Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Monday, August 25, 2014

Cookie Jar Cafe Visit with Blog Friends

Special Friends:  Bill, Lynda, Betsy, George
On Saturday,  August 16, 2014,  George and I  had the privilege of meeting Blog and Facebook friend, LYNDA and hubby Bill,  at the neatest little country farm and cafe.  The Cookie Jar Cafe is in Dunlap, Tennessee in the Sequatchie Valley.   We met for lunch and lots of talk and fun!!!

Lynda and I have been blog friends for a long time --and fairly recently,  Facebook friends.  But--we had never met in person until now.  You will want to check out Lynda's blog by clicking on her name in the first sentence of this post.  What a wonderful couple --and to say that we 'hit it off' is an understatement.  It was as if we had known each other for many years... Lynda's husband doesn't blog --but he truly has a fantastic sense-of-humor.  Obviously,  he kept us in stitches all afternoon!  BUT--since both Lynda and I are 'talkers' ---the guys had to work hard to get a word in edgewise.... ha ha




You need to click HERE to read more about this little cafe/farm/petting zoo/picnic area/playground, etc... The food it down-home country food and we enjoyed every bit of it --including the homemade desserts (cupcakes for us). 


The gorgeous Sequatchie Valley (Photo taken by George)



Inside the cafe;  Guess who is running her mouth?????? ha ha



There are all kinds of little cookie jars decorating the walls in the cafe....



More of the cookie jars!!!  (I could do an entire blog post showing these adorable cookie jars!)



Another of George's gorgeous photos of our view from the porch of the cafe



I loved this wood carving on the porch of the cafe. 



We enjoyed sitting on the porch.  Of course,  the men had to WAIT on us women as we got more pictures of those cookie jars!!!!!! ha



Then we walked around the area ---and just HAD to check out this old tractor.



This little goat was so friendly and was part of the Petting Zoo.



Bill had to take some time to talk to that little beauty there!!!!



Bill must have been in the doghouse for some reason??????  BUT--when he stuck his head out of that window,  he got a kiss from Lynda!!!!!  (I love this picture of Lynda.)



These youngsters had to take time to PLAY......So much fun!!!!



Not to be left out,  George had to 'play' on the Sliding Board... Since it was a hot day,  the board was too HOT for him to slide on it.... Maybe he'll slide down the next time we go down there!!!  Ya think?????????



Two wonderful people standing on the porch of that precious little cabin.... I told my Facebook friends that I wanted that cabin on top of a mountain with a waterfall nearby!!!!!  Sound good????



Two wonderful friends FOREVER



Bill, Lynda, Betsy, George in the Picnic Pavilion at the Cookie Jar Cafe/Farm
Finally,  here's one more photo of the four of us.  You should have seen George finding the perfect spot to set up the camera for a photo of the four of us.  He forgot to bring the tripod ---so we had our pictures taken inside the picnic pavilion.   Not bad, huh????

IF you ever get a chance to meet a blog friend,  DO IT...  Blog friends can become some of the best friends in our lives...  Thanks to Lynda and Bill for making our day such a JOY...  We are already planning a Fall time together.   AND---George and I met two more bloggers on 8/24/14--so that will be another blog post soon!!!!!   OH how much fun!!!!

Hugs,

53 comments:

Jo said...

What a lovely lady Lynda is. As is Bill, her beloved hubby. I also love the photo of her at the doghouse! You're right Betsy: it's super to meet blogger friends. We have met several of mine and still need to meet up with the only South Africa blogger (can you believe I only have one SA follower?) in Port Elizabeth some day soon. I love the photos of the cookie jars and look forward to seeing a post on them. I have a collection of cookie jars in my SA home; should take them out and look at them with new eyes, Mmm? I'm off to read Lynda's blog now. Blessings and big (((hugs))) especially for you birthday earlier this month. xxx Jo

Busy Bee Suz said...

How fun for all of you. I too love Lynda; she is a sweetheart. I wonder what Bill did to get in the dog house?? LOL. So fun to meet up….the restaurant looks so cute. Love all the cookie jars!

Terri D said...

I had the privilege of meeting Lynda last year. Bill wasn't at our meeting, but I hope we get to meet him next time we travel through Tennessee. It is such a blessing to meet blogging friends in person. I've never been disappointed! Happy to have found you through Lynda! Love your photos!

linda m said...

