Well, the last day of vacation started with a drive through Gatlinburg into the Smokey Mountains National Park and back. I wanted to take pictures of the White House-themed Clarion Inn Hotel so we did that. It was amazing - within 2 days the entire area was awash in autumn decorations! Even Dollywood had their corn stalks and squash on display already! We stopped in Knoxville for lunch. I don't remember the name of the place, but it was really good!
What should have been a 6-hour drive back to Columbus was extended a bit. While driving though Kentucky, just approaching Cincinnati, the front passanger window of the van, where I was sitting, literally exploded into me! There was a loud POP when the window shattered. The safety glass didn't cut me but the force it hit me with was incredible. We stopped at a gas station to call the insurance company, clean out the car, and let me shake myself off. I had glass in my shoes and several days later found a bunch of glass in my purse. So that really slowed us up with wrapping and taping the window and stopping to get fix-it supplies, etc. We finally got back to Columbus quite late and had dinner at Villa Nova - spaghetti - YUM!
So that was it. I was SO GLAD I took the following day off work because I was beat. I will definitely go back to Dollywood - it was great!!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Vacation - Part 2
We finally made it to Tennessee. The motel was....um....less than desirable, but that's often what you get when you use Priceline. Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and the Smokey Mountain National Park, are all bascially on the same street. The street lights are numbered, so as a tourist you are told what lights things are at - turn left at light 6, on the right at light 2, etc. There are TONS of novelty-shaped buildings. A million pancake houses. And at least 2 weeks worth of themed putt-putt courses. It's AMAZING. We were tired after the drive, so took our Cracker Barrel-purchased snacks back to our rooms and went to bed.
The next day we stopped at Shoney's to get some pancakes and then to Dollywood! Yes, it was raining, and in fact, rained all day, but I love rain, so it didn't get me down. And it really kept the crowds away, which was great. I had seen on the website that they recommended renting an electric scooter if you had walking issues, which I do with my ankles, so I got one, which I was nervous and a little embarrassed about at first but it was great. It was the first time I did something like that without being in pain in forever. So once inside the park it was off to the gift shop!
There are about 100 stores at Dollywood, but the big one at the entrance/exit takes the cake. I got my postcards, a sparkly thermos, a scrapbook kit, 2 pins (Dolly Parton Pkwy street sign, and Dollywood sign), 2 pens, a Dolly Parton notebook and a Dollywood sticker book. Then we started out into the park.
It's divided up into sections. One section is 'Country Fair' and has little kids rides and fair games, 'Jukebox Junction' is all 50's themed, Timber Canyon has rollercoasters and a sort of 'haunted abandoned industrial complex' theme, 'Rivertown Junction' has a water-run mill that really mills flour, 'Craftsman's Valley' is just what it sounds like, and there's TONS more.
'Adventures in Imagination' is an area of the park which includes Dolly's tour bus and her museum, which is BEAUTIFUL. The tour begins on the 2nd floor with a welcome video and goes to different galleries based on parts of her life - church, school, music, etc. Each gallery has audio narration by her on a loop. Downstairs is filled with her clothes - lots and lots of clothes. They are in cases by event. They have all her clothes from the movie 9 to 5, different interview outfits from 60 Minutes and Larry King, tour wardrobes are in cases by tour, Grand Ole Opry outfits and even a few outfits worn by her mentor Porter Wagoner. There is a huge case of all her awards, Grammys and such, lots of video monitors, a place to look in a mirror to see what you look like with a big wig on, and on the way out a gallery devoted to her efforts to promote childhood literacy in Eastern Tennessee.
We stopped to watch people on a ride called 'Smokey Mountain River Rampage' and stopped into the 'Cider Mill' to get a snack then dad was keen on 'seeing a show.' He'd wanted to 'see some shows' since we first mentioned going to Dollywood 2 years ago, and as luck would have it, one was about to start at the outdoor theater right next to the place we were having our snack. The 'Back Porch Theatre' featured a history of Dolly Parton's career as sung by HER RELATIVES, or "Kin" as they would say 'round those parts. Her uncle Bill, who first heard her sing at a family picnic at the age of 10 and immediately drove her to Knoxville to sing for a radio station manager which got her her first commercial, was there, as were a couple of her first cousins, whose late mother sang and is featured prominently in the museum as a major influence. There were only about 10 people when they started, but by the time the recent Broadway production of 9 to 5 was mentioned, there were a good 40-50 people in the audience.
