In Gatlinburg

Hi my OFF family:

My brother and I left Williamsburg, our home for the past week, and headed over to the Smoky Mountains and Gatlinburg, Tenn., this morning. Didn't get here until 6 p.m., at which time he was more than a little testy ... when we were getting our room I made the mistake of forgetting what he told me and he snapped at me and said, "It's right there in big print, can't you read?" Geez, maybe the divorce wasn't all his ex's fault! I hadn't even looked at the paper. And then I mistakenly hit a stone getting back into the car at the restaurant (and I was trying to stop the door but we were on an incline, and couldn't stop it in time) and it scraped a little on the inside of the door ... and he had a hissy fit ... I was scraping the paint on his precious car! You would think I killed someone! Men and their cars! I realize it's a new car, but geez!

Anyway, the resort we are in has us in a separate townhome and it's wonderful ... although Gary's room is better ... he has a king-sized bed and a jacuzzi, where I have twin beds and no jacuzzi and no TV. But I'm not complaining. Happy to have a room.

When I checked my e-mail tonight, I had one from a newspaper in Louisiana ... the person there had worked in Saginaw, MI, before, one of Grand Rapids' sister papers, and had taken a buyout and gotten a job down there. She is interested in me ... they too have a regional copy desk. So there may be some potential there.

Anyway, it has been a long day. I've been to Gatlinburg before, as has Gary, and we have no big plans here. I think we're going to take it easy. It rained most of the final couple hours down here.

Have a good Saturday night, and I'll check in tomorrow.