On The Road Toward Galveston

Back in March of this year, Laurie and I had decided to take a road trip, with Galveston Texas and Natchitoches Louisiana as our primary destinations.  Galveston because of its history and the HGTV show, "Restoring Galveston" and Natchitoches because of its history and the varied attractions in the area near the city.  So off we went!

When it was time for lunch, Laurie pulled up the nearby dining possibilities on her phone...and we stopped at Sadie's Diner in Vance Alabama.  Vance has a population of a bit over 2,000 residents but it is best known for the only Mercedes Benz plant/assembly line in North America.  It should be no surprise that Sadie's Diner is located at 10565 Daimler Benz Boulevard in Vance adjacent to the big Mercedes facility... 

FYI, the plant itself is located on 1,000 acres of land that was donated by the state of Alabama.  The land was part of the deal that helped win the contract with Mercedes.  The property features multiple test tracks...both road and off-road options.  The Mercedes-Benz Visitor Center includes a free museum that features cars produced throughout the company's history.  Plant tours are also available for a modest fee.

Based purely on it's size, Sadie's is not a true diner.  Expansive would be the best description of its interior dining areas.  The counter itself is basically a huge "S" with squared corners and my best guess is that it would seat about 40 customers at one time.  Tables...they have tables!  The second photo shows only about 60% of the tables at Sadie's.   Not unexpectedly, the walls were decorated with Mercedes-Benz signs, photos and even hubcaps.   

We don't eat breakfast before leaving on a road trip.  We take coffee and we hit the road.  breakfast on days.  Fortunately for us, Sadie's serves breakfast all day!  Since it is our favorite meal, our decision making was easy.  We both ordered "Trim 1", 2 eggs over medium, hash brown potatoes, a biscuit and meat... Laurie went for the bacon and I chose sausage. ($10.99 each) Our meals were OK, not famous but decent.  The problem was the service... We got very little attention from our waitress, coffee must have been in short supply, and the kitchen either decided to go on break or the waitress forgot to turn in our order.  It took 'forever' for us to get our food.  As you might have noticed from the photos of the dining areas, it isn't like the restaurant was overwhelmed with customers!  

Sadie's Diner is apparently owned and operated by Sprint Mart, a service station, convenience store corporation that features fresh food for traveling clientele.  This was the line waiting in the store segment next to Sadie's, waiting to pick up to go items.  To learn more about Sprint Mart and Sadie's Diner, you can go to https://www.sprintmart.com/sadies-diner/.

Once we passed Tuscaloosa Alabama on I-59/I-20, we were tired of driving on the 'super slab', (aka 'expressway', 'freeway' or Interstate highway), so we jumped off and followed part of US 11 south and west toward Mississippi.  It runs parallel to the Interstate.  Along the way, we came to the town of Eutaw Alabama.  Eutaw is the county seat for Greene County Alabama.  The county was named after Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene of Rhode Island.  The town was named for the Battle of Eutaw Springs, the last engagement of the American Revolutionary War in the Carolinas.  Greene County's population as of the 2020 census recorded 7,730 residents, and it has the lowest population of any county in Alabama.  In 2023, the population was estimated at 7,341, a 5% decline in only 3 years. 

There are 3 buildings on the courthouse side of Courthouse Square, not including the courthouse itself.  Unfortunately, the first photo above is of the newest building located next to the courthouse.  Built in 1931, this was the County Library and it was replaced with a new facility in the 1990s.  Other buildings literally in the square are the Grand Jury Building (1842) and the Probate Office (1856 with a second story added in 1938)

The second photo above is the actual Old Greene County Courthouse.  This two-story Greek Revival style building was the county's seat of government from 1869 until 1993.  The prior courthouse was burned to the ground in 1868.  Most historians feel that it was a deliberate act of arson by the KKK.  The fire destroyed paperwork pertaining to about 1,800 suits by freedmen against the planters and the fire took place just prior to the suits being acted on.

This historic plantation house is located at Mesopotamia Street and Kirkwood Drive in Eutaw.  Named "Kirkwood" or the Foster Mark Kirksey House, construction on this Greek Revival style home with Italianate influences, began in 1858.  The original owner/builder was Foster M. Kirksey, a planter, elected official, an agent for the Confederate government, a cotton factor and a commission merchant. (1817 - 1906) Construction was halted by the start of the American Civil War...leaving several features of the house incomplete.  Kirksey, who served as Sheriff from 1845 - 1848, was a significant part of Greene County history for more than 50 years.  As for the house itself, the balcony railings, cupola, and a few other minor features were completed by a couple in the 1970s who wanted to restore the home.

