42 years later, here is the church were my parents got married.
photo by Robert
photo by Esther
The small cemetery behind the church.
Next, we visited the original church cemetery, just across the road. I had not been there in at least 10 years.
photo by Robertphoto by EstherThe small cemetery behind the church.Next, we visited the original church cemetery, just across the road. I had not been there in at least 10 years.The family plot of my paternal great-grandmother.
My daughter perched on the family marker of her great-great grandmother.
The grave marker of my great grandmother, Emma Groves Smith.
Grave marker of my great great grandfather, Robert John Groves. I had NO IDEA his name was Robert!!
The grave marker of my great great grandmother, Mary Eliza Groves.
Esther took to decorating the graves with dandelions.
We stopped by Cherokee Dam, where my parents spent many afternoons picnicking as kids.
Esther and Robert run along the ridge created by the dam.
Esther above the dam.
My daughter perched on the family marker of her great-great grandmother.The grave marker of my great grandmother, Emma Groves Smith.Grave marker of my great great grandfather, Robert John Groves. I had NO IDEA his name was Robert!!The grave marker of my great great grandmother, Mary Eliza Groves.Esther took to decorating the graves with dandelions.We stopped by Cherokee Dam, where my parents spent many afternoons picnicking as kids.Esther and Robert run along the ridge created by the dam.Esther above the dam.CC goes for a walk with Granny and Papaw.
Finally, we drove by my parents' childhood homes.
Finally, we drove by my parents' childhood homes. The barn that my grandfather built on the farm where my dad grew up. They used to dry tobacco there.
Kittens live in the loft. They always have. 
Kittens live in the loft. They always have. The other side of the barn.
Dad's home from the time he was 13 until my grandmother moved out. The original farmhouse burned in 1959.
This old house used to be the country store.
The community mill, now turned into a home.
The grammar school that mom and dad attended- they met there in 5th grade.
Tennesseans in training. :)
Esther makes banana pudding.
Delicious.
Papaw on a nature walk at dusk.
Dad's home from the time he was 13 until my grandmother moved out. The original farmhouse burned in 1959.This old house used to be the country store.
The community mill, now turned into a home.
The grammar school that mom and dad attended- they met there in 5th grade.
Tennesseans in training. :)Esther makes banana pudding.Delicious.
Papaw on a nature walk at dusk. 
TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) supplies power to many states in the southeast. Some of it is generated by a series of dams in East Tennessee. Built in the 1940s, the dams and their surrounding park areas have provided recreation to many generations of Tennesseeans, including my parents.
For dinner we made pizza and had watermelon. Delish.
Close up of the nest- do you see the little baby birds with bulging eyes?
We microwaved the marshmallows instead. Try it some time. The marshmallows puff up until the microwave shuts off. We laughed our heads off. And they were delicious.
