Maple Hill RV Park Camping Trip-- Historic Jamestown & Shopping in Crossville

Daylily growing in the gardens of Mr. Frank Lacey

Maple Hill RV Park Camping Trip-- Day3

Historic Jamestown & Shopping in Crossville 

Kenny & Dana Koogler 

Monday June 24, 2019

Maple Hill RV Park & Campground

  Kenny had taken off on a Monday which is unusual.   We didn't have solid plans  since his building supplies were supposed to be delivered this day.   He got notice late Sunday evening that the supplies would not be delivered until Tuesday.    We woke Monday morning trying to figure what we wanted to do?  It is very unusual for me to not have lots of ideas to pick from.   Today I was low on inspiration.    We had breakfast and got out to take a look at Poplar Cove.  I thought we might find some interesting abandoned homes, a waterfall or something of historic interest.  I had learned that Tinker Dave Beatty was born and raised there.   We drove that way and it turned out to be a bust.

    I did stop and ask at this one house in town if the man minded for me to take photos of his daylily gardens?  His name is Mr. Frank Lacey.  He said that would be fine.   I took time to stroll round his gardens and get pictures of all his beautiful flowers. He grows mainly daylilies, but a few others as well.    I had considered going down to King Daylily Farm, but that was 10 miles out.  I really did not feel like driving that far out only  to find it was not a good place for photos.  The Rock Island daylily nursery was a total disappointment.   I was of the mind this would turn out similar.   I can find little information about King Daylilies.    

Frank Lacey's Daylily Gardens 

   Below are the highlights of the pictures.   I had driven past this man's home for several Summers. I was glad I finally got the nerve to ask him to do this.  I was extra glad he said yes!

 above: Kwanso double daylily.. an heirloom variety

  

    Once I got done strolling round these daylilies we headed to the Farmers Co-op which we like.

They have lots of pretty things in there, but the prices are astronomical. It is especially foolish when you consider this business is in one of Tennessee's poorest counties.  The items in there will sit and gather dust far as I am concerned.     We were disappointed.

     Finally we decided to go back to the campground, pack up and head toward home.  

We tried to get Tim to accept payment for the third and final night's stay, but he refused it.

This guy is all aces!  I highly recommend you try staying with them at their campground or in one of their rental cabins.  We have rented the cabin during the cold months when we have the camper Winterized. It doesn't make sense to take it out of that condition for two nights only to have to redo it.

         Historic Jamestown

  We neared town  and it occured to me to stop and get some photos of the old train depot.

I had long wanted to photograph the depot and its surrounding shanties.   My family comes from near the train tracks in Virginia.  I have lived within sight or earshot of a freight train most of my life.   We were great cross tie walkers as kids.  Several of my great grandparents lived in asphalt siding houses as did my great uncle James and my Aunt Virginia.   

I have a heart for these places since that is what my people come from.   I figured if I messed around too long the old buildings would be gone. 

    Above: Train Depot in Jamestown still stands. 

 Above and below: Five remaining shanties in various stages of decay.  This first one is about the best.  I loved that it still had lilies blooming by the porch. 

 To see these.. they are along main street in Jamestown.  The depot and two of the shanties are easily visible from the road.   The address is  100-110 Depot Ln, Jamestown, TN 38556

 Above: Back side of the depot building

 Furniture and weeds and who knows what else in these houses.

 Above: What is left of an outhouse

 I liked the window detail here with the Virginia creeper vine growing on the house walls.

 Above: The last house was the scariest and in the worst shape.  The road continued, but I did not see anymore houses.  Looking on google maps it appears "Depot Lane" went behind the old depot, curved up and onto the bank and went out the back to intersect Livingston Avenue in the past.    

      I got uneasy walking among those snakey weedy houses so I headed back to the truck.

Kenny was not really ready to go home yet.   I suggested we stop in Crossville to get some lunch and to shop at the Crossville Outlet Center. He liked that idea so away we went.

