To Tennessee and Back Again... The Tale of Brooklyn's Travels - Part 3

Well, the airplane did not crash, and the terrorists must have forgotten to hi-jack it. We safely landed in Nashville, when I instantly became so nervous I started to shake. Joy graciously walked me to the baggage claim signs, and I placed a call to Mr. Campbell, informing him that I had arrived and was ready for pick-up. But, there was no answer. "Oh no!!" I was beginning to panic, "I'm alone in a strange part of the country, and no one is answering!!" Trying to calm down, I hoisted my bags and walked to baggage claim. On my way, I telephoned again, and still there was no answer. Then, there they were! Two Above Rubies Girls, and Mr. and Mrs. Campbelll's two adopted daughters. They were holding a sign, and I was so relieved to see them.

They helped me get my other two bags, and escorted me outside. Opening up the doors, I felt a blast of heat, and just about choked. When I left Seattle, it was 45 degrees outside, and had just snowed a few days earlier, and I was dressed accordingly. Let me tell you, DO NOT wear a wool skirt, long sleeved shirt, sweater, and heavy stockings to Tennesee if you are planning to visit. That simply is not the proper attire for 85 degree heat with full humidity. Imagine my discomfort when the girls laughingly said, "Oh, our Ruby mobile doesn't have air conditioning." "Oh, yeah, ha ha ha! Don't mind me if I just curl up and die back here from heat stroke."

Our journey ensued and there was another shocker in store for me. The speed limit on the freeway was 7o mph! Our freeways are mostly 6o, until you are about 1 hour, south bound only, down the road.

The Tennessee countryside was lush, beautiful, and green! It was so gorgeous that a deep part of my soul that loves natural beauty was satisfied. We were all having such a jolly time, looking out the windows and chatting that we made a wrong turn which resulted in an hour long detour. By this time it was dark, we were lost, and very hungry. At about 8:45 pm Hannah, (one of the Above Rubies girls) said, "Oh, look! We're somewhere in Dickson! Isn't that interesting that we're in a town that we know. Let's go to Shoney's for dinner..." Anyway, by this time I had contacted my mother with the comforting info that I was lost in a strange land with strange people going to some unique southern restaurant called 'Shoney's." She was quite worried, but was attempting to stay calm. I promised to telephone her after we were done with dinner.

Exhausted from my flight, and still dying in my wool skirt; the girls dragged me into the restaurant. It was buffet style, and I was to later learn that buffets are a Tennessee thing. It was so weird to hear all the people talking so strangely. I felt alone and afraid in this restaurant with options on the buffet like swiss chard and some beef / vegetable thing on rice. That was another eye opener for me, to learn that Tennesseans (sp?) love swiss chard. I mean, the swiss chard was good, it's just that it isn't served in Washington restaurants. Common restaurant vegetables are: potatoes, corn, carrots and beans, not swiss chard (or 'silver beet' as New Zealander's term it.)

We rushed through our dinner, then went to the counter and paid. Here was another 'culture shock' for me, as the waitress spoke so thickly with her unmistakable southern accent. Drawl would probably be a better term for it, as it sounded so slow and slurring. No offense to any southerners reading this, but I by far prefer our more cultured speech up here in the Northwest. :o)

On the road again, we drove down a long winding country road, and turned in at the driveway of a large house. "Here we are!" The girls said "The Campbell's seem to have gone to bed already." With that, we quietly walked through the large house and up the stairs. It seemed like a dream that I was actually here; in the home of Colin and Nancy Campbell!! The girls showed me to our room and we all prepared for bed. As I lay in the top bunk, I could hear frogs croaking through the open window. "Tomorrow is going to be SO fun!" I thought as I succumbed to the power of sleep.

To Tennessee and Back Again...The Tale of Brooklyn's Travels - Part Two

The woman next to me introduced herself and continued to chat away. "Isn't it wonderful that only two of us are here on this row...there is so much more room this way" and other comments helped ease my nervousness. She was such a kind lady, and sympathized with the fact that I was leaving my family for two months. Joy proceeded to tell me about her family and her two children (both boys), and all their interests. It was such a relief to realize that this was a kind woman who wasn't some crazed psychopath! But, when she realized that her youngest son and I were about the same age, she began directing more and more of her conversation in his direction. It soon became apparent that this mama was 'daughter-in-law shopping' and that became slightly disturbing until I was able to divert the conversation.

Note of warning: stay away from nice mothers who have eligible sons. It can be dangerous out there. Anyway, back to my story...

The flight was long and uneventful, and I snapped pictures at an amazing rate. My chatty companion didn't leave me much time to devour "Uncle Tom's Cabin", so the entire flight was punctuated with interesting remarks like, "Oh, these Oreo snacks are so good. You must try some. I had some on my other flight and they were really good. By the way, do you like soccer? My youngest boy is very athletic.." Here there was need for diversion so I remarked: "Did you see that interesting mountain back there? Here's a picture of it!" and "I have to use the restroom, will I die if I stand up and walk there?"

Oh dear, that was a bad decision on some one's part. Of course certain well meaning engineers designed airplane aisles to be about 6 inches wide, so of course unsuspecting passengers trying to walk somewhere will incidentally collide with certain grumpy travelers elbows. This situation can turn serious when the aforementioned grumpy traveler happened to be holding a cup of water in the hand attached to the elbow that was bumped. To top it off, when you apologize, the now irate traveler's wife will invariably shout "Of course he's not alright!! Just look at him! He's all wet!"

At least the flight attendant understood my plight and handed me napkins, which I in turn handed to the grumpy traveler's wife who was attempting to dry poor Herman's lap. Anyway, Herman and his wife continued to sizzle as I passed them on my return trip, and the glares scorched the very deeps of my soul. Dear Joy, inquisitive as ever, remarked "What happened back there?" I wearily related the events and she calmly berated them as 'creeps who could have for seen these events by keeping their elbows to themselves.' Since she was in an aisle seat, she kept me updated on how they appeared to be feeling. At this moment, the intercom system came on and told us to keep our seat belts fastened. The plane began to shake, and looking out the window, all I could see was fluffy swirling whiteness.

To Be Continued...Stay Tuned...This Could Take Awhile...Check Back Soon!!