Merry Christmas!

Hidden Hollow Christmas Lights

Friday Dec. 8, 2023

Dana Koogler and Sharon McGee

Hidden Hollow Info Here

The original plan was for myself and Kenny to go over to friend Sharon's home in Jamestown, TN Friday evening. I'd get the kids out of school and we'd head that way and go to the Christmas lights Friday evening. Plans tend to change with us. Granddaughter Tessa came down with strep throat late Thursday. Her brother Michael, our fourteen year old grandson, was still feeling a bit puny from having had it himself earlier. He was worn out from band concert on Thursday night. Add to that Kenny found out he was probably going to have to work on Saturday. Add to that our grandkids needed to be back on Saturday night because our childrens Christmas pageant was Sunday morning. It wasn't stacking up too well. I decided I would just go by myself Friday morning and spend Friday night. I'd have to get up Saturday morning to head home. I had promised Adam & Crystal a day to themselves on Saturday. We go through spells of trying to cram too much into a weekend.

I got up Friday and headed over to Sharon's house. I got there just before lunch. I'm not exactly sure, but I think it was around 11 am. We gabbed a little. We loaded up and went to Livingston for lunch at Wayne's Grill. She also took me by the Out of Date Store. It was pretty cool.

Lunch at Wayne's was satisfying. I found out Wayne passed on a couple years back, but his son is running the place.

Next we went to Cookeville. Sharon needed to drop a picture off at a frame shop for repair. Odie went with us. He was so good all day. We went shopping at a store I had seen, but never checked out... Gabe's Department store. It was very nice! I got some Christmas shopping done.

It was timing out about right. We went and hiked to City Lake Falls. Sharon had never been.

Odie needed a stretch break. It was a short, easy hike where Odie was welcome. It is right near our final destination... Hidden Hollow. A man sat on the dock playing a guitar. It sounded so nice!

The falls were running fairly well though water levels are still diminished.

Above is a photo of City Lake Falls.

Below is a short video of the same waterfall

Once we got done at City Lake we loaded back up and drove the short distance out to Hidden Hollow Park. I had only been here once before and that was many years ago. Back when it was Arda Lee's Hidden Hollow. Neither of us had ever been here for Christmas lights display. It was to start at five p.m so they suggested getting there a few minutes early. We were about half hour too early. We drove around for about fifteen minutes. We were glad we did for we got to see a beautiful sunset from "Sunset Acres" barn up on the ridge.

Above: Sunset Acres barn...so pretty

Below: Sunset from this spot!

We did not sit at the gate long back at Hidden Hollow. I knew how much it cost, but had no idea how to go about paying or the logistics of the whole event. I phoned them to ask. It turned out to be easy. You just pay at the snack bar once you enter. It is $7 per person. Once they realized we were out at the gate they came on and opened up a few minutes early. It was getting dusky so our timing was good.

It was a comfortable evening. Our coats felt good, but there was no wind whipping to chill us. Paying was easy and fast. We were first to arrive. The staff was helpful and it was nice. It looked like a fairy tale place. A little bit of true Americana still hanging on in this day and age. We had the option to park and walk around or drive not one, but three different routes to see the lights!

We parked and walked first. Odie was welcome there which was also nice.

Below are photos sorry for how blurry driving through the main entrance at the covered bridge.

I found out that another limitation of Go Pro is that it isn't the greatest on night photography.

My regular camera isn't much better. I tried all kinds of things to improve the images without much success.

Above: Pony rides all lit up

Below: Arda Lee's Hidden Hollow at Christmas!

Above: Cute ponies getting ready for kids

Below: Just getting started to view the lights

Abov

above: a cozy fire in the pavilion and such a nice spot to have a snack, a cup of coffee or hot cocoa!

Above: the lights lining the pavilion

Below: Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus were there. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Odie had his picture taken with them. What a photo op!

Above: close up of the red and green sparkles on the parking area

Below: This is where we parked so the action starts the second you pull up to the gate and just keeps going!

Above: choo choo train as part of the mini golf course!

Above: the lake really makes some lovely reflections across the water at night

above and below Looking toward the old mill across the lake

Above: wishing well

Above: Christmas tree lights

above and below: little covered foot bridge as part of the golf course

Above: some odd rock forms. this looks like a camel to me or maybe a dolphin

The two shots below are my favorite views of the night. all those glowing colors on the water

Three shots above: Carolers under a lamp light

Above: another look at carolers and the climbing structure behind them I think is part of the playground.

above and below:

above: Peace on Earth

Below; Another look at the building with the mill wheel as we prepared to leave at nights end.

Above: Best shot of the lights and the lake was with my Canon camera

Below: Gingerbread house

Above: Sharon and Odie ahead of me

Below: Memorial plaque regarding Nora Evangeline Lee

Above: Hidden Hollow Sign

Above: Train and old mill

Below is a video of the highlights of the event. It demonstrates it way better than my photos do.

