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Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Dining in a Downpour..J's Hole in the Wall


It was raining so hard the day of our visit, that I failed to take a picture of the building.  I ripped this snowy picture from J's facebook page so you can see just how small the building is.  Notice the picnic tables in the background.

It was a chance remark by the brother of a friend that led to a culinary adventure for Three Friends and a Fork.  Our friend, Tubby made the call.  No, she is not tubby.  We call her that because her last name is Tubbs AND because her first name is Luanne.  We needed to differentiate between the two Luannes, so she became Tubby.   Anyway, Tubby's brother, Danny, happened to be raving about a restaurant in Bryant, Alabama.  He swore the burgers were amazing, but so was everything else he had tried.  And, the kicker?  Everything was homemade with fresh, organic ingredients.  The meat was slaughtered and processed right down the road and the fries were hand cut to order. Everything was as freshly prepared as possible.  The name of the place was J's Hole in the Wall.  Tubby knew when she heard this that it was a place the Three Friends needed to check out.

But, Bryant?  We had all heard of Bryant, but only Tubby knew how to get to Bryant.  It is tiny, about 3200 people and it is buried deep in Jackson County, which happens to be the largest county in the state.  Trying to find something in Jackson County is similar to looking for a needle in a haystack.  Getting lost in Jackson County is easily possible.  One other odd fact about Bryant...even though it lies in the Central time zone, we had to switch over to "fast time", as the locals refer to the Eastern time zone.  Apparently it lies so close to the border between Eastern and Central time zones, people in the area operate in the zone of their choice. According to Danny, so many people from Bryant cross over into the Eastern time zone in Georgia or Tennessee for work, they just stay on "fast time" to make their lives easier.  Anyway, J's Hole in the Wall is on "fast time".   Tubby got directions from her brother and agreed to be our guide.  Tubby's two kids and our friend, Merri rounded out our group.  We had planned our trip for days.  My first question, "Do we need a reservation?", was met with a loud guffaw from Danny.  Uh, no!  No need for a reservation, because there is no dining room.  He pointed out that there were picnic tables if we wanted to eat there, but for most folks it is just pick up and go.  We decided we would take advantage of the picnic tables.

The day of our trip arrived, gray and overcast, and we agreed on a meeting spot...in front of Walmart this time.  Things were looking up when Luanne actually managed to keep from ending up in the Kmart parking lot!  We set off in two vehicles...Sherri and Luanne in Sherri's car and the rest of us in Tubby's vehicle.  Tubby was leading the way and off we went.  We all headed east on highway 72 toward Stevenson and things were going swimmingly, when two things happened.  First, the bottom fell out of the sky!  Seriously, we were headed to a restaurant where the only tables were picnic tables outside and we had just been hit by a monsoon!

Second, Parker is not a good follower.  Really.  The girl likes to be first.  And if she is not first, well, she just pretends to be first, which means that she doesn't pay attention when, say, the car that is really in front makes a right turn.  No, sir!  Parker just keeps traveling full speed ahead!  And, Luanne, the passenger, was, of course, not paying attention, so neither of them realized that we were no longer in front of them.  We watched, in amazement as they sped past, knowing they had no clue where they were going!  We started calling on our cell phones, but they weren't answering.  As we pulled off into the Mountainview Church of God parking lot, buckets of rain were pouring on us and two tines of The Fork were completely oblivious to the drama they were creating!

Finally, much like that little "yop" from JoJo in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, our frantic calls finally got through and Luanne answered her phone.    Her response?  "Where are y'all?"  Like we were the ones who were lost!  Then they accused us of not paying attention and not letting them know where we were going.  See what I mean?  Wouldn't you think the burden of paying attention would fall on the ones "following"?  Except for the fact that Parker does not follow and if Luanne is not driving, she does not pay attention.  Oh, my!