That's all for now... Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

A Bit of Italian Food Plus

...continuing with Bill and Bonnie's visit.  Another meal out, this time it was Italian.  Back in May I'd written a post for the blogsite about a new Italian Restaurant in close proximity to our home.  It was promising and, since both Bonnie and Bill really like Italian food, we got dressed up before we headed out the door!

Laurie's sister Bonnie and her husband Bill, ready to head out for dinner...

Yours truly and Laurie (my better half), also ready to head out for dinner.  And yes, I did dress up for dinner.  The man in black with a collared shirt... I generally avoid restaurants where I have to wear long pants.  If its over 50 F, I wear shorts!  It's one of the 'privileges' of retirement...

                          

This is the Fork and Vine in Lenoir City Tennessee.  They now have a permanent sign that replaced that white temporary signage shown in this earlier photograph.  To see my earlier post regarding this restaurant, you can go to https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5617317794624015781/711400631634636564.  As you will note on the faded signage below that temporary sign, this location was previously called Joe's Italian Cuisine.

My bad!  A couple of posts earlier I'd negatively credited the first charcuterie board to the wrong restaurant, "Water into Wine".  In reality, the first board shown above (termed a Salumi Board) was enjoyed at "Fork and Vine" prior to the arrival of our salads and entrees.  At $15.00 it was indeed a good deal and the quality was there as well.  The second charcuterie board is the one that should have been 'credited' to our experience at "Water into Wine".

FYI, Fork and Vines Salumi Board contained an assortment of meats and cheeses plus roasted red pepper hummus, sliced ciabatta bread and tangerine chili olives.  For the record, I'm not a real fan of charcuterie boards but many people are including Laurie, Bonnie and Bill.  I don't dislike them but I'd prefer focusing on the main courses or more singular appetizers...

Another Fork and Vine appetizer was their Drunken Mussels. ($15.00) The mussels were swimming in an amazing vodka and white wine sauce, with basil, garlic, tomatoes, and banana peppers.  They were also accompanied by sliced ciabatta toast points with herb butter.  Bread and herbed olive oil came with the meals and seconds were provided at no cost.  The bread was invaluable for soaking up the mussels delectable sauce...

The only negative was that too many mussels hadn't opened up during the cooking process.  It should have been caught in the kitchen.

Laurie ordered a side 'Julius Caesar' salad with her entree.  Salads with an entree are $5.00 vs $12.00 for a dinner sized Caesar salad.  Laurie really enjoyed her salad.

For her entree, Laurie ordered the Vodka Di Gallo.  The fresh Creste di Gallo pasta came with a pink vodka cream sauce, onions, basil and mushrooms.  Laurie added blackened 'colossal' shrimp to her main course. ($8.00) With the shrimp, her meal cost $24.00.  Other add-on options included chicken, meatballs or Italian sausage. ($6.00) Laurie completely enjoyed her entree...and would order it again.

Bonnie also ordered a side salad with her entree. ($5.00) It came with mixed greens, tomato, red onion, carrots, cheese and croutons.

FYI, a total of 9 starters or appetizers are on the menu at Fork and Vine as are other salads...including dinner salads.

Bonnie ordered the 1809 Risotto...with creamy parmesan risotto, mushrooms, seared scallops and herb broccolini. ($28.00) The base of the cream sauce is a lemon wine cream.  Bonnie enjoyed her entree and Laurie gave a big 'thumbs up' on the risotto.

As for Bill's entree, somehow we missed taking a photo of his 'seafood entree'.  It was the Ciopinno Lenoir with mussels, clams, shrimp and fish simmered in at robust tomato based broth. ($24.00) It was served with grilled Ciabatta bread and Bill also added a Caesar salad to accompany his meal.  He was happy with his choice for dinner and he completely cleaned his plate!

As for yours truly, I started my meal with a bowl of Italian Wedding Soup. No photo yet again. ($9.00/cup $5.00) It was very nice broth and it was loaded with little meatballs, spinach and pasta pearls. 