Sure looks like fun. I have met some of the nicest people by blogging. Hopefully someday I can met them in person. And definitely, Betsy, that means you. I just know we would hit it off as we think too much alike not to. Thanks for sharing your visit with Lynda and Bill.

Out on the prairie said...

What a fun time, I will check out her blog. In the Midwest a sliding board is a slippery slide. You need some wax paper to slide on to go faster. LOL

MTWaggin said...

What a fun time and cute cute place. It is so lovely to meet people face to face and discover it is like you've known each other forever! You all are adorable!!!! Just sayin.

Shug said...

Just one of the specials things about blogging..... Meeting new friends and being able to spend the afternoon together, doing nothing but having fun! So glad you all had this opportunity !!!!!

George said...

We truly had a great time with Lynda and Bill. I'm ready to go back to the Cookie Jar any time!

Sweet Posy Dreams said...

You all look like you're having a grand time. The scenery is just absolutely gorgeous. It reminds me of a river valley in Wisconsin that is my dream home site. I do love a green valley with the hills all around.

Nellie said...

This looks like a great time, Betsy! We should plan another time to meet again, too! xo Nellie

Tabor said...

My experience with the few bloggers I have met is a mutual interest in similar things. We do usually hit it off right away, because we have a read a bit of each other's life stories.

David said...

Betsy, Thanks for the tip on the Cookie Jar Cafe. Another drive and another local place to eat! You're right about meeting other bloggers and how nice it can be. Between Big Dude's annual blogger parties...and get togethers like one we just enjoyed on August 24th with a special blogger couple, we've had lots of fun with fellow bloggers! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave and Laurie

Connie said...

Looks like a cute place to eat, and you had such a gorgeous view! Sounds like a fun time was had by all.:)

Arkansas Patti said...

What a cute place and such beautiful country.
Meeting a blog friend is more reunion like as we do know so much about each other. So glad your meeting was such a success.

Lynda said...

You did a fantastic write-up of our day! I feel like a celebrity!!! You are correct about that picture of me outside the "doghouse". It is really good. I knew George and you would get some good ones of us. I will check out the calendar with Bill and see what's free coming up cuz we have to go back and also hike to the waterfalls.

Anonymous said...

What a lovely meeting!

Betsy said...

What a wonderful time you all had. I know exactly what you mean about meeting blog friends. I have met four so far and I absolutely love each of them. Taci, Gracie at One Sailors Log, Teresa and Becky. You can find them on my sidebar. They all live in the Portland, Oregon area while I'm in Spokane. Gracie and Teresa in particular find themselves to be great friends now and go swimming several times a week together and other activities as well.
You can never have too many friends! :-)
Blessings,
Betsy

Ginny Hartzler said...

Wonderful pictures of your meeting. It is always so exciting to meet followers for the first time!! Gorge's pictures are gorgeous!!

Marie said...

Looks like everyone had a great time at the Cookie Jar. :) Love that name! Glad your meeting blog friends. :) I've been blessed with some wonderful blog friends. :)

Fun60 said...

I have had the pleasure of meeting 5 different fellow bloggers from around the world. It is so good to finally meet people you have been communicating with for some time. Much check out Linda's blog now.

Dorothy said...

What a fun place to visit and meet interesting friends! Now I have to go check out the links!

camp and cottage living said...

I can tell that you are all 'young at heart'!
It must be so fun to meet a blogging friend.

White Lace and Promises said...

Looks like a couple of my friends got together. How fun! Love all the photos, but the ones I like the best are the smiles among friends.

Terry and Linda said...

What a great time it looks like you all had! I love the cookie jars...I have a few of my own!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

LV said...

What fun was that! I have had the privilege of meeting one from Colorado a few years ago, and we had so much fun. Loved seeing all of you enjoying the sights and friendship.

Ann said...

How wonderful that you got to meet another blog friend. You had a really fun spot to meet at too. Love that wood carving and all those cookie jars are so cute

Ruth Hiebert said...

I think I had a smile on my face all through the reading of this post. It is bursting with excitement and fun. Glad you are getting to meet so many blog friends.

happyone said...

Sounds like a great day. Love the name of the cafe. : )
You and George have met quite a few blogger friends.

eileeninmd said...

