Walking the Parkway in Gatlinburg

    Gatlinburg's main street is always just as busy as those windows appear. I have rarely walked this parkway when it wasn't packed with people. Summer can be insane, but October is "fall foliage" season and the crowds were nearly as big. Of course the line to get into Pancake Pantry is always a mile long. They must be good but I would never wait in a line like that to find out.

Obsession With Salem, Massachusetts

   I was not feeling well when we visited Salem, but it did not detract from my feeling of awe when seeing it for the first time. The sadness of the Trials memorial. The awesomeness of The Burying Point Cemetery, this rich history, the sense of familiarity from having seen the area on so many television shows. There were times I would just stand and look around, trying to take it all in, hardly believing I was really there. I know that I really, really want to return.