We had to sit and wait for our two nomads to come all the way back from Stevenson and find us in the church parking lot.  It took about ten minutes.  We hoped it would give the rain time to dissipate.  Ha!  We were living in a fool's paradise!  That rain wasn't going away...it was coming down harder, so by the time Sherri and Luanne got back to us, we needed to ditch our cars for an ark!
Warning...Do not go to Jay's Hole in the Wall for the ambience!  You are strictly navigating the back roads of Jackson County for the FOOD when you go to Jay's!!

All together again, we got back on course.  When we finally arrived at J's Hole in the Wall, we exchanged looks.  The place was TINY!  And, just as Tubby's brother had promised, there was no dining room.  There was a tiny covered front porch where we could stand to place our orders.  The porch was almost too small for the seven of us.  And the wind was blowing, so we really were not staying dry, even under the cover.

Sherri, Merri, Tubby, Aidan and Hudson seek shelter from the storm.



















But, being the true professionals that we are, we got down to business.  What to order?  We were amazed at the size of the menu...it was much larger than we expected after seeing the size of the building.  We had a hard time deciding what to choose.
We have to go back and try some of the other offerings at Jay's! They had flounder and coconut shrimp, for goodness sake!
Lu's ready to place her order.
And once we got our orders placed and received our food, we had a different dilemma...where to sit!  We couldn't sit at the picnic tables with all the rain.  There wasn't enough room for all of us to sit at the small table under the covered front porch.  Our only other option...our cars!  So that is just what we did. We took our orders and made a mad dash for our cars.

Lu and Sherri
Aidan and Merri

Tubby doing her imitation of Carol Burnett as Gloria Swanson, with Hudson and Aidan in the background.



















Merri and Luanne ended up with the smoked chicken plate and fried okra.  Merri also had sweet potato fries and Lu went with macaroni and cheese.  The smoked chicken was amazing.  Smoky and full of flavor, but also moist and tender.  The sides were all wonderful, but those sweet potato fries...YUM!  You know how some sweet potato fries are just so limp?  Well not these cuties!  They were soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside.

Smoked chicken plates


Parker and Aidan chose the cheeseburger with hand cut fries.  They were totally not disappointed.  It was a wonderful burger, fat and thick and juicy.  And those fries?  Well, they were the bomb, too! They were as good as, if not better than, the ones at Five Guys...no kidding!

Cheeseburger and hand cut fries



Hudson and Tubby had the hand battered chicken fingers and they loved them.  They were definitely not the kind you buy in a box at Walmart!

Fried catfish sandwich

I finally settled on the fried catfish sandwich and I was so happy I did.  That was one of the best pieces of fried catfish I have had in a long time.  I am getting hungry for another one just from writing about it.  I also had those fine sweet potato fries.  Oh, my gosh!  Did I mention how good they were?

Those sweet potato fries were so good, not a crumb was left!
Bryant is not easy to find, but it is worth the drive to enjoy the homemade goodies at J's Hole in the Wall.  Owners Aaron and Cynthia Williams are doing it right!  Everything is home cooked and fresh. Even though business has grown so much they can no longer get the quantity of meat they need from the supplier nearby, they still buy the freshest and most healthy ingredients they can find.  They also told us they are adding a dining room, so when you visit, you might not have to sit in your car when the rains come.  Even with the torrential rains, J's Hole in the Wall was doing a steady business.  Apparently the folks in and around Bryant call in a lot of orders and just run by and pick up their food to take home, because car after car of hungry folks pulled up, grabbed their orders and left while we were there car dining.  Take it from Three Friends and a Fork, you NEED to visit J's Hole in the Wall. Let us know when you go.  We will be happy to help you find J's Hole in the Wall.  And, be sure to tell our new friends, Aaron and Cynthia, Three Friends and a Fork sent you.
Posing with The Fork!



Learning all about J's Hole in the Wall from the man who should know...owner Aaron Williams.


Here we are with the owners, Cynthia and Aaron Williams.