I had a hankering for pizza so I ordered Fork and Vine's Wood Fired Pepperoni Pie. ($16.00) As per the menu it was made with fresh house made pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and 'loaded with pepperoni'.  Since my favorite pizza is a combination of Italian sausage and pepperoni, I asked that sausage be added to the toppings.  No problem...same price too.  It sure looked good!

As you may remember, Laurie and I have been searching for great pizza ever since we moved to East Tennessee.  Sadly, we're still searching.  My pizza's crust was soggy, the pizza sauce was bland...to me it lacked any Italian seasonings...and 'bland' carried on to the sausage and even the pepperoni.  I took about half of my pizza home and 'dressed it up' a couple of days later.  I added more pepperoni (spicier than than the original), extra mozzarella cheese to help re-moisturize the pie and Laurie sprinkled on some basic Italian seasoning.  It was a much improved pizza with the changes we made...

Fork and Vine shows a lot of promise in a market basically devoid of quality Italian cuisine.  Other than the pizza...and the unopened mussels...we were quite happy with our experience.  We will return in the near future and try some other menu options.  Fork and Vine Restaurant is located at 131 Kelsey Lane (visible from US Hwy 321) in Lenoir City.  This restaurant is open from 11 AM until 10 PM Monday - Saturday and from 10 AM until 4 PM on Sunday.  Phone: 865-317-1098.  Fork and Vine's website is at https://fnvlenoir.com/.  They are also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/p/Fork-Vine-Lenoir-City-61568667290284/.

We did not eat out for every meal or even every day during Bonnie and Bill's visit.  Laurie took the above photo of myself, Bonnie and Bill enjoying a meal of ribeye steaks (medium rare), corn, sauteed squash, sweet and sour cucumbers and fresh bakery bread...plus a bottle of wine.

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit and for those in and from the USA, have a HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SAFE JULY 4th!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

A Popular Local Diner for Breakfast...

Bonnie and Bill's visit continues... They expressed interest in eating breakfast out one morning and since that is our favorite meal and we love breakfast out too, off we went.

We love diners!  Unlike the eastern and northeastern part of the country, there aren't too many diner style restaurants in the Knoxville area.  Laurie and I chose Nick and J's Cafe for our breakfast.  It is one of the most popular restaurants in the area.

How popular is it and how favorably do customers rate Nick and J's Cafe?  On TripAdvisor it is ranked #6 among all of Knoxville's restaurants.  On Yelp, customers have recorded a 4.6 out of 5.0 rating.  With over 2,100 reviews, Nick and J's scores 4.8 out of 5.0!

Like many diners, the walls are covered with memorabilia, as well as photos of customers and local celebrities.  Both counter service and booths are available for diners.  The atmosphere is bustling and friendly.  The wait staff is efficient and friendly...and most of them seem to have been working at Nick and J's Cafe for some time.

Laurie ordered a breakfast that was a break from her norm, which usually involves eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast.  She did order a side of bacon with her 3 pieces of cinnamon maple French toast with powdered sugar and strawberries. (Total = $18.99) Laurie gave high praise for the quality of the bacon and she really enjoyed her French toast with its topping.

I followed Laurie's example, ordering a breakfast item that I rarely chose...  These 3 plate-size buttermilk pancake behemoths came with butter and maple syrup. ($10.50) They were thick and had a little crust or flat top griddle 'edge' to them.  I really liked them...but this was just too much food for even me.  I managed to finish about 75% of my plate.

Laurie's sister Bonnie ordered the Deluxe Pancakes. ($11.99) They came with your choice of blueberries, strawberries or chocolate chips with whipped cream.  Her choice is obvious based on the photo...unless you're color blind.  She was a little worried that a blueberry compote would just be layered on top of the pancakes and she was pleased that actual blueberries were actually mixed in the batter.  She skipped the whipped cream.  She could only finish about half of her pancakes, but her husband Bill had a few bites too.

Bill went 'southern' for his breakfast.  This was the Clifty Farm's Country Breakfast. ($13.99) It included a slab of country ham, 2 eggs your way, toast or a biscuit and gravy and seasoned or 'dusted' home fries.  Bill ordered his eggs 'basted' but Nick and J's doesn't do 'basted' so he had to settle for scrambled.  We warned him that the ham would be pretty salty...and it was...but he seemed to like it.  His toast was on the side.  

In our opinion, the only negative is that Nick and J's doesn't offer hash brown potatoes as an option instead of 'home' fries.  In retrospect, it is one of the reasons why we didn't order our usual breakfast items.  I will note that a lack of hash browns hasn't hurt Nick and J's business...

