Blends With Savanna Grasses

The kids and I had a great time this weekend. I've found a new must-read now that I'm subscribing to the Tennessean again - Ms Cheap. Ever since Kelly and I separated, I've been looking for FUN ways to entertain ourselves while still being CHEAP. The thing that has amazed me is that there really are a lot of fun things to do that won't burn a hole in your pocket.

So, the first thing I had on the calendar was a trip to the Hermitage. For some reason, I'd read Ms Cheap as saying that Saturday, January 7th would be a free day. It was the annual celebration of the Battle of New Orleans, the famous last battle in the War of 1812 that catapulted Andrew Jackson into the national spotlight and lead to his election to the Presidency.

I hate to admit it but in all the years that I've lived here in the Hermitage area - within 6 miles of THE Hermitage itself - I'd never been to the historic mansion and estate. It was time to go.

We got there with lots of time to spare. And the parking was easy... way TOO easy. So I checked in at the gate and, yes my friends, I was a day early. Well, we were all hungry. So we went to the nice little cafeteria right there called the Garden Gate for lunch.

The food was actually quite nice. But the company was even nicer... and somewhat less mentally stable, but hey I'm not picky!

We all enjoyed a nice meal. But the kids were a little disappointed not to be able to see the house and grounds. So I made it up to them by picking up Anna Lynn's best friend, Zoe, and taking them to the Charlie Daniels park over in Mt Juliet. It was sunny and nice out, but since it was about 4:00 pm, I knew that I wasn't volunteering for more than an hour and a half of kid-fun/parent-torture.

The girls certainly did have a ball. They ran, played chase, played follow-the-leader, played tag, swang on the swings, balanced on the beams, and did everything else they could think of. All in all, it wasn't nearly as much work for me as I expected. I have to give Emily a lot of credit for being such a big help. But then I also think the girls are just getting a little bit older and don't need their old man so much. (sniffle)

Emily, being true to her inner bohemia, also spent a lot of time creating a major work of art. The little girls did their part too, including smashing Emily's major work of art.

The hour went very quickly and before you know it, it was time to go. But we'd had a lot of fun and burnt off some of that winter time energy that can turn into cabin fever. And believe me, I don't want these little girls (Katie Jo in particular) to get cabin fever because they'll destroy my "cabin"! Yikes!

Now, here is the final irony of our expedition into Tennessee history. I forgot my beloved cellphone/PDA/camera when we went back on Sunday! Don't worry - I stopped at the gift shop and bought a disposable camera. We got lots of great shots about our second day of fun. But I just can post them so quickly and easily. C'est la vie...

Cheers,

-Kev