               Three Friends and a Fork and our Hole in the Wall gang give J's Hole in the Wall


3 Tasty Yums UP!

J's Hole in the Wall on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Catching UP!

Wow!  It is good to be back!  Between illnesses, hospital visits and NO internet, Three Friends and a Fork are waaaaaay behind!  So, in an effort to "catch" up, here's what we were working on when LIFE interfered!  Let's go back to the weekend of August 3...


It was a big weekend for our Family Divided. My niece and our manager extraordinaire, Haley, was graduating from college. So, off we headed to Tuscaloosa. Now if Luanne had been traveling to Tuscaloosa, there wouldn't be much of a story. She is a rabid Alabama fan, after all, so she fits in, if you know what I mean. Unfortunately, the entire city of Tuscaloosa must have been warned that three Auburn Tigers were invading the town, because they completely rolled up the red carpet and put "No Vacancy" signs on every hotel and motel within a 40 mile radius of the Alabama campus. So, while the rest of the clan stayed smack dab in the middle of the campus at the Hotel Capstone, the Reynolds branch of the family had to find shelter in Hoover. Scott was in Birmingham for meetings all weekend and wasn't able to attend the graduation, so J.D., Rob and I braved enemy territory by ourselves.

 I have to say, we were pretty proud of Haley, for two reasons. The first and most important reason is that she was graduating summa cum laude. The girl is SMART! The second reason is that she didn't make us attend the BIG graduation in the spring! The small graduation, which we attended, was big enough. We had to wait for 2000 graduates to receive their diplomas and the process took two hours! If Haley had graduated in May, those numbers would have been doubled.  Thanks, Haley!

Isn't she cute?
 As it was, Haley, looking cute with her red mortar board perched daintily, (ok, precariously) on the back of her head, and with her proud family looking on, graduated with a degree in communication and information science. After she received her diploma and after much picture taking and hugging and oooing and ahhhing, the family,  all ten of us,  made our way downtown for a combination graduation  celebration for Haley and birthday celebration for Paw Paw. Paw Paw, aka, the sweetest man in the world and, possibly, the most adored by his children and grandchildren, just turned 80 a couple of days before.   We had lots to celebrate!  Haley chose the place, Local Catch.

 Local Catch is a new addition to the Tuscaloosa restaurant scene. It is one of two.  The other Local Catch is in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.   Only opened since March of this year, Local Catch T Town is located on University Boulevard.  Even though it sits on some prime real estate, the location has not been an advantage for former restaurants.  The most recent restaurant to inhabit the spot only lasted about a year.  On this day, even with all the graduation traffic, we had no trouble getting a table for ten at Local Catch.  Actually, finding a parking place proved more problematic.
The Menu

Once we finally parked the car, walked several blocks back to the restaurant and got seated, it was time to get down to business.  We checked out the menu.  The food at Local Catch is described on the menu as "coastal cuisine with a southern twist".  Our choices, with ingredients such as grits, bacon, pecans, shrimp and fish, reflected this description.
Checking out the menu.

First up....appetizers!  We were hungry after that hike in the Tuscaloosa summer heat and humidity!
Admittedly this is not a good photograph! We forgot to take the picture before we had devoured 3 of the jalapenos!

Rob wanted to try the bacon wrapped jalapenos.  I have to admit they sounded pretty good to me, too. The peppers were stuffed with white cheddar and cream cheese, wrapped with applewood smoked bacon and grilled.  They were huge, much milder than we expected and served with a creamy coleslaw.  The smoky bacon was well-done and crispy and, honestly, would have been good on a slab of concrete. The bacon wrapped jalapenos were our favorite of all the things we tasted.