And who knew - Dollywood is home to the country's largest bald eagle sanctuary. You can get really close to them and they also have a bird show. My mom bought a sweatshirt from the eagle-themed gift shop (all the shops have themes). We rode the steam locomotive that follows a 5-mile track up through the mountains. And Dollywood IS in the mountains. Everything is on a hill. We saw the 'big show' in the big theater and throughout the walk through the park collected pressed souvenir pennies for my collection. There is an exact replica of the cabin Dolly and zillion siblings lived in stuffed with family heirlooms donated to the project by her late mother.
The only two bad things about Dollywood - it closes quite early - 6 or 7 depending on the day - and that you can't see it on one day. I didn't get to the patriotic giftshop, didn't go on any rides, only saw 2 music performances, and only ate once.
So we headed away from Dollywood swearing to go back sometime. Everyone there told us the Christmas light display is incredible. So we headed down 'the street' to Gatlinburg, and had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe where we sat under the framed set of bells that John Lennon played on the song 'Xmas (War is Over).' Then I went back to the motel and wrote out my postcards!
The next day we stopped at Shoney's to get some pancakes and then to Dollywood! Yes, it was raining, and in fact, rained all day, but I love rain, so it didn't get me down. And it really kept the crowds away, which was great. I had seen on the website that they recommended renting an electric scooter if you had walking issues, which I do with my ankles, so I got one, which I was nervous and a little embarrassed about at first but it was great. It was the first time I did something like that without being in pain in forever. So once inside the park it was off to the gift shop!
There are about 100 stores at Dollywood, but the big one at the entrance/exit takes the cake. I got my postcards, a sparkly thermos, a scrapbook kit, 2 pins (Dolly Parton Pkwy street sign, and Dollywood sign), 2 pens, a Dolly Parton notebook and a Dollywood sticker book. Then we started out into the park.
It's divided up into sections. One section is 'Country Fair' and has little kids rides and fair games, 'Jukebox Junction' is all 50's themed, Timber Canyon has rollercoasters and a sort of 'haunted abandoned industrial complex' theme, 'Rivertown Junction' has a water-run mill that really mills flour, 'Craftsman's Valley' is just what it sounds like, and there's TONS more.
'Adventures in Imagination' is an area of the park which includes Dolly's tour bus and her museum, which is BEAUTIFUL. The tour begins on the 2nd floor with a welcome video and goes to different galleries based on parts of her life - church, school, music, etc. Each gallery has audio narration by her on a loop. Downstairs is filled with her clothes - lots and lots of clothes. They are in cases by event. They have all her clothes from the movie 9 to 5, different interview outfits from 60 Minutes and Larry King, tour wardrobes are in cases by tour, Grand Ole Opry outfits and even a few outfits worn by her mentor Porter Wagoner. There is a huge case of all her awards, Grammys and such, lots of video monitors, a place to look in a mirror to see what you look like with a big wig on, and on the way out a gallery devoted to her efforts to promote childhood literacy in Eastern Tennessee.
We stopped to watch people on a ride called 'Smokey Mountain River Rampage' and stopped into the 'Cider Mill' to get a snack then dad was keen on 'seeing a show.' He'd wanted to 'see some shows' since we first mentioned going to Dollywood 2 years ago, and as luck would have it, one was about to start at the outdoor theater right next to the place we were having our snack. The 'Back Porch Theatre' featured a history of Dolly Parton's career as sung by HER RELATIVES, or "Kin" as they would say 'round those parts. Her uncle Bill, who first heard her sing at a family picnic at the age of 10 and immediately drove her to Knoxville to sing for a radio station manager which got her her first commercial, was there, as were a couple of her first cousins, whose late mother sang and is featured prominently in the museum as a major influence. There were only about 10 people when they started, but by the time the recent Broadway production of 9 to 5 was mentioned, there were a good 40-50 people in the audience.
And who knew - Dollywood is home to the country's largest bald eagle sanctuary. You can get really close to them and they also have a bird show. My mom bought a sweatshirt from the eagle-themed gift shop (all the shops have themes). We rode the steam locomotive that follows a 5-mile track up through the mountains. And Dollywood IS in the mountains. Everything is on a hill. We saw the 'big show' in the big theater and throughout the walk through the park collected pressed souvenir pennies for my collection. There is an exact replica of the cabin Dolly and zillion siblings lived in stuffed with family heirlooms donated to the project by her late mother.
The only two bad things about Dollywood - it closes quite early - 6 or 7 depending on the day - and that you can't see it on one day. I didn't get to the patriotic giftshop, didn't go on any rides, only saw 2 music performances, and only ate once.
So we headed away from Dollywood swearing to go back sometime. Everyone there told us the Christmas light display is incredible. So we headed down 'the street' to Gatlinburg, and had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe where we sat under the framed set of bells that John Lennon played on the song 'Xmas (War is Over).' Then I went back to the motel and wrote out my postcards!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Vacation - Part 1
I'm so tired I'm not sure I'm even mentally up to reliving my vacation but here it goes!
On Friday night mom and dad came to pick me up and we had supper at Schmidt's. Our bellies then full of German grub, we headed down to Kentucky to spend the night at a Hilton hotel just south of the Ohio River. It was a very nice hotel - tons of pillows and big flat-screen tv. 2 public computers in the lobby and tons of lounge areas. Free Crabtree and Evelyn toiletries. Classy!
Saturday morning we went back to Cincinnati to look at the river and so dad could live his dream of walking on the Purple People Bridge. We found some murals which told the history of Cincinnati and were really well done. After dad walked on the bridge we drove to Augusta, Kentucky to the Rosemary Clooney House and Museum. Augusta is a very tiny town in the middle of basically nowhere, right on the Ohio River. There were a few modest homes, trailer homes, and then on the river there are a few nicer homes and a small main street of very nice, rather trendy, restaurants and shops. Rosemary Clooney's house is right on the river, 2 stories, but not too large, and inside houses lots of exhibits including the largest collection of memorabilia in the world from her movie White Christmas. The elderly gentleman collected admission fees from his chair in the dining room and as we were the only ones there that day, it was nice to take our time and really enjoy it. There are several tvs which are playing the movies that are featured in the exhibits. In addition there is a small 'George Clooney corner' which has some memorabilia from ER and his movie Leatherheads. George's dad, Nick, still lives in town, and do several other friends and family members.
This picture is of the exhibit of costumes from the movie White Christmas in the living room, including the outfits and fan used during the song Sisters, and the military jacket worn by Bing Crosby when he sang White Christmas at the end of the film:
In need of a restroom, we popped into the town 'general store' and got a snack, then began the drive down to Tennessee. The roads from Augusta back to the expressway were treacherous!
On Friday night mom and dad came to pick me up and we had supper at Schmidt's. Our bellies then full of German grub, we headed down to Kentucky to spend the night at a Hilton hotel just south of the Ohio River. It was a very nice hotel - tons of pillows and big flat-screen tv. 2 public computers in the lobby and tons of lounge areas. Free Crabtree and Evelyn toiletries. Classy!
Saturday morning we went back to Cincinnati to look at the river and so dad could live his dream of walking on the Purple People Bridge. We found some murals which told the history of Cincinnati and were really well done. After dad walked on the bridge we drove to Augusta, Kentucky to the Rosemary Clooney House and Museum. Augusta is a very tiny town in the middle of basically nowhere, right on the Ohio River. There were a few modest homes, trailer homes, and then on the river there are a few nicer homes and a small main street of very nice, rather trendy, restaurants and shops. Rosemary Clooney's house is right on the river, 2 stories, but not too large, and inside houses lots of exhibits including the largest collection of memorabilia in the world from her movie White Christmas. The elderly gentleman collected admission fees from his chair in the dining room and as we were the only ones there that day, it was nice to take our time and really enjoy it. There are several tvs which are playing the movies that are featured in the exhibits. In addition there is a small 'George Clooney corner' which has some memorabilia from ER and his movie Leatherheads. George's dad, Nick, still lives in town, and do several other friends and family members.