Nick and J's Cafe is located at 1526 Lovell Road right at the interchange/exit with the Pellissippi Parkway aka TN Hwy 162 just north of I-40/I-75.  It's open for breakfast and lunch Monday - Saturday.  Phone: 865-766-5453.  The restaurant was named after the owner/operator's children, Nickolas and Jordan.  Learn more and check out the menu at https://knoxvillerestaurantstn.com/.  

I just had to include a photo of the Laurie 'original' charcuterie board that we recently put together for a neighborhood gathering.  It featured 6 types of cheese, salami, sweet ham, pepperoni, grapes and Bear Jam. (The jam includes blueberries, elderberries, apples and raspberries) Not shown...a basket of crackers and toast rounds, a bowl of olives and another bowl featuring pickled mushrooms.

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Family Visit - It's All About Food!

Laurie's sister Bonnie and her husband Bill flew into visit us a little over a week ago.  This time of the year Allegiant Airlines offers low cost flights from the Mid-America Airport near Bellevue Illinois to the tourist destination that is Knoxville Tennessee.  With the Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Dollywood and more, tourists flock to East Tennessee from May through October.  In any case, Bill hates the 8 hour drive from St. Louis so we all welcome the tourist season flights...

So, what did we do during their visit.  Laurie and Bonnie planned some remodeling complete with decor when the work is done, we watched some golf and TV in general, did a little sightseeing, shopped and browsed and of course, we enjoyed a lot of food!

As we shopped and browsed our way from the Bearden area in Knoxville to the Turkey Creek shopping complex in Farragut, we passed "Jim 'N Nick's Community Bar-B-Q" and the group decided that this was where we should eat as we headed back toward Loudon.  

This relatively new addition to the Knoxville dining scene had been on my list for a few weeks.  We've passed it a few times and we both love BBQ.  Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q is a fast growing regional chain that was founded in Birmingham Alabama and is now headquartered in Atlanta Georgia.  The company has 56 locations with restaurants in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

I would describe the interior of Jim 'N Nick's as industrial but featuring decor that softens the look somewhat.  Why the gal at the table at the right gave the "V" for Victory sign to Laurie as she took the second photo, we'll never know.

Yes!  This is yet another restaurant that expects the customers to place their orders from order boards or menus.  Jim 'N Nick's did provide us with hard copy menus and the service staff was both friendly and helpful.  The need for minimal floor help/waitstaff, does cut costs.

Since we weren't done eating for the day, we skipped the Sharables as shown above.  Also, while having BBQ ribs was tempting, that volume of food will require 2 hungry diners who want the same thing for dinner.  A full rack of Baby Back Ribs with 2 sides/aka 'trimmings', cost $34.99.

We all noticed the cheesy biscuits listed on that menu board and we were ready to order them...when the order taker/cashier at the counter told us that they would bring some to the table and we didn't need to order any.  Six biscuits to go cost $3.99 with a dozen for $6.99.

We all liked the warm biscuits.  They come with honey butter and they were sweet.  I could see the cheese but really couldn't taste it...but I still liked them. 

Bonnie and Laurie decided that they weren't very hungry so they split a Pulled Pork Sandwich with a side ($11.49) and then ordered a second side.  Bonnie had the baked beans...two thumbs up...and Laurie had the potato salad ($3.99), also a winner.  They enjoyed the pulled pork too.  Sandwiches are advertised as being served on famous "Martin's Potato Bun's".

Bill likes anything that ever lived and thrived in water... Hence, he ordered Karl's Fried Catfish Plate with 2 fillets. ($19.99 with 2/$13.99 with 1 fillet) This entree comes with 2 sides so Bill ordered the coleslaw and the Bar-B-Que Corn on the Cob.  He thought the slaw was good, the fillets were done right and he seemed to really like that corn on the cob...

I'm kind of burnt out on pulled pork and I've never really cared for smoked poultry.  My favorite BBQ items are pork and beef ribs as well as beef brisket.  So I ordered the 'handheld' Beef Brisket sandwich. ($13.49) I had a choice of either lean or marbled brisket so I went for the more flavorful and juicy marbled slices. (They will chop the brisket for you on request...a sin in my mind) For a side, I just went for the French fries.

