Leaving Gatlinburg

The foggy weather had us all moving kinda slow on Thursday morning, but we finally got moving at about 10:30 or so. We drove out to the Lodge cookware outlet, which is right off I-40, where I got a couple of small skillets.

Then we had lunch at the Partridge and Pear Restaurant, which is decorated for Christmas year-round. Beautiful decor and excellent food!






















Willy enjoyed it, too!





















They lit the fireplace for us (I was sitting right next to it), which was very cozy. One of our fellow diners took our picture in front of the fireplace, and I took their picture after lunch.
Left to right: Me, Angela, Suzie, and Terri.





















And Willy!





















Terri and I went to visit the Titanic museum, which was very interesting. They've got a replica of the grand staircase there that'll knock your socks off! Would you believe that they originally planned to have marble floors, but scrapped the marble in favor of a very expensive new flooring called--wait for it--linoleum?

The museum contains all sorts of memorabilia and replicas of the various parts of the ship. The letters written by the survivors afterward were very heart-wrenching. They had an iceberg in one room, and 28 degree water you could put your hand in. I can't begin to imagine what that must've felt like.
Great attraction, and well worth the $25.





















After Suzie picked us up, she and I dropped off Terri and Angela, who wanted to do more shopping and get a tattoo. Angela got her Old-time picture taken. Ain't she cute?


















While Terri and Angela were shopping, Suzie and I drove into the national park with Willy as our guide, showing us all the sights.





















This isn't the most beautiful time of year to enjoy the mountains, but Willy is the kind of guy who finds joy wherever he goes.





















One nice thing about the road to Cherokee is that there are plenty of places to pull off and take pictures!





















And you get the occasional glimpse of the river as the road winds through the mountains.





















The weather was changing from chilly and rainy to partly sunny, windy, and warmer, making for some interesting light patterns on the mountains.





















At our last stop where we turned around to go back to Gatlinburg, Willy and I took advantage of the photo opportunity.





















Suzie and I drove back into town and picked up Terri and Angela. Shane, our waiter from Bubba Gump's yesterday saw them waiting out on the street and rapped on the window, proving once again that we're unforgettable!

We had dinner at the Park Grill, which was a little pricey, but had a great shrimp and crab bisque. Willy enjoyed a brief visit with the bear by the door, then it was back in my coat pocket for the duration of dinner.



























A funny thing happens when you've been eating out all week: a dinner that would normally leave you comfortably full makes you feel like you're going to explode. It will be good to get back home and eat a little more sensibly for a while, and I promise to use my treadmill at least three times a week. More if possible. I'm getting tired of looking like a blimp.

We plan to leave early Friday morning, so we can get back home in time for Suzie and Angela to go to work. Since they'll need to get some sleep during the drive and we've decided it's unsafe for Terri to ever drive us anywhere ever again because she can't stop texting or chatting on her phone, it looks like I'll be the driver. . . again.

I'll be home later in the afternoon. In the meantime, hold the fort for me and enjoy today's hunk!

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