Eating at the 360 Grille, a Rotating Tower Restaurant Overlooking the Tennessee River

June 30, 2026 On June 17, we wanted to provide Jeanne, from ajeanneinthekitchen.com, and her husband, Larry, another Shoals food experience. Collectively, the four cities on the Tennessee River that come together are known as the Shoals (Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, Tuscumbia, and Florence). We picked the 360 Grille, the only rotating tower restaurant in Alabama. […]

A Fun Morning with Friends

June 30, 2026 On June 17, Jeanne from ajeanneinthekitchen.com and her husband, Larry, started their morning by coming over for a Southern breakfast at Blackberry Homestead. I made flaky butter and buttermilk biscuits, Conecuh sausage, and bacon. I served jams (locally made), peaches from the farm stand, and homegrown blueberries. I meant to have bowls […]

Taking our Friends to Mitchell’s Smoked Meats

On June 16, after our visit to FAME Recording Studios, we were all (Larry, Jeanne, Bruce, and I) very hungry. We hadn’t had a meal since breakfast and it was around 5:00 PM when we finished our tour of FAME Recording Studios. The week before Jeanne and Larry arrived, Bruce and I spent some time […]

Sweet Home Alabama, Where the Swampers Picked a Tune or Two

June 27, 2026 On June 16, my friend Jeanne, from the blog “A Jeanne in the Kitchen,” her husband Larry, my husband Bruce, and I discussed what we wanted to do when we arrived in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Jeanne was especially interested in visiting the FAME Recording Studios. Although FAME is listed on the National […]

Visiting Andrew Jackson’s Home Outside of Nashville

June 26, 2026 When planning their trip, Jeanne said that since she picked the Johnny Cash Museum to see in Nashville, I should pick the next attraction. At first, I wanted to see the Nashville Parthenon, which is a full-size replica of the Greek Parthenon. Bruce and I visited it in our 20s, and I […]

Eating Supper in Nashville, Tennessee

June 25, 2026 Before going to the Johnny Cash Museum, Larry, Jeanne, Bruce, and I decided to eat somewhere in Nashville. After seeing the Johnny Cash Museum, we walked around for a bit. We to try some of the Nashville Hot Fried Chicken and ended up at Hattie B’s, a very noisy and happening place. […]

Goin’ North to Nashville, Tennessee to Meet with Friends

June 25, 2026 On June 15, Bruce and I made the 2 1/2 hour drive to Nashville from Muscle Shoals to meet up with Larry and Jeanne from A Jeanne in the Kitchen. Since Jeanne did such a great post on our afternoon and evening visit to Nashville, I am going to reblog her post. […]

Getting Ready for Friends to Visit

June 22, 2026 On June 13 and 14, Bruce and I focused on getting Blackberry Homestead ready for our friends to see. Jeanne from ajeanneinthekitchen.com and her husband, Larry were coming all the way from Westminster, Colorado to visit. We were meeting them in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, June 15. After seeing some famous spots […]

Sunset Over the House

June 22, 2026 On June 12, we did several errands in town. When we got back home, we walked down to the mailbox. The daylilies along the fence were blooming. I did some housework and Bruce did some weed whacking. In the early evening, while it was still light enough, we toured the orchard and […]

More Clean Up on Pine Tree Three with Chainsaw and Tractor

June 21, 2026 While I was out in the garden twisting the tomatoes around strings hanging down from the trellis frame, Bruce was playing working with his chainsaw and tractor. After I finished up with the tomatoes, I went over to see what Bruce was up to. He had chainsawed most of the way through […]