Our entrees ran the gamut.  Rob decided on gumbo and a salad.  My sister, Kerri, chose pecan-crusted grouper with mashed potatoes, green beans and pecan butter.  Haley, my brother-in-law, Tim, and my niece, Ayla all selected shrimp and grits.  J.D. and Haley's friend, Kylee, decided on the shrimp po-boy.  I, (surprise, surprise), went with shrimp tacos.  The only ones who veered from seafood selections were Maw Maw and Paw Paw.  Maw Maw is allergic to shellfish, so she chose a roast beef po-boy and Paw Paw, who was on a special diet, picked grilled chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Gumbo


Rob's gumbo was thick and rich and made with homemade Andouille sausage.  It had just the right amount of spice for Rob and he ate every bite.  He enjoyed his house salad, as well.


Shrimp and Grits


The shrimp and grits were met with approval from everyone who ordered them.  The shrimp were grilled to perfection and the grits were thick and creamy.  The whole shebang was swimming in a tangy, smoky barbecue sauce.  I don't think there was a bite left on any of the plates.

Shrimp Po-boy with Potato Salad

The shrimp po-boys were everything you would expect from a shrimp po-boy.  The bread was a crusty French baguette, split and overstuffed with fresh gulf shrimp, deep fried and crispy.  In addition to shrimp, the sandwiches included crunchy Romaine lettuce, tomato jam and pickled jalapenos.  They were accompanied by potato salad for Kylee and french fries for J.D.  I heard a lot of praise being heaped on the potato salad in particular.

Caribbean Shrimp Tacos with Chips and Pico de Gallo

I had a couple of options when it came to choosing shrimp tacos.  There was a fried shrimp taco version and a Caribbean grilled shrimp taco.  I went with grilled Caribbean tacos.  How could I resist...the shrimp were described as marinated in coconut rum and grilled.   They were nestled in the soft flour tortillas with cabbage, roasted red peppers and fresh pineapple salsa.  Everything was topped with a drizzle of something called White House sauce, which I assumed was the Local Catch's incarnation of Baja sauce.  The combination was really good.  I especially liked the pineapple salsa made with big, fresh chunks of pineapple.   The only criticism I had involved the side of chips and pico de Gallo.  First, I was really expecting corn tortilla chips, which I love.  I was not really bowled over by the flour tortilla chips offered by Local Catch.  And the pico was tasteless and mushy.  I suspected it was made with tomatoes that had been refrigerated, which happens to be a pet peeve of mine.  Refrigeration can turn a good tomato into a bad one very quickly.

Pecan Crusted Grouper with Pecan Butter,  Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
Kerri's pecan crusted grouper was a big hit.  It was perfectly cooked, moist on the inside, crunchy on the outside.  It was very good with the rich pecan butter.
New Orleans Roast Beef Debris Po-boy

Grilled Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
Not surprisingly, the least favorite entrees were the non-seafood selections.  In fairness, Paw Paw would never have chosen grilled chicken at a seafood restaurant had it not been for his diet.  He had eaten far too many grilled chicken breasts at this point.  He just wasn't feeling the grilled chicken love!  As for Maw Maw, she is at a real disadvantage at a seafood restaurant.  She loves shrimp, but shrimp does not love her!  Anyway, she enjoyed the company, but she wasn't especially fond of the roast beef.  The moral of the story...when in Rome!  Or in this case, when dining at a seafood restaurant, order the seafood if you can.

Key Lime Pie

Fried Oreo with Ice Cream
There were two desserts on the menu and we ordered them both to share.  I love key lime pie, so this was definitely my favorite.  Local Catch's key lime pie was not the best one I ever had, but it was good...creamy and tangy.  Oreos are not my cookie of choice and the idea of a deep fried oreo does not tempt me one bit.  However, Haley and Kylee loved the deep fried oreo.


                                        All in all, Three Friends and a Fork give Local Catch
                                                Paw Paw's hiding and where's Rob?                

3 Fishy Yums UP and hope they have lots of success in their new Tuscaloosa location.
Ok, now it's your turn.  The family had a lot of fun with this picture which was on the wall of Local Catch.  Each of us seemed to see something different.  So...I will ask you.  What do you see?  Leave your answers below.  

