If you stand still too long, a vine will grow up your leg!

Here's the thing about Tennessee.  IT IS GREEN!! It is lush, and it is beautiful.  There are vines growing on everything.  These vines grow up telephone poles, trees and anything that doesn't move.  Every house has a huge lawn area.......therefore everyone has a riding lawnmower.  I think you could get rich going around and mowing lawns for people.  There are no sprinkler systems because it just rains......a lot. I think that the reason there are so many horses is because they help keep the grass down.

Yesterday (Saturday 4/25) the mission had a senior missionary social.  That is when all the old people get together and limp around the sights and then sit and eat lunch and talk, and talk, and talk.  It was great fun.  We went to CHEEKWOOD which is on the west side of Nashville.

It is a privately funded 55 acre estate which houses a botanical garden and art museum. It was formally the home of the Cheek family and the 30,000 sq ft home was turned into a museum in 1960.  You can tour the home.... and the gardens are magnificent.  A lot of hiking for us oldies but goodies. I want to share some pictures with you.
     When they built this home in 1932 it was built with the intention to convert it into a museum in the future.  There is hardly any furniture in the home now.  As you tour the house they have a gentleman playing the piano for your enjoyment

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The grounds and botanical gardens are amazing.  The first thing we saw after we

parked our car was this big train track with a "Thomas" train zooming around the track.  The whole arrangement looked a little shaky, but I guess it was good because it really raced around that track.
     They had many activities you could get involved in.

 The best one was this area where they would teach you how to climb this big tree.  I know you will be surprised when I tell you that none of us ventured into that activity.

I didn't get very many pictures of the fun group we were with....we were just too busy talking!

But I did get this great picture of these good looking men, and the Birds (Doug and Elaine).

We have done some other fun things lately, around Nashville.  We went to the Loveles Cafe early one Saturday morning.  You have to go early so you don't have to stand in a long line to wait for a seat.  The Loveless Cafe is in southwest Nashville, Tennessee on Highway 100,

 It is known for its Southern cooking, especially for its biscuits, fruit preserves, country ham, and red-eye gravy. They opened in 1951 and originally served only chicken at picnic tables on their front porch, but eventually converted rooms in the house to accommodate a bigger menu and a need for more dining space. On the walls they have photos of all the well-known people who come there......including the Oakridge Boys,so you know they have got to be good.  We had a great southern breakfast.
 Emilee has asked me to send some pictures of the beautiful homes that we are surrounded by.

They all have huge lawns.  They are beautiful, but I would not like the upkeep.

A couple of weeks ago we went and cleaned out the misson storage room with the assistants to the president; They are hard-working young men, but you can't tell that from the picture.  Elder Lovell, Elder Sheffield and Elder Ashton....they are life savers. But, that is one ugly couch.....it went to the dump.

I will close with one last picture of a bench at a bus stop.

We saw this near Tennessee State University where I'm sure bail bonds are big business.

I hope you like my blog because it is so much fun to write in my poor english and bad typing.  Love you all!    CD and DD