Gatlinburg TN
Today we were guests of the campground owners at Dollywood Park (http://www.dollywood.com). The park is filled with rides, wonderful (and healthy) food, great shows, and a museum.
The first thing we happened upon was a replica of the cabin (decorated by her mother) where Dolly Parton grew up. She was, I think, the fourth of ten children. Both her parents were illiterate, but they made sure she finished high school.
We often hear of someone, even someone from our lifetime, being raised in a cabin, or without running water, but I don’t think we really understand what that means for daily survival or lifestyle. I’ve seen so many small cabins here in the Smokies that families have lived in for generations, but this was the first that was linked to someone I knew in some way. This cabin wasn’t much different from the others I’ve seen, except that it was more modern. The walls were papered with pages from a Sears catalog and the cabin was insulated with cardboard. There was no plumbing, but there was a wood-burning stove. The only heat source was a fireplace. There were lots of pictures on the walls, mainly from calendars. I recognized a church fan, very similar to one my grandmother had – with a very colorful picture of the Last Supper. There were lots of quilts, all hand sewn from scraps, and each one a work of art. There’s nothing romantic about this – most folks in eastern Tennessee live in terrible poverty. She must have had a very strong family to accomplish all she has.
Here’s a challenge for you: for the next day, think about how each little thing you do would be different if you lived in that cabin, and without car or bus…not for a vacation, but for years. Then, email me or post your response.
The next thing we saw was her old tour bus. As RVers, we felt obligated to check it out. It had a big fancy pink bedroom in the rear and a bathroom with a large pink bathtub in it. There were bunks for the second driver and Dolly’s best friend. The dinette was about as big as ours, but fancier. There was no couch and the kitchen was tiny. I liked our trailer better.
I wasn’t sure we’d like the museum. Pictures of stars with other stars and cases of costumes are generally not fun for me, but this museum was different. There was an “attic” filled with all kinds of junk. Most interesting to me was the old exercise equipment – a butt massager, a stationary bicycle, and a treadmill were all visible. I wondered whether Ms. Parton was as obsessed with body image as I’ve been.
Dolly Parton has done much to improve the lives of people in her home county of Sevier Tennessee. The most impressive is her Imagination Library project (http://www.imaginationlibrary.com), begun in 1996. Her foundation provides a free, age-appropriate book every month to every child from birth to the age of five. The foundation provides these books in the other locations where her businesses operate - Branson MO and Myrtle Beach SC. The foundation also works with communities across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom to help those communities provide similar materials to their children. (http://local.cincinnati.com/share/news/story.aspx?sid=164304&cid=164304)
Well, think about that challenge. I look forward to hearing from you.
The first thing we happened upon was a replica of the cabin (decorated by her mother) where Dolly Parton grew up. She was, I think, the fourth of ten children. Both her parents were illiterate, but they made sure she finished high school.
We often hear of someone, even someone from our lifetime, being raised in a cabin, or without running water, but I don’t think we really understand what that means for daily survival or lifestyle. I’ve seen so many small cabins here in the Smokies that families have lived in for generations, but this was the first that was linked to someone I knew in some way. This cabin wasn’t much different from the others I’ve seen, except that it was more modern. The walls were papered with pages from a Sears catalog and the cabin was insulated with cardboard. There was no plumbing, but there was a wood-burning stove. The only heat source was a fireplace. There were lots of pictures on the walls, mainly from calendars. I recognized a church fan, very similar to one my grandmother had – with a very colorful picture of the Last Supper. There were lots of quilts, all hand sewn from scraps, and each one a work of art. There’s nothing romantic about this – most folks in eastern Tennessee live in terrible poverty. She must have had a very strong family to accomplish all she has.
Here’s a challenge for you: for the next day, think about how each little thing you do would be different if you lived in that cabin, and without car or bus…not for a vacation, but for years. Then, email me or post your response.
The next thing we saw was her old tour bus. As RVers, we felt obligated to check it out. It had a big fancy pink bedroom in the rear and a bathroom with a large pink bathtub in it. There were bunks for the second driver and Dolly’s best friend. The dinette was about as big as ours, but fancier. There was no couch and the kitchen was tiny. I liked our trailer better.
I wasn’t sure we’d like the museum. Pictures of stars with other stars and cases of costumes are generally not fun for me, but this museum was different. There was an “attic” filled with all kinds of junk. Most interesting to me was the old exercise equipment – a butt massager, a stationary bicycle, and a treadmill were all visible. I wondered whether Ms. Parton was as obsessed with body image as I’ve been.
Dolly Parton has done much to improve the lives of people in her home county of Sevier Tennessee. The most impressive is her Imagination Library project (http://www.imaginationlibrary.com), begun in 1996. Her foundation provides a free, age-appropriate book every month to every child from birth to the age of five. The foundation provides these books in the other locations where her businesses operate - Branson MO and Myrtle Beach SC. The foundation also works with communities across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom to help those communities provide similar materials to their children. (http://local.cincinnati.com/share/news/story.aspx?sid=164304&cid=164304)
Well, think about that challenge. I look forward to hearing from you.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We welcome your comments, but they will be reviewed, and possibly rejected, prior to being posted to the site.