There is a young woman in our church, a woman
whom we all dearly love. She found our church a few years ago and has been a
faithful and loving member of our community ever since. She plays piano on
Sunday mornings and is a deacon. Her name is Erin.
Now it came to pass that Erin met a man named
Ron, and the two of them fell in love and decided to get married, just like in
the storybooks. Because of Ron's job, this means Erin will be leaving us and
moving to California, which is a sad thing but also a nice thing, since we like
thinking of Erin being happy even if it means she has to go to California.
I'm officiating at the ceremony, which is a
great joy for me and an excuse to get out of town. The wedding is to be simple, outdoors, and in
the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Jeanene and I will fly to Nashville tomorrow
and rent a car to drive into the mountains. The wedding is Sunday morning. We're
looking forward to the trip and considering it a mini-vacation. The three
sisters are staying with my parents for the weekend.
It appears that I will also get a chance to meet
Will Campbell, who lives outside of Nashville,
is quite a famous writer, and is the only person who
endorsed my book with a blurb on the back cover. Will Campbell's endorsement was the most
affirming thing to happen to me in connection with the RLP book. This is pretty big stuff for me;
I hope I don't turn into a complete idiot when I talk to him.
Jeanene and I have not been to the Smoky
Mountains. I hear it is beautiful there. We intend to drive slowly, take lots of
pictures, and find a famous BBQ place that will introduce us to the style of BBQ
that is so popular east of the Mississippi. In case you don’t know this, Texans
think they have the best BBQ in the world. Those east of the Mississippi say
otherwise. I’m a peaceful man and generally appreciate all kinds of food. It is
unlikely that I’ll be tempted to make comparisons. When in Tennessee I will eat
their BBQ and love it, I’m sure.
Speaking of BBQ, we will be driving out of
Nashville on I-40 going east to the other side of Knoxville, then taking 66
south to Sevierville. Does anyone know of a great and famous BBQ place
on that route? Remember, I want the good stuff, the stuff you Eastern folks is
always a-braggin on.
Now, as for the blog, there are two
possibilities. One is that I will have Internet access where we are staying and
will blog my way through the trip, posting pictures of Jeanene and I, Will
Campbell (If he’ll let me), mountains, small towns, and sundry plates of BBQ or
other interesting regional foods.
Or I won’t have Internet access, in which case you
won’t hear from me until Monday when I will post a journal complete with
pictures and everything as mentioned above.
See ya soon!
rlp
