Elk sighting and an island in the Smokies

 

We went to the mountains last Friday. To our great surprise, we came upon five elk at the edge of the road. Three were up on a bank, while these two remained close to our car. They didn’t seem to mind that we were there. I wish they would have stayed a little longer.

Often times when we’re in the upper elevation of the Smokies, the clouds will settle in the valley of the mountains. The view reminds me of Bar Harbor, Maine from Cadillac Mountain. The Smoky mountains magically transforms into islands before our eyes, as clouds roll in like the ocean tide. It is an amazingly beautiful change.

Pigeon Forge has a new attraction called, The Island that reminds me of a carnival, only nicer – shooting arcade, carousel, ferris wheel, live entertainment, restaurants, food venders, souvenir shops,… It’s a lovely place to stroll through and enjoy. Phase one of the site construction completed and the projected completeion for Phase two is next spring. I predict it’s going to be a hot spot in the Smokies!

 

From U.S. 441 The Wheel towers 200 feet catching the eye of curious tourists and locals alike.  

Did we ride The Wheel? Nope. We had our share of thrill seeking when we were younger. As seasoned adults, we understand that things can go wrong sometimes. It is our profound desire to not increase our odds of being apart of one of those scary statistics. You laugh at me, I know and if you are, then you probably are the type to enjoy such a classic upscale amusement ride with glass enclosed air-conditioned carts! Whew-hoo, right?

We did happily partake of a large order of german style fries from Poyner’s Pommes Frites  served with speciality sauces (ketchup is available, too). We tried the Black Forest sauce (creamy roasted garlic) and another type – a curry horseradish sauce. I can’t remember what it was called, though. Both were good, but our favorite was the Black Forest. The fries are definitely some of the best we’ve had. The price is a bit steep, but buying an order on rare occasions won’t bust the piggy bank.

Friday was the highlight of our whole weekend. It was crazy rainy the rest of the time. I did manage to get my hair cut…short on Saturday. The good thing about hair is, it does grow quickly. In a week, my new hair-do will look fab! What fun, exciting things did you do last weekend?

Tuesday is my day to be random. I take that back, every day of the week I am random. But, officially in Blogosphere Tuesday is Random Tuesday Thoughts, as well as other such fun blog chit-chat, conversationalist posts floating around cyberspace that I enjoy participating in.

Anywho, last week while I visited the ladies at TTUT (link removed). Seriously Shawn posted 10 questions on her site that she answered and encouraged us to borrow the list for our own TTUT post. I couldn’t do it then, so I am incorporating it into this mornings write-up. This post has gotten rather long, so you may want to get another cup of coffee before you launch into reading my response.


1.  Where is the most inappropriate place you’ve ever fluffed, passed gas, farted, or whatever you call it?  Well…blush during one of my GYN exams I passed gas. I kid you not. I knew it was going to happen, so I tried with all my might to restraint it. Maybe this helped as it turned out to be nothing more than a tiny, silent one. You know what they say about silent ones, well, I hope it wasn’t as bad as some of my better known silent ones.

2.  Have you ever stolen something? Explain… Sadly, I have to say yes. When I was in grade school, I took some money off a girl’s desk to buy candy with. My mother found out and made me tell the girl what I did. I will never forget how humiliated I was and how bad I felt because I knew what I did was wrong. Lesson learned: Never to take anything that isn’t mine!

3.  What TV shows are you embarrassed to say you watch? What few TV shows I watch, I am not embarrassed to tell anyone what they are, I don’t believe. 

4.  What is something quirky that you must do? I have to take my iPhone with me when I go to the bathroom. Playing Spider Solitaire is a good distraction.

5.  What is the last lie you told? I don’t remember. Or, maybe this is my last lie. 🙂 Really, I don’t recall what it was. You know how it is with white lies, right? After all, they don’t matter much. I mean, who do they hurt? The purpose of White lies is to protect someone’s feelings, don’t you  agree?

6.  What celebrity makes you think dirty thoughts?  Ah, I think I’m gonna take the 5th on this one.

7.  What is the oddest thing in your purse/wallet right now? Nothing odd in my purse. I carry a small purse, so I only keep the bare necessities in it. 

8.  Where is the strangest place you’ve ever had sex? I can tell you strange places (elevator, car hood,  the woods,..)  I’d like to have sex, but strange places that I actually had sex not so much unless you count the dining room table.

9.  Do you give money to panhandlers? Why or why not? No. There are organizations that help people in need like the USA government directly and indirectly. Most panhandlers are not down on their luck. This is their choice. Honestly, you can see it in their eyes, if this is something they’ve done hundreds of times or not.  On the rarest of occasions, I trust God to lead my heart to reach out to the individuals He desires me to give a small gift of money or lunch. 

10.  What is your guilty pleasure? Chocolate. Right now, it’s chocolate ice cream or ice cream with chocolate fudge, pieces, covered nuts, … Blue Bell ice cream new flavor for July is Rockslide Brownie – dark chocolate ice cream, brownie pieces, miniature marshmallows, chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, & walnuts), and swirls of caramel. Another yummy flavor Blue Bell has is Rocky Mountain Road – dark, rich chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate covered peanuts, milk chocolate coated pecans, white chocolate covered almonds, and roasted walnuts surrounded by folds of marshmallow cream.

I’ll be by your place soon. Have a terrific Tuesday!