Getting Out of the House!

As I wrote this post, we were marking the 77^th day of Covid-19 self-isolation.  Of course, our self-imposed quarantine is a minor inconvenience in comparison to struggling families and businesses who have lost family members, businesses and jobs. 

We’re continuing to expand our donations to our local food bank and we are getting out a bit in order to support local businesses.  Of course, another advantage of getting out of the house…is that it helps keep us from just going crazy!     

Laurie spotted a local business in Lenoir City Tennessee that had been posted on Facebook and it grabbed her attention!  With another excuse to get out of the house, off we went!

The eye-catching road side focal point of this little market along US Hwy. 11, was this old beat-up 1952 Chevy pick-up truck.  The platform lying over the bed of the truck was protected from the sun and it featured a small assortment of produce…

The area where most of the products were being sold was sheltered by this large expanded carport style structure.  This is a father and son operation and they had been operating in a tent but since the father owned the land and the structure was there they’d moved operations to a more fixed environment…

There were two primary products for sale with most of the space being dedicated to a plethora of attractive flowers in different containers.  Fresh strawberries were the other ‘draw’ for customers.

Then there was this… Yes indeed, that is a giant fake rat on the front right fender of that Chevy pick-up!  The son told us that the rat is ‘equipped’ so that he can pee (water) on passers-by.  His son loves to squirt folks when they’re looking at it… (Glad the grandson wasn’t there!)  Note the little white dot by the inside of that back leg.  At least the rat was Covid-19 safe… 

On other little detail we learned was that the appearance of that ‘beater’ truck is a bit misleading.  It is fully equipped with a 357 cubic inch V-8 engine and it will lay rubber until the tires go bald!

On the way home, we pulled into the Tugaloo Beach area, a part of Tellico Village in Loudon Tennessee.  As you can see, a marina is located here for some of the many boats owned by local residents.

Right next to the marina, there is a pavilion that can be reserved by property owners from Tellico Village as well as a play area for the few children that live in this community but also for resident’s grandchildren.  At this time, the pavilion and play area are closed due to Covid-19.  

The beach area itself (on the other side of the pavilion) is actually on Tennessee Valley Authority property and it’s open to anyone.  There is controversy in Tellico Village regarding the use of the parking lot, pavilion and play area by local folks who don’t live or own land in Tellico Village, but who want to use the beach.  I’ll just leave that debate alone...

This newly clear-cut area is adjacent to the beach and play area and directly across from the Village’s marina.  TN Hwy. 444 is just on the other side of that tree line.  Many residents apparently didn’t like all the trees being taken down.  Nevertheless, the plan is for this plot of land to be developed into a new fenced and paid membership only dog park.  The former dog park space has been purchased by a developer who plans to build houses on the property whereas this property would never be used for homes.

The photos above show the booty (or bounty) that Laurie picked up at that little farmer’s market.  She now has a colorful hanging plant for our front porch and we’ve been enjoying those nice fresh strawberries too!  Today Laurie learned that the little market is now featuring fresh peaches...

Being basically cooped up at home, really makes you appreciate any little ‘adventures’ (change of pace) in a safe at home environment.  Self-isolation also forces you to stop and take stock of and appreciate the little things around you.

Just click on any of the photo to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Stay Safe and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave