Fist Pump Friday?

It was the last morning of our last full day. We had spent the entire week pinching ourselves, asking incredulously, could this possibly be real? Now we wished more than ever for that infinite fairy tale ending, where we all lived Happily Ever After in the mountains of Tennessee with Ed and Arleen, Little Blue and the three cats. As we sat at breakfast that morning, the sun rising over the left side of the mountain range still blue in the morning mist we giggled at how picturesque our fairy tale was.

"Play"

Our first stop was the Sequoyah Museum. The museum commemorated the man Sequoyah (which translates to "Pig Foot") who single-handedly formulated a written language for the Cherokee. Without a formal education, Sequoyah created the language by listening to people around him speak. He then came up with an 86 symbol syllabary.

"Work"

The museum is building a trail along the river and that pesky privet weed has been growing for more than twenty-five years unchecked. Though at times it took four people tugging and ripping at the tree-sized weed, the four schools managed to clear out a remarkable area for the new trail.

"Play"

After returning back to Once Upon A Time and cleaning up a bit, we headed back out for the big Hootenanny. What a release of energy! From the outside, the building looks like an old elementary school. That's because that's exactly what it is. From the inside, however, the space explodes with music from every direction. People travel from as much as three hours away to hear the performers, some well known and some just being discovered. We danced ourselves into the ground...literally. We actually broke through a couple floor boards! Some incorporated the jersey fist pump (for comic relief, ONLY) and others whipped out some fancy Irish step-dancing moves. By the end of the night, we had been converted to the Hootenanny and its ways.

And then it was time to face the music (heh). It was time to pack up and leave our magic place and get ready to say goodbye to our new found second family.