Desert Wildflowers

Back in Arizona, I began taking pictures of desert wildflowers, after I realized it had rained recently and there was really a wide variety of flowers to be seen. I have wanted to put this on the blog, perhaps as a challenge to anyone who wants to try to identify these flowers. Some hints from the petroglyphs center (go figure) are included at the bottom.

Day 8: Nashville to Roanoke

The day started out very positive and stayed that way. We received notice by email that our application for a White House tour has been accepted, and we are scheduled! Now we just have to work out our own tour schedule details to make it all happen.

We started out early today, so we could tour The Hermitage before our 7-hour journey northeast.

This was Andrew Jackson and Rachel Donelson Jackson's home, and they are buried side by side here. Sherry and the boys are descended from Rachel's family. Rachel and Andrew Jackson had no children themselves, so they adopted a nephew of Rachel's to raise as their own and named him Andrew Jackson Jr.

We explored the mansion, and took the audio tour of the grounds, learning about the more than 100 slaves, and gentile colonial life of that era.

I think the boys connected to it. Jeremy said it "felt like home." Not sure how our home stacks up, but there you have his assessment.




We stopped for lunch at the Cracker Barrel, a large chain in the South. They feature southern cuisine, and we wanted the boys to experience this emblem/tourist trap of southern hospitality.

Of course, they wanted to order a cheeseburger, but we told them they had to order a local dish. So they both ordered the four-buttermilk-biscuit/smoked sausage meal. Their "vegetable" was steak fries. Not sure we got any more nutrition than a cheeseburger! Forrest had a fried catfish platter with steamed vegetables, potatoes and biscuits, and left quite comfortable. Sherry had salad and smoked sausage biscuits.



After the meal, Forrest and Ian enjoyed a game of checkers on the front porch.











We caught this picture of the Virginia state line on I-81. We actually saw a cardinal pair (male/female) in the pool area in Memphis. Virginia is the "Old Dominion" state. We have been keeping track of these state nicknames as we progress.

Somewhere around here, a truck tire exploded in the next lane in front of us, probably due to the heat. Sherry was driving, and we were fortunate
not to be next to the truck when it happened. Just another example of God's provision on this trip!




Along the way we finished listening to Matthew and started Mark. We are still enjoying our 20-30 minutes of Bible time each day, and usually discuss what we heard that struck us or surprised us. It's interesting to hear different perspectives on the same material!

This is a picture of the Virginia countryside. It is more open than the frantic brush and trees of Northern Arkansas and Tennessee, and definitely became more hilly as we headed north along the base of the Appalachians.

We are contemplating our tour of Monticello tomorrow, with predicted 89 degree heat and scattered thunderstorms.