Our first planned stop on the Summer of ’25 Tour was to visit our good friends: Linda and Joe McB (shortened version of their name b/c it’s easier to say and type) in the west suburbs of Knoxville, TN.
You may remember Linda from a previous post about my 60th birthday bash. We’ve been friends for more than a decade. Joe and Linda have visited Tucson on multiple occasions. This was our first trip to their (new-to-them) home in Knoxville.
The McB home in Knoxville. We decided to skip visiting Biltmore since no home in the Blue Ridge could compare to Linda and Joe’s beautiful, stately and welcoming home!Despite our driver’s enviable bus rodeo skills, we could not fit Tink through the long, winding driveway leading to the McB’s home. Fortunately, we found a wonderful, quiet, shady spot outside of a Planet Fitness (PF) just a mile from their home!The PF shopping center, which was now Tinkerbell’s Parking Palace, was connected to miles of walking trails! I could get my walks in AND gym time in while also visiting with friends! Paradise! Some romantic fellow left me a chalk greeting on the walking path. I smiled the entire 5 miles!
The McB’s not only have a stunning storybook house, they also have a backyard full of flowers! Oh, and a pool and an outdoor kitchen and a cabana boy….
Linda McB has a healthy green thumb!I’m sorry for the low picture quality butt I wanted to show the expanse of the McB backyard 🙂The dogs want to live at the McB’s! They got a ton of much-needed exercise!And then the boys relaxed poolside with Joe. Again, sorry for the pic quality. This one was taken surreptitiously through the screened porch so as to not disturb the subjects 😉 The Cabana Boy! Sporting his brand-new Buc-ees Attire!Later, we were greeted by the McB’s grandson. Jay taught him a valuable life skill: patting his head with his hands. We played a game of pool in between dog hugs 🙂
The McB’s have their own version of Tinkerbell: Captain’s Girl!
Captain’s Girl is a Sea Ray and has two staterooms, a full head (that’s a Navy term for bathroom), a kitchen and a wonderful back deck!We had a fun evening at the docks!
Lest you think we only lounged lazily around the pool and by the boat, be assured we actually did some touring of downtown Knoxville 🙂
Jay and I gave Dolly Parton a big kiss!Absolutely no tourist visit is complete without ice cream!! This ice cream was deeeeelicious! Again, we were in Paradise!The McB’s thoughtfully gifted us a plush beach towel of Knoxville for our memories!
And, before we knew it, the time to depart came upon us 😦
Thank you, Linda & Joe, for your welcoming hospitality, great food, fun company, and beautiful home! You have truly created your own piece of Paradise! You made our first stop on the Summer of ’25 Tour a delightful memory and I’m so happy we get to share it with our friends across the country!
Tinkerbell's Travels 
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