   

Crossville Outlet Center Shopping 

(Click the header above as a link to info on this place)

   My mom had been telling me for some time that she and I needed to visit the Crossville Outlet Center.  She delivers supplies to a business near there.  I had not even heard of it until she mentioned it.    She said I'd really like it.   We finally did visit there and spend a day together about a month ago.

She was right! I did like it a lot. We had a good time.    Today would be my second visit and Kenny's first.   We went in the Subway and had a quick bite for lunch. It is the cleanest, neatest Subway with the all around best service.   I liked their low calorie beverage selection.  If you get a chance try the Agua Fresca flavors.  Yum!   Once lunch was done we started making our rounds. 

    We visited the Tool store, kitchen store, Gift store, and Vanity Fair.    We loved Vanity Fair.
It sounds like it would be an all under garment or lingerie business.  It is not.   We came out of there with a couple outfits a piece.  Womens Lee jean shorts for $13. Tops for $11.   Men's Ralph Lauren Polo shirts for $9.   Men's Lee jeans for $17.   I got a designer pair of flipflops for $7.  They have a fantastic selection of quality, brand name garments for the whole family!  I want to remember to come here to do my shopping for clothing and gifts whenever possible.   We also purchased the Ice Genie (As Seen on TV) and a new set of pots and pans at the Kitchen store.  Loved the graniteware pots and pans.  Ice Genie was a disappointment.  It is not a good value.  The ice cubes it makes are tiny and it is more trouble than it is worth.  It does save space and we will use it in the camper, but it does not really perform as advertised.   I am a sucker for As Seen on TV stuff.  I want it all!

      Places we did not get to try, but want to return to visit in the mall.    

The Railroad and Train museum was not open. It is closed on Mondays.   We want to take the grandkids back to see this plus the adults want to see the trains. It is a huge room full of model railroads.   We want to take them back to the Fun Zone to play on the indoor bouncy castles and such.

We also want to try the rolled icecream place. We were too full from lunch to have room for it.

   It was a nice ending to our weekend.    Maple Hill is close to many activities we enjoy.

Glad we found it and can make it our home base. It is our little get away spot. 

Oakes Daylily Festival 2018

Oakes Daylily Festival 

Kenny & Dana Koogler 

Friday June 22, 2018

Oakes Daylily Festival Pix

   I am real bad to learn of an event, think its neat and want to go, only to have it take an

inordinate amount of time to follow through.  I am sure there will be destinations on my wish list

of hikes or field trips I will never take.   I long ago learned of a particularly pretty daylily festival in 

Corryton, Tennessee. I had wanted to go and since my longer trips have been curtailed this was my 

impetus to go.   One thing about unexpected changes of plans is that they can help force us out of ruts

in the routine if we let them!   Today was a blessing for sure.  Kenny was soon to return to work. He

agreed to go with me for a stroll around the display gardens at Oakes Lily Farm.  

Corryton is up Rutledge Pike north of Knoxville.   They have this event every June, but it only lasts a couple days.  

    We drove up to Corryton and got to the festival about 11:30 a.m.  Kenny asked what
we were going to do about lunch. I told him they had at least one food truck at the event. It
looked good. I had already eaten something light before we left so I could get started looking
around soon as we arrived.   I wanted to see everything and take lots of photos.  He stopped off
by the food truck and let me do my thing.  We'd meet up in a few minutes.

The food truck at the event was The Chicken Coop --Southern With Sass!  Kenny said it was very good.   

   It is worth mentioning that while this event was well attended that parking was not a problem.
It is a free event.  The provided food, light refreshments, shade, a play area for the kids, door prizes,
plant sale, wine tasting, and at some point during the event .. live entertainment.

  

Red barn when you first pull up to the display gardens at Oakes.



Giant rocking chair-- a bit of whimsy



More red barn and old truck. I'm an old truck kinda gal. I can still smell the horse hair stuffing
in my grandaddy's old pick up. I have fond memories of driving Old Gold.. our farm pickup
with the missing gas pedal. You had to use a board to lay over the throttle! 

I walked past several arbors on my stroll round the gardens.   Here is a shady view out from one of them. 

Above you can see an overview of what the grounds look like across the pond.  It is a very cheerful scene. 

