Time to Go….

The witches and goblins are gone for another year and now we turn our focus on head’n south before the flakes fly! We have one more Sunday dinner with Terri & Mark but this time we drive into TO. Our family Christmas celebration is quickly approaching and then for us – we’re off, but not before we finish up some projects. Barb put the finishing touches on a new cover for one of her sewing machines.

 

It’s our youngest daughter’s turn to host this year and the tree is up and the smell of cooking turkey hits you as you come in the door. The little grandkids are dressed up and excited when the gifts are placed under the tree. Barb decided to use pictures as the gift name tags this year and it was neat to see everyone check out their pictures when they were 2 years old. There is always too much to eat and of course, being polite, I eat too much! When we’re all together, I can’t tell who is more noisy, the gandkids or our own grown up kids! Everyone had a great time. Soon, dinner was called and that quieted everything down while we did our Advent Lighting ceremony and enjoyed a superb meal.

It wasn’t long though and the grandkids were anxious to ‘get at the tree’!   They are never anxious to do the Tree Speeches but this year all of them went up by themselves and said their speech.  This was the first time they all did it, what a treat.  We all had a wonderful time and  all too soon it was time for our farewells, heading off to Fort Erie to ready the house for our departure.

We leave early in the morning so we can get as far south as we can the first day – we’re hoping to land south of Nashville for the night so we can take the distillery tour at Jack Daniel’s. We had picked out 4 motels to stay at, depending on how far down we got to. We could have made reservations but you know how I feel about that – I have reservations about making reservations! We made it all the way to Franklin, TN and I know you know what I’m about to say – yes, we picked the wrong one! It must have been 500 years old and looked it, it was very tired!

 

The next day, we were on the road toward Jack’s place. The drive took us through some of the nicest country side, it was a pretty drive. Soon, we were in the visitors centre at Jack Daniel’s, looking at the various artefacts from before prohibition to now. We didn’t take the tasting tour because it was longer and we knew we would be late arriving at the Plantation as it was. The tour guide was a good one – he was also on the Jack Daniel’s volunteer fire department and a taster. I think I should apply for a job like that…. Anyway, we were taken to the barrel warehouses, the Rickyard, the still house, the fermenting vats and the charcoal mellowing vats. Our tour guide added well placed humour and kept us moving along.

Of course the best part was the White Rabbit Bottle Shop. Lynchburg is in a dry county but the White Rabbit Bottle Shop has commemorative bottles for sale and the whiskey in it is complementary!

After, we toured the town square of Lynchburg, wandered through some shops – I think everyone sold something with Jack Daniel’s on it and fudge made with it (yes, we bought some). We stopped for lunch at the Iron Skillet and it was just ok, nothing special but lots of food…. Then on the road for the Plantation.

 

That’s enough excitement for now, don’t want to keep ya’ll too long but do come back but stop to smell the flowers….