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Guest Post: Make A Wish At The Well

An explorer at heart, I am no stranger to driving around a town that I barely know in search of interesting restaurants, book stores and coffee shops. On a rainy afternoon in Nashville, Tenn., I was feeling the urge for coffee when I spotted an adorable, rustic looking sign. I had to check it out!



The Well Coffeehouse, in the Green Hills area of Nashville, gives patrons a chance to enjoy coffee for a cause. As a nonprofit missional coffeehouse, The Well makes money to give it away. Its vision is to end poverty for people in Ethiopia, Uganda, Romania and many more areas in need. By simply purchasing a cup of coffee, customers help people find the food and clean water they need to survive. The Well informed me that nearly 6,000 people die every day from water-borne illness. The coffeehouse partnered with The Living Water Project and Blood: Water Mission to combat this problem. Additionally, The Well has several retail items for purchase -- some that support an end to human trafficking. The Well had already set itself apart from other coffee spots. I was eager to be a small part of such a great mission.

I knew immediately that this was a place you come and stay for awhile. (Although, they have a drive thru for convenience.) Locals come and enjoy their coffee surrounded by an atmosphere of exposed brick, chalk-board walls and wooden barrels. Everything draws the patrons to the mission behind The Well.

One of my favorite parts of the coffee shop was the book nook. In the corner of the room, customers can leisurely sip their drinks while enjoying a variety of books. Some are for sale and others live in the shop. Before I settled down to read, I had to decide what to eat.
If my aunt knows anything about me, it's that I am very picky about my salads. I usually go to restaurants and ask for substitutions and minor changes that would drive any chef crazy. Yes, I am that person! I decided to be adventurous and order the salad exactly as they prepare it. No substitutions! Let me just say, I was very pleased.

The first thing I noticed was that they used spinach instead of lettuce, which is just how I like it. All of the ingredients were very fresh and the raspberry vinaigrette had just the right thickness. With sunflower seeds, croutons and feta cheese sprinkled on top, the salad was a perfect compliment to my TryptoFANTASTIC.

What's a TryptoFANTASTIC? It's a turkey, provolone, tomato and spinach artesian sandwich with a delightful bruschetta spread. The menu offers several different bread choices, but I went along with good old fashioned wheat. The sandwich was lightly toasted and the tomatoes were especially juicy. Yummy! But, lets not forget the reason that I came. I needed my coffee fix.



The Mocha "Freeze" was an absolute delight. As a coffee connoisseur, I have had my fair share of frozen coffee treats. I am always disappointed when my frozen drinks taste more like sugary syrup rather than coffee. The Well didn't have that problem. The drink was a perfect blend of freshly brewed coffee, mocha and milk. The drink was not overpowering, and it still gave me the kick I needed.

As if wonderful coffee, tasty artesian sandwiches and a book nook wasn't enough, The Well had one more surprise. It's called The Wishing Well. 

In an attempt to bring the community together and give hope to those in need, The Well designated a wall for all those looking to give or receive a helping hand. I took the time to read some of the wishes, and I was touched by many of the stories. Suddenly, the perfect strangers who posted these amazing wishes seemed like old friends. Some people didn't bother to ask for anything but instead gave thanks for their families, homes and faith. It was a remarkable sight. I even knew which wishes had been granted, because The Well proudly stamps "COMPLETED" on every one that has come true.


The Well is more than a coffeehouse, it is a place of hope.

"Love. Coffee. The perfect blend every time." - The Well



Many blessings,
Haley Clemons
@haleyclemons89

The Well Coffeehouse on Urbanspoon

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Three Friends and a Faculty



The faculty of Brownwood Elementary wearing our Brownwood has Gone Green t shirts.
Leaders are a dime a dozen.  Many people try to lead and some are pretty good at it.  But every now and again, if you are lucky, you might encounter a special kind of leader...a leader who makes people want to follow; a leader who leads by example and somehow makes others rise to levels of achievement they might have thought impossible.  

