Jackson Michigan – My Hometown (#1)

If I can call any city my hometown, it would be Jackson Michigan.  I was born in Carson City Michigan but my parents, Elizabeth, then a nursing student,  and Ronald met in a drug store in Jackson.  He was working as a 'soda jerk' working his way through Michigan State.

From shortly after I was born until I was about 15, I lived in Jackson full time.  Although I went away to an Episcopalian boy’s boarding school for high school, (DeVeaux School in Niagara Falls NY), I came home for many holidays and every summer.  When I went to Michigan State I spent holidays and summers at home, actually commuting to MSU from Jackson in my sophomore year. 

According to what my mother told, me plus my personal memories, we lived in at least 10 different places in the Jackson area over the years.

Some years ago, I began collecting postcards and other memorabilia.  Jackson Michigan was one of the ‘topics’ where I focused my collecting activities… This is the first of 2 posts about Jackson and my collectibles. 

This is a birds eye view of downtown Jackson Michigan…looking east along Michigan Avenue.  This photo was probably taken in the early 1940s or late 1930s as the postcard is postmarked November 9, 1944.  I would have been just a little more than 2 years old at the time. 

The following is printed on the back of postcard.  “Michigan Avenue is one of the nation’s widest and best paved thoroughfares, no telephone or telegraph poles, its lighting system the latest devised by science, its beauty impresses the millions who annually visit Jackson for either business or pleasure.”

Being young, I never noticed the lack of power poles but as a teenager, I did appreciate the width of Michigan Avenue.  Back in the day, we ‘dragged the Ave’ from one end to the other for fun and to try to pick up girls…

If you follow my blog site, you know that I am fairly well focused on food!  This postcard, showing Jackson’s Regent Café is postmarked sometime in January 1962.  At that point, the Regent Café had been open for 36 years.  Only 4 years later, in 1966, the city bought the restaurant and tore it down as part of an urban renewal project.  In my mind at least, 'urban renewal' was one of the major causes of Jackson’s long decline.

 

My mom and step-dad along with my brother and me always looked forward to Sunday dinner at the Regent Café.  The menu included more than 100 items…from lobster and filet mignon to hamburgers and cold cuts.  In addition, it was common to have 75 items listed as daily specials.

The Regent Café seated 170 patrons at time and employed 90 people.  It had white tablecloths with matching napkins.  The staff served between 1,200 and 2,000 customers per day.  It was once listed as one of the top 53 restaurants in the USA.  Heck, it was recommended by no less than Duncan Hines!  

This postcard postmarked September 23, 1921 pictures an important historical site in Jackson.  The Republican Party was organized ‘under the oaks’ at Second and Franklin Streets on July 6, 1854.

A state convention of anti-slavery men was held in Jackson to found a new political party.  Uncle Tom’s Cabin had been published 2 years earlier, stirring up anti-slave sentiment.  In addition, the Kansas-Nebraska Act had just been passed…and it threatened to make slave states out of what had been free territories.  It was a hot day and the crowd was too large to meet inside, so the group adjourned to an oak grove, on what was then the outskirts of Jackson.  A state-wide slate of candidates was selected and the Republican Party was born…with overwhelming victory in 1954’s elections.

I remember the Reynolds Building as one of the city’s landmarks.  Located at 180 West Michigan Avenue, this 198 foot tall 15 story building was completed in 1926.  It was the tallest building in town for only 3 years, surpassed by the Jackson County Tower Building (230 feet) in 1929.  The card is postmarked August 5, 1927.

Originally this was the headquarters for W.R. Reynolds and Company, a real estate and insurance company.  The entrance was through bronze doors, travertine marble quarried at Tivoli outside of Rome Italy cover the side walls and floor.  Originally, black and gold marble from Belgium covered the outside first and second stories…a rare touch as only a few buildings in New York City had incorporated this material in their design.  You can see the dark marble on the front first level and part of the sides of the building in the postcard image.

The building has had several owners over the years.  In 2003 it was sold to Blake Building, LLC.  It has been upgraded and is now a mixed office – residential structure.  Five apartments have been completed and 4 more are planned.  The building is still quite striking…inside and out.  To see a few photos, including the old bronze elevator doors that are still in use, just go to https://www.blakebuilding.net/history/.

The Cascades, a centerpiece of Jackson's Sparks Park, was  completed in 1932.  The falls opened to a crowd of 25,000 people on May 9, which was the birthday of the man behind this creation...

William Sparks’ story is longer than I can cover here, but suffice to say he was the “Sparks” in the Sparks-Withington Company.  The company made buggy parts and initially only had a dozen employees.  Soon however, the company got involved in making parts for the burgeoning automotive industry.  By 1929, Sparks-Withington employed over 7,000 people!

The Cascades were the result of Sparks’ dream to do something for the people of Jackson and to build an attraction that gave visitors a positive impression of the city.  The Cascades Falls are 500 feet long with a vertical height of 64 feet.  They are 60 feet wide.  Today there are 6 fountains, 16 falls (11 illuminated), 1,230 colored electric light and a pump that produces 2,000 gallons per minute in a closed loop system.  There are 126 steps on each side of the falls.  The 3 main pools of water are 30 feet by 90 feet.

By the time I was 9 or 10, those bushes in this 1944 postcard that range along the side of the falls were much larger.  A big thrill was sledding down the hill on the slope between the bushes and the Cascades.  Going over the hills was ‘blind’ and you had to avoid the concrete service entrances as well as the bushes.  It was a lot of fun!

Throughout my youth, the Cascades was a popular free happening for the whole family.  Today, it’s fenced in, a modest admission is charged to maintain this attraction and there is seating for about 3,000 visitors.

Yes, Jackson Michigan has an airport.  The Reynolds Field/Jackson County Municipal Airport opened in 1928.  This 950-acre airport is equipped with an ILS system and its currently home to more than 100 general aviation aircraft ranging from single engine planes to business/corporate jets.

  

This postcard is postmarked sometime in 1929.  Note all the cars there to meet that small aircraft.  Love the train rolling by on the nearby tracks… For many years, ending in 1984, Jackson County-Reynolds Field Airport, was served by commercial airlines, primarily North Central/Republic Airlines with its twin prop Convair air fleet. (During certain periods American and Simmons Airlines served Jackson's airport) I flew from Jackson to Detroit and on to Buffalo New York (near my school in Niagara Falls) in the late 1950s. 

A number of years ago, I picked up this collectible Reynolds Field Municipal Airport envelope complete with an early air mail stamp.  This was to commemorate Reynolds’ Field dedication upon the airports opening on June 2 and 3, 1928.  Think about it...Air Mail Stamps…something that young people have never heard of! 

Here’s another collector’s item I acquired.  This is a $2.00 banknote printed by the Merchants Bank of Jackson County Michigan.  Note that the bill is signed by both the ‘cashier’ and the bank president.  The art work on bank notes can be quite spectacular.  This one is dated July 20, 1840.

A banknote is a type of negotiable promissory note, made by a bank, that was payable to the bearer on demand.  They were originally issued by commercial banks.  They were legally required to redeem the notes for legal tender…usually gold or silver…when presented to the chief cashier of the originating bank.

 

To view some other old banknotes from the 1840s,  you can just go to https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Old+1840+Bank+Notes&FORM=RESTAB.  Some of the designs were really amazingly elaborate.

Just for fun (or curiosity), I included this fairly unusual postcard in this post.  It reads “You can meet us face to face at Jackson Mich.”  It’s early 1900s humor… It was addressed to a Miss Hancock at 302 East Ganson Street in Jackson.  There is no other message…but the postcard is actually made from leather.  Postmarked September 28, 1906, its one of my earlier postcards.

That’s it for now… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Eating Locally + Spring Time in East Tennessee

Since we haven’t traveled recently and we’re still home for a while, my posts will be more likely to be about area restaurants and bits of scenery.  Hopefully, we’ll also get out and about to check out some historical sites and perhaps a park or two…

So…this time it’s mostly about food!

Thai Bistro in Loudon County is one of our favorite local restaurants for dinner.  The chefs are Thai and the items on the menu are the real thing! 

Following her usual order of Crab Rangoon as an appetizer ($6.00), Laurie decided to try something different…and she ordered the Salmon Teriyaki. ($16.00) It was excellent!

I started out with a terrific appetizer as well…the Spring Rolls. ($5.00) As for my entrée shown above, I am addicted to Thai Bistro’s Pad Thai with Chicken…and I order it “Thai Hot”, #5 on the heat scale! ($11.00) As usual, I was very happy!

Thai Bistro serves lunch and dinner Tuesdays through Sundays.  Closed Mondays.  This restaurant is located at 222 Lakeside Plaza in Loudon Tennessee.  Phone: 865-657-9624.  Their website can be found at: https://www.thaibistrotellico.com/.

