Photoessay, my trip to Greeneville, TN and Lexington, VA

Hey y'all

I just got back from my weekend in Tennessee.  I wanted to see the progress on our house in Tennessee.  It took a direct hit when the tornadoes that hit Alabama when on up through Tennessee and Virginia on the night of April 27-28, 2011.  Three months later, my dad working almost non-stop, with the help of literally dozens of Church volunteers, day camp kids, and neighbors, the property has taken on the look that it had the day before the tornado hit. Of course, a lot fewer trees.

We had a great weekend together.  Great food, great time with family, ice cold creek water on a hot summer day.  I had a nice day at the range (see below :-)).  

View of the house from the road above. What looks like a green shrub just to the back of the car in the foreground is actually the 3 month growth of the re-rooted sycamore stump, that missed killing my dad by a couple of feet.  His truck was the wedge that prevented the full weight of the tree from crushing the house and him with it (he stood against the wall inside, in line with the falling tree).  Thank the Lord for his protection. New roof, new joists, new view (used to be that you couldn't see the house from the road, or the view of the mountains from the house).  The mountains are part of the Cherokee National Forest.
Literally 3-400 meters up the road a house was completely destroyed, and is being rebuilt by volunteers from the ground up. All materials donated. Our next door neighbors (directly descended from Robert E. Lee, from what I'm told) donated all the windows. My dad donated insulation.    The family had no insurance, and no reserve to re-build.  One of the tents outside the house proudly displayed the battle flag.  I wanted to take a picture for the blog and to share with Mr. Tuggle at Rebellion Blog (Flags of the Rebellion), but I didn't want to seem intrusive in their time of stress.  

Icy cold spring fed creek skirts the property.

Remington 798 (700 stock made with a Mauser bolt made in Serbia) in .243 @ 100 yards, from the bench with a Caldwell sandbag, and a Leupold VX-II 3-9 x 40 scope. Humid, 95 degrees, no wind. 1.06 inches.

That's for you, Dutchy--my best group! ;-)


Rifle recently glass bedded, trigger job (factory trigger re-set at 2.5 lbs pull weight) done by gunsmith Bill VanFossan, Dandridge, TN. I was very happy with Mr. VanFossan's work--highly recommended.

On the way back today, I stopped in Lexington, VA, to pay homage and say a prayer at the burial site of  Lt. General "Stonewall" Jackson. 


As promised, Brock, I kept you in mind while I stood beside the General's resting place.


 There are 144 Confederate veterans also buried in the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery.  It was a misty morning this morning in Lexington, adding an aura to the visit.

Oh, if you'd only lived a little while longer...

Lemons left in front of the tombstone by visitors familiar with the General's well-known habit. 

Mist covered web nearby, about 2 feet across

Deo Vindice

Crosses and flags mark the graves of the veterans of the CSA.

The quaint center of Lexington:

The round sign: "Virginia, Born and Bred"

Many quaint colonial and antebellum buildings are well preserved in downtown Lexington, VA

The rear and garden of Gen. Jackson's house when he lived in Lexington during the time he taught at the Virginia Military Institute.

Here is the music I listened to when I was leaving Lexington, heading North on Interstate 81, "Jackson in the Valley", played on original period instruments by the 2nd South Carolina String Band: