pandemic homeschool blues with a side of relish

One of our last adventures in TN was going to Chattanooga. For most of our time there, we were driving through a Civil War battlefield that was in Georgia and in Tennessee There were many different war sites, and since we couldn't tour as usual with a park ranger, our parents called a certain number that would tell recorded stories and information about the place you were at if you pressed a certain button. We visited several sites and memorials. My favorite battle place was up on a very tall mountain. The battle that took place there was called 'The Battle Above the Clouds'. Up on the mountain, you could see everything! I was sad when we had to go, but the next place we were going to was cool too. It was a HUGE graveyard, with polished grvestones as far as the eye could see. It was awful to see all the damage done and all the graves of soldiers who died for peace. My family is very grateful for the soldiers who gave their lives to stop slavery. They were very kind to do so...

Our trip to Asheville was full of surprises. We were still a bit traumatized from Nashville's business and noise, so we were worried Asheville, North Carolina would be the same. We were very wrong. We first went to an arboretum. There were some cute animal scenes made from wire by the parking lot. When we went inside the building, we saw a huge collection of art about the arctic. They were really pretty and realistic. When we entered the gardens, my heart skipped a beat. All different plants and flowers were planted along a nice path and there were so many things to do! First we saw a huge quilt made from plants, and a little overlook to see the beautiful patterns. There were a lot of fountains, and after I saw these, we went to my favorite exhibit. There was a whole section of the arboretum dedicated to bonsai trees. There were many scenes with the miniature plants in them and a wall of information about how to grow them. After that, we went on a little hike through the woods, tha...

Our trip to Nashville was full of surprises. The city was nothing like I expected it to be like. I was thinking of a touristy place with gift shops and old buildings and some bands playing under a pavillion. Nashville was nothing like that. First of all it was LOUD!!!!!! All the chatter of the ever-present crowds combatted the noisy racket of about 50 bands playing at once from all the bars. We walked on a huge pedestrian bridge because we thought it would be the most pandemic-free place that was still worthwhile. Everyone was unmasked, and the rare occasion of a person wearing one, was spoiled by the fact that they wore it wrong. They didn't cover their nose, instead, it's highest extent was the upper lip. Oceans of people swarmed the streets, and it was barely safe in the car, because there were all these weird bar buses, where teenagers scream very loudly and drink and blast music, breaking everyone's eardrums. Some of these had pedals, so the party would move the vehicl...

Nashville is the capital of Tennessee. On Broadway where the Honky Tonks are is the most crowded place I've ever seen. There were party trucks! (Party trucks had people on top partying). There were these cool things called pedal taverns. People were partying on those too. Here's how pedal taverns work. People sit on these seats and pedal the pedals to make the tavern move. While they are pedaling sometimes they drink something. There were so many lights and people. A part of Nashville I liked was a really long bridge. We walked half way across it and then we turned back. We saw bluish water under the bridge and a lot of lights from Nashville. It was a pretty view. There was a man playing the saxaphone, which had a lot of buttons. Here is a poem I wrote about driving past the Honky Tonks on Broadway: Honky Tonks Nashville's too loud. My eardrums are breaking. When we pass a crowd, once asleep, I'm awaking. As the sounds quickly grow I shout "NO NO NO!...