Friday April 3, 2026 we went on date night to see John Cowan Trio at the Laurel Theater. I had long wanted to see him in person. I got to fulfill that wish this night! Kenny and I had great seats and enjoyed a wonderful performance in a fairly packed house. It was every bit as good as I hoped.
Below: iris bloom on the front lawn of the theater.
above and below: the John Cowan Trio starting Left to right Luke Bulla, John Cowan and Ethan Ballinger
above: John Cowan
above: Luke Bulla tunes up
above: Ethan Ballinger warming up.
Below is a short video clip of the John Cowan Trio playing Wheel Hoss and joined by 15 year old Jacob Thomas, a bluegrass mandolin picker from Kingston TN!
Another great song they performed that I had never heard before was Sometimes Strangest Dream written by Hal Ketchum and Rivers Rutherford . The video is a short clip of it, but click this link for the full song.
My deepest wish was to hear John Cowan sing "Tomorrow Morning" which is one of my favorite songs.
They did perform it and it was every bit as lovely as I hoped. John has a strong voice of unusual clarity and a pure tone. Below is a video of the performance. It is the only one of the night I recorded completely.
It was a great weekend for us with romance, a fun date to a concert, rest, a change of pace from the home remodel and getting outside to experience nature on Saturday.
Gobey Wildflowers on Saturday
I had not originally planned to go visit the Gobey trilliums at all, but I had a change of heart. I had a strong pull from whatever leads me. I knew better than to ignore it. Kenny was more than happy to agree. We headed out to Morgan County and the scenery was pretty as ever. I first thought I might be too early, but upon parking and heading into the woods I saw that all the flowers I hoped to see were indeed bloomed out. I spent time checking out the hybrid patch and then moved on to see another spot further out the road. I again was happy to have come for I saw stuff that was totally new to me for this area. I will be using the material collected on these trips to write a comprehensive Hybrid Trilliums 2026 so I won't delve too deeply into this trip. Just an overview.
Above: patch of hybrid trilliums of red, cream, and a couple different shades of pink!
Below: white trillium aged pink with a little extra material there.
Below: a patch of normal Great White Trilliums with purple phlox.
Below: hillsides covered in white trilliums! We had been out this road once many years ago in a different season. It was a treasure trove of wildflowers today!
Below: sweet betsy trilliums
above: one of the prettiest and oddest finds of the day was a true mutant "Quadrillium:
It has four leaves, four petals, four sepals, and instead of the normal six anthers it has eight!
I will keep an eye on this feller going forward, but I already know from a previous encounter that next season it may not present this way! It may go back to its normal form.
above: little brown jugs on a bank.
One of the prettiest things we encountered today that was new to us was the Greasy Creek Baptizing Place. I grew up a Baptist and was baptized by immersion.
Below: Greasy Creek Baptism Place sign
Below: the actual hole of water on Greasy Creek
One of the last places we checked out was the old Highway 27 bridge. I wanted to glance up and down the river to see if there was anything blooming there which would make it worth a closer look? While the bridge is cool and the stream was pretty the snarl of weeds and trees revealed no Spring wildflowers worth investigating. I couldn't see nary a one!
above: Kenny walks the old bridge
Below: looking downstream on the bridge
Below: upstream view from the old bridge is prettier and you can see the new bridge as well.
It was a fun day and I'll tell you more about it soon. I love this area. It is a place where we just keep discovering history and natural beauty and no crowds! We saw plenty of people four wheeling today, but never encountered any where we were trying to check stuff out.
(Remember when looking up on Google Maps there are 2 places called Savage Gardens. One in Knoxville and one in Rocky Top)
We are remodeling our kitchen. I have been through house building, but never a remodel. It is tedious and disorienting. It is hard for anyone to go through, but for a person who cooks nearly every day it is really bad. It is really hard for a mom who takes kids to school and has to get them up and feed them and pack lunches. We've had several mitigating factors that have made it a little easier to bear.
Our kids have nice homes not too far away and we have had some meals with them
The camper has a one butt kitchen and it is parked outside the garage plugged in.
The back screen porch has a table and chairs when the weather is good. It also has a counter surface.
The basement has a sink and bathroom. It also has a microwave, coffee maker, and a small refrigerator.
Finally after all the health problems, doctor visits, kids schedules for school, Kenny's work schedule, and having to be tied to the house because workmen were coming I was about to blow a gasket.
I told Kenny I needed a respite. He admitted he did too. I realized that every delay was just putting off the completion so I didn't want to ask too much. We agreed to ride out to Lovely Bluff and Savage Garden to take a wildflower stroll. It is a pretty place and is only open this time of year to the public. We have been a couple times before, but it was a long time between visits.