They have a waterfall at Hidden Hollow. It is hard to see at night, but it was still flowing. It is in the video clips.

We had a great time. We got done and headed to Cookeville and had dinner at Longhorn Steak House. We had good food. Great company and conversation.

All in all it was a fun visit and I'm already looking forward to going back to do more stuff with Sharon!

Kenny is a little jealous because he missed out, but he was happy for me.

Daily Dose of Aggravation:

My Next Husband Will Have a Pony Tail

Dana Koogler

Dec. 19,2023

Above: my little ponytail husband of the future

I decided to write blog entries about some of the funny ways me and Kenny annoy one another.

It's part of how we show affection in this family. You do something dumb and you will be reminded of it lovingly, but laughingly many times over the years. I can't sew that great, but my mom and step mom are great seamstresses. Consequently my brother-in-law Brian calls me The Golden Needle. Stuff like that. Kenny and I have been together for so long and we both have so many idiosyncrasies. We like to kid each other. It is partly a coping mechanism. Instead of getting truly angry with one another's ways we joke about it.

Dana's Idiosyncrasy that Lead to This Exchange: I HATE to be told what to do and forced to do a thing. People's expectations of performance from me light a match under my ass.

I am including a funny video clip below from the movie The Hot Chick that perfectly sums up my attitude, feelings, and actions when it comes to being expected or forced to do a thing. The movie is Rachel McAdam's character Jessica switches bodies magically with a random low life dude who then uses her body he is inhabiting to strip to earn money. It is comical and very apt for my internal landscape regarding expectations. Especially stereotyped expectations.

Kenny's Dream Motorcycle

Kenny likes motorcycles and over the years has episodes where he fancies himself a biker.

He has bought and sold a couple bikes. I have given it a try each time. I've really made the effort to be a sport. No denying that, but I don't like motorcyles. Never have. Never will. I also don't fit with the biker chick lifestyle and Kenny doesn't fit the biker image in any way. One day after selling the last sports bike he mused "One day after I retire I'll get another motorcycle."

He was gaging my response. It was not what he hoped for when I replied "You go ahead. You will be riding it without me the next go round. I don't like it. It makes my back hurt. I feel foolish. I don't like or fit that lifestyle." He knows me only too well. He knew a couple things right now. #1 -- I really meant what I said having tried it twice before. #2 He knew if he kept on being pushy about it .. I'd be annoyed.

I guess he figured if he couldn't count on me to go riding with him he may as well have some fun at my expense. He got real quiet for a moment, but that didn't mean he was letting it drop.

"You ARE going with me on the motorcycle like it or not." he said. I quizzed him "How do you reckon you're going to get me on there?" He grinned and said "Oh you're going sweetheart if I have to put a side car on that thing and hog tie you and set you in there. You ARE going!"

Below are two hilarious images of bikes with sidecars... this is what came to mind.

Well, truthfully I had Sgt. Schultz and Col. Klink from Hogan's Heroes in mind, but couldn't find a very good image of those scenes.

I was not to be so easily outdone by the whole forced sidecar thing. I told Kenny "Look, if I wanted to be married to a biker. I'd have married a biker. I'll tell you what I'll do. When you kill yourself on that motorcyle my next husband will be just that.. a REAL biker." I went on to describe the criteria.

He will wear leathers. He will ride a Harley-Davidson. He will have a long pony tail. He will be rich as Croesus. He will be four feet tall and weigh about 120 lbs. When I say jump he will say "How high?"

Kenny's eyes got big and he must not have liked the image that conjured up. He said "Oh Lord! You just want him to be like that so you can boss him around and beat him up! You'll take hold of him by that ponytail and be swinging him around like a club! The look of astonishment on his face was priceless. "That's right!" I declared.

Then the utter ridiculousness of the conversation settled over both of us and we just lost it. We laughed hysterically. Shortly after that we were going down the road in the vehicle when we passed a motorcyle with a side car with a biker man and a woman in the sidecar. It was one of those honking big Honda Goldwings. I really don't like them. I always say if you're going to get a motorcyle that size you may as well buy a Miata or a compact sports car.

Over the years as that story has gotten told to grandchildren it has never failed to illicit a fit of laughter. Our grandson Michael is almost as evil as me. He'll see a dude now and then who fits my given description and will point him out to me making us laugh all the more.

Below are several photos of Kenny with the last motorcycle he owned.

I am really mean and have a black hearted sense of humor.

Below is a series of photos I shot from the vehicle at a gas station in Tellico Plains, TN.

I saw a biker dude come out dressed in full leathers. He stood and smoked. Then he proceeded toward his ride which was not a motorcycle, but a scooter!!!! A little Japanese scooter of all the things.

I was really laughing about this.