Woody & My IBF

Being all hooked up with a water pump delivery in two days, Donnie giving me a ride into (I can't remember the name of the town but it is 12 miles away) to get my rental car, and Floyd to install said water pumps, I can at last have an early dinner. I didn't realize exactly how early that would be as we are in central time zone and I am on eastern time. I decided to walk over to The Smoke House on the Sewanee side of I-whatever. My chirpy innkeeperess said to have fun! Would have been nice to have a ride. She is now punishing me with kindness. I'm just waiting for her to add an "bless your heart" which everyone in the South knows is the equivalent of a Wayne's World Not. Like, to an ugly baby's mother: What a sweet baby, bless her heart.

So off I go. I wanted to go to the Smokehouse because it always smells like barbecue and actually serves some, too. It is attached to "the lodge," a Best Western. I stayed there once. Even my son called it a miss. Had dirty light blue carpet and a heater that sounded like a 747. The sign has half the letters out and the "Jim" of Jim something or other is faintly sizzling. I was looking forward to buying a new pair of slippers there because I had bought them there in the past and also I had to replace the ones I lost in Gettysburg that they are sending to my house, a lot of good that does me.

After another day as Nanook, I was happy to see the welcoming door. It's a good thing shirts and shoes are required today, as I am not up on my frostbite first aid. I had the buffet. No barbecue. It did have smoked ham (hello? smoke house?) and fried chicken. Also broad beans with lots of pork, collards, and a neat baked shredded carrot thing. They bring you a corn muffin with biscuits and 5 kinds of jam in little plastic cups with lids. When I was done spreading the jam on a biscuit, I put the knife in my mouth to lick it off before using it on my real meal. I hope no one was looking. They sell a lot of barbecue sauce, so it was a surprise to see the pepper can with this on it:

Looks like something from George Cinq or Villa d'Este, except they would never put it on the table. Must have come from Costco. Left a big tip.

The Smoke House is the original Cracker Barrel. They have so much shit they don't know what to do with it, so they put it on the walls and ceiling. They sell longnecks (pop) in olde time flavors like orange cream. Also fudge, in hearts since it's Valentine's Day this weekend. The most interesting thing they have is a tote bag that says:
Could I make this up?


Now it's snowing. Again. I set off in my getting-quite-used-and-torn-up long down coat, definitely with the hood up. I walked a mile in the snow back to the "Inn." I'm glad I did because I saw some groovy stuff. First, The Smoke House is on Facebook. And YouTube. I have to check that out. In the parking lot of the Best Western is this truck:

I'm not sure who is a Brown, but they are just friends. I've never seen a Just Friends celebration before. I forgot to check if it had tin cans tied to the back. Maybe they are waiting for the Smoke House Wedding Chapel to open. I think this is it. Note the Co' Cola machine on the porch. If my Coca Cola Memorabilia Museum visit serves me right, that is an early 1960's model.


Not quite at the I-whatever is the Monteagle Diner. They have a buffet. I'm not sure how that's economical for them or even how they fit it in there. It is the size of an old gas station (probably was) and I think the kitchen can barely fit in it, nevermind the tables and buffet. I'll have to check it out tomorrow as I will have lots of time to kill. However, I may go to the iron cookware outlet. I can get a 10 1/2 inch iron skillet for $3.99 with a coupon I have.