Wayne Washam
I've been lucky enough to see the real deal a few times in my life.  For instance, my high school band director, Wayne Washam, was one.  He led the band in tiny Arab, Alabama, for decades and while he was at the helm, Arab's band was one of the best in the state.  At times Arab's band probably included one-quarter of the entire high school population. Band was that popular.  And Washam could silence an entire 200 member band with a look.  He was that good.  Everyone wanted to be part of it because of him and because the program embodied excellence.   Students who joined the band in 5th grade would be under Washam's watchful eye for 8 years before graduating.  Because of this, he left an indelible mark on the young lives he touched.  Members of his band learned way more than how to play an instrument.  They learned responsibility, discipline and dedication.  Wayne Washam held himself to high standards and he expected no less from his students.  

John Esslinger
My children are part of the cross country and track teams in Scottsboro, AL.  For years, these programs have been the finest in the state.  Why?  Because they have been spearheaded by Hall of Fame Coach John Esslinger.  Esslinger demanded, expected and cultivated excellence in his athletes.  Somehow he managed to take ordinary kids and turn them into state champions year after year.  In 21 years as head coach, he racked up an amazing 41 state championships.  His teams included nearly 100 individual state titles, as well.  He had junior high and high school kids choosing to get up and run at 5:30 in the morning, or in the heat of the day and in the summer when other kids were sleeping late and having fun.  Esslinger was able to encourage his athletes to do things that most would find impossible because he was willing to do things other coaches would never do.  Many times, on those early mornings when the team wasn't practicing, he would still be there helping just one or two kids.  And he held himself to the same high standards he required of his athletes.  He is absolutely the most dedicated and hard-working coach I have ever seen.  He is a person of character and athletes in his programs learned much more than just how to run, jump or throw.  They learned lessons on how to live a good, moral and respectable life. 

For the last four years, Brownwood Elementary in Scottsboro has had the great good fortune to have this kind of a leader holding the reins.  Steve Green came to Brownwood after a stint as assistant principal at the local junior high.  Many of us were skeptical.  What could a secondary principal do for an elementary school?  How could he understand the needs of elementary students or their parents or teachers?  Even though we heard nothing but good things from the junior high teachers, still, we wondered.  We needn't have been concerned.  Ok, I'll go ahead and admit it...we were wrong!  Boy, were we wrong!

Green with some of his favorite teachers.
 Steve Green is one of those rare individuals who can be a strong and decisive leader while still being supportive and kind.  He has a big hearty laugh that echoes through the halls.  You cannot be in a bad mood when you hear that laugh.  He is one of the hardest working people we know and when there is a problem to be fixed, instead of dragging his feet or passing the buck, he says, "I'm on it!"  His first order of business each morning is to poke his head in each teacher's room, give a jolly, "Good morning, good morning!" and ask if anything is needed.  His emails to us were always full of encouragement and humor and he always ended them by saying, "Hold the Fort!"  We looked forward to reading his pithy remarks.  He leads by example and he supports his teachers.  He is not afraid to make a decision and stick to it.  He doesn't try to please everyone; he tries to make the best decisions possible and his ultimate goal is to do the best he can for every child in the school.  Honestly, everybody works harder because he works so hard. We loved Steve Green right from the beginning.  His very first year at Brownwood, we had shirts made that said, "Brownwood Has Gone Green...And We Love Him!"   Principals of his calibre are hard to find and apparently even harder to keep, because even though we wished it wasn't so, we have lost our leader to Lynchburg...Tennessee, that is. 
We tried threatening him with The Fork to get him to come back with us!  The big two timer!
So, this day was a bittersweet one for Three Friends and a Fork.  If you remember, on our last trip to Birmingham, we were making plans for a good-bye party for our favorite principal.  The plans we came up with included hijacking Mr. Green and taking him to lunch.  This was, we thought the perfect time to go back to Miss Mary Bobo's, located right off the square in Lynchburg.  After checking with Green, we then got busy contacting our Brownwood colleagues.  We knew they would also want to say farewell to this fine man.  
Luanne started the day off with car trouble!

