Thursday: Lessee... Day 1 (04/28), leave Dallas TX... arrive Little Rock AR... ummmm... karaoke... Waffle House Festival... crash...

Friday: Day 2 (04/29)... Leave Little Rock, AR... arrive Memphis TN... visit with Connie (aka Gracie) in Somerville for a few lovely hours... meet her son, Nick (smart kiddo, by the way -- he'll go far, unless Mama kills him for using the drum sticks on everything in sight)... leave Memphis to head eastward...

Saturday: April 30, 2005
Day 3... Arrive Gatlinburg at about 1 a.m. because we decided to go shopping for a robe (which we didn't find) and some batteries (don't ask) and some frozen yogurt (don't ask) -- and then we got lost (don't ask), but that was fun and we weren't on a real schedule anyway... meet up with Freda at Shoney's and finally go on to hers and Connie's house.  (Freda and Connie are my twin aunts and I love 'em VERY much.  I didn't get to visit with Freda nearly enough, but she works 24-1/2 hours per day. *sigh*)... crash hard at F&C's place... awaken about 9am-ish... take F&C to lunch... go sight-seeing and robe-shopping (which we didn't find)... check into the cabin-rental agency... sight-see some more... finally decide to go to the cabin... get lost (But it was NOT our fault, this time!  The map they gave us was wrong!  So THERE!)... find the cabin... move all our chit into the cabin... fall into the hot tub and relax and play... sloshed some water over the edge of the hottub -- but it was outside on the screened-in deck, so it was o.k. -- no it wasn't -- chit -- the breaker FOR THE HOTTUB was UNDER the deck -- all the lights on the hottub went out -- no bubbles -- no heat -- it was only 55 degrees out there.  We called the reservation/check-in desk and the lady took us through some trouble-shooting instructions... but the instructions were for the hottub that USED to be in that cabin... "Open the panel on the front.  Yes... It just swings open... push... it'll pop open... it's on the front of the tub..."  NOT!  The repairman showed up the following morning and went around the cabin to the secret-society cave opening under the deck (I heard chanting.  Something 'bout "Let there be dragons."  I heard the words "virgin" and "sacrifice," so I knew we were safe.) and pushed a button or threw a switch or mumbled the magic incantation... A mad scientist who lives under the deck screamed, "IT LIVES!!" and the hottub gurgled to life.

That night: (censored)

Sunday: May Day (4th) (but PLEASE don't rescue me)
... awoke... whenever... went to pick up Connie and we all went to sing karaoke with her friend, Betty.  Betty wasn't wild about the first place we went, but she's a bit shy.  It took forever for her to get up to sing the first time, many moons ago, and the second karaoke club we visited was Betty's idea of "home."  She sang like a bird and everyone loved her.  It was a bar with BOTH types of music -- Country AND Western!  She was in tune with that atmosphere.  I was wondering how'd they receive me and my Greek fisherman's hat singing Prince songs, but they were surprisingly receptive.  We met Wade's brother's evil twin there.  I actually went up to the man and said, "Excuse me... I know this sounds odd, but you look just like my brother-in-law.  May I take a picture of you?"  He seemed pleased that someone wanted his picture and had the biggest grin for me.  (pic below)  His friend kept saying, "...and I thought he was one of a kind!"  (Jim... we're well aware that your proboscis isn't that big.)  We all ate fried green tomatoes and fried pickles and chicken wings.  (Does THAT give you a better idea of the atmosphere?)  Then after returning Connie to her house (Freda was working, as usual.), we went back to the cabin.  (See pictures, below.)  ...getting lost again... It was still the map's fault.  One more night in the hottub -- without blowing it up, this time -- and then... ummmmmmmmm... (censored)


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