Reuniting with the Dog

The moment we've been anticipating after a 12-hour drive home to Kansas City from Alabama.

An Outing to Gadsden, Alabama

Alabama Home Sweet Home

It's been a hectic week since we rushed home to bury our father.  With all the emotional exhaustion compounded by the persistent jet lag, yesterday was a good day to temporarily forget handling any of the post-death details and get mom out of the house for a drive down to Gadsden, Alabama.

Even after traveling the world, the countryscape of northeastern Alabama is still one of the most beautiful and peaceful places we know.  The rolling hills, naked wintry trees, mountain streams, cows grazing, and rolls of hay is an American sight that we have missed. 

Pink sunset, Crossville, Alabama.

We doubt Gadsden is on anyone's travel destinations, but if you happen upon it, you'll want to stroll down this very well-preserved, old-timey American downtown that looks like a flashback from half a century ago...

(Bitter)sweet Home Alabama

Grand old pecan tree
that graces the center yard
of our parents' home in
Alabama.

Hello 4 am.  Jetlag is always a good companion for some blogging.  Here goes...

We're relieved to be back home stateside, but it's not how we predicted our Travel Sabbatical to end.  Our dad's sudden decline in health and passing is still shocking and confirms that anything can happen, so plan and live accordingly.  

Start of our 30-hour journey back from Tokyo to Alabama.  Will we make it back in time?

Even though we didn't make it back  in time to say goodbye, we feel very blessed.  Had it not been for us quitting our jobs to start our travels in May, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to spend 2 precious weeks with our parents in Alabama before we departed.  Ironically, we stayed in touch more via FaceTime while we were traveling than when we were "too busy" with our lives at home.  We're blessed that we were able to give him a glimpse into our adventures.  He avidly kept up with our travel blog and was very proud of what we had accomplished.

"Welcome Home!" said
Homeland Security upon our
arrival to stateside at LAX.

Dad's passing affirms our decision for taking a career break to pursue this dream, as originally inspired by the untimely death of loved ones already gone.   There's no regret because we accepted the inherent risks when we decided not to wait around for "what might have been".

  
Thank you to our Travel Sabbatical family for your thoughts and prayers.  It's been a truly (Bitter)sweet Home Alabama homecoming.  

Week 2: We're Glad (Serenbe) Georgia Is On Your Mind

So far we're enjoying our time winding down and catching up with friends and family who we hardly ever get to see. We made it to Georgia - our last stop stateside - before flying to Tokyo on Tuesday. We've been enjoying some local brewskis (Sweet Water Road Trip Ale) and some games of pool in our friends' Alabama Roll Tide game room!

In Georgia, you might expect a goat or two riding down the interstate. However, what you may not expect, 30-miles south of Atlanta in the hills of Palmetto, Georgia is the most manicured farmstead I've ever seen on 1,000 acres of land.

Imagine an exclusive country club, except in place of a golf course, there are: organic sustainable farms, experimental energy efficient homes, bed and breakfast cottages, farmers' market, pastures with horses, stables, farm-to-table restaurants, and quaint shops. This destination spot for Atlantans is called Serenbe - a made up word by Marie Nygren (Mrs. Owner) because you cannot help but Be Serene in this environment!

The Nygren's story of how they started Serenbe in the 1990s is accidental, but very forward thinking for their time. Their vision of creating a high-class sustainable living community has attracted a lot of press. An article in the New York Times Travel titled Outside Atlanta, Utopia Rises is a good read for understanding this idyllic community.

It is so idyllic that I felt like I was in a photo shoot for a catalogue - the carefully crafted modern country charm of Restoration Hardware, crossed with Ralph Lauren's refined prairie ruggedness. Yet, it felt very authentic, quaint, and not contrived.

We had lunch at The Farmhouse, which serves a limited menu featuring local ingredients. On the weekends, it's fried chicken and fixins'. After all, we are still in the South!

We got an interior look at a few energy efficient homes for sale in Serenbe. This is also the community in which the 2012 HGTV Green Home was built. Since we can't really afford to live in this community, perhaps a stay at one of the 19 cottages would be a perfect way to enjoy the food, pastures, horses, lakes, kayaks, shopping, etc.

If you are ever in the Atlanta area, take a detour to Serenbe and experience the hidden serenity of the south!

Day 10: Always Wanted to Check Out "Rock City"

It's impossible not to have some curiosity about "See Rock City" when it is painted on the roof of every other barn in the south - a sort of free advertising for the natural rock formations atop Lookout Mountain that straddles the Tennessee and Georgia border.  After ten years, my curiosity was satisfied today when we took a drive to Rock City.  It is more than just a lookout point or a bunch of rock formations.  According to the article recently published by USA Today Travel, "Tenn.'s iconic Rock City celebrates 80th anniversary", it is quite the destination spot.  The rock formations, caverns, suspension bridge, hiking trails, waterfalls, and of course, the lookout point did not disappoint - although it does cost ~$20/pp.  It was a clear day, so we think we saw all 7 states (yea, right!).  So, if you are traveling near Chattanooga, Tennessee, consider taking a short detour to Rock City.

Lookout point, Rock City, Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Supposedly, on a clear day, we can see all 7 states!

Day 9: Cattle Auction! Sand Mountain Stockyards

City girl goes to a cattle auction at the Sand Mountain Stockyards in Kilpatrick, Alabama!  

Sand Mountain Stockyards, Cattle Auction, Kilpatrick, AL

Sand Mountain Stockyards, inside the auction house

Week 1: R&R in Alabama

My motto for the past several months has literally been, "I can sleep later."  We have been very busy finalizing trip plans, making sure everything on the home-front was going to be taken care of, finishing up all of our projects and responsibilities at work, and saying goodbyes to all our friends and family.  Since all that is behind us now, we CAN actually sleep, and the best place for rest and relaxation is in Alabama at our parents' home.  Their home is synonymous with peace, quiet, relaxation, lazy ol' summer day, watching-the-world-go-by, kind of place.  I cannot think of a better place to unwind from the acceleration trap of work.

We love the cows grazing, the dirt roads, watching corn and asparagus grow, the wrap-around porch, walks around the pasture and pond, and hanging out with our family.

This is what we plan on doing for the upcoming week - slowly detach from our fast paced lives to make room for all that we are about to experience in our Sabbatical.  [A]

Read more about our previous Alabama Road Trip Supper Club Finds Part 2; Alabama Road Trip Supper Club Finds Part 3; Alabama Road Trip Supper Club Finds Part 4

Days 2 - 3: Detours Through Tennessee (Nashville, Hendersonville, Lynchburg)

I somehow deleted the original post on our adventures through Tennessee, so here is my attempt to re-create it.  Unfortunately, it won't be as inspired as it was a few days ago.

Nashville, Tennessee has been a routine stop-over for us on our way from Kansas City to Alabama to see our folks, so we have enjoyed many great aspects of Nashville in the past.  Here are some of the experiences we recommend in Nashville.

Day One - Kansas City - Hermann - St. Louis, Missouri