Our friends Norm and Linda did it again.  While we are pretty good when it comes to trying different places to eat, they constantly put us to shame.

This time, they took us to T.C.’s Grill in Maryville Tennessee.  As you can see this restaurant occupies a former gas station and what was apparently a convenience store.  Sure looks like a diner!  We love to try diners!

The dining room at T.C.’s Grill sure looks like a diner…except that it is much larger than would be typical of such an establishment.  The other limiting factor is that although the menu is fairly extensive, it doesn’t approach the wide range of selections usually offered in a diner.

The pickle chips appetizer was a winner!  Very tasty with a nice ranch style dipping sauce… Note: This was only a half order. ($3.50)

The onion rings had been recommended by Norm and Linda and they requested a full order for the table.  Laurie agreed that the onion rings were very nice… ($6.99)

Linda ordered a special…the Meat Loaf Dinner.  It came with 2 sides.  She liked her meal a lot and took some of it home for an upcoming lunch.  I didn’t record the price but most dinner entrees ranch from $11.99 to $14.99.

This was my dinner portion of Country Style Fried Chicken with gravy. ($12.99) This was a huge meal!  There were 2 hand-breaded chicken breasts, even more than I could eat a one sitting!  The breading and gravy were very nicely seasoned…plus T.C.’s had Tabasco on hand for the discerning diner.  I had the second chicken breast for lunch a couple of days later.

Having gorged on the onion rings, (I don’t like onions so I didn’t help reduce the stack), Norm simply followed up with a big bowl of Bean Soup. ($4.99) He was very content with his choice.

Laurie thought about it for a bit and then went for one of her favorite sandwiches, the Patty Melt. ($9.79) She wasn’t a happy camper.  For one thing, her medium rare burger was under cooked and bloody…very unappetizing! 

But for the most part, our dinner at T.C.’s Grill was a positive experience…although Laurie would never order another patty melt there.  We’ll go back in the not too distant future to try out other offerings, perhaps for breakfast.  The large breakfast menu looked tempting. 

T.C.’s Grill is located at 2514 Old Niles Ferry Road in Maryville Tennessee.  Open Monday – Saturday from 7 AM until 9:30 PM and Sunday from 8 AM until 3 PM.  Phone: 865-980-1905.  T.C.’s Grill is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pg/tcsmaryville/about/?ref=page_internal.

I thought I’d end this post with a few early spring photos taken at the back of our house.  We love spring and we love our red bud trees!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Music and Party Time in Loudon Tennessee

Being located close to a growing community of retired folks can be a catalyst for a business idea.  We retirees like partying, old time music as well as the popular music we grew up with...  Any reason or excuse for a good time and we’re all over it! 

A popular new music/party venue came into being this past year…

This is the Lyric Theater in downtown Loudon Tennessee.  It originally opened in 1912.  It started with silent movies and other community activities and events.  Then it burned down in 1934 and reopened in 1935…and burned down again in 1941!  It was reopened in the mid-1950s and its final movie was shown in 1961.  Since then, plays and musical performances took place until recent years before fading away.

But as of 2018 its back in business again…this time as the Historic Loudon Theatre and Event Center.

This is a view down Grove Street toward US Hwy. 11 (Dixie Highway) that runs through the center of town.  As you can see, an event was underway downtown when I took this photo.

Loudon is an old town and it’s the county seat for Loudon County Tennessee.  It was first settled in the 1790s and it was incorporated in 1850.  The current population is about 5,800.  Loudon began as a ferry crossing and later a steamboat stop on the Tennessee River.    

Even though railways, depots and trains aren’t the focus of this post, I couldn’t resist these photos.   The passenger depot was built by the Southern Railroad.  The railroad first came to town ca. 1855 when an early bridge was built over the Tennessee River.  It appears that on Saturdays between 5:30 PM and 6:30 PM, you can plan on a Norfolk Southern train coming through town.

The depot has been the home of the local Chamber of Commerce as well as the Loudon County Education Foundation but changes are in the wind.  The building is still owned by Norfolk Southern and leased to Loudon.  A restaurant may be in the depot’s future… Time will tell.

I just like the look of this building.  Across the street from the depot and just up the street from the Lyric Theater, this structure has obviously been rehabbed and it appears to be waiting for an occupant…

OK…back to the entertainment!

