Monday, August 4, 2014

Missing Flannery: A Road Trip

 
A lovely friend from Church offered to stay with our pets, so we all took a road trip to Memphis to visit my brother. We didn't have a whole lot of time for sightseeing but we know the places we'll stop in the future. So the biggest job was deciding where to eat ... and boy did we eat. We were piggies!  


 




 

 Alabama has got to be the most beautiful state ... so green and lush! We got a chance to attend Mass at EWTN. What a beautiful little chapel. I should've taken a picture when we first arrived and it was very brightly lit. But still you can see some of the beauty as the pilgrims pray the rosary. The outdoor shrine was also lovely. I bawled throughout Mass... it was the Feast of St. Martha and you can see why here.




 
In Memphis, finally, with my brother. We shared a lot of laughs and memories and it was good to see him polish off a Big Leonard!
 
 

 
We headed off to Nashville and even though we had all good intentions to get up early to attend Mass with the Dominican nuns of St. Cecilia, there were no heroic moments. We stayed up too late visiting with good friends of Michael's parents. So lovely to be taken care of so completely and to meet various members of the family. Their two little great-grandkids kept Max and Dagny fully occupied.


 
And then it was time to head on home. Max got quite a bit of high-speed driving experience which he loved. But I still prefer being able to hold hands with my sweetie. Half the fun of taking a road trip is the journey itself and seeing this beautiful country.

 
 
I could have titled this post: the places I didn't get to visit this summer. Andalusia, the farm where Flannery O'Connor wrote her stories and raised her peacocks, was a bit too out of the way and Michael knew if we stopped there, I wouldn't be satisfied just to look at her typewriter ... so we'll make a special trip just for that. Today is the 50th anniversary of her death so I offered a few prayers for her soul and asked for her prayers as well. Here is a beautiful article about her ... but better yet, read her stories, essays and letters. And if you are a writer, you must check out Mystery and Manners.

We also didn't go hiking or rafting in the Smokies. By the time we got there, we were exhausted and just wanted to get home. And it is always good to be home to our incredibly loving pets.

 
 

7 comments:

Bish Denham said...

Your children are growing up to be so beautiful and handsome! It looks like you had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends and didn't miss out too much on the other stuff.

I'm going to have to look into that book... MORE to read -- sigh. :)

Faith E. Hough said...

Oh, Vijaya...I am so HUNGRY now. :) I'm glad you had such abundant blessings (and good meals :) on your trip!

Leandra Wallace said...

Your pets look like they're wondering 'are they ever coming home?' Lol! And that BBQ place looked scrumptious!

Mirka Breen said...

Love your trip- food, folks, family and fun.

Anonymous said...

Been almost there, too, Vijaya. Back when I went with my parents to Fort Benning for my brother's graduation from Ranger school, I took the family car one night and drove out in the country to see some of the countryside (my parents weren't really into that sort of thing) and passed a road sign for Milledgevile. I wanted to go there in the worst way, but it was 50 miles away, it was already twilight...maybe someday.

Vijaya said...

Bish, family and friends do make up for a lot, don't they? But Flannery is a friend too ... you'll see when you read her book.

Faith, I am overstuffed. We're eating simple salads at home now.

Leandra, this is the first place I've been that rivals my husband's cooking.

Mirka, I'm glad to share.

Anne, not you too! I hope you make it down here sometime.

Stephanie Faris said...

I live in Nashville and I always tell people, "If you're visiting Tennessee, focus on the east side of the state, not the west!" Memphis is okay, but I've never been overly impressed by it...not as I am with the beauty of the Smoky Mountains.