The brisket was very nice, moist and flavorful, and there was plenty of it.  The potato bun held up fairly well.  My only negatives were related to the French fries and the available BBQ sauces.  The French fries were soft...and I like a little firmness when I have fries.  I like hot spicy BBQ sauces.  The house BBQ sauce lacked any authority and the only hot spicy sauce available was a Honey Habanero.  It was spicy but the honey element didn't tickle my taste buds.  Other available sauces include Morgan County White, Carolina Vinegar and Carolina Mustard.  

All in all, we did enjoy the BBQ at Jim 'N Nick's Community Bar-B-Q and we will return to try those ribs.  But I might sneak in a small container of spicy sauce!

Jim 'N Nick's Community Bar-B-Q is located at 7727 Kingston Pike (US Hwy 11), right across the street from Knoxville's West Town Mall.  This restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily.  Phone: 865-224-3760.  If you want to pick up BBQ to go, Jim 'N Nick's has a drive-thru window to provide that service.  Website: 

https://www.jimnnicks.com/locations/tn/knoxville/7727-kingston-pike/.

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!  

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

A Break for a Family Visit...

You probably didn't notice when our fall 2024 trip seemed to end in Staunton Virginia.  Well, it really didn't end there and some day in the not too distant future I'll post the ending bits regarding this road trip.  As you may or may not recall, the trip started with our first stop in western Tennessee, proceeded all the way back across Kentucky, into Ohio, touching West Virginia a couple of time, then up to northern Pennsylvania, touching extreme southern New York state, then back south passing through Maryland into Virginia.  The last stop I reported on was at President Woodrow Wilson's birthplace in Staunton.

This week Laurie and I have her sister and brother in law visiting East Tennessee all week, so this is the one short post I will contribute until June 24th.  This stop was one of my favorite roadside 'adventures' from that October 2024 road trip. 

This is Duke's Lexington Antique Center which is just off I-81 in Lexington Virginia.  Laurie and I love to prowl antique stores...especially well stocked large antique 'malls'.  I'd listed Duke's on our travel plans and we made sure we didn't miss it.  This antique center covers over 20,000 square feet and it features over 150 dealers offering a huge variety of antiques and collectables.  We had a fun time just looking...but of course we did end up making a few purchases too.

We didn't take a bunch of photos.  Part of the reason for that failure is that I didn't even get very far down the first aisle we traversed.  We always go to the right in stores and then go up and down every aisle.  Laurie did complete the entire journey but, as the photo above indicates, I got 'stuck' in a vendor booth that specialized in antique and collectable postcards!  Yes, rare though it is, that is a smile on my face!  I was a happy camper indeed...postcard collecting is one of my few remaining vices.

I like postcards dating 1920 or earlier, (ideally 1910 or earlier), used with messages on them and they must still have the postage stamp on them.  I prefer ships and trains but I also like city sights and landmarks as they appeared back 'in the day'.  The messages can be quite interesting as well...projecting what parts of life were like over 100 years ago.  I bought a bunch of interesting postcards with my only regret being that Duke's is over 5 hours from our home, probably more depending on traffic and road work.

When visiting Duke's, keep an eye open for Cooper.  He's the house cat and as far as he's concerned he's in charge.  He is very 'chill'!

Duke's Antique Market is located at 1495 North Lee Highway (US Hwy 11) at 30 Pinnacle Drive in Lexington Virginia.  This antique mall is open from 9 AM until 6 PM 365 days a year!  Phone: 540-463-9511.  Website: https://dukedukeantiques.com/.

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Miscellaneous Home and Family

With late spring and summer upon us, we are expecting a couple of visits from various family members.  With that garage sale is behind us, we're looking forward to the visits as well as the relatively stress free change in our normal routines.  Not that there isn't always a bit of stress...it's called life...and life isn't all that simple to navigate.

Miscellaneous is the best description for this post.  A little of this and a little of that...

Let me introduce you to "Stumpy".  Why did we give this squirrel such a nickname?  Well, Stumpy is missing his tail but he's a survivor.  Squirrels use the tails for balance and as a blanket on cold nights.  Despite his handicap/physical challenges, Stumpy is now at least 5 years old.  Typically, adult gray squirrels life to about 6 years old but exceptions have been noted... They can live as long as 12 years.  One of the reasons we like Stumpy is that he generally leaves the bird feeders alone.

The two photos above are the last you will see related to our stressful but relatively successful garage sale.  With the exception of the table, all of these items and related cartons are now being sorted out and being priced by the volunteers at our local thrift store, The Good Neighbor's Shoppe.  