That's how we ended up, once again, on the road to Lynchburg.  Seventeen of us were able to make the trip and we were excited to see how Mr. Green was being treated by his new faculty.  So off we went, Three Friends and a Fork, back to Tennessee.  We arrived early back at Miss Mary Bobo's to get checked in and get ready for the rest of our colleagues to arrive.

Here's a link to a video about the history of Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House.  Pay close attention at about 5:06 into the video.  There are some Scottsboro folks enjoying the bountiful spread!
Waiting for the dinner bell to ring!  What is Tracy doing?

Checking out the gift shop at Miss Mary Bobo's.
Wonder what Barbie is saying?
 Our party was too large for one dining room, so we were going to be divided into two adjoining rooms in the historic old boarding house.  Meals are served two times a day, six days a week at Miss Bobo's.  When the dinner bell rings, each party is escorted, by a hostess, into one of the dining rooms and dinners are served family style.  When our hostesses called us, our noisy party trudged into our two rooms in the basement of the old house, just across from the Roundtree cistern.



The Roundtree Cistern
.  Dishes were lined up on our tables...fried chicken, sliced pork and gravy, squash casserole, brown butter beans, apples laced with Jack Daniels, tomato relish, creamed corn, fried okra and chess pie.  The dishes are passed to the left until everyone fills their plate and then passed again...and again.  If a dish gets emptied, it is refilled and brought back to the table.  This continues until everyone is so full they cannot eat another bite.  Everything was delicious.  My personal favorites were the tomato relish and the tipsy apples.


Sliced roasted pork and gravy
No fair, Parker!
Good food, good meat, good grief!  Let's eat!

Starting at 12 o'clock, fried chicken, brown butter beans, tomato relish, creamed corn, squash casserole, fried okra and a corn muffin.  In the center...baked apples made with the "local product", Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey.
Chess Pie, Oh My!
This is the point where we think Green first got the idea to steal The Fork!
After lots of laughter and story-telling, mostly at the expense of Mr. Green, we somehow finagled an invitation to visit our boss' new digs at Lynchburg Elementary School.  He was probably wishing he had some way to politely refuse our request, but he is such a gentleman.  He pointed in the direction of the school, just a couple of blocks from Mary Bobo's and we jumped in our cars before he could change his mind. 
Making everyone laugh...except Tracy.  Who is she texting?

What a great guy!  Look at Kellenberger...she is overcome with emotion...missing him already!
Look out Lynchburg!  Here we come!
One of Lynchburg's kindergarten classrooms.  We tried to get Green to throw the occupant of this room out and hire one of us!  
Heck, Green...hire ALL of us!
































Look at the shine on those floors!

We were impressed by what we saw.  Lynchburg Elementary is in a large, sprawling building, much larger than Brownwood.  Mr. Green told us it used to be the high school and they converted it to an elementary school.  As we walked up to the building, en masse, we realized that Green had stolen our FORK!  We had to ask him where it was.  He thought we were giving him some kind of silver fork award, I suppose, because he thought it was his!  We had to send him back to his truck to fetch our fork.  Really, Steve, we love you, but without the fork, we are just Three Friends!  We started back up to the building, this time with fork in hand.  Now don't you just know those Lynchburg teachers were wondering about the harem with the giant fork Steve Green was bringing into the building?  They had to have been wondering what kind of person had just been hired.  And then we opened our mouths...our very loud mouths!   They probably started making frantic phone calls to the superintendent!  Everyone of us traipsed into the front office where three concerned looks were cast our way.  Mr. Green introduced us to the ladies at the front desk and started toward his office when he realized he couldn't get in.  In all the fork controversy, he had left his keys in his truck.  He sheepishly went back to ask one of the ladies in the front office for her key.  We walked into his office and were struck by waves of nostalgia.  Back at Brownwood, Green always had a large glass case with two big catfish he and his dad had caught and Green had preserved.  The first thing we saw was that case and it hit us.  Our principal was really not coming back.  He and his fish and his large deer head were in Lynchburg to stay.  Here's a disclaimer...somehow I missed the deer head back in Scottsboro, but everyone tells me it was there.  Green said it was because when I was in his office I was always on a tear about something, which I vehemently deny!




