw the potential Hamilton had.  He was sent to King's College in New York, now known as Columbia University, and he played a major role in the American Revolutionary War.  He was married to Elizabeth Schuyler and had 8 children.  He died from an injury that he obtained in a Duel with Aaron Burr in 1804.  This barely touches all of Alexander Hamilton's accomplishments but now you know who Alexander Hamilton is. 

We Were Rockin' And A Shakin'

We were rockin' and a shakin' last night.  We were rocking away last night while watching the Grammys and shaking due to the winds that were so strong that it makes the RV move.  We had some gusts that were so hard that once again I was waiting to be picked up and dropped in OZ.  Any time the winds are from the south or east we get a little shakin' up and last night was no exception.  I feel sorry for Shadow during those wind storms.  Shadow is a good dog and not much bothers him but he does not like it when the RV moves.  The winds have shifted now so we are quiet again. 
I was rocking away to the Grammys last night.  There were some really good music performers and then there were some that I did not care for.  I realize that as I get older I am liking the Grammys a little less since I don't know all of the music groups.  I am especially bad with Rap and Hip Hop; go figure.  It was good seeing the Eagles, Adele, Little Big Town, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Bonnie Raitt perform and I really liked seeing the opening scene of "Hamilton" the new and very hot Broadway show.  I missed some performances because the wind blew our antenna so I lost CBS.  It was a good show.  The rockin' was fun last night but I could of done without the shakin".

A Nice Valentine's Day!

I had a nice Valentine's Day.  We decided to celebrate the day with going out to lunch.  We wanted to make sure we did not get caught in the bad weather that was going to happen later in the day.  We got down the hill to our car and  headed out.  Our road still has about 6 inches of snow on it mostly because the sun does not hit it so nothing has melted.  The car did well and once we were on the main roads driving was easy because the roads were clear.  We decided to go into Greeneville for lunch and we celebrated our Valentine's Day at Fatz.  It is a nice restaurant with good food.  I had their specialty  Callabash Chicken. Tim had ribs and George and Lisa got the combo plate which had ribs, chicken and shrimp. Everything was good! So we had a nice lunch then did a little grocery shopping to be ready for the next storm.  When we got back to the farm Tim made it up the road which was good because we had some groceries and I was really glad I didn't have to hike up our hill with the groceries.  I am going to post a picture of the hill so you can see just why we have issues when the weather is bad.  It was a nice day; Thanks Tim for lunch and to George and Lisa for joining us.

Happy Valetine's Day

Happy Valetine's Day!  I hope you have a wonderful day and that you get to spend it with your love(s).  Tim and I are hoping to go out for Valentine's Day with George and Lisa and if the weather permits.  The sun was out all day yesterday and melted some of the snow but the temperatures were in the 20's so we know the road did not melt today.  If we can get out we will be headed to Greeneville for dinner.  The restaurant is up for grabs; we will eat at the first one where the wait is the least.  Check back tomorrow and see what happens and have a Happy Valentine's Day!

This Is A Dusting?

It figures that the one day I have to leave the farm we have unexpected snow.  Our road was clear Thursday night  and we knew  we would be able to get down the hill so I could go to Morristown for a Dr appointment.  Then when we woke up there was at least two inches of snow and it was still coming down.  We still were not concerned because we knew it would quit before we left.  After all, the weather forecaster on the news said we would just get a dusting then it would warm up to the high  30's.  Well, the dusting turned into 5 inches of snow and it never got above 32 degrees.  We left 4 hours early for my appointment because we were not sure what the roads would be like and I am glad we did.  We slid down our hill and Tim did a great job making sure we did not slide off the road.  All the roads were snow covered until we got to the interstate which normally is not a big deal except the roads we were driving had hills and lots of curves.  Once we were in Morristown the roads were clear but the snow continued.  I got to my appointment super early and I got in early because there were so many cancellations.  As we headed back to the farm the roads were clear until we got to the smaller back roads that lead to the farm. We didn't even try going up the hill instead we parked our car at he barn and climbed up the hill.  By the way, my new snow boots worked great!  It is suppose to get bitter cold today and tomorrow but at least we will be able to get out if we want to now that the car is at the barn.  Bring on the cold, we are ready!

A Nice Surprise

The snow is melting and the road is clear so we will be able to leave the farm today.  It has been a few days due to the hill.  Yesterday, I received a package from my sister.  I knew she was sending me some paper but I had no idea that I was also going to get some fun new stamp sets and tools to play with.  I was able to create another door prize for her.  That is two down and two to go, WooHoo!
So, for the next couple of days, I will be busy in the Crafty Cottage playing with all my "toys" and hopefully I will get the creative juices flowing.  Thanks Pam!  It was a great surprise!

Brrr, It Is Cold Outside!

