The blank wall at Smoky Mountain Tower

Remember our post a couple of weeks ago ("We need your help!") about the big empty wall at Smoky Mountain Tower? You know, this one:


Well, we think we have a solution - thanks to our good friend Jeannie in Pennsylvania. Here's what she said: " (How about) a large quilt painted on the wall, similar to a barn quilt painting, that reflects the colors of the living room. More specifically, it might have some of the designs of the quilt draped over the living room couch."

Another idea was a large trellis, with flowers growing up it. We thought about that, but we're afraid that it might require too much maintenance.

But we REALLY like the quilt idea. So we're going to see where that goes. We're looking at designs and colors and we've got ideas of how to make it work from a practical standpoint. We're actually meeting with a couple next week who think they can do the painting for us. So keep watching for details.

Meanwhile, we got our first picture of the almost-finished walkway at Smoky Mountain Tower. What do you think?


We still need to finish some yard work and maybe a couple other finishing touches. But it's coming along. Mark has done a great job and we appreciate it. Hopefully, we'll get some more pictures soon.

Anniversary follow-up

When you go away for a week, you never know what's going to happen! And our dear daughter, Angie, took advantage of our absence to tell you about our anniversary. Thank you, Angie, for all your work last week to keep everything running for our Gatlinburg cabins!

And thanks to all of you for your anniversary greetings. Angie's last post was correct, both about Gatlinburg and our time last week in Grand Cayman. So, just to finish the story, here are some 'before and after' photos.

Despite what some people think, we did have cameras and film 50 years ago, but it was nothing like today. So our wedding pictures were not very good. Here's one that survived:


And just to prove we really did go to Gatlinburg on our honeymoon, here's a shot of Phyllis at one of the candle shops. It was located downtown then, but I think it's now out on the Craft Loop:


Now, 50 years later, we celebrated by spending a wonderful week in Grand Cayman at our favorite resort - the Grand Caymanian (ask us about it!). We just sat by the pool or on the beach and read our books ... and slept!


For our anniversary dinner, we went to the most-recommended restaurant on the island - Pappagallo - where they brought us a special plate of cookies and a taste of a dessert wine.


Now it's back to reality. We just reserved Smoky Mountain Tower for Christmas (but New Year's is still open). And we still have some good dates open - and special deals - in October, especially at All Decked Out. The new walkway at Smoky Mountain Tower is 95% finished and I hope to have some pictures soon. Keep checking back for more news from Gatlinburg.