American Press Travel News–June 13th, 2020–Bob and Barb, Goose Holler’ Farm and Ranch, TN. “Stopping to Smell the Roses, and Watch the Birds”–No need for bug killing equipment, sprays and poisons. Let the birds do it! I purchased a large bag of seed. I always a feeder full. This has led to constant bird traffic. Bugs 0, Bob N Barb Epstein +++++–very happy, and quite protected by our Avian friends. Bonus: watching the colorful flyers jostle and show their personalities right in front of our windows. My barn has swallows that do very well swallowing, and bring bug-bites to their chicks. Our Bluebirds kamikzi all over our pond, and lower field, on all manner of buggies.
Concept here is balance. If you take the effort to consider symbiosis, and help nature in its auto-quest for balance, you can live a much more fruitful and happy life outside, and of course, inside your home.
American Press Travel News March 12, 2020–Bob and Barb “Stopping to Smell the Roses”, and remembering his best friends.
My first dog pal was Shishkabob, she was alternately covered in bands of white and black fur. She reminded me of my favorite skewered dish of Shishkabob. I don’t have an image of her for this article, just pictures of her in my memory. I was in my last year of college, It was February, the coldest month in Vermont and it was snowing. I looked out my apartment window and saw this dog next to the front door of a Jewelry store in Brattleboro, VT. It was shivering. A patron opened the door and I saw it run in.Donning my coat, I went down the stairs, across the street and entered the store. The owner was shooing the near- frozen- dog out of the store, and the patrons smiled and looked on. I asked if this was anyone’s dog? No one responded, and so I scooped her up, took her home and she became my first, 4-paw, best friend.
Terry lived with me for 14-years. She really lit-up my life. Long gone now, I remember her funny, and sometimes delightful antics. My second dog was when living in the Florida Keys. It was a rainy New Years and Barb heard about a dog that was being held, but being mistreated by this family in Key Largo. The puppy-dog was 7-months old. He was being left in a closet in a plastic garbage bag with his muzzle taped, so when the owners who were tenants, and not allowed to have a dog, left their home, he couldn’t bark. I took him, after being extremely gruff with the people, cleared him of ticks and worms, and Charlie became my dock-dog. He too made it to 14-years. He was our traveling companion all over the USA as we traveled in our motorhome, fly fishing America!! My third dog also traveled with us around America. Terry, mixed up Terry, was our fabulous pal for about 14-years too! Terry saved me from a huge tree that fell in the exact spot I had been standing, one evening at our farm. He pulled so hard and whined that I walked away from repairing a solar fence light. The tree fell seconds after I was away from the fence. We buried Terry 2-years later after his kidneys failed, on our farm, with a carved granite head-stone made for me by a Cherokee Indian in Alabama. Dogs-just cannot live without them, and for me it was proven!!!!
Barb in Minnesota fishing with Charlie.Charlie with pup Terry!!Terry as an adult.
Barb entering the magnificent Blythewood Inn Historic Bed & Breakfast.Innkeeper,Dinah Vire was an amazing lady. She loves the history of her Inn and is truly a lady that goes all out for her guests who come as customers and leave as welcomed friends.Spoiler alert! Our room during our stay at the Blythewood Inn. It was like living in the lap of luxury, surrounded by the flavor of the past!Probably the most spectacular B&B dining room ever!! Old world charm, with AC too!!Barb admiring a display of James K. Polk, reproduction White House China dishes.Stairway to our suite!! Feels great stepping back and up in time from those antebellum days of the south.
Fishing in jet propelled shallow water river boats with the Mayor Wess Ward, and Sheriff Nick Weems of Linden, and Perry County, two men that knew where the lum-lunkers lurked, was a blast!!Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems, took time to show me the action on the Buffalo River!!
American Press Travel News-July 4th, Eastern, TN.– “Bob and Barb On the Road Again.” Part 2 of our adventure in Linden, TN.–when we met Michael Dumont and his wife, Kathy, we knew were in a special place. Not to over dramatize our visit, but we felt more confident that in Linden, we could relax and experience a bit of the historical aspects of this region, east of Memphis and about two hours west of Nashville.
Michael took us for a tour of Perry County area. A fabulous rural area, rife with fabulous water, valley and mountain vistas as well as all manner of wildlife! We visited and drove along the Tennessee River, to the Mousetail Landing state Park, with RV facilities including 5 different levels of fitness trails, and views that are sensational. We toured the Lindens riverside nature of the Buffalo River, and Michael introduced us to a new Bed and Breakfast, he had completely rehabbed close to the TN. River, in a nearby, small hamlet of Clifton, “Tennessee’s best preserved river landing town.”
Yours truly, enjoyed the bassin’ on the Buffalo River.
In Clifton, we visited the T.S. Stribling Home & Museum. Thomas Sigismund Stribling was the first Pulitzer prize winning author of 14-novels, plays and short stories in Tennessee. A great stopover and visit during our stay, and well worth visiting. The museum is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Go: www.cityofclifton.com or call (931) 676-3370 for tours information. Lots to marvel at.
Great country cooking in Linden! Real Southern cooking at 1991 prices.The Commodore Hotel is framed from the past into the future!Next door to the Hotel Commodore, you can find Buffalo River Artisans. Mellissa Goodwin teaches Barb how to create a neat piece of art. Great hands-on for young and old!!!
The town of Linden in Perry County, Tennessee 1819-2019 had this nice hotel building, but according to Michael Dumont, “the town had seen better days.” The hotel was basically shuttered and needed everything! But getting to know him and his wife Kathy, I saw what they saw, and felt that with their drive and entrepreneurship, that they certainly made a huge difference in bringing a large spurt for economic revival to this town and county. They went to work with enthusiastic support from several towns folk in bringing back a huge measure of curbside appeal to Linden. They pushed getting rid of all the crisscrossing powerlines, that opened up the towns look, and feel that it wasn’t a hodge-podge anymore, of neglect. Like many towns, the rural roads were once the main roads, but as in this case for Linden, when I-40, the east-west interstate cutting through the state, was completed, traffic on the once, main route, 100 decreased to mainly local traffic and businesses soon to be gone, on Main Street. So the businesses, and well-kept stately buildings became just old, non maintained, and almost all abandoned. from the car dealership, vehicle repair shops and retail stores, and the bus stations that once serviced travelers from Memphis to Nashville, virtually ended. Sufficient to say when the Dumonts came to Linden in 2007, the little town showed 14 vacant storefronts. Michael says now there are no vacant stores. Perry Chamber of Commerce lists that in 2009, unemployment was 28.9-percent. Today, its between 2-3-percent. and now Linden is not a pass-through, according to Mitchell Rhodes, Chairman of the Perry County Chamber of Commerce, Linden is a destination with a proper hotel again, restaurants and the “Bloomin Arts Festival along with music, music, music! Go: Commodorehotellinden.com and call (931) 589-3224 for a visit. Note* next post will detail many more amenities and businesses in and around the town of Linden!!
American Press Travel News–June 13th, 2020–Bob and Barb, Goose Holler’ Farm and Ranch, TN. “Stopping to Smell the Roses, and Watch the Birds”–No need for bug killing equipment, sprays and poisons. Let the birds do it! I purchased a large bag of seed. I always a feeder full. This has led to constant bird traffic. Bugs 0, Bob N Barb Epstein +++++–very happy, and quite protected by our Avian friends. Bonus: watching the colorful flyers jostle and show their personalities right in front of our windows. My barn has swallows that do very well swallowing, and bring bug-bites to their chicks. Our Bluebirds kamikzi all over our pond, and lower field, on all manner of buggies.
