On the Porch
Onisha Ellis
April 13 Day 4 Shopping Day
Tuesday, April 13th was our last full day in Pigeon Forge. When we first visited Gatlinburg, Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Pigeon Forge was called the quiet side of the Smokies. Now among its many claims to fame is the shopping. The original Red Roof Outlet still exists even though some of the major outlets have moved out and until recently my favorite Corning Ware store was there. The store was a clearance gem and I have many of their bargains in my kitchen cupboards. My husband enjoys perusing the discount tool stores and sometimes he even buys something! My daughter and I checked out the Old Time Pottery store. She is the creative one and finds inspiration browsing their shelves. Afterwards we enjoyed a delicious cup of coffee at the newly opened Black Rifle Coffee Company cafe. The brand is veteran owned and we wanted to support them.
Photo Credit customcarsusaonline.com
Several years ago a new mega outlet center opened in adjoining Sevierville and that is where we headed next. I don’t think we purchased a single item but we enjoyed browsing. Our daughter may have purchased something in the Columbia Sports store. I had planned to include a visit to the Bush’s Baked Beans visitor center in nearby Chestnut Hill, Tennessee but due to Covid, it was closed.
Photo Credit Wikimedia
My plan for our last dinner in Pigeon Forge was to find a locally run restaurant. Unfortunately, we seemed to be smack dab in the middle of chain restaurant heaven. After some brainstorming, I remembered a restaurant aptly named The Diner my daughter and I had seen when we were driving around one day while my husband rested. It advertised itself as “one of a kind and locally owned.” Perfect. It was styled as a 1950’s diner and specialized in milkshakes and other ice cream treats. I ordered a fried green tomato BLT and it was yummy. I may have even eaten a few french fries as well. I held off temptation to indulge in a milkshake. But is was hard.
Photo credit Flickr Carl Wycof
After supper we returned to the time share. I made a pot of coffee to enjoy while we streamed a television program. We called it an early night as we had to be out of the time share by 10 am the next morning. We would be sad to leave.
After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience. Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites, Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix
In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books
My 2021 goal is continue touse my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.
Old Things R New 