For some time, the theatre was owned and operated by the Loudon Downtown Merchants Association.  In 2018, management of the theatre was assumed by The Historic Loudon Theatre, LLC and Jerry Ragle.   Jerry and his wife also operate the Whistlestop Boutique, a women’s clothing and accessories store at 320 Grove Street…right next to the theatre. (Store's Website: http://whistlestopboutique.com/)

Seating in the old theater offers tables for patrons…with 6 – 8 people per table.  Being an old movie theater, the floor was sloped and to create both an entertainment venue and an event center, the floor had to be leveled.  A state of the art sound, lighting and projection system was installed…complete with a 180” screen.  A comfortable room was built backstage for the entertainers.

With Whistlestop Boutique on one side of the theatre, a large outdoor event space was created on the other side.  It allows for a larger crowd than the inside does.  A large covered stage was built and equipped with all of the necessary electronic equipment. 

The first performance we attended this year was by an East Tennessee group called “Wild Blue Yonder”...that performs what they refer to as acoustic Appalachian Americana Music.  They performed lots of old Appalachian folk songs along with a bit of gospel and Celtic tunes.

The group was founded ca. 2000 and for about 12 years it operated as a much larger ensemble and the band put on about 50 performances a year.  The price of admission to the performance was only $10.00 per person.

Melissa Wade is the lead vocalist and guitar player for the group…although she started out on the piano.  She is one of the co-founders of the group and, from what I can gather, songwriting is her true passion and the piano helps her create new music. 

Philip Coward was the other founder of “Wild Blue Yonder”.  He performed on 2 different instruments during the show…the banjo and the mandolin.  He also write’s songs… For many years, Phil was a featured electric guitar player and band leader with a number of popular groups.

The third member of this trio is Cindy Wallace.  She sure can play the fiddle!  With her sisters, she performed in many important venues in East Tennessee, including Dollywood, the Music Mansion and the Rainbow Theater.

 

We went to Wild Blue Yonder’s performance at the Lyric Theatre by ourselves…and we really enjoyed the down home and heartfelt offerings by the group.  We liked them so well that we bought 3 CD’s. (Yes, people still make CD’s and even CD players!) Our purchases included Fated Genes – Full Disguise, Bolt Out of The Blue and Above and Beyond.

To learn more about Wild Blue Yonder including their upcoming performances, just go to http://www.wildblueyonder.band/.

FYI…Food and snacks are offered for sale in the lobby.  It was $10.00 per plate for dinner…but we just bought popcorn and water.  Apparently, a lot of desserts were left over, so Jerry, our host passed out these bowls with rich chocolate cake and ice cream gratis… Yum! 

Another form of entertainment that we enjoy is having dinner at a neighbor’s home.  In this instance, Mike and Sherry (at the right) actually built and have recently moved into a new house right next door to ours.  They moved down here…the paradise that is East Tennessee…from cold and snowy Rochester New York.  Mike is really enjoying close to year around golf! (But he didn’t think that Tiger Woods would win the Masters!  Ha!)

Dinner was an enchilada feast!  I believe that I managed to down 3 of them myself.  Look good don’t they?

Back to the Lyric Theatre...this time with Mike and Sherry, as well as our friends Linda and Norm.  We reserved a table for 6 on a recent Saturday night...   

This time the East Tennessee group performing was the “Memory Road Revue”.  They are based in Crossville Tennessee and with this ensemble of 6, (plus their own sound man), it’s all about the “oldies”, rock and pop music mostly from the 50s, 60s and 70s with a few newer pieces thrown in.  With a 6-piece group, the price per person was $15.00.

Laurie took this photo of our table at the Lyric Theatre.  From the left, yours truly, Linda, Norm, Sherry…and Mike recording the band playing another hit song from the past. 

Patrons can bring their own food and drinks…and many do just that.  At our table we had cheese, sausage, corn chips, salsa, mixed nuts and candy, a veggie tray, cookies, cupcakes, beer, Bloody-Mary's and more.  

I must admit that the Taco Plate ($10.00) being offered in the theatre’s lobby looked good… That verdict was confirmed by Norm and Linda who did partake and had dinner on-site. 

Dennis Hill began singing professionally in Michigan over 45 years ago.  After some time in Indiana, he’s now living in Fairfield Glades Tennessee.  He’s Memory Road’s overall lead vocalist and he is very versatile…crooning and rocking with the band song after song… He also acted as the MC or band leader 

“Mr. Gibbs” (Gibbs Lukoskie) began his music career in the early 1960s with a group called “Sunny and the Four Shades” back in New England and along the East Coast.  Playing the saxophone in those days, he even played at the iconic Peppermint Lounge.  When he returned to the stage in 2009, he began playing the guitar.  His low voice was key to some of the old time favorites the band played, including “Duke of Earl”.