We drove out and found the place with no trouble. It is just outside Rocky Top. We had the perfect day for it. Sunny, blue skies with nice temperatures and a breeze. We had also found a few neat things near the place that we wanted to see while out that way. We parked near the end of the drive and walked from there. It is an easy walk. We started seeing flowers almost immediately. Tulips and redbuds bloom near where we parked.
above: red tulips
Below: close up of redbud bloom
There is a structure you pass near the beginning of the walk. It is a picnic shelter built against a rock formation. Long ago when we first visited it had a nice table and sitting space. The table is now gone, but one bench remains.
above: picnic shelter with table and seating in tact first visit years ago
Below: Picnic shelter from outsidelong ago
Below: current day look at the inside of the shelter. Table is gone and it looks neglected.
We hit the bloom time about right, but we were still too early for some things and too late for others. No matter. It was just great to be outdoors and not stuck inside. I have felt like an animal with its leg caught in a trap about ready to chew it off to be free. I did find one unusual trillium in bud, but had not yet bloomed. I know where to look for it now on future trips. I also did not find Lovely Bluff arches
as I am not sure how to reach those. They are not on the property and while I know where they are I don't know if that is private land. I suspect it is. On any future trips I want to visit Coal Creek arches. I think I know how to reach those without any trouble.
Above: first Southern Red Trillium of the season.
Below: Yellow trillium
Below: sunny yellow wood poppy in full bloom!
Below: Kenny strolls along in front of me.
above: Shooting stars were in bloom
Below: we saw a few trout lilies in bloom
Below: Savage Garden arch
Below: another set of archettes at Savage Garden
Below: this is a view looking into this circlet bowl on the property. One way in and one way out.
Below: this huge log formed a kind of artificial arch
Below: purple phacelia was peak bloom today all around
Below: lots of long spurred violets blooming today.
One of the neat things about this place is the rock formations. Another is how the flowers can be found blooming on the roof of the picnic shelter and in cracks all over the property! We enjoyed our wildflower walk today. It was just the right amount of a break from responsibility minus the guilt over totally abandoning what we needed to do. Finally we headed back toward the jeep. We pulled down the road a short distance to investigate a spring. We found not one, but TWO springs shooting out of the bluff. Both are piped and in use, but the first one had trash being dumped near it. Ick. We enjoyed the view of Coal Creek flowing by.
Ideas for Future Trips to the Area:
Come earlier in the season and hike the creek side below Savage Garden, but on the far side of Coal Creek. Look for early bloom species.
Check out Coal Creek Arches
Combine a visit with River Bluff Trail or the Clear Creek Trails and Lenoir Museum nearby
Below: Lovely Spring is a healthy flowing stream of water with a spring box.
Below: Coal Creek flows onward toward the Clinch River
Below is a short video that is a highlight reel from all we saw today including the creek and springs
Savage Gardens is the private property of a fellow named Arthur Savage from Knoxville. He has a garden in town at this country location at Rocky Top. It is open to the public for visits in Springtime.
Directions to Savage Garden: Take I-75 North to Rocky Top and exit 128
From the exit follow it around to the RIGHT onto Cobb Hollow Road and follow it for 1/2 mile.
Turn RIGHT onto Lovely Bluff Road and follow it for 1.20 miles to a RIGHT turn onto Savage Garden Road. Savage Garden Road will ford a stream across a bridge. The road turns and goes up a hill. Follow Savage Garden Road for about 0.25 miles to a LEFT turn into a driveway.
Park in the driveway turn around. Be respectful of the property owners graciously allowing visitors.
No facilities here. There is a picnic shelter. Watch out for the turkeys! I had them try to chase me years ago! They won't hurt you.
We made plans months ago to revisit Pigeon Forge RV Resort for Spring Break 2026.
We kept to our plans and it was a success. Mine & Kenny's daughter, Crystal, had a heart surgery to ablate an extra electrical node on Thursday April 19, 2026. By Friday she was ready to whip a wildcat!
On Thursday morning early we went to UT Hospital with Crystal and Adam for her procedure. Adam finally told us he needed us to go home and get Tessa so Michael could go to work. He also asked us to take Rip to Doggy Daycare at Barken Howl in Wears Valley. It was our first time doing this, and Tessa handled him like a pro! What is really funny is that he loves Doggy Daycare and Svetlana and his dog friends sooooo much. Monday evening Papaw Kenny came over to get a haircut and Rip lost his mind because he thought that meant he was going to daycare again! He ran around the house jumping on the furniture like Tom Cruise jumping on the furniture on the Oprah Winfrey show!
Photo below by Crystal Lindsey-- My son in law Adam aka Dad holding Rip the Weimariner on his lap. You can see Tessa to the right wrapped in a blanket on her tablet doing something.
