"Life is lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back through the valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale.” Jill Savage

Monday, April 11, 2011

Tuesdays Show and Tail . . .

News Flash - and I apologize - I forgot who sent this to me - but it's true. In Georgia - at the bottom of our license plate - the county we live in is listed (FYI - GA has more counties then any other state!). We have an opportunity to go to the tag office and buy a $1 a sticker saying "In God We Trust" and put it over the county sticker. I went today and it's true - and now I have this sticker on my license plate! So if you live in GA and want one - go to your tag office.

Remember Chee Burger Chee Burger in Chattanooga - I had written about it before. It has the best hamburgers and milk shakes - EVER! More combinations then you have ever seen anywhere. This is where we went to lunch. I had a cherry - pistachio - chocolate shake = spumoni flavor.

http://www.cheeburger.com/home2/index.asp



Be sure and check out Angela's Blog - West Virginia Treasures and join all of us as we talk about animals and pets!

And now starts our tour of Chattanooga (complete with some animals).

This was right next to the Chattanooga Duck ride. Looks like a dump maybe from the outside, but ....

The treats inside were dreamy. This picture doesn't do them justice.


Mom and GS - getting ready for the ride - complete with a duck whistle (yes that might have been a mistake).


The tour guy asked for the tokens to show we paid. GS asked if he could keep his - nicely - and the man said sure. Hey if you don't ask you won't know!

We rode over to the Chattanooga River and this is where we changed from truck to boat - going down this incline - fast!

These are a little bit out of order - but this is Ross's Landing - the first store in the area. Mr. Ross himself ran it. The president of the United States did not like the Indians and ordered them all out of the south. One and fifty Indians went to Washington DC and asked the president to change his mind. No. The Indians came back and asked Mr. Ross to become an honoree Indian Chief and ask the President to reconsider. He did but the answer again was no. So all the Indians were made to walk west. A good half of them died on their way and the walk was the walk of Tears - so these fountains - stand for Tears - as a remembrance.



Okay the houses on top of the hill - the rich old money houses. There were three ways they made their money - trains - tobacco - coke (yes coke). The first bottling plant was there!

And the song the Chattanooga Choo Choo - never existed persay.

Now here is an animal - a heron I think. So here is one animal.


Here is the grandson driving the boat! He did a great job and he was serious.

This is where we came up the hill to turn into a truck!

This is a picture of the Duck.

Grandma trying to hold on to grandson when we were going down the hill - he told us we were going to be splashed big time - not true.

I look kind of grumpy in the picutre below, but I wasn't I was listening to our guide and looking. He told us that in 1969, the federal government declared that Chattanooga's air was the dirtiest in the nation. Their were over 100 factories dumping into the air and the river. The government took Chattanooga on and decided to clean it up. With the clean up - the factories started dying out until there were only 4 left. It was dying. Our guide told us that the Tennessee Aquarium singularly saved the city of Chattanooga. After it was build people came in droves. Restaurants were build. The river was built up and cleaned.

I have to tell you it's a nice little city now.

The heron again.

We just sailing away having a good time.


Duck Fights - another animal story - we saw some ducks out there - our guide told us that in his opinion ducks are the meanest animals he's ever met (I'm not sure that is true, but they are mean). So here's a picture and a video of a duck fight.

http://www.blogger.com/http



Now a little humor:


And what would my blog be without a quote?

If you make it plain you like people, it's hard for them to resist liking you back. - Lois McMaster Bujold

Love, sandie

30 comments:

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Sandie -

Delightful blog! I've become a Follower.

How neat Georgia allows you to have a sticker, "In God We Trust," on your license plate!

Blessings,
Susan :)

Susan said...

Oh, Sandie, that was a great trip. Loved the info. We have those duck tours in Boston,too. Isn't that neat? GS looked so happy. Mmmmm, that shake sounded great, too. Thanks for taking us along! Susan

Angela said...

Oh wow! The duck truck boat was so cool! Some very interesting facts about Tennessee Sandie! Those cupcakes were dreamy! Hope you had one! I wish we could get a sticker to dress up our license plates in West Virginia! That's a great idea to raise money for something but then they would have to spend more money for it somehow! lol

Tuesdays' Show & Tail!
Angela

Ginny Hartzler said...

Those houses on the cliff, they could fall off at any time!! Yikes!! What a great tour!! You really went to Cheeburger?? Their menu has so many choices, everything looks so good!! Is that the same place they did comedy skits about on Saturday Night Live years ago?? Your bird is s blue heron.

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Sandie, I wish they had those stickers in Florida. I would definitely get one, and so would my husband. Love it!

And it looks like you all had such fun. I'm so glad.

XO,

Sheila :-)

betty said...

that is cool about the sticker on the license plate, Sandie; definitely worth the $1.00 charge!!

yum on those cupcakes! I would have had to have a few myself I do believe!!

Looks like a great trip on the duck!! You are right, GS looks like he is taking his responsibility as driver very seriously!!

learned a lot of history from your trip!

betty

Ginny Hartzler said...

I just read your post from yesterday. I had seen the one about the movies, but somehow missed other, glad I caught it. Yes, I did know about Little Debbie, my son makes their Honey Buns!!

Love Of Quilts said...

I want to ride on the duck and I want one of the stickers with In God We Trust on it.. think I could order one. What a nice trip you had. Blessing Trish

Unknown said...

I've been through Chattanooga many times, but I never took the time to stop and see sights like those. It looks like a missed a lot.

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

So bummed our Cheeburger closed before I ate there - I do LOVE a good milkshake!

jp@A Green Ridge said...

Well, Kiddo another exciting read! P.s. I LOVE people and cupcakes!...:)JP

MadSnapper said...

now that was a fun trip. looks like something i would like to drive myself. great story and photos. love that last cartoon. hugs cc

Pat MacKenzie said...

Interesting history about Chattanooga and a sad story about the Indians. Looks like you had a fun day. I'd love to ride on the Chattanooga Ducks.

Changes in the wind said...

What a fun time! Never been on one of these but I would like to. Loved the houses on the hill.

Velvet Over Steel said...

My son and I went on our first Duck ride a few years ago and he got to drive too! We had a great time also!

I love your 'quote of the week'!!!!
Awesome!! Have a Great day, Sandie!!
Hugs,
Coreen xoxo

Rae said...

I really enjoyed the tour. It was a fun trip even through photos.

The Boston Lady said...

Those Duck rides are such fun and you all look like you had a great time. Have a good week Sandie! Ann

Anonymous said...

Now I would be excited to ride the duck/trucks, that is the kinda stuff I love, you seem to have the sweetest GS, he seems like such a sweetheart.
Love to see family fun!
~Jo
LazyonLoblolly

Anonymous said...

Wait a minute, I want about a dozen of those cupcakes please!
~Jo

Tanna said...

Oh, we had such a good time in Chattanooga last summer with the kids!! Glad y'all had a wonderful time! blessings ~ tanna

Anonymous said...

Love the idea about the sticker....wish Missouri had that.

Also, the quote at the end is awesome.

I want to go on the ducks!

Love, Carol

Annesphamily said...

Great photos and a wonderful history tour Miss Sandie! Thanks so much for sharing. Anne

Carol............. said...

Thanks for the cool trip...with all the information...and all I had to do is sit in front of my computer with a cup of tea! Thanks....

ocmist said...

What a nice tour. Interesting, too. Those places looked like castles on the hill! I don't know about ducks being mean, but Geese sure are! I love Mallard ducks, myself. It was neat that you got some nice pictures of that Heron, too. Looks like you all had a great day, and that's what really counts.

I liked your quote by Luis McMaster Bujold, too. The Miles Vorkosigan books are some of my favorites. We listened to a couple of them on tape when we took that trip across country January of 2009. We passed through Georgia, too.

That sounds like a great shake. I LOVE pistachio ice cream!

ladyjane said...

Ok...so I've gotta get a duck whistle for myself AND one of those treats! Spumoni is MY FAVORITE icecream....YUM! It looks to me like you all had a great little trip...and so educational too...the weather looks like it was beautiful! Dear Andy is so handsome in his tie-dyed shirt...I love it!

Felicity Grace Terry said...

Visiting via Just Joan's blog, nice to meet you, I've enjoyed my visit.

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Looks like so much fun! You know I love CheeBurger CheeBurger!! The duck looks like fun also. hugs, Linda

Nikki (Sarah) said...

total fun.....love that georgia gives you the option of that bumper sticker and the granson..pretty cool kid. Oh yeah...the herons....my kind of animal. ☺

Journeyin' Lady... said...

Hi,
Three comments :-)
1)Love the option of adding "In God We Trust" to license plates
2)MLK Jr said it SO well
3)Chattanooga was our last stop in our travels and I didn't know about Cheeburger - oh NO!

Mimi said...

HI!!!
HOW FUN!!!
SO you went away for spring break for a little mini vacation, I guess???How fun, I have always wanted to do one of those duck tours to see if they really could go in the water, guess it is true!!!!
Loved those cupcakes --you know I do!!!
Now is this far from your home town????I would love to go there!!!
I am A COKE --coca cola kind of girl!!!
hugs,
jamie