Betsy, what a fun time with your friends. I like the name Cookie Jar cafe! Neat collection of cookie jars.. Great shots of you, George and your friends. Have a happy week!

A Colorful World said...

I agree about blog friends! I wish I could meet so many, but I've been lucky to meet two, at least. Great people. You just feel so close to them with all the sharing that we do on here, right? :-) I'm so glad you had this opportunity! Great place to meet. What a darling idea for a Cafe! Loved the pictures!

Beth said...

I loved this post! It looks like you all had a wonderful time. The pictures reveal how much you hit it off.
I esp. like the countryside photos but the ones of you all and the cookie jars are wonderful too. :>)

Small Kucing said...

Its great that finally both of you met. yea...meeting blog friends can be fun.

Beatriz said...

This farm is amazing, Betsy!
How nice to have friends like that, one of the most important thing in life! You seem very happy playing in the playground!!!

A big hug from Brazil!

Bia

carolina nana said...

Looks like a fun day at a very pretty place.
I've met some of my blog followers also and it is always a great compliment to me to know someone is interested in my everyday life.
Blessings
Marilyn

DeniseinVA said...

Real sweet photos of your get-together with Lynda and Bill. Meeting blogging friends has always been a wonderful experience for me. I am always in awe of your photos. The scenery is breathtaking. Have a great week Betsy and thank you for sharing another fabulous post.

Jeevan said...

Wow! Seems you had great fun out there visiting the cafe, and glad meeting your blog friend. i simply loved the landscape encompassing the pretty cafe... magnificent shots by George. I too wish owning that little cabin and you sound great about placing it on. I have met many bloggers in past and each carries a special memories and it is one of the best so.

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

What a fun time. That restaurant is so neat.

Small City Scenes said...

Beautiful scenery and what fun you all are having. You can see it in your faces. MB

Susan Zutautas said...

How wonderful for you to meet an online buddy. I've talked to many friends online via the telephone but have yet to meet anyone. I hope to though soon.

Miss Debbie said...

Sounds like a wonderful visit...good for you!!

Hootin Anni said...

Oh be still my heart....I would Love all those cookie jars!!

Looks like a fun meeting. And it's ironic that both of you as couples wear matching shirts.

I Am Woody said...

What a fun day! I'm going to have to visit that cafe soon!

Chatty Crone said...

Okay more fun - but what I noticed here was that middle swing was empty - you needed me there.

Cheryl @ TFD said...

Looks like you all had a lot of fun! Good friends, good food, good times! Love the scenery, too. I'd love to visit there!

Andrea said...

Betsy it is so much fun, to see senior couples in the same shirts, and there are two pairs. That is so lovely and funny. Is it really a fad in your area? It goes well with them playing in those slides and swing, oh how nice to be young again. And i love George landscapes! What is that phallic symbol in the 2nd photo? I smiled at it too.

Rajiv Sankarapillai said...

What a lovely post ! Awesome pictures !
Thanks for sharing this post with us :)

Ruchira Khanna said...

Wow! first time here and I just loved your pix and the story behind each of them :)

happy to link up!

diane b said...

It looks like you had loads of fun together. Blogging let's you get to know people before you meet them. I,m looking forward to meeting you too. I'm a motor mouth as well. The cookie jar cafe and farm looks like a nice place for such an occasion. Love you two on the swing rekindling your youth.

Anonymous said...

Hi Betsy, So pleased for you that you could join and meet your blog friend. I have driven through that area a few times and agree with you that it is a lovely place. Have a really great Thurs. tomorrow!

Linda said...

Looks like fun! I want to pet that goat.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Sounds like a wonderful day and a super visit. Love George's scenery pics- what a pretty place.
Thanks for checking on me Betsy- it's been a busy week here and not much time on the computer.

Kay said...

Oh... How absolutely wonderful, Betsy! I'm so happy for you all. I've met some blog friends and have found that they're just as nice in person as they are on their blogs. You all look so wonderfully happy!

Anonymous said...

Hi Betsy, Lynda told me that you guys had gotten together. I enjoyed the photos.
I browsed through a Southern Lady magazine (@ WalMart) and noticed the current fall issue has a spread on Gibbs Gardens in GA and Asheville. Thought you might look at or purchase a copy. I believe Lynda has visited Gibbs Gardens. Hope you and George have a nice weekend. Mildred