Alice Goes to Knoxville to visit with Mama and Nonie

Here I sit in beautiful Knoxville, TN after driving for just a little over 4 hours this morning. The drive from KY was considerably faster than the drive that Nonie and Mama had to do from S.C. because they had to take a detour. There was a serious rock slide in NC several months ago and a big chunk of I-40 is closed at the moment and will be for several more months.

They did say, however, that their drive was very beautiful and bucolic, going through highways and by-ways of the back woods that they would never normally see. Mama said they felt as if they were driving through a Currier and Ives Christmas Card!  Instead of taking lots of pictures, I have most made short videos today, of Mama telling us about her family history and it has been fascinating!  I'll be uploading many of these to my YouTube channel over the next few days.  To see them, just go to www.youtube.com/chantdoc.  Have a great Christmas too!

Sarasota here I come!

Actually, I'll fly into Sarasota but go straight to Siesta Key where we are staying in a great place right on the beach! I'm so excited! I've always loved the beach and, growing up in S.C. I usually got to go at least once a year. For me, the beach exemplifies freedom and openness. When I was a little girl I was told that on the other side of the ocean was England and I spent hours and weeks and years trying to see England across the water!

Anyway, I'll be speaking at a church in Palmetto, FL on my first night there (First Baptist Church of Palmetto on the 22nd of October at 6:30 PM!) and then it will be vacation time! I'm hoping to do lots of beach walking and maybe some cycling and even golfing! Who knows, I may even do some para-sailing! Whatever happens it will just be so wonderful to be back at Siesta Key and the gorgeous, spectacular scenery there!

Our recent trip to Lake Junaluska

Lake Junaluska is a beautiful assembly grounds for the United Methodist Church in the cool mountains of Western North Carolina! When I was 8 years old, my parents built a simple little cabin there for our family of (then) four children.

We've had many wonderful summers there over the last 50 years. Now my children are grown, but we all still love to congregate there and have family reunions. Here are a few pix from our visit there two weeks ago with me, my two oldest daughters and my mother!

If you want to know more, see http://www.lakejunaluska.com/. We do rent out cabin out too if you're interested!

Ever Thought About a Safari?

African Safari: The 7 Best Luxury Lodge Experiences for Your Money
July 21, 2009
So you want to see Africa's legendary wildlife but don't want to rough it? No problem. Our favorite lodges will tempt you to defect from the real world forever to live like kings and queens.

Rattray's on Mala Mala

Mala Mala Game Reserve, South Africa

What You'll See
Part of the greater Sabi Sands Reserve, Mala Mala Game Reserve constitutes the largest privately owned Big Five game area in South Africa. The reserve's unfenced 19 mile boundary with Kruger National Park serves as crossing point for a continuous stream of game.

Lodge Review
The breathtakingly beautiful Rattray's merges original bushveld style with daring ideas that run the risk of seeming out of place, but instead work surprisingly well. Eight opulent khayas (think Tuscan villas) with spacious his-and-her bathrooms, dressing rooms, and private heated plunge pools blend well with the surrounding bush. Each villa's entrance hall decorated, with art by distinguished African wildlife artists such as Keith Joubert, leads to a huge bedroom with wooden four-poster bed, and beyond, a lounge scattered with deep sofas, comfy armchairs, padded ottomans, writing desks (for those crucial nightly journal entries), antique Persian rugs, and a dining nook. Bird and botanical prints grace the walls. Floor-to-ceiling windows with insect-proof sliding doors face the Sand River and lead to massive wooden decks where you can view the passing wildlife.

The main lodge includes viewing and dining decks, an infinity pool, lounge areas, and tantalizing views over the river. In the paneled library, with plush sofas, inviting leather chairs, old prints and photographs, and battered leather suitcases, the complete works of Kipling, Dickens, and Thackeray rub leather shoulders with contemporary classics and 100-year-old bound copies of England's classic humorous magazine Punch. After browsing the Cellar's impressive fine wines, have a drink in the bar with its huge fireplace, antique card table, and polished cherrywood bar.

Have you ever been shopping in Paris!

I've been home for about 6 weeks now, but I'm still re-living my trip to Paris on a regular basis! We had the most amazing weather and good fortune every where we went! If you're thinking of going to Paris or Dublin anytime soon, please don't hesitate to contact me with your questions!
On my last day there, I went shopping at the famous Galleries Lafayette! I won't tell you what I bought, but I don't think I could probably get these items in Louisville, KY!! Enjoy!

Our fabulous trip to Dublin and Cashel

Here you see pictures from our trip to Cashel, Ireland. We were told that this was the Ancestral home of the Cash family, but no one there seemed to know that. Still, it was a beautiful spot and we had a wonderful day there exploring the castle of Cashel!

Three Cashes will travel from Paris to Dublin and back

In one week I'll be flying to Paris to visit with one of my daughters who is doing an internship there at the American Embassy!

When I arrive there, my
youngest daughter will already be visiting there and the three of us will fly to Dublin, Ireland for the week-end of April 4-6! We're so excited about this and are planning to take a day trip to Cashel, Ireland where the Cash family originally came from!

If you have stories or tips for either location, do send it to me so that we can have the best trip possible! Thanks!

Cash daughter has gone to Paris for 10 weeks!

Yes, my daughters all love Paris! No doubt about it. When they were small I went to Paris for 6 weeks to do my doctoral dissertation research on Wanda Landowska and talked about Paris as though it was as close to Heaven as one could get. Now my daughter Allison is there for 10 weeks doing an internship at the American Embassy! We are all so thrilled for her! She majored in French as an undergraduate and is naturally fluent in French. I'm hoping to go over and visit her in April! Stay tuned!

Travels to South Carolina

Last month I travelled to S.C. to visit my mother and sister. I took my new little Papillon with me, Jolie. Here are some pictures from that trip!

Jolie had a good time in S.C. and made friends with all three of Nonie's cats, Penny, Mo (short of pianissimo) and Uni! We look forward to going down again sometime!