Graduation Journey... Day June 7-8

Irv has always said he had no desire to go abroad until he had seen all of America. On our journey I often sing and try to remember all the words of Woody Guthrie's song... THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND. The Internet is wonderful... you can find anything, even song lyrics which express our sentiments exactly... "This land is your land, this land is my land, From California, to the New York Island; From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters, This land was made for you and me. As I was walking(driving) this ribbon of highway, I saw above me an endless skyway, I saw below me a golden valley. I've roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps, To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts, And all around me a voice was sounding, This land was made for you and me. The sun comes shining as I was strolling the wheat (corn) fields waving and the dust clouds rolling, The fog was lifting a voice come chanting, This land was made for you and me"

We leave Bristol very early Monday morning. It's a beautiful day and Tennessee roads are excellent so Irv is rolling. Just north of Knoxville, TN we cross the Tennessee River. Irv says, "I didn't know there was a TN River" and I replied yes, and there's a song for everything. Of course, a few lyrics stuck in my head so I googled it. The song was recorded by one of my favorite groups, Alabama... "I was born across the river in the mountains where I call home. Lord, times were good there. Don't know why I ever roamed. Me and my woman's done made our plans on the Tennessee River, walkin' hand in hand gonna raise a family, Lord, settle down where peace and love can still be found. Oh, Tennessee River and a mountain man, We get together anytime we can. Oh, Tennessee River and a mountain man, We play together in Mother Nature's band".

By the time Irv wants to stop for lunch we are in Knoxville and the rest stop is 33 miles south so he had a record drive of 3 hours without stopping. The weather was really cool and the sun was shining on the mountains as we had our picnic. Met some great folks from AL who were RV'n together... just coming from Gatlinburg, TN. One couple was headed out to Colorado and the other back to Mobile. We wished each other God's travel mercies and said our goodbyes.

After lunch, as we were deciding which Walmart to stay for the night... every time I would locate one, Irv would say, "I can go farther" so we ended up going all the way to Victoria Campground in Woodstock GA just north of Atlanta from Bristol, VA in one day.

This is going to be a one day visit. Michael takes us to lunch then back to his house to go through the clothes he's giving Irv. Cool keys shirts from Michael's vacations... too big for him now... fits Irv great!!!

Next we head over to Julie and Emily's for a great dinner and... Julie's help to order RX glasses on line for CHEAP!!! Go to www.clarkhoward.com. He's a local Atlanta TV personality who doesn't believe in paying big bucks for anything. He checks out all the deals so we can be sure to get what we pay for, whether it's glasses or whatever. I got a clear distance pair for $12.95, crazy Harry Potter Sunglasses for $19.95 and Irv got bifocals for $45. Glasses start at $8... RX and frames. Shipping is $4.95 no matter how many you buy. What a deal.

It is so hard to leave our children knowing chances are we won't see them for a year. The only relief from my heart breaking is being able to look forward to seeing the next child. So now we head back to Sharon, Arno and Lucas but... there are still sights to see on the way.