A great fireworks shop outside of Nashville:

Old sign in Knoxville:

Entrance and caves at the Lost Sea by Sweetwater, TN

Another highlight was the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge — the “hidden city” in the 40s where they processed uranium for the bomb. The museum was unlike any I’ve been to — extremely positive about nuclear energy, minimizing the effects that it had and may continue to have on Oak Ridge and surrounding areas. It was apparent that it was created to promote nuclear energy, as well as the extensive cleanup the city has done on the site. It’s worth checking out — if only to learn about the strange history of the town. A quick visit to their website confirmed my suspicion that the Oak Ridge Boys are in fact from the area. That explains a lot…

We stopped on the way home at an amazing antique mall in Indiana. I found a beautiful old book of bug illustrations and verses — caterpillars, ladybugs, dragonflies, etc. Turns out that it matches our kitchen well, and we’re considering using the illustrations for the mosaic on the counters. I’ll post pictures on this project as it develops!