Glen Holverson, the group’s outstanding saxophone player, began his musical career at 15 and right after high school, he toured with Buddy and The Citations.  He performed in and around Chicago Illinois for over 30 years, playing 5 nights a week along with TV and studio work.  In Florida, he had a number of gigs at Universal Studios and Disney World.  The audience loved his work on the sax!

Dennis Donald is another vocalist in the group who can really deliver.  He’s performed many times at the Cumberland Playhouse and the Curtain Call Dinner Theatre in Cumberland County.  His production company has produced more than 40 shows at Crossville Tennessee’s Palace Theatre.  Dennis has been singing since he was 8 years old and among others, he was an opening act for Charlie Pride at the Michigan State Fair.  Love the hat!

Bob Bourne, who is also known as “Rockin Robby” is probably the person who was the catalyst that brought “Memory Road” into being… He ran into Dennis Hill at a yard sale and that led to an impromptu guitar jam session.  Then a bit later “Rockin Robby” introduced Dennis to “Mr. Gibbs” and group evolved from there… FYI, Bob Bourne plays conga/percussion and a bit of harmonica in the Revue performances.

This is the sixth and newest member of Memory Road Revue.  He’s so new that he’s not featured on the group’s website yet.  I didn’t write his name down when he was introduced, assuming that I could pick up some information about him from the website.  No such luck!  However he performed lead vocal on some classic rock n’ roll songs and he can sing… He has a lot of energy and when he’s not lead vocal, he does a good job of harmonizing with the rest of the group.

To learn more about Memory Road and their music, just go to their website at http://www.memoryroadmusic.com/.  FYI, the group performs as a duo, a trio and as this revue group…

One of the couples we ran into at the Lyric Theater were our friends Morrie and Jodie.  They were dancing up a storm!

I wish this photo was more focused… Our new neighbors and lovebirds, Mike and Sherry, locked lips on the dance floor.  Sweet don’t you think?!

As the evening went on, things got a little wild.  A member of the audience decided to ‘join the band’ and 'help out'  Glen Holverson, the sax player!

Old time music (rock and roll and pop music from the 50’s through the 70’s) got the adrenaline pumping for all the retirees from nearby Tellico Village.  The small dance floor and even spaces between the tables were taken over by those so inclined.  It was something to watch the group do the Twist!  I even did a slow dance with Laurie…about the max of my rhythmic ‘talent’.

We’ve already made plans to return to the Lyric Theatre for another show!  Its fun, the cost is right, (especially for retired folks), and the music is pretty darn good.  To learn more about the Lyric Theatre and its upcoming performances, just go to www.historicloudontheatre.com.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Scenery and Shopping

Early spring just about anywhere is a beautiful time of the year.  Our back road explorations here in East Tennessee coincide with spring and daylight savings time.  The latter makes longer drives possible and even allows for later starts.  

Spring also 'pops up’ the greenery and flowers and make any drive more interesting.  So on this early spring day we decided to take advantage of nice weather and recent rains…to check out a large local and very accessible waterfall.

This is Bald River Falls.  Yes, I have blogged about the falls before.  We tend to take all visitors here the first time they come to see us here in East Tennessee. 

Bald River flows into the Tellico River just below the falls.  In turn, the Tellico River flows into the Little Tennessee River and the Tellico Lake/TVA’s Tellico Reservoir…which, as you may have guessed, then flows into the Tennessee River.  

Bald River Falls can be easily reached and viewed by just about anyone.  From Tellico Plains Tennessee, all visitors have to do is follow the Cherohala Skyway to Forest Service Road/FS210 aka Tellico River Road and follow FS210 (paved road) for about 6 miles.  The falls are visible from the bridge shown above.  In the photo the falls are to the left and the Tellico River is to the right.

Tellico River Road was built on the old logging railroad bed and it winds along following the river’s course.   FYI…the Tellico River is widely recognized as a premiere trout stream, renowned for brook, brown and rainbow trout.  

As you can see, we took photos of each other with Bald River Falls in the background.  The 80 + foot high falls are considered by many to be the most impressive and scenic waterfall in East Tennessee.  While the Bald River is short, it’s powerful.  It flows through a steep densely wooded valley that is regularly replenished by mountain rains.  The big pool at the base of the falls is a popular place for swimming in warmer weather.

The Bald River and 3,721 acres of its watershed are part of the Bald River Gorge Wilderness.  It was designated as a wilderness area in 1984.  For hikers, the Bald River Trail begins at Bald River Falls.  This 10.2 mile round trip trail is moderately difficult with waterfall views.  Wildlife is plentiful in the gorge.  To learn more, you can go to https://rootsrated.com/knoxville-tn/hiking/bald-river-gorge-hiking.

After Bald River Falls, I did something unusual…for me.  I decided to check out a store that Laurie and others had mentioned in glowing terms.  I am not a shopper by any means, but something truly different, in retailing terms, does tend to raise my curiosity.  

Everhart Lumber in Tellico Plains Tennessee has been in the lumber business for more than a hundred years…but they changed their strategic business plan many years ago.

Note: The walls on either side of the entrance are covered with bark…a first sign of what follows inside the store.

Many years ago, after a crash in the housing market, business for Everhart became very challenging.  So they decided to specialize and focus their skills on decorative yet utilitarian slabs of wood for furniture and decorative accent pieces. 

Everhart uses locally harvest hardwoods in their specialized business.  These include oak, maple, cherry, sycamore, ash, pecan, beech, elm, poplar, sassafras…and as you can see above…cedar.

The company carefully selects local trees that have fallen or have to be cut down.  These may be trees that die from natural causes, trees felled by storms, or removed by utility/municipal workers that could damage property or injure people. 

Laurie had been looking for a mirror for use in our enclosed breezeway near the entrance to our garage…and Everhart builds these attractive mirrors using the wood and bark that they harvest. 

I was sure that I was going to ‘own’ one of those mirrors at Everhart Lumber.  Laurie liked a lot of what she saw here and she truly wanted a mirror in our enclosed and heated breezeway!  But when we got home and she started thinking about it, she remembered that we had 3 or more mirrors in the upstairs storage closet that we weren’t using.  So, after checking them out, she decided to re purpose this antique mirror that's from her family!  It’s much bigger than the ones at the store…and we already owned it.  Yea for me/us!  FYI, she is planning to ‘distress’ the frame so it works a little better with the room.

I love this big long plank.  The wood grain and colors are terrific.

Everhart mills trunks, logs and big burls into slabs that are up to 6” thick.  They cut them vertically or horizontally from the trees.  Customers include woodworkers, hobbyists, home owners, designers and architects.  They can select from dried, sanded and filled slabs or from thick slabs of fresh sawn lumber.  Every piece is unique…with its own texture, patterns and natural designs.

The store offers a lot of variety, with sample items that can stir a customer’s designer inner self!  I can imagine this sink or one like it that would be perfect in the right home… Those candlesticks are pretty classy too.

Everhart’s also features decorative items for the home…picture frames, pillows, lamps, lamp shades and a plethora of choices for hanging coats and other items in hallways or mudrooms.

I like this cedar bench with variations on the lamp tables, more pillows, a big handsome wooden framed picture and more…  

Need a new mantle for your fireplace?  Perhaps something unique…old logs, barnwood beams, finished ‘new’ logs, rough edge, finished edge, etc.  Those huge logs on the floor are impressive too…but they’d have to be for a mantle for a! huge stone fireplace!

This beautiful piece of furniture would look great in someone’s country kitchen!

As you may have surmised by now, Everhart’s has its own custom furniture shop.  They create unique and striking one-of a kind table tops, kitchen islands and countertops, headboards, benches, sofa tables, coffee tables, dining tables, end tables, conference tables, dividers, floor inlays, door frames, lazy susans,   and more!  No two pieces are exactly alike so anything you purchase is an exclusive…

In one corner of the store, we found this decorative gift display featuring teddy bears… There were some very appealing furry critters looking for a home!

Fortunately for me, since Laurie already has over 100 bears, additions to the menagerie aren’t needed or wanted.  Until very recently, this little representative group of bears were on display in our front hallway…

This store is worth the visit, even if you don’t like shopping.  It is different, its products are natural art…as well as the company’s ‘constructed’ art…plus there is the opportunity to find an item for your home that is like no other…

Everhart Lumber Company, LLC is located a t 911 Veterans Memorial Drive in Tellico Plains Tennessee.  Phone: 423-253-2323.  Their website (with lots of photos) is at http://everhart-lumber.com/. 

…another early spring day in paradise and another sunset to mark its end.  There is so much more for us to explore and experience here in our little piece of the world!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave