Move Over Scarlett O’Hara

Gone with the Wind has always captivated me, especially the grand gowns and lavish bonnets. Admittedly, my waistline is a far cry from Scarlett’s 18 inches, especially after this trip! Still, I’d like to think I could hold my own as a southern belle.

Here are just a few reasons I love the South:

• Driving by beautiful fields of cotton. Confession: I pilfered the image above from the internet. Hard to take a picture of a cotton field while driving in a pickup at 70 miles per hour in the rain. Alas.
• Biscuits at Cracker Barrel. I relished eeevverrrryyy bite this morning!
• Hearing “Yes ma’am” with each interaction with local folks.
• Realizing that when the restaurant host said, “Follow me, young ‘un” he was speaking to me. I don’t think I’ve ever been called a young ‘un.
• Smiles and opened doors. Southerners are so friendly.
• When I called to ask if we could stay overnight at the Samuel T. Bryant Distillery (another Harvest Host), Sam responded, “Y’all come along now. We’ve got plenty of room.” Southern hospitality is heartwarming.
• Free samples of moonshine. Skip enjoyed tasting several flavors as well as some scotch. A bottle might have found its way into our rig for some sipping back in Minnesota.
• For my part, I tasted Cinnamon Toast Cream. Think of Bailey’s Irish Cream mixed with Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Yum! Only a Southerner would invent something so decadently delicious, in my humble opinion.

Yesterday, we traveled through Virginia to northern Tennessee. Tonight we are midway through the “Volunteer” state. Tomorrow we’ll travel to the western edge of Arkansas before landing in Texas on Saturday. I’ve never been to Arkansas. That will be another pin in our map!