You see that yellow fob there on the table? That is the zapper to train Rip. He gets overly exuberant. It was fun taking him to Doggy Daycare. He hung his head out the jeep window and let his ears flap.
She was off all those heart meds she'd had to take. They make you feel very tired. She had the relief of the procedure being behind her and a success! She was sore from the incisions, but she and Adam took care of those and she didn't over exert herself. We were very grateful to God for her healing and safety.
We were thankful to all the friends and family who have prayed over her.
Courtney, Shannon & Olivia Icenhower came by to visit a couple times. It is another nice part of not being too far from home.
Jared & Lydia came by on Sunday and took Gabe & Mia to do fun activities and hang out so me and Papaw could go do our thing.
It was a fun, relaxing time for all of us. The only things that didn't go to plan?
The heated pool was heated, but only halfway. The water temperature was supposed to be 74 degrees, but I know better. I got in and went swimming twice, but I tolerate cold water better than most and I thought it was cold. Part of the problem was the windy conditions.
We like this place, but after the Springtime of the half heated pool we are going to find something ELSE to do and somewhere else to go for Spring Break 2027. Lord willing.
Below: mushroom wasn't even working in the pool this trip.
Below: the water slide thankfully was operational Mia age 5 has made a friend as she always does.
above: the little girls play together in the pool
above: more pool pix
above: Mia and her little friend.
above: my big boy Gabe age 9.
Funny Incidents at the Pool:
Shannon told Olivia his daughter he was going to tell a chubby little boy there that she liked him!
She was horrified.
Olivia and Gabe identified something on the bottom of the pool nearer the deep end.
I could see it from the side of the pool as well. She told Gabe she thought someone pooped in the pool.
We laughed, but it was a worrying thought. I heard her tell him after I was out and wrapped in a towel. "You know that water is going in your MOUTH?!" and cocked her head toward the supposed turd on the bottom of the pool. I lost it and went to laughing. Pretty soon we all got out. We will likely never know what it really was, but next day it was gone.
All I could think of was Caddy Shack and the Baby Ruth candy bar in the pool.
The kids rode their bikes for miles and miles around that campground. Friends Gary, Kaylee and their son Kash were also there camping with a group of other friends. They put miles on Gary's golf cart with Henley driving them around.
They wore out the pool and slide if a little less since it was chilly.
We had a camp fire a couple nights in the solo stove. We enjoyed the company of friends and family,
Saturday April 21 we went to Springtime Exotic Petting Farm to see critters and play.
We all loved this place. It has the coolest slides! The kids loved that and wore those out.
All my grandkids love animals. No one more than Tessa who is 12. Mia also tries to make a pet out of everything. Within the past week I have heard her say two things that truly illustrate how loving she is toward all living creatures. "What? It is just a baby mouse! He's cute." while the pre K teacher ran screaming from it. Another day she said "It is just a slug. He's not going to hurt you. He's cute." Meanwhile I am thinking "Ew! Gross!" I was not a great farm girl because I got upset with butchering animals. I tended to make everything a pet. I had praying mantis cocoons in my bedroom. Monarch butterfly cocoons. Turtles.
Below is a photo of the slides at the petting zoo.
Below is a video of the slides and wow! How cool they were!
Below: Five year old granddaughter Mia is doing the duck race. You have to pump water fastest to get the rubber duck around the course.
Below: the birds were favorites of all of us. An entire barn full of parakeets. They are sweet little creatures. You can hold out a popsicle stick dipped in fat and birdseed and they land on you to eat. Grandson Gabriel age 9 is loving this!
Below: petting the goats. One is an escapee. That is my son in law Adam and granddaughter's Mia and Tessa. The girls look so much alike they could be sisters. Tessa is 12 years old now and a cheer leader.
Below: granddaughter Tessa is watching her Daddy feed an emu. They are funny critters!
Below: I'm petting a camel. It is a dromedary camel with only one hump. I would love the chance to pet and maybe ride a bactrian camel... they are the two hump kind.
Below: Gabe holding a baby bunny. Now all the grandkids want a rabbit for a pet. I had one when I was little so I can't say anything. They did NOT like the guinea pigs however. I had one of those too. Her name was Daisy.
Below: My red haired baby girl talking with her Daddy. She will always be our baby. We are so grateful she is healthy and did well with her heart surgery.
Below is a video that is a highlight reel of the Petting Farm critters.
English Mountain Trout Farm Fishing
We got back from the petting zoo and the kids were ready to go to the pool. Michael had to work that morning so he had plans with Papaw to go trout fishing in the afternoon when he got back. I took the children to the pool so Papaw, Michael and Crystal could go to the trout farm. They caught about five nice fat trout and had a great time. It had been years since I prepared trout, but they brought them all too me and told me how they wanted them. I fixed three pan fried and the other two broiled with lemon pepper. I was doubtful how they'd be, but I need not have worried. Fixing trout came right back to me.
