Dandridge, TN

 For our 33rd Anniversary we wanted to go out and have some fun so we decided to check out the town of Dandridge, TN. Dandridge is known as the second oldest city in Tennessee; Jonesborough is the oldest city in Tennessee.  Dandridge was founded in 1783 and became the county seat for Jefferson County in 1793.  The town was named after Martha Dandridge Washington, the wife of George Washington the first President of the United States.  There was a Civil War skirmish that occurred in Dandridge on December 24, 1863 between  Confederate General James Longstreet and Union General Ambrose Burnside both trying to gain control of Knoxville.  A detachment of Longstreet's army intercepted the Union brigade just north of Dandridge and forced them to fall back to New Market. 
In 1942 Douglas Dam was constructed and some of the best farmland was flooded.  The historic town of Dandridge was going to be lost because it sits below the water level of Douglas Lake but the city petitioned then-First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to save Dandridge especially since it was the only city in the United States named for Martha Dandridge Washington.  A saddle dam was built between Dandridge and the lake.  The dam rises almost directly behind the Town Hall and run roughly parallel to Main Street; it is known as the Million Dollar Dike.
There is an American Revolutionary War cemetery that is interesting to walk through.  The buildings in downtown Dandridge are well maintained and is a great downtown historic area.  There was a farmer's market going on so we checked it out.  Fresh bread, produce, honey and some local made crafts were some of the items at the farmer's market.  There is an old drug store, the Tinsley-Bible Drug store, was established in 1911 and has been a drug store ever since.  It also has a lunch counter, like many drugstores did back then and when I was a little girl, and so we had to have some ice cream.  Tim, Lisa and I had rootbeer floats and George had a banana split.
The town of Dandridge is really below Douglas lake and when you cross the lake and look at the million dollar dike all you can see of the town of Dandridge are the church steeples.  It was a nice town to visit and when walking around it you could sense it's history and having some ice cream in the drugstore you kind of felt like you were walking around a "Mayberry".

Happy Anniversary Tim!

Happy 33rd Anniversary to my husband Tim.  We have had a great 33 years of marriage together and we are ready to do another 33+ years.  I feel very blessed to have you as my husband and father of our girls and grandfather to our Rory.  The last 33 years had their ups and downs but the important thing is that we went through them together.  So how do we celebrate our 33rd Anniversary? We are going to start with breakfast out and then take it from there.  Check back and see what we do!  Happy Anniversary Tim!

The Tool Shed Part 2

The addition on the tool shed is really coming along.  George and Tim have been doing a great job and are coming close to having the addition all closed in and protected by the weather.  The amount of room the addition is going to give the tool shed will be amazing.  The tool shed, like the Crafty Cottage is built over the side of the mountain so while one side is on  the ground the rest of the shed is on stilts.  The one "weird" thing about the shed is when it was originally built by the company George purchased from there was a tree that ended up being in the way so they used it as a support of the building.  The tree is still going strong and so is the building and now with the addition will continue to be.  I mentioned about the shed being built over the mountain because when you have one side that can not really be used you have to plan how you will do things so that you do not have to work from a challenging area.  We learned this while we were doing the Crafty Cottage too.  Keep checking back and see the progress. 
Olympic Update, or "In My Opinion", I have been enjoying it and even with some of the issues it has been a great one especially with Team USA doing so well.  Way to go swimmers, both men and women, and women gymnastics, WOW!  Beach volleyball, volleyball, soccer, basketball, field hockey, cycling, diving and more the USA is still going strong.  Tonight the sport that I know very well begins and I am hoping Team USA will do well... Go Team USA in Track & Field!

The Tool Shed Addition

The Tool Shed here at the farm is getting an addition.  What was once a tool shed with storage before George and Lisa built their home here at the farm is now going to be truly a tool shed.  Right now several of the big tools are stored down in the barn and that is not always convenient when needing a tool especially in winter.  Right now the tool shed is 12 foot by 16 foot but will soon be 12 foot by 24 foot and will have ample space for all the tools.  George and Tim have already started the addition and what makes it a bit easier is where the additional room is going it was once a deck so the flooring was there to begin building on.  George demoed the deck and began the addition with Tim helping.  It is going to be a great space and it will make it easier for me to try my hand on wood working.  I know, all I need is another hobby but we can discuss that in another blog.  Keep checking back to see the progress of the addition on the tool shed.

The Harvests Are Lighter

As we go through the month of August we realize that the growing season is slowing down and some of our crops have stop producing.  The harvests are a lot lighter because of this.  We still have plenty to harvest especially as some of the winter produce begin to mature but we do know that we are coming to the end of the cucumbers and green beans.  We still are picking but the quality and quantity are not like they were in June and July.  The tomatoes are beginning to die down a bit but the okra, eggplants and green peppers are still going strong.  The watermelon is going great and we continue to keep growing big ones.  Same with the cantaloupe.  We will be picking a bunch of grapes again tomorrow which means more grape jelly in our future.  We still have corn and George is fighting the battle of the raccoon very valiantly; he has trapped and released 23 raccoons so far.  The butternut squash is still thriving although I don't know how and we are hoping the potatoes, a couple of different kinds, are growing.  We will be checking those soon.  So even though the crops that have kept us busy canning are starting to die down there is still so much more the orchard still has to offer. Speaking of canning, the pickle queens were busy again yesterday making 6 more quarts of bread & butter pickles.  We are making more b&b pickles than dill for two reasons, 1. we really like them and 2. so does everyone.  By the way, while making the pickles Lisa and I have gotten so good at it we don't even have to think anymore; we just do it!

Spring Cleaning In August

I spent most of the day yesterday doing some spring cleaning since I did not have a chance to do it in the Spring.  Between my parathyroid surgery and breaking my foot spring cleaning in the Spring was shot.  Then there was only a week or so before we started harvest the orchard and since then harvesting and canning has pretty much been the priority.  Yesterday was the perfect day for me to finally get some major cleaning done.  Tim went golfing, we did not harvest which meant we did not need to do any canning and since the Olympics were on I decided not to do anything in the Crafty Cottage.  I did get to catch some great Olympic coverage while I cleaned and I have to admit it is nice to get things looking good again. 

A Quiet Olympic Watching Day

It was a quiet day and one I enjoyed because not only did I get some things done around the house but I got to watch all of the Olympic coverage.  This may seem to be a waste of time for some but for me it gives me the opportunity to see sports I would not get to watch and learn about the world.  The human interest stories are always good.  Now, if you have been watching any of the coverage on NBC you may have seen the road races for the men on Saturday and the women on Sunday.  First of all, WOW, they do cover some miles and terrain but the biggest thing were the crashes.  Yesterday I got to experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.  Watching the women's road cycling and feeling so happy for the USA having a rider in the front then watching the number one rider crash and crash hard.  It was scary because after she fell she did not move; you knew she was hurt when you saw her fall.  Our USA rider was on her own and almost won until three other riders worked together and had more energy at the end then our USA rider. Team USA is going well and lead in the medal count so far.  GO TEAM USA!