
Last week, I had a very productive time in Knoxville, Tennessee, working on my book about the Raynella Dossett Leath. And on top of that, I had lots of fun. Getting there wasn’t easy, though.
I tried to find a flight from San Antonio to Knoxville and the options were nuts–one even took me to Colorado first. The time from the initial flight to the final touchdown at my destination ranged from 7 to 9 hours. I discovered I could fly to Nashville on a direct flight and drive to Knoxville in five hours or less. Go figure.

Tuesday morning, as I walked in light snow, I discovered another treasure, Coffee and Chocolate. I ended up going there daily for a pumpkin spice latte and a totally incredible piece of Chipolte Carmel Chocolate. I also saw the Tennessee Suffrage Memorial (right) at Market Square. If you are wondering why it would be there, it’s because Tennessee was the 36th state to ratify the amendment giving women the right to vote. As I shot pictures of the statue, a photographer from the Knoxville Sentinel shot photographs of me.
On my way to the Knox County Courthouse Thursday morning, I walked through the arch leading to the courtyard in front of the Howard H. Baker Jr. Federal Courthouse and was overwhelmed by the Audrey Flack bust entitled Justice (left).
The only real problem I had in Knoxville were my frequent brain stutters when someone said “U.T.” The University of Tennessee is right next to the downtown area and it was mentioned by everyone and its color orange was everywhere. Back here in Texas, when people say U.T., they mean University of Texas, whose color is also orange. But I am an Aggie Mom and I bleed maroon. So every time I heard U.T., I thought T.U.–traditional Texas A&M putdown of their archrival–and had to send my train of thought down a different rail to realize the intended meaning.
I really liked Knoxville–if it were only closer to the ocean or Gulf of Mexico, I would move there in a heartbeat.