Won't you stay just a little bit longer

Hey folks,

In our last episode you were wondering where we were headed off to.  Remember there was talk of South Carolina.  Well, in preparation we checked out of the KOA and on Monday, Labor Day, we headed over to the Corps of Engineers campground at J. Percy Priest Recreation Area.  Talk about getting back to nature.  It’s right on the lake which is actually a reservoir created when they built the J. Percy Priest dam in 1968.  It’s set up like a state park, sites with electric and water but no sewer hook-up.  They have a 2 week limit so it isn’t really conducive to full-timing.  However it’s ideal for a few days of recreation.

The Corps of Engineers can build 'em right
Overlooking the J. Percy Priest Lake

Our friends Ron and Carol arrived shortly after we did and before long we were planning meals and activities.  As I said, Ron and Carol are on a cross country adventure to see the sights and made Nashville their first muti-day stop.  First order of business was the grocery store where Ron put the butcher into overtime cutting steaks.  Cows all over Davidson county were in mourning for their cow friends and cow neighbors when Ron served up those perfectly seared 16 ounce Rib eyes.

While they were here we took in The Hermitage, the 1,100 acre estate of Andrew Jackson, our 7^th President.  The mansion and surrounding buildings, including slave quarters as well as the tomb, are a history buffs dream.  Many of the furnishings all the way down to the wallpaper are original.  I won’t go into the details of it here but if you’re in the Nashville area you have to visit.

So, as I said, we were pretty much going day to day with our camping since we figured we would be leaving the area soon.  The call came but with instructions to stay put in Nashville for another month.  It was great news since we’ve been enjoying ourselves here and had more we wanted to see but we had to make another moving decision.  We were still at a campground with a 2 week limit and pay by the day rates.  “Hey Honey guess what.  We’re gunna move for the third time this week”.  That statement brought an icy stare but she’s a trooper and started packing up the spice rack.

We thought about going back to the KOA but in the end decided to get out of the hustle and bustle of Nashville proper and head to the country.  Our new home is at the Countryside Campground in the town of Lebanon, about 15 miles east of Nashville.  We could have hopped onto the Interstate to get there but opted to take the scenic route instead which included going over the dam.  Then Margo suggested we get a picture of LuLu crossing over the top.  We decided she should be behind the lens rather than behind the wheel so I dropped her off at the bottom with the fisherman and circled back, turned around at the marina, then drove across again where Margo captured “the shot.”
DAAAMN!
Heading in to pick up the "photographer"

Lebanon’s claim to fame includes it’s many antique shops and the corporate headquarters of Cracker Barrel, how’s that for country living.  As the weather cools the fall festivals get cranked up so there’ll be much to do and see.  We want to visit Cheekwood, the 55 acre garden estate built by the Maxwell House Coffee fortune.  We also plan to ride the Greenway trail system and the cooler weather will definitely make that a more enjoyable experience.

Country living

We can be found here for the rest of the month.

So just like Jackson Browne, the boss said, “won’t you stay just a little bit longer…….”