Friday, the 13th: Knoxville, Tennessee
Happy 5th anniversary to Nathan and Sarah! We're looking forward to seeing you both soon!

After leaving Nashville on Thursday, we made our first stop in downtown Knoxville at the Yee Haw letterpress studio. Quite a different place than Hatch Show and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Everything about Yee Haw is unlike most work we've seen, funky and full of illustration. They also do a ton of experimentation. Plus, the people are really nice, allowing us to take our own tour of the studio and take a peak at all sorts of stuff they have on shelves and in boxes. It was so much fun!

Yee Haw's store front in downtown Knoxville:

Inside the studio:

Aside from doing the printing, they also fold and die cut. Here, someone is painstakingly folding a large pile of cards by hand! Definitely a do-it-yourself studio, which is empowering.

After the studio visit, and a thinner wallet, we drove north of town to Norris, where Kevin's great uncle and aunt live. It was wonderful to be in a house again that is filled with artwork. Pat is an amazing artist and both she and Joe had great stories to tell during our entire stay. They extended such warm hospitality to us...we were very grateful.

That night, we all went to dinner on the University of Tennessee campus at Sunspot. Pat and Joe specifically sought out that restaurant because of the vegetarian food, yet another example of their thoughtfulness. The food was wonderful and the atmosphere could not have been better.

On Friday morning, we drove over to the Museum of Appalachia. The incredibly popular Homecoming festival is occurring this week. It involves tons of food, music, and activities that exemplify the Appalachian way of life. People come from all over the U.S....the grounds were packed solid.

Below is a demonstration showing the process of making sorghum, a syrup that is similar to molasses. First, they grind the canes and then they boil the juice until it becomes a thick syrup. Pat and Joe spoiled us with a bottle of the yummy stuff.

Visited many traditional log cabins at the museum that had been found in Appalachia, dismantled and then rebuilt here. Below is the interior of a blacksmith shop.

We watched a sheep herding demonstration that showcased a friendly and determined collie...she was amazing, staring down the sheep and circling them until they were all penned in one area.

Aside from the reconstructed cabins, the museum has tons of artifacts. Below are a few, followed by some incredible dolls, masks and figure carvings made by the people of Appalacia.

After the museum, we had lunch at Pat and Joe's and then headed out of town to the Great Smoky Mountains. The mountains were grand and the views inspiring, especially as the foliage was changing.

Getting to the park was another story. The Tennessee access point to the park was lined with traffic for miles. What was supposed to be a short drive ended up taking several hours (Pat, you were right!).

Still though, once we were in the park, the stress of driving to it in second gear for three hours melted away and the chilly breeze and fall colors took hold. The colors were brilliant, especially with the sun setting on them.

The view from Clingmans Dome (6,643 feet):

Sunset in the Smokies: