A Neighborhood Gathering

It had been fairly slow and quiet in the neighborhood lately...but then one of our newer couples decided to host a gathering for residents within a block or two of their home.  The host's home is just a wooded lot (the last one) between their house and our home.  Instructions were to bring chairs.  We also brought coleslaw and 'rainbow' vegetable and pasta salad.

This photo captures the back of the home and the size of the backyard of our hosts where our neighborhood gathering was held.  It was a warm day but between the overhang under the porch and the shaded corner of the yard, it was comfortable for all.

This little West Highland White Terrier is named Sassy and she was the center of attention for much of the evening.  Sassy is our host's dog and she is much loved.  Lots of petting, scratching and loving.  Laurie certainly got her dog fix!

This was the masculine half of our host family.  Since his name is Dave, it's easy for me to remember.  His wife's name is Cheri. (I am terrible with names and always have been) As you can see, Dave also served as the chef for this event.

Most of our neighborhood rests on boulders and rocks, a real challenge for builders.  As you can see, Cheri and Dave made good us of some of the boulders that came from their build site.  Those birds fit nicely in with the rocks and the greenery.

The food...and there was a lot of it...was served on these tables under the screened porch.  For those that are used to me taking a lot of food photos, sorry to disappoint you but with one exception, shown below, I failed my usual routine. 

As a committed carnivore, I had to take a photo of the protein that our host, Dave, had grilled for the group.  As you can see, we had hot dogs, hamburgers and bratwurst.  I can assure you that I definitely got my fill!

I took a couple of photos of the neighborhood group at the gathering but I know that none of the photos included everyone that was there.  Origins of the group range from New Jersey to Illinois to Florida and out to California.

Cheri, our hostess, was the organizer for the gathering.  She planned to have the group play croquet and most of the attendees tried out their skill in this old time lawn game or sport.  Dave (our host) did take a little heat from Cheri for not cutting the lawn a bit shorter.  What the heck, it made the game more challenging for the participants!

FYI, croquet was first played in England way back in 1856.  Today this sport or activity is governed by the World Croquet Federation.  The USA has a related governing body.  There are several recognized types of games that are played and a World Championship does exist.  

So...just how close to Dave and Cheri do Laurie and I live?  See the white showing through the woods.  That is our house.  Like Laurie and me, Cheri and Dave hope that that wooded lot stays as it is.  Unfortunately, there aren't any guarantees that it won't be built on.

Tellico Village and Tellico Lake were developed via the Tennessee Valley Authority's Tellico Project.  Through that project, 22,000 acres were acquired through eminent domain law.  The lake flooded several Cherokee archeological sites and many private land owners and farmers were forced to give up their land "for the public good" and at a "fair price".  Almost 60 years later, some former landowners still resent the land grab.  The resentment was worsened by TVA's sale of much of the land to developers who have long since built the community where we live.

That bit of history ties into the photo of the hole in the ground.  It's on the lot between Dave and Cheri's home and ours.  It's an old well, which probably provided water for a home or farmhouse that sat at or near this site.  For us it was an interesting find.  Another related find was an old concrete highway marker found on a lot just across the street from Dave and Cheri's house.  In the winter when the leaves are off the trees, in our back yard Laurie and I can see where a small road used to exist.  Time marches on...

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave