Imagine living to be 99-years-old and living your entire life in the same place, never going beyond what you know.  This is the story of Alfred – Alfred Jackson – an enslaved man who spent the better part of his life in servitude to President Andrew Jackson.

“Man, that record came out and was real big in Memphis.

They started playing it, and it got real big.

Don’t know why-the lyrics had no meaning.”

Elvis Presley

One of the best things about traveling is making memories. Long after you’ve moved on from wherever you found yourself, you have your memories. And every now and then something will trigger said memory.  It happened to us on a recent Sunday evening while we were watching that legend of a weekly news show – 60 minutes.  Up pops Dr. Sanjay Gupta with the story behind Cajun Ketchup, also known as Tabasco.  Big deal, you’re thinking, right?  But hey, we’ve been there!

We’ve been home 7 days and I’m finally coming out of my road trip fog and accepting the fact that we are actually home and life goes on.  I always have some delicious little what’s next travel plan in my head.  I can’t help it, I’m always ready to go again.  In the meantime though it’s time to get it in gear and get this Inn of ours ready for guests and the upcoming 2014 season.

I wasn’t sure what to title this post:  Southern Hospitality is Alive and Well?  The 25-cent Martini? The 3-Martini Lunch?  Happy Birthday to Me?!  So fueled by a 3-Martini lunch, I thought I’d just start writing and see where it takes me.

It would seem, when the great minds of engineering laid out the path of Interstate 10, they said, “Hey, let’s keep it simple; just mow down the forest and slap on the asphalt.”

When you travel in the winter it’s pretty much a given you’re going to deal with cold weather.  We know this.  We traveled to Paris in January of 2013 and had a great time, despite the cold. Cold, yes, but Polar Vortex cold?!  That’s just pushing it.

I can tell you I am not a boot-stomping yee-ha kind of fan of Willie Nelson, but I am in fact a fan of his well-known hit, On the Road Again.  I mean, seriously, is there any other song out there better suited for a road trip?!  I think not.  But if you’ve got some suggestions, I’m listening.

Yesterday, we watched the odometer turn over 3,000 miles and crossed another time zone somewhere in Tennessee between Nashville and Knoxville, and for the most part I’m already having trouble remembering what day it is and where we’ve been.