Items included that Ethan Allen leather ottoman, golf equipment, wall decor, assorted china, crystal stemware, LP records, a pair of sconces, purses, both men's and women's collared shirts plus a selection of Hummel figurines. 

We are the second owners of our home.  This room with exterior siding originally was a breezeway, but at some point the home owners started with a breezeway between the house and the oversize garage.  Shortly after that, they enclosed the breezeway, adding HVAC to make it more usable.  Now that we sold the buffet, baker's table/hutch and an old dining table, our plan is to remodel the space.  Up to now it's been referred to as the 'plant room'.  We are replacing the ceiling, siding, that 'lovely' red carpet and then adding bookcases, blinds, new lighting, etc.  Of course Laurie will have to find a new home for her plants until after construction is completed.  

Work starts in mid-July.  Wish us luck.  Hopefully no ugly surprises will pop up!

As I've previously reported, we've been trying different pre-prepared food items.  The goal is to always have something we like at our fingertips for quick and easy meals.  We noted this box of "Boomerang Shrimp" at our local Food Lion and we decided to give it a try.

This was our Boomerang Shrimp appetizer, 'crispy shrimp with a creamy, spicy garlic tossin' sauce.  We thought that it was pretty decent, not too spicy, but we couldn't taste any garlic.  We would buy it again for a snack or appetizer...about a 7.5 on a scale of 10.

Margaritaville Foods product line include seafood (mostly shrimp with some calamari), salsa, tortilla chips, BBQ sauce, wing sauce, salad dressing, dipping sauces, and more.  The company's website can be found at https://www.margaritavillefoods.com/.

After a recent medical appointment, our 'favorite', or at least most frequent type of 'social' event, Laurie and I decided to eat at a restaurant that is located almost right across the US Hwy 321 in Lenoir City Tennessee. (Close to the I-75 interchange)

I went over the top and ordered a 12 oz. ribeye steak with thick fried potato chips and both lemon caper sauce and ketchup on the side.  Water with lemon was my beverage of choice.  The steak was decent but a bit overcooked.  I'd ordered medium rare and the steak was medium.

Laurie ordered one of our perennial favorites.  She started with a glass of wine ($6.00 before 5 PM), and a side-Caesar salad.  For her entree, she went for Aubrey's panko crusted Alaskan pollack with those fantastic thick cut potato 'chips' and more lemon-caper sauce.  She was very happy!  One side benefit of our meals were those leftover thick fried potato chips.  I sense a breakfast side item at home...

I will admit that the prices for eating out (or at home for that matter) are a bit out of control.  Our entrees plus a glass of wine and a side Caesar salad ($3.00) came to $68.95 with taxes and tip.  Result: we have cut back on the number of times we go out to eat in 'better' restaurants.  

As usual, we enjoyed dining at Aubrey's.  Aubrey's food is quite consistently good and so is the service. The website for Aubrey's in Lenoir City Tennessee can be found at https://aubreysrestaurants.com/lenoircity/.

Believe it or not, Aubrey's was not the last place we stopped to eat.  For the first time this year we decided to stop at the Tic Toc Ice Cream Parlor in downtown Loudon Tennessee.  It was a warm day but not crowded when we arrived at about 5:30 PM.  When we left at about 6 PM, families with lots of kids were headed in for their summertime treats.

My dessert is the one on the left.  I had a 2-scoop cup.  One generous scoop was the house-made caramel crunch and the other scoop was Tic Toc's blackberry cobbler ice cream.  Laurie got fancy and went for the Yukon Gold Rush Sundae.  It consisted of coffee bean ice cream covered with hot caramel and whipped cream, then topped with a cherry.  Too much food for the day...but it was all good.  

You can view a lot of photos and pick up on ice cream lover's feedback regarding Tic Toc by going to https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g55167-d834598-Reviews-Tic_Toc_Ice_Cream_Parlor-Loudon_Tennessee.html.

One last photo for this post...

This photo shows our youngest grandson (21) in his Silicone Valley apartment in northern California.  He had the distinction of being selected as a summer intern by Google.  The reports so far are that he's doing well, the work is certainly challenging and he's made a number of computer friends.  I did note that he brought a University of Nebraska pennant with him...lying on the chest of drawers.  Keep up the good work Emmett!

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave