Endless Yard Sale 2003

Dinner was fantastic. We started with a warm mozzarella and tomato bruschetta, followed by feta walnut salad with sweet Vidalia onion vinaigrette. The main course was filet of beef tenderloin with roasted red potatoes and sauteed summer vegetables, but let me emphasize that "sauteed summer vegetables" sounds entirely too plain for the wonderful side dish that it truly was. It was only squash, green beans and tomatoes sauteed with onions and thyme, but all of that came together in a truly delicious way and we couldn’t stop talking about how yummy it and the rest of the meal was. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, dessert was served: peach and blueberry shortcake with warm cream sauce. It was so decadent and simple at the same time; the entire dining experience couldn’t have been better. Coffee was served with a tray full of special "toppings," including a variety of sugars, candies and flavorings to mix your own. The sun even put on a show for us over the bluff right outside the window.

Our rooms were spacious and very comfortable, with windows on two sides and balconies on the other two, letting in lots of pretty light and even prettier views. Thelda, our perfectly Southern and gracious hostess, pointed out that CDs are available to borrow for the Bose system in your room, and various fishing, sporting and birdwatching supplies are available in the lobby for nearly whatever activity strikes you. With several strenuous days of yard sale shopping ahead of us, the activity we enjoyed the most was reclining in the Adirondack chairs overlooking the bluff’s view. Ahh...

Thelda returned to prepare us the most wonderful breakfast the next morning. With cinnamon buns to die for, fruits, tiny delicious biscuits, and several other wonderful items, it was enough to last us well into the day. We enjoyed it thoroughly and headed south to Gadsden to get down to the business at hand: yard sale shopping.

We piled back into the yardsalemobile, waved goodbye to She-She, and headed north. We were slightly disappointed with the lack of sales on the next stretch of highway--but it was so incredibly hot, we weren't too bothered to stay in the car for awhile! It wasn’t long until we reached Mentone, a charming area with cute shops and restaurants. Most of the shops were closed by the time we got there, but one cluster was still open and we enjoyed shopping in their outdoor "yard" sales. We wished we’d been able to eat lunch in one of the area’s cute cafes, so we agreed to make it a destination next year and then hurried toward Chattanooga and the Mayor's Mansion Inn, our lodging for the second night of this trip.

The trip to Chattanooga was lovely--the highway in that area is known as Lookout Mountain Parkway, so there's a really nice view around nearly every bend, as you might expect. You'll arrive in Chattanooga via the towns of Lookout Mountain, Georgia, and Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. It's a picturesque residential area, but keep one sightseeing eye on your map! The streets in this charming storybook town really are storybook in every sense--the Alice In Wonderland storybook, at least. One road will end and another begin before you know it, and it doesn't take long to get a little off track on streets with names like Wood Nymph Trail, Tinkerbell Lane and Aladdin Road.

Signal Mountain was just as we remembered, with plenty of field sales and a really picturesque drive as well. It took us all morning to shop this area; even with a few little rain showers that sent everyone under cover at times, there were lots of sales open for business. Unlike last year, this year the Antique Station antiques shop, nestled in the middle of some great sales, was open. We were pleased to find lots of unique pieces there with very reasonable prices. It’s a good thing we didn’t have a bigger truck!

After we shopped our way through Signal Mountain, we stopped for a late lunch at Lynn’s Market & Deli, where their motto is "Yuppies and Rednecks Welcome." The jury is still out on which of those groups Vernelle and I fit into, so we were glad to know we’d be welcome either way. We were especially glad when we tasted their big delicious cheeseburgers, French fries and onion rings. The employees there were also all very friendly--even after what I know was a very, very busy day for them. We’ll definitely stop there again next year.

The Historic Magnolia House is nothing like other bed and breakfasts I’ve stayed in. If you can imagine a beautiful Victorian tea parlor; a dressing room full of fancy hats, shawls and feather boas; an inn with pretty, comfortable rooms; and an antique store (everything in the inn is for sale), all under one very tall roof, you’ll just about understand the charm of the Magnolia House. Our room was called the Bridal Suite but we renamed it the Princess Parlor, because that’s exactly what we felt like, waking up in the canopied bed when Dianna served us the most delicious pot of Earl Grey cream tea ever brewed! A delicious breakfast followed (request the peach melba!), and though we planned to hurry along and get on the road early, we found ourselves enjoying the Guptons’ company hours later, still sipping tea at their breakfast table.

We were pleased to find that areas of big sales in years past were there again this year, with field after field of bargain after bargain. We shopped until we nearly dropped and the rain returned for good, before we headed home again dreaming about what next year’s sale might bring.

Don't miss the 2005 sale, August 4-7!