Wednesday morning Joel and I decided to drive out to Cades Cove .We drove around to the parking lot for the Elijah Oliver place which lies
a half mile beyond this gate. So across the field and through the woods we went
until we reached Elijah’s house. We decided to keep going, so we walked
another half mile through the woods to the Abram’s Falls trail head.
We walked up that trail about a mile and a half to Joel’s favorite spot.
After having a snack,
we headed back, doing the whole thing in reverse.
We walked through the woods to the Oliver place,
then to the field where our car was waiting on the other side. I just love Cades Cove.
The Chicken Chronicles 
JoNell, Glenda, Buck and I went to this cabin a few months ago. Loved the ingenuity of the spring house, and the little foot bridge over the branch. I’ve wondered if the people who actually lived there back in the day recognized their lives as peaceful and contemplative or as an unending daily struggle for survival. How they managed to accomplish what they did with the limited tools they had is a source of constant wonder for me. So happy for you and Joel to be able to experience the gift of Cades Cove so often and so intimately.