Just Another Fall Saturday Morning in the Valley

I am sure that I have mentioned before how pleasant living in the Tennessee Valley has been for me these last 30 years, relocating here when I was a middle-aged man of 43 from the Piedmont of North Carolina another State in my beloved SOUTH.  And...  I refer to this geographical area that way because I have been up North, out West, and even to our western most coast and I find all those areas rather unattractive in their general appearances and personalities.

Yes...  it is true, we don't have:

• the great educational institutions
• the great medical facilities
• all the great restaurants
• all the wonderful cultural activities
• all the expensive shopping areas
• all the insane pollution in the air
• all the people and the congestion of traffic

What we do have is SIMPLISCITY in its finest form and that is not to say what you might find in a suburban community anywhere but it is found in the cultural mentality of all the people who occupy these lands...  with the exception of large urban areas like Atlanta...

Tennessee is divided into 3 distinct areas:  Eastern, Middle and Western and only the former holds the simplistic beauty and sublime way of life, especially in the valley.  While the valley was a natural travel way up into the north, it remains intact with all its beauties that were there hundreds of years ago.

The valley is protected from inclement weather by the Great Smokey Mountains on its right and the Cumberland Plateau on its left making it an ideal place to live according to the weather year round or at least that has been my experience.  The Public Works Projects of the 1920's created the TVA which built all the wonderous lakes that we use for reactional boating, fishing, camping, and everyday family outings and picnics with an over abundance of walking trails.

While we do not have the reputation of the best medical facilities in the land, let me share that my Urologist was educated and trained at the MAYO clinic for 20 years, so I cannot help but feel that I am in good hands whenever I go to see him.  And, this is indicative of this area where many skilled and well educated and experienced doctors, physicians, and surgeons have decided to relocate to the SOUTH,

The Knoxville airport is only 45 minutes away in heavy traffic which is probably the typical travel time to an airport if you lived in New York City and after a 30 minute flight to Atlanta, my family and I can fly ANYWHERE as long as we have a boarding pass and ticket.

In 45 minutes I am in the Great Smokey Mountains and in an additional 45 minutes I will arrive at a Native American Gambling Casino if I ever have a mind to gamble and loose my money...  at least the drive to that location is beautiful.

We have easy access to cable, dish, and high speed internet and with google as our search engine have access to data and information that a few years ago I could only imagine.

BUT...  the most attractive feature of this area despite the acre of land on which I live and neighbors that are not too close is the fact that there is not STATE INCOME TAX and our cost of living is substantial less on average than anywhere else in the country.  This feature allows retirement monies to last longer than in other areas and this benefit is all mine to enjoy.

So... on this fall Saturday in this glorious valley after spending a few hours updating my blogs, I will close our above ground pool in weather that will be in the 60's...  and, while an above ground pool is not as fine as one that is in the ground, it is much easier and less expensive to maintain and with the water 4-5 feet in depth, it provides all the water relief for our bodies that one might find at a fancy Caribbean Resort.  And, off to the side is a 10 year old hot tub that when treated well will last a long time and it is used throughout the year by meThe Tr to simply relax and tune out.