I grew up with a mom, grandma's and aunts who were great cooks and taught me plenty.
Below: Papaw fishing
Below: Michael with the fish
Below: trout farm
Below: Michael fishing
Below: The office where you pay to fish at English Mountain
Below: little bridge over the clear creek
Below: Lemon pepper trout broiled in the oven
Below: fresh trout butterfly fileted and fried in cracker meal.
Blowing Cave Mill Store
Crystal, Kenny and Michael also went to the Blowing Cave Mill store. I was so jealous.
I have visited the mill years ago, but they have opened it as a country store. I will have to get out there this Summer and check it for myself. Maybe I could take the kids to Forbidden Caverns and then to the store. I wouldn't mind going to the trout farm fishing again. I fished all the time right on up until a few years ago. I need to get back after it. It is fun.
Below: the charming Blowing Cave Mill
Below: Michael at the store looking around
Below: the old mill race with lots of water
Saturday evening we had a good communal meal with all of us. It was so nice.
Sunday -- Hiking in the Smokies Cove Mountain Nature Trail Wildflowers
Sunday Jared & Lydia came and picked up their kiddos so they could do fun stuff as a family, and we could have the day to go hike and do our thing. We went and hiked the Cove Hardwood Nature Trail for Spring Wildflowers. We got held up by a wrecker pulling out a car that parked on the roadside and could not get out of the rut they were in.
above a flat bed wrecker is fittin' to pull out that leaning white compact car. They stuck!
Below is a turkey gobbler we saw showing off on our drive in,
The Chimneytops Picnic area was not open for the season so we had to park near the gate and walk to hike. It only adds a few feet to the hike so it wasn't a significant problem. I don't know why they didn't go ahead and open the picnic area by this time of year?
We didn't go far until we started seeing beautiful Spring wildflowers.
Below: White wake robin trilliums near the start of our hike
Below: lots of great white flowered trilliums
Below: the scenery as we started our hike. Beautiful sunshine and blue skies. I love the new green leaves of Spring.
Below: sunny yellow Trout lily along the nature trail
Below: a blue hepatica flower. These are some early bloomers
above: cluster of trilliums above the path
Below: beautiful trail through the forest
Below: the view of mountains towering above us
Below: Kenny admiring the hillside of trilliums
Below: the slopes of the trail are carpeted in fringed phacelia
Below: a close up view of one individual flower of fringed phacelia
Below: Sweet white trilliums
Below: another look at the trail winding through the forest with loads of tiny flowers
We hiked the short trail and near the start we had a funny experience. I heard a bellowing and squalling like a bear cub and remarked about it to Kenny. He agreed that was what it sounded like!
Seconds later a Dad appeared coming around the corner carrying a toddler across his shoulders the way a shepherd would carry a lamb. He had hold of one ankle and her arms. She was thrashing around and hollering at her Daddy. He was grinning and laughing and unbothered by her fighting him. All he said was "I know. I'll let you get down and walk again as soon as we get to a point where I feel I can."
Apparently she had fallen or acted up just prior to this so he intervened. Here came her mom and grandma and the rest of the family around the corner. I looked at them and we all burst out laughing.
I yelled "I am an ANGRY TIGER!!!" and the mom said Yes she is!!! I remember my kids showing their behinds like that and having to cope with them. Grandkids too. You have to keep a sense of calm and humor about you or you'll go crazy.
The hike was beautiful and easy. Kenny is going to have to get his knees replaced so he doesn't suffer anymore. I know how that is having endured it.
We wrapped up our hike and headed back toward Pigeon Forge. We stopped and did some shopping at Marshall's and Bealls. I got a candle warmer and a great smelling candle. I got the kids some shoes for their Easter outfits. I got a little bit of Spring decoration for the house.
Below is my candle warmer. They work by warming the candle and releasing the fragrance without you having to light it. No risk of fire! This one has a timer feature, dimmer switch and I love it. I also love the Gen Z slang "Delulu and Thriving" usually describes me well. 😀
Sunday evening we had another great communal meal and the men watched the basketball game. UT Vols won, but it was a close game.
Monday we packed up to go home shortly after breakfast, but the plan for the day was to take all the kids shopping for Needohs in Knoxville. It didn't work out. We had fun hitting up some KARM stores and Smart Toys & Books, but folks are hoarding up the toys so we came home and I ordered each kid a set of them.
We had a fun, relaxing Spring Break. Next year though we need to plan something different.
above: a very unusual hybrid trillium. 
Below: iris bloom on the front lawn of the theater. 
above and below: the John Cowan Trio starting Left to right Luke Bulla, John Cowan and Ethan Ballinger
above: John Cowan
above: Luke Bulla tunes up