This picture is of the exhibit of costumes from the movie White Christmas in the living room, including the outfits and fan used during the song Sisters, and the military jacket worn by Bing Crosby when he sang White Christmas at the end of the film:
In need of a restroom, we popped into the town 'general store' and got a snack, then began the drive down to Tennessee. The roads from Augusta back to the expressway were treacherous!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Last weekend was uneventful. I was aprehensive about this week. Work is always stressful the week before classes begin at the university. There's so much to do! It never occurs to me that some things CAN be done after classes begin. I am always so spazzy about it.
To make matters worse I'm going on vacation Friday-Monday with my parents. You would think 'oh vacation, how relaxing' - NO! I'm panicked about getting things done before I leave and my first day back at work will be the first day of classes. And now I find out that the forecast is for rain EVERY DAY I'm in Tennessee. I'm such a whiner!
To make matters worse I'm going on vacation Friday-Monday with my parents. You would think 'oh vacation, how relaxing' - NO! I'm panicked about getting things done before I leave and my first day back at work will be the first day of classes. And now I find out that the forecast is for rain EVERY DAY I'm in Tennessee. I'm such a whiner!
Friday, September 11, 2009
This week flew by because I was super-busy at work. School starts a week from Wednesday but I'll be on vacation starting next Friday, so next week will be even more hectic.
Columbus is currently a media circus due to the OSU vs. USC game taking place tomorrow night. ESPN is set up down at the stadium and the traffic coming home was terrible. Most of the official tailgate parties start between 8am and 10am tomorrow giving people 12 full hours to get drunk before the game begins at 8pm. The entire city becomes deserted during football games, so I take advantage of the opportunity to go to the grocery or see a movie. I listen to the game on the radio as I drive around so I know what's going on and squeeze my activities in before it ends.
When I had told non-football-fans that astronaut John Glenn 'dotted the I' at last week's game, some people didn't know what I meant. Here is a video of the marching band doing their famous 'script Ohio' formation, complete with 'i dotting,' traditionally done by a suzaphone player, as seen here.
Columbus is currently a media circus due to the OSU vs. USC game taking place tomorrow night. ESPN is set up down at the stadium and the traffic coming home was terrible. Most of the official tailgate parties start between 8am and 10am tomorrow giving people 12 full hours to get drunk before the game begins at 8pm. The entire city becomes deserted during football games, so I take advantage of the opportunity to go to the grocery or see a movie. I listen to the game on the radio as I drive around so I know what's going on and squeeze my activities in before it ends.
When I had told non-football-fans that astronaut John Glenn 'dotted the I' at last week's game, some people didn't know what I meant. Here is a video of the marching band doing their famous 'script Ohio' formation, complete with 'i dotting,' traditionally done by a suzaphone player, as seen here.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
This is turning out to be the most unproductive weekend ever. Well, I guess not entirely. On Friday at the last minute Mary and I decided to go to a movie and dinner after work. First we went to El Vaquero where I got my regular, Nachos Locos ("Crazy Nachos"). We were surprised to find that since we were there last, which really wasn't long ago at all, they'd built a huge back room as big as both previously existing dining rooms combined. Then off to the theater where we saw the new Sandra Bullock movie All About Steve. I had wanted to really see it because I'm always up for a movie about a crazy stalker! It was fine, but I think my expectations were just too high.
Tonight I ordered the makeup off the internet that my new internet friend told me to buy for the 'virtual makeover' she's giving me over the internet. It was definitely a splurge, but I probably need it. I hadn't bought makeup in forever.
I have tomorrow off work for Labor Day. Yay!
Tonight I ordered the makeup off the internet that my new internet friend told me to buy for the 'virtual makeover' she's giving me over the internet. It was definitely a splurge, but I probably need it. I hadn't bought makeup in forever.
I have tomorrow off work for Labor Day. Yay!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Well, I managed to twist my knee up yesterday getting out of the car. So today I stayed home and iced it. I feel so unhealthy! I wane back and forth with believing I'm too far gone to ever be in anything near good condition (I don't even remember a time when I was, for lack of a better word, "fit") and feeling super-optimistic that this is day 1 of a whole new me! *sigh*
Here's a song that always makes me feel better:
Here's a song that always makes me feel better:
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