On the steps of Green's new digs!
Have I mentioned that Steve Green is a clean freak?  I peeked into his bathroom, out of curiosity, and had to laugh.  The man had three toothbrushes and two tubes of toothpaste setting on a shelf.  I suppressed a giggle.  We tease him all the time because  he ALWAYS  carries a bottle of hand sanitizer in his pocket.  If he ever walked into my classroom and I happened to have a cold, he would start walking backwards, inching back out the door.  Sometimes I used to tell him I had a cold even if I didn't,  just to watch him squirm!   It is hysterical!  Can you think of a worse place for a germ-a-phobe than an elementary school?  There were many snickers from teachers when we would see little kids latching onto Green as he would walk down the hallway.  I bet he would run back to his bathroom and cover himself in Germ-X!  

The best principal, ever... with his handy dandy bottle of Germ X!
Look where Green left his Germ X.  We should have hidden it just for fun!

Lynchburg Elementary School may be in an older building, but it is clear that a lot of effort has gone into its upkeep.  The floors were spotless and shiny from multiple wax coatings.  As we meandered down the hallways, Green paused to introduce us to one of the people responsible for the immaculate appearance of the building.  One of the custodial staff happened by and spoke to Mr. Green, saying, laughingly as he looked at us, that now he understood why Green had turned down his offer to share his lunch of squirrel dumplings.  Yikes!  This guy apparently does not know Green very well, yet!

Steve Green is a great outdoorsman.  He loves to hunt and fish.  But he is a complete wimp when it comes to eating!  The man is PICKY!  And, as I have mentioned before, he is a germ freak.  He wants to know who has prepared his food and is completely freaked out by potluck dinners.  He would never eat squirrel dumplings!  FYI, Lynchburg...do not try to feed Steve Green.  It will just frustrate you!

In the interest of full disclosure...one other thing the Lynchburg folks should know...Steve Green is, how shall we put this, an obnoxious Alabama fan.  Do not for one instant think he is going to yell for Tennessee.  He won't and he will happily needle you about all the National Championship trophies Alabama has accumulated.  Several of us Auburn fans staged quite a violent intervention, to no avail.  If you can learn to love him in spite of this serious flaw, you will be very happy with Steve Green.
Choking him will not convert him!

After our tour, we sadly said good bye to our good friend, Steve Green.  We are leaving him in Lynchburg for now, but we warned the teachers we met that we would happily take him back, so they better be good to him.  Actually, I think he is going to love Lynchburg.  Every single person we spoke with was genuinely happy to have Green and they all seemed so pleasant and welcoming.  So, good bye, Mr. Green! Our shirts say it all...We Love Him!

                                                                                                Hey, Green....Hold the Fork!  
                                                                                                       Richi, Sherri and Lu!
The back of our Green shirts...And we love him!

Three Friends and a Fork, Steve Green and the faculty of Brownwood Elementary School 

Mr. Green and his fans!




collectively give Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House 

3 Yums UP!




Ok, here's the contest, folks!  The first one of our fans, ehem, friends to correctly guess the number of times "The Fork" appears in these photos, will receive a personal invitation to join us for our next outing...on us!  (See our disclaimers in our previous blog post!)  Ready, set, go!  
                                                                                         
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