I know it is winter and I know from last year that February was our worst month and it seems that is true this year too.  We are on round two of the cold and snow and it is my fault that we are still here in Tennessee and not somewhere south where it is warmer.  We had talked about not being here in February to avoid the cold weather but I have a DR appointment tomorrow, which is why we are still here, and the results from that appointment will determine what will happen next.  So, with that said, we get to enjoy a very frigid and snowy week end.  I am hoping we can get down our hill tomorrow and make the appointment.
Yesterday's snow continued through lunch time then the sun came out and even with very cold temperatures the sun melted a lot of the snow.  All the roads around the farm are clear but unfortunately the road down the hill is not; the sun does not shine on it.  It was hard to believe that during the morning hours the snow was so heavy it even showed up on pictures but once the sun came out it looked and only looked like an early Spring day.  Last night we had Taco Bar Part Two down at Lisa and George's.  We had so many leftovers from the Super Bowl that we decided to have another Taco Bar night.  It was good!  Thanks Lisa and George!

Snow Day Equals Movie Day

It started snowing Monday night and it snowed all day yesterday.  We have about 6 inches so far but expect more today.  Since we had snow and it was very cold outside we decided to make it a movie day and watched three movies.  We started off watching "All Is Lost" a movie starring Robert Redford.  He was the only person in the movie.  It was about a guy who was sailing in the Indian Ocean and his boat broke down.  It was an interesting movie.  After lunch we watched "The Hunger Games".  Tim and I have not seen any of the Hunger Game movies and I have to admit they are good.  After dinner we watched the second Hunger games movie "Hunger Games Catching Fire" which was also good.  Today we will watch the third one "Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1" and then we will be ready to see the fourth movie.  I wonder if it is still in the movie theater.  It was a good day to just stay indoors and relax.  It is still dark outside but I will post more snow pictures later.

Running Errands Before The Snow

We ran several errands yesterday so we could be prepared for the snow that started last night.  Almost every place we went were places that we had to go to so we would be prepared for the snow.  We stopped by the gas company to get all of our propane tanks filled.  Propane is what we use for heating, cooking and drying our clothes so that was a must.  We then headed to the gas station and filled our car's gas tank.  My dad taught me that in the winter your gas tank should always be full especially in the snow.  I ran into the grocery store to pick up a few groceries and then we stopped by the appliance store to pick up our air conditioner.  Yes, an air conditioner! Tim had purchased an air conditioner for the Crafty Cottage on Ebay and when it came it did not work.  So he dropped it off at an appliance shop to see if it could be repaired.  The appliance place called and said it could not but when Tim got there and talked with the repair guy the two of them figured out what was wrong and all it was is the thermostat.  So once Tim finds one the Crafty Cottage will get an air conditioner.  So now that we are ready let the snow come; we are ready!

Way To Go Broncos!

Congratulations to the Denver Broncos for winning Sper Bowl 50!  It was a defensive game and I am thrilled the Broncos won.  We had a good time watching the game with Lisa and George abs Reg and Cheryl.  We were all rooting for the Broncos so it was fun to watch together.  The food we had was great.  There were some great appetizers and the taco bar was a hit.
I was not all that impressed with commercials.  The Doritos commercials were the best I thought.  The rest were just okay.  The halftime show was good but once again nothing special.  The next question is will Peyton Manning retire.  That is what the football fans want to know.  I guess time will tell and we will just have to wait and see.

It's Super Bowl Sunday!

Tonight is Super Bowl 50 and I am ready to watch the final football game of the season and, of course, the commercials.  Watching the Super Bowl can sometimes be tough especially if you have a team you like playing in it and the musical guest for the half time show is good.  What makes it tough?  Trying to figure out when to go to the bathroom.  You can't go during the game because you may miss a great play.  You can't go during the commercials because you might miss a good commercial and you can't go at halftime because you will miss a great show.  See, it is tough to watch the Super Bowl.  This year one of my teams are in the Super Bowl...GO BRONCOS... and I really haven't seen any of the commercials (last year most of the commercials were previewed a head of time) so I will have plan accordingly but enough potty talk.
The Super Bowl is a major event in this country and in a way has become like a holiday.  There is a lot of hype building up to the day like how to plan your super bowl party, foods, drinks, decorations, etc.  when the game starts most of the streets in America empty out because almost everyone is watching the game.  I am not complaining; I think that it is great!  I love the Super Bowl especially when you watch it with others.  This year we are watching the Super Bowl at Lisa and George's house with some of the neighbors joining us.  We are going to have some great appetizers then a taco bar for dinner.  It will be fun but check back tomorrow and I will share what happens.  GO BRONCOS!!!

Eastern Tennessee

 Now that we have been living in eastern Tennessee for a little over a year we have barely explored this area.  There are so many things to do that, in a way, we don't know where to start.  In eastern Tennessee there is rugged mountains, rolling farmlands and wild river gorges but there is also family amusement parks, charming cities, nice resorts, parks and rivers.  Last but not least and my favorite a rich and colorful history to explore. Eastern Tennessee is divided into three regions: the Cumberland Plateau, the Tennessee Valley and the Unaka Mountains. The Cumberland Plateau is  located on the western edge of eastern Tennessee and is a rugged area made up of deep river gorges and dense hardwood forests.  The soil is infertile and the rugged land keeps the Plateau isolated and is the least populated in east Tennessee. It is a great place for outdoor activities.  The Tennessee Valley is located down the center of East Tennessee but it really isn't a valley geologically speaking.  It has rolling hills and ridges that divide the land into a series of valleys with the Tennessee river running down the center of it.  The major metropolitan area are located here and so are we.  The Unaka Mountains form Tennessee's eastern border,  It is part of the Appalachian chain and the Unakas are divided into three parts.  The upper Unakas to the north, the lower Unakas to the south and the Great Smoky Mountains in the middle.  There is also a huge amount of American history in this area from before the Revolutionary War time through the Civil War to current times.  So, as you can see, there is so much to do around this area and I am ready to explore this wonderful place where I live!

