Oh Tennessee, My Tennessee

Helen (adorable wife) and I are just a few weeks away from an extended road trip that will take us up the Blue Ridge Parkway through North Carolina and Virginia to Gettysburg, PA, then return along the Maryland and Virginia coastline. We’re mending well from recent joint replacement surgeries and so very eager to return to the road less traveled. We have a lot of things happening between now and the departure date, however.  All of our children and grandchildren will arrive next week for “cousins week” as well as a large family reunion we organized to honor my mother for her 90^th birthday. It all should be a lot of fun…crazy, but fun. Then, we hit the road.

Helen and I talked about taking Gracey (travel trailer) to the northwest this fall, but with impending surgery for both of us, we thought it might be best to plan a trip near home at this time and head west later on. This decision prompted two thoughts; one, that health is critical to an active lifestyle and things can change overnight (like hip pain coming out of nowhere). Therefore, while we have the blessing of reasonably good health, we should take advantage of it at every opportunity.  We hope to continue our life on the open road as long as we are able. The second thought I had is that we don’t need to go far to observe the staggering beauty that America has to offer. I can give examples from personal experience.

After I hung up the work boots as a homebuilder, I took a part-time job performing housing inspections throughout East Tennessee–a job I found online. A company based in New Hampshire needed someone to travel the area and assess the condition of foreclosed properties. I never met the person who hired me, we only spoke by phone and an occasional email.  Soon, a new pickup truck and some supplies arrived at my home along with training materials. On my first day, I looked in my email and found a list of houses to inspect from Bristol in the northeast to Chattanooga in the south. Although I was a bit overwhelmed at first, I soon worked through the initial list as well as the addresses that followed. Once I settled into the job, I realized that this opportunity was the most fun I ever had while working.

The reasons for the fun were several. I loved the independence of being totally on my own with little or no supervision.  The work had enough variety and challenge to keep it interesting without being stressful or all-consuming.  Those reasons alone were enough to make the job fun, but the bonus that came with the position was the opportunity to travel through hundreds of small towns in one of the most scenic regions of America. Within days of starting work, I went into tiny towns with names like Chucky, Mosheim, Afton, Mountain City, Bluff City, Etowah, and the lovely town of Erwin.  Some of these places I had heard of previously, but most were new to me. Moreover, the roads to these little gems tracked within view of the mountains through the farms and fields and alongside the streams and lakes that define Eastern Tennessee. I had to pinch myself daily to make sure I wasn’t living a dream. On top of it all, I was being paid to do this.

This job gave rise to the notion that there is a wonderful world out there just waiting for all to see, and a lot of it lays within a days drive.  Helen and I have been fortunate to see a lot of the world, but it will take a lot of coaxing to get me on an airplane for an uncomfortable ride to another country without seeing all of my own before I do that. We will still travel the country, but Tennessee is a great place to start.

During my time of performing inspections, I always carried a camera and took many pictures of the countryside to bring home and share with Helen.  Now, I want to share a few of them with Easin’ Along readers. In addition to the pictures, some of which you see above, I have posted the state poem Oh Tennessee, My Tennessee, written by Navy Admiral William Lawrence while enduring a 60 day period of solitary confinement in a North Vietnamese prisoner of war camp. Lawrence spent a total of six years as a POW during the Vietnam War.  This poem describes the love and longing he felt for his beautiful home state.

I can only add that while Easin’ Along through his state and mine, I understand and share his love.

Oh Tennessee, My Tennessee
What Love and Pride I Feel for Thee.
You Proud Ole State, the Volunteer,
Your Proud Traditions I Hold Dear.

I Revere Your Heroes
Who Bravely Fought our Country’s Foes.
Renowned Statesmen, so Wise and Strong,
Who Served our Country Well and Long.

I Thrill at Thought of Mountains Grand;
Rolling Green Hills and Fertile Farm Land;

Earth Rich with Stone, Mineral, and Ore;
Forests Dense and Wild Flowers Galore;

Powerful Rivers that Bring us Light;
Deep Lakes with Fish and Fowl in Flight;
Thriving Cities and Industries;
Fine Schools and Universities;
Strong Folks of Pioneer Descent,
Simple, Honest, and Reverent.

Beauty and Hospitality
Are the Hallmarks of Tennessee.

And O’er the World as I May Roam,
No Place Exceeds my Boyhood Home.
And Oh How Much I Long to See
My Native Land, My Tennessee.