A field trip of sorts

Get a load of this motley crew...we've been on a little excursion today to The Hermitage, the home of our seventh President, Andrew Jackson.

I was little girl of seven when I made my first trip to The Hermitage. My best friend Melissa, from across the street, had moved to Nashville and we went to visit for the weekend. I remember the tall beds and the cradle in the upstairs bedroom. I returned in the fifth grade on a field trip and at ten was old enough to fall in love with the beautiful property.

Many years later, Danny and I would move only three or four miles down the road from The Hermitage, and I would pass Jackson's former home almost on a daily basis. I never grew tired of trying to catch a glimpse of the house through the magnificent trees.

We were still living in the area on that sad day in April 1998 when tornadoes ripped through the area and destroyed hundreds of trees that dated back to Jackson's time. I remember how heartbreaking it was to drive by and see those proud old trees broken and bent.

Today I could tell where many of those trees had been trimmed and were still living - though terribly mangled. Many of the cedars that lined the driveway had been replaced, but were growing well and doing their best to catch up.

We had a great day at The Hermitage, some of us for the first time, some of us for the fifth, hopefully none of us for the last!