Friends, Food, and Fun!

We're home from the 630 Mile Yard Sale! That's right~it's no longer the 500 Mile Yard Sale. Defiance, Ohio is now the ending spot for this much publicized annual event! There were travelers from all across the nation and it was everything Southern Living and HGTV said it would be. Yard sales, traffic, people, and more yard sales! It begins a short distance from Gadsden, Alabama and continues up the 127 Corridor. All the way to Ohio. Deborah and I decided to pick it up in Chattanooga, TN and we weren't disappointed.

Our trip began around 11 am Friday morning. Deborah had reservations for us at a historic bed & breakfast in Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia. This small town, just a few minutes outside of Chattanooga, was the site of the 6th Regiment Army Calvery. You can still see many of the living quarters, barracks, and stables. Deborah loves b&b's and dreams of owning one. I had never stayed in one so I was looking forward to seeing what I had missed by being a hotel guest all these years!

The drive was interstate almost all the way. We laughed, talked, and laughed some more. Totally a girl trip! Ft. Oglethorpe may be only 7 miles southeast of downtown Chattanooga, but it's worlds away from the hustle and bustle! This entire corner of Georgia and Chattanooga is steeped in Civil War history and there is so much to do and see! I would strongly recommend this trip. If you haven't seen the Aquarium, you've missed the best. Then there's the art district, the Museum, Warehouse Row, and The Chattanooga Choo Choo not to mention the activities on the river front. Since we were there for the yard sales, we didn't do any sight seeing except what we saw from the trolley Saturday evening. But it warrants another trip back just to do what wasn't done! Hint, hint Johnny!!

The home we stayed in was formerly the Captain's Quarters at the fort and built in 1902. It is symmetrical and originally was divided into two separate living spaces. However recent remodeling has opened up the downstairs area. I believe there's a total of 10 bedrooms with baths and the house is filled with period furniture along with the belongings of the world travelers that now own the property. Our room rate included a gourmet breakfast! I've never eaten breakfast like I did the two mornings we were there! Yum! We came home talking about the food we were served and look forward to getting the recipes and recreating them for our families.

I wish I had taken pictures of our hosts, Jim and Julie Powell. They were always interested in owning a b&b and have done a great job in keeping this home true to the period. They also have a beautiful golden retriever named Sadie that made the place a picture postcard! I've decided staying in an inn is definitely nicer than a hotel. A bed & breakfast offers you a home atmosphere. The Powell's had two of their daughters visiting from Memphis, TN along with a grandson. We found we had lived in many of the same areas of the world and it was very pleasurable chatting with them, whether it was sitting in the library or having breakfast.

Our room was charming with yellow and blue wall paper. High ceilings and a working fireplace. The bathroom was sunny and had all the amenities of a hotel with lots of extras!! The television was small but we didn't watch it much anyway. Spending time on the porch swing and exploring the house was way more fun. Not to mention the bonus of taking a nap or eating a dessert in the dining room!
After breakfast Saturday morning, we headed out to Signal Mountain, northwest of Chattanooga. Traffic was heavy! HGTV had been there only an hour or so before us! Our favorite places to explore were tent sales set up in shaded areas and homes built with stones and archways. We didn't buy much, although had we been younger we would have! Both Deborah and I have homes that we've added to over the years and no longer find the need to purchase alot. She found three quaint iron and wood planters to use as a headboard arrangement and I bought an old window with leaded glass. My favorite purchase, however, is an iron and wood architectural piece that I plan to use in our guest bath! Deborah was great at getting the prices down. {I was too shy.}

We had hoped to eat at The Station, which is a delightful restaurant at The Chattanooga Choo Choo. We didn't have a reservation and the wait was an hour and a half, so we did the next best thing and hopped the free shuttle service to the downtown area. That turned out to be an experience within itself as we weren't able to find a place to eat that didn't have at least an hour's wait! We walked three city blocks down to the Aquarium and three back up the next street all the while trying to find a place to rest our weary feet and cure our hunger pains!

FINALLY, we lucked out and were able to get a table at The Bluewater Gill {I think that was the name of it!} It was a very nice place with great food. The chatter was lively and the crowd seemed to really be enjoying themselves. We skipped on dessert, waiting instead to have the chance of getting some homemade pie back at the Inn! We caught the trolley back to the Choo Choo, where we had parked. Next time I want to rent one of the horse drawn carriages we saw on the streets. The atmosphere of the city at night was one of happiness, slowness, and ease.
Upon arriving back at the inn we were able to visit with our hosts before retiring and getting some sleep! Need I tell you how our feet, ankles, and calves ached with all the walking of the day!
Leaving for Alabama the next morning was leisure, as breakfast was way too good to rush through! We both decided that one yard sale road trip is enough, but that staying in this particular home was definitely worth going back to. I think Johnny will really enjoy the home as well as the battle fields and historic area. It looks like our next 'girly' road trip will be to Market in Atlanta. This will just be an overnight trip, but one that neither of us has ever done. Another new experience!

It's always good to get home. On sad note, we realized upon reaching Deborah's home that someone had broken into her storage room, broken into my cute little car's fuel tank and stolen almost half a tank of gas, and there was evidence that her home had been entered. The Millbrook faithful were called and responded. We filled out police reports and hope that it won't happen again. As good as this world still is, there are those that continue to mess it up for those of us that strive to convince God to bless our nation.

So that was the Yard Sale trip! I hope your weekend was as much fun as mine and that memories were made for you and yours. ~until