Sweetvalley In the Spring

My little brother John owns a cabin in the prettiest little valley.

It's rightly named - Sweetvalley.

He rents it out to fishermen, hunters, nature lovers, honey mooners and all sorts of folks looking for a quiet, private little place to spend a weekend on Kentucky Lake.  You can check it out here.

His gardner, my sister Anne, has a green thumb and .... a thing for pansies,

and more pansies,

and more pansies,

and even pansies in a tree stump.  Actually, I really think this is a pretty creative way to cover up a stump.  What do you think?

Spring???

Everyone is asking, "Is Spring here to stay?"  Just because the Forsythia is blooming ....

.. and the Redbuds are blooming ...

.. and the frogs are ...  well, the frogs just are.  

It doesn't mean that Spring is here to stay.  But we sure hope so!

Sitting Rocks

Way down there at the bottom of the hill are some sandstone rocks.

They've been there as long as I can remember, but perhaps they used to be a little larger.  We always called them the "Sitting Rocks" for obvious reasons.  They were a perfect place to sit.

This is my Grandma Ruby Hailey Heavrin sitting on one of the rocks

around 1965. I took this photo of her and then she took one of me.

Here's another one she took of me standing on more of the rocks closer to the bank.

Everytime I see these rocks I think of my Grandma and the beautiful fall day we took these photos.  The rocks have become a sort of special place for my family.  

A place we continue to sit at and ponder and take photos.

Who would have thought a few Kentucky Lake rocks could evoke such nostalgia.

You can see more Kentucky Lake rocks on my other blog here.

The Big Fish

 Mr. Cook at Sinclair's Fishmarket, holds a 60lb blue cat he caught today.

Bull Durham

Remember Bull Durham's Restaurant??

Snapped this photo of an old Bull Durham menu the other day over at T.F. Rice & Co. (which will open soon). 

Look close and you will see  ...   All the Fish You Can Eat  (for just) $2.25!  It included a salad, onion rings, french fries, Cole slaw, northern beans and hush puppies. What a bargain!

I started eating here when I was just a little girl coming to the Lake to visit my grandparents.  Years later I embarrassed my fiance and myself by demonstrating exactly how much I could eat when the menu said "All You Can Eat."  It was always an amazing meal.  It wasn't unusual for folks from Memphis to drive up for the day just to eat at Bull Durham's.  It was a Paris Landing landmark.

I don't remember what year it closed.  The restaurant burned and never re-opened.  It's one of my favorite Lake memories.

About This Weather

Today has been a very confusing weather day.  It started cold.  Then it got sunny, with no wind, and so warm I actually had to put on shorts while doing yard work.  Before I got through with the yard work, the wind picked up --  a really cold wind - followed by some scary black clouds and a few drops of rain.  Then it cleared off again but it never got quite so warm again.  Somewhere in the middle of all these changes, I ran down to the beach and got this photo.

Take a closer look.

I think the photo pretty much says it all ... dark clouds, rain, sunshine, wind ... it's all there.

Rice's Store

When I was a little girl and we started coming to “The Lake” - Rice’s Store was sort of the end of civilization as we knew it. It was the last place to stop and get groceries. And to a little kid from the big city of Memphis it really was a fascinating place. It wasn’t like the Big Star Store or Kroger’s. In addition to the few staple type groceries they sold, they also had some fishing paraphernalia, straw hats (the original sun screen) and I think they even sold minnows.

But I think the thing I found most fascinating was that they would actually make you a sandwich right there on the spot from groceries they had in the store. Bologna with lots of mayo was my favorite. 

Rice's Store - a Paris Landing Landmark

The store has been closed for quite a while now but if you’ve been down the Lake Highway lately you are bound to have noticed some interesting activity. Rumors are rampant all over Paris Landing.

Yes! Rice’s Store is going to re-open under the management of the Rice family. It will have a new name and a different type of merchandise. Watch for a grand opening in April. More info later.

Just Around the Corner

It's pouring down rain as I write.  But yesterday was a beautiful day in Paris Landing.  The temperature was in the high 50's, the sun was out and there was no wind.  I think the wind blew itself out the night before.  Days like yesterday are one of the things I like so much about living here.  They're kind of like little spring vacations.  We'll have a week of cold, wet, windy weather, then a day like yesterday that makes you want to get out and play.

So play I did.  And while I was out playing I discovered these -

The daffodils are starting to bud!!!  I really get excited when I see these.  I know Winter isn't over, but can Spring be far behind?

And if you look close ....

The Bradford Pear's fuzzy little velvet buds are starting to turn green.  It won't be long til they bloom.  We have a lot of these around Paris Landing and they put on quite a show.

So ... hang in there.  Spring is just around the corner.

UT Fans

I'm always amazed at how people choose to show they are UT fans.  We see their logos all over Paris Landing.

But, I think this one - which is embedded in concrete -  might win the prize!

Foggy Morning

This morning the fog was beautiful!