One of the visitors to the festival was a beautiful golden winged dragonfly.  It really fit the Fairy Tale atmosphere of this place. I looked up what sort this is and it has a neat name.. "Halloween Pennant".   The binomial is Celithemis eponina.  

This is one very pretty view with tons of color in the scene. 


A pretty view of the gazebo. They were having some sort of nature walk and game in the gazebo for older kids. 

Above is an artsy combination of the fountain, the pond and the lilies. 

   I always walk round and take a photo of my favorite lilies. I get views of the flower and then follow it up with a photo of the name tag.  Some varieties today were marked Not for Sale. I am guessing they are still cultivating them and allowing them to mature before starting to divide them.     I always like the ones that have names of people. I can't help wondering where the name originated? 

Above is a view of the willow tree with wave upon wave of color in front of it. 


Here is one that is so pretty with a fitting name, "Up Mill Creek". Funny since it coincides with my having a renewed fascination with mills. 
This particularly bold colored lily is named Sparks Steve Taunton.


This cultivar has the odd name "Santa's Pants"  


Lily named Amber Rhum

Above is the little white bridge on the grounds.. it is very quaint.


Visitors stroll among the lily beds. 


Dark purple/black lilies.. Night Wings is the name.  

A view across the beds of the Oakes house and grounds.  

  It was getting rather hot as the afternoon went on, but it was a beautiful, bluebird day.

I was really pleased to finally have gotten to see this gorgeous place. It was all I hoped it would be.  I'd definitely go back.   Kenny even liked it.   We had some day left. We tried to stop in Blaine to see the Richland Creek mill.  I found another off limits place where all I could get was a small glimpse of the mill stream and works from the bridge.    We headed back toward Knoxville.  I had seen on Google Maps a country store that looked interesting.  We stopped by there. I realized that until today I had NEVER been in Fountain City portion of Knoxville. 

Below is a photo of the front of Pratt's Country Store. They sell an amazing variety of garden plants, bird houses, honey, local jams and jellies, baked goods and fresh local produce!  We bought some Knox County locally grown tomatoes and browsed around then headed home. 

All in all.. it was a good day.  I am glad we are finally getting round to seeing some of these nice places in our own area.  I'll be back to Pratt's store for certain. It is wonderful!  

Other Garden Related Dream Destinations

Below is a list of some other garden related destinations. I hope
I can get to see some of these before so long.  It would be a real shame not to.


Lewis Ginter Gardens --Richmond, Va.
Atlanta Botanical Gardens
Cheekwood in Nashville

The Lily Barn 2017 Season

Close up of a pair of Water Goblin lilies 

The Lily Barn 2017 Season 

Dana Koogler

Friday June 30, 2017

Pictures are here starting with frame 179 

Lily Barn Pix

   I left the house on an overcast morning with my first goal being to GPS and photograph the 

heirloom gladiolas in Cades Cove. I was prepared to spend all day if necessary, but I did not believe

it was going to take that long.   I figured half day.  My plan was then to continue on to The Lily Barn

as I do nearly every Summer.   I could combine the two trips and make a full day of it.   

I stopped by Dollar General and bought rain gear and dry clothes.  I wiped off some of the mud. I put

on dry clothes and rain poncho. I toted my umbrella and waded out in the rain strolling around 

through the lilies.  The place was very pretty as usual.  

     The little stream flowing along the edge of the property near the road was full of minnows.

I saw dragonflies and damsel flies zipping around lighting on flowers and grass.  The lilies were not as plentiful as they have been other years.  I was very glad I took some of the photos I did in the past, because now it is no longer possible to shoot those scenes.   I love how they have old signs with lichen growing on them. They are hard to read though.  Some don't have names by them.   I also like how this place has several types of lilies that have old names. Joann Barbre.    They also have quite a few heirloom species of flowers.   

   Stream at The Lily Barn on the grounds.  

   

  I started with the lily fields first and then worked my way toward the rest of the grounds and the barn.  I looked at every single type and photographed nearly all of them.  It is a riot of color and a feast for the eyes.   I was dry in my rain gear and was protecting my camera with the umbrella.  

 

Ribbons of colorful lilies overspread the fields

Loved the lilies with rain drops.  

Lots of traditonal Hemerocallis fulva  their old name is Ditch lilies since they are frequently seen growing in roadside ditches.  They spread and naturalize.

 Corryton Pink is one of my favorites. Corryton is a town in north Knox County.   It is a town where the also famous Oakes Daylily Farm is located.   The difference is that you are only permitted to 

visit the Oakes Lily farm four weekends per year. They will allow garden club groups to schedule tours and appointments.  They are bigger outfit for sure. I'd like to go there next year. The Lily Barn doesn't mind you coming and visiting and walking any time as long as their is not an event going on.

I seldom see more than one other person here when I visit.  Great for tranquility and solitude.

     

          Above are pictured Blackberry Lilies.  They are a type of iris. They grow from bulbs. 

They are an old cultivar.  I consider these an heirloom species.  They also bloom at home sites in Cades Cove.   

 The Lily Barn has other things going for it besides beautiful cultivated types of flowers.

It is located in the Great Smoky Mountains and though it lies outside the boundaries of the National Park.. it has some of the same stuff there.  I was surprised to find Mountain camellias blooming by the stream in one spot.  It made the second new location for them this year.  

Stewartia ovata.. mountain camellia.   It requires rich,moist, loamy soil and shade to flourish.

It was growing by the stream.  The creek today was flowing beautifully making its music thanks to 

all the recent rain.  I saw several spots along it today that I felt compelled to just stand and gaze. I took lots of photos of various spots along it today.

Another lovely spot along the creek today.  Near where I found the camellias.  I loved all the vibrant greens and the shimmer of the water.   Sycamore trees hang their limbs down over this spot. I thought to myself that all I needed to make my life complete was a pair of patent leather church shoes to wade the creek in as I did when I was a little girl and my life would be complete.  :-D

   One of the neat things I saw today was a lady who was walking her dogs. She was training a pair of border collies on their commands.  They greeted me and I got to watch a little bit.  Beautiful dogs and very smart and friendly.   She was a nice person and interesting.  One of the things that came up in our conversation about the flowers and plants was the topic of Cades Cove. She had heard that the park service is cutting down some type of plant or wildflower species that the monarch butterflies need as a food source and egg laying source.  I told her I didn't know anything about that.  I do know that they have stopped grazing cattle, replanted native grasses, doing controlled burns, and stopped mowing as much. They have decided to permit native cane species thrive also.  I kinda got the feeling she either got some bad information or didn't know what she was talking about.  Everything that I've seen and read points in the exact opposite direction.

     

One of my favorite scenes from my walk here today.  The barn itself and the path leading up to it.
So many beautiful colors.  Rusty roof is one of my favorite colors. No kidding!

Here is another vignette I loved. The lichen crusted park bench in  quiet spot with the lone blackberry lily reaching toward it.  It is charming.

    

The lilies pictured above are called Spanish Harlem .  I love the name.


This is another heirloom variety of flower.  Italian Lords and Ladies. Arum italicum. It grows in many colors. White. Purple. Bright Yellow. Pale green.  They are pretty the entire time they are up for the year. The foliage is beautiful and interesting. The bloom is beautiful and long lasting. The berry pod is also bright red and attractive. It is easy to see why these have been around so long.



Here is another example of an heirloom flower. Lucifer Crocosmia is another old cultivar grown from bulbs. They originated in Africa like many types of gladiolas.  You see them here contrasting their bold red blooms against Blue Clips.  The blue clips bloom in Virginia in the mountains naturally.

Above is pictured Siloam Springs lily. It was first introduced in 1963 by Pauline Henry. She was an award winning gardener and originator of the Siloam lily.  They usually have a ruffled edge.

One last shot of a beautiful blending of colors and textures from along the paths.

  I highly recommend a stroll through the grounds of The Lily Barn.  They sell lilies on their website or you can buy them there.  They also sell perennials and native wildflowers.