A Walk In The Woods

Tim and I watched "A Walk In The Woods" last night on pay per view.  We got a couple of free movies and this was one I have been wanting to see.  Tim had already seen it with George and Lisa last fall when I was in California.  I did not get a chance to see it until now.  Robert Redford, Nick Nolte and Emma Thompson star in it and all did a great job.  It is about two older guys hiking the Appalachian trail.  It was a good, fuuny enjoyable film and if you want to see a feel good movie check this one out.  It was good!

Organizing Paper

As a Rubber Stamper I have a lot of different materials I work with but the basic materials for rubber stamping is stamps, ink and paper.  These basic items come in all sorts of images, colors and types that good organization of the materials is needed.  I have great storage for my stamp sets and inks but I could not settle on how to keep my paper organized but I have finally figured out a system; a file cabinet.  I "borrowed" the idea from my sister Pam who has been using file cabinets for quite some time now.  I thought my system was just fine until I was working in her craft room for so long and realized that her paper organization was perfect.  It was easy to find the color you wanted, all neatly kept and right where you were working; it was perfect.  So when Tim and I went to Walmart Sunday we had no intentions on getting a file cabinet but they were on sale and Tim remembered me telling him I wanted one.  I picked a white file cabinet, to coordinate with the other furnishings in the Crafty Cottage, and some file folders.  When we got back to the farm on Sunday I worked on making a place for the file cabinet which also forced me to get better organized in the Crafty Cottage too.  Yesterday I worked on organizing the paper and now my file system is complete and my paper it organized and ready for me to get busy again.  Yay!!!

Just A Little Wind

Yesterday Lisa and I headed to Morristown to go grocery shopping.  We usually do our grocery shopping in Newport but I needed a couple of things from Hobby Lobby and we wanted to check out a new grocery store in Morristown.  We kind of made a day of grocery shopping and when we got back to the farm we got hit in the face by wind.  When the wind is out of the south or southeast it comes right up the hill and hits our place directly and if it is hard enough can really shake us up.  When the wind is from the west or north the hill and trees behind us block it.  Most of last year we had winds from the north or west but this fall and winter we have been nailed with southern winds and it does take a toll on us. Yesterday, last night and this morning we are still shaking.  It shakes the slides and whips the slide covers which makes a lot of noise.  We have had steady winds at 15 to 20 mph and gust of 40 to 50 mph.  Poor Shadow does not enjoy the rocking of the RV.  There is a big storm coming through this morning then the winds should switch to the north and things will be quiet again.  Until then, we just sit and wait and turn the TV volume up.

Happy Groundhog Day

Happy Groundhog Day!  Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow?  If he does that means six more weeks of winter but if he doesn't Spring will come early.  Well, if Punxsutawney Phil were here at the farm he would NOT see his shadow and Spring will be coming early.  I guess we will have to wait and see.  Here in Tennessee some people like to use the Wooly Worm for the winter weather prediction.  The wooly worm or a caterpillar from the Tiger moth can predict winter weather by how thick the stripes are on its body.  The thicker and darker the stripe the harder winter will be.  If the stripe is brown it will be a mild winter but this all happens in the fall and I wasn't here last fall to hear the prediction.  Okay Phil, I guess it's all up to you!

Update On Punxsutawney Phil...Way to go Phil, no shadow!  There will be an early Spring!!!

A Short Scenic Drive

Tim and I took a short scenic drive very close to home.  We have heard about the Foothills Parkway but never had a chance to drive it.  The Foothills Parkway is a National Parkway which, if completed, will traverse the foothills of the northern Great Smokey Mountains in eastern Tennessee.  The 71 mile parkway will connect U.S. Route 129 along the Little Tennessee River in the west with Interstate 40 along the Pigeon River in the east.  It will pass through three counties and several large sections of the parkway will cross a series of high ridges running parallel to the Great Smokey Mountains.  It will offer unobstructed views of the Great Smokies. It is the oldest unfinished highway project in Tennessee and the funding has continuously been stalled by funding difficulties since Congress authorized its construction in 1944.  As of 2010, only one third of the parkway has been completed and opened to automobile traffic.  It is 26.8 miles long with two sections; the western and the eastern.  We took the eastern parkway which is 5.6 miles long.  We will take the western parkway on another day.  It was a pretty drive even with all the leaves off the trees.  I am looking forward to making the same drive in the fall; it should be beautiful.  If you are in eastern Tennessee make sure you drive a portion of the Foothills Parkway.  You won't be disappointed.