Greetings from England

That's right. I'm in Birmingham, England - about 120 miles northwest of London. I flew over last Tuesday/Wednesday (May 18/19) for a series of Board meetings with a mission organization. I'm also doing Policy Governance orientation for the Board. We'll be meeting through next Thursday afternoon, May 27. Then I fly back to the States on Friday, May 28.

Because I have a very slow Internet connection here, I'm not going to try to upload any pictures or send any more messages until I get home. I hope you'll understand.

But let me just add one Gatlinburg comment. We're starting to see some inquiries for this fall. If you're interested in coming to Gatlinburg to enjoy the fall leaves and the spectactular color (or as they spell it here in England, "colour"), now is the time to make your reservation before you dates are taken by another guest. Just go to our Web sites and click on "Availability."

See you in Gatlinburg.

Rhododendrons at Smoky Mountain Tower

A few days ago, I promised some pictures of the rhododendrons at Smoky Mountain Tower. Take a look:


It's a little hard to get the perspective, but that bush is more than 10 feet tall! We've owned Smoky Mountain Tower for almost 12 years and this is the first time we've ever seen this bush in bloom.

Here's a closer picture:


And, just to give you the location, here's the entrance to Smoky Mountain Tower.


You're looking at the front door. The garage is on the right. When you pull in so you're facing the garage, the big rhododendron bush is on the right, just above the wood bin. If you've been there, you know exactly what I'm talking about. And, if you haven't been to Smoky Mountain Tower yet, this fall is a great time to go! Just go to our Web site, listed on the right side of this page under "Our Favorite Links." You can check the calendar and make your reservation right from our Web site.