No matter who you are, where you live, or what you are doing, may each and every one of you have a very Happy Thanksgiving, grateful for all we have!

Happy Thanksgiving

Post #28 – National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) 2013.

For more of these weekly challenges, go to The Daily Post.

But a French restaurant right downtown on Gay Street?  Well, I’ll be! 

And judging by the folks waiting for chairs on the patio or sipping lattes elbow to elbow inside,  it’s been found by locals AND tourists alike! 

During our two-week stay downtown, we ate there no less than three times — brunch, dinner, and aprés movie ( The Three Stooges, no less  – nyuk, nyuk, nyuk)!

Allen and Susan Tate opened The French Market Crêperie in 2008 after wintering in France two years. After realizing they couldn’t make those delicate crêpes while standing and smiling all day only to get up to do it again the next, they hired great staff to cook crêpes and omelettes to order even ’til 10 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Susan (on right) says that she and Molly are the French Market girls, but as far as we can tell, everyone employed there can gently fold in imported buckwheat flour to make sweet or savory crêpes, bake pain au chocolate, or serve LavAzza, the world’s best-selling espresso!

You stand at the bar, staring at the long list of crêpes — hearty main meal ones like Turkey, Bacon, and Avocado or sweet classics like Crêpe Suzette made with Grand Marnier Orange Cognac, sugar, caramel, and whipped cream!  

For lunch one day, we split a Monte Cristo Ham & Cheese — just because we read that it was adorned with strawberry jam, butter, and powdered sugar!

Or maybe you order a fresh croissant (oui, oui!)– plain or bulging with scrambled egg and Provolone.

Sometimes you want to take home the ubiquitous French macarons seen in the best-dressed Paris windows like those of Laduree! And you can, if you shop The French Market!

Ed Jacquemin drives in from Tazewell to have his favorite — Strawberries & Cream — fresh berries, homemade ricotta cheese, whipped cream, and almonds.  But today, he’s having Lemon & Sugar, the choice of Sarah Pattison who was interviewed for the May 2012 issue of Southern Living! I don’t know why you’d waste your time with anything but the lemon-and-sugar crepe, Sarah says (Tennessee Living, p. 2).

Look around the chic blue room.  Paris touches abound —  from La Tour Eiffel . . .

to French postcards . . .

to framed art!

On the last night downtown, we split our ultimate favorite:  a Nutella (hazelnut & chocolate) and Banana  Crêpe topped with whipped cream drizzled like a Jackson Pollack canvas.  Next time, we’re not sharing!

Amanda came out to check on us and say good-bye.  We were hooked, and we’ll be back.

Mary Constantine’s January 28, 2010 article in the Knoxville News-Sentinel offers Allen and Susan‘s recipe for basic crêpe batter and Strawberries and Cream Crêpe!

Click here for Mary’s article and the recipes!

You can follow Mary Constantine on Twitter at @skilletsister.

href=”http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/68/1416721/restaurant/Downtown/The-French-Market-Creperie-Knoxville”><img alt=”The French Market Creperie on Urbanspoon” src=”http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1416721/minilink.gif” style=”border:none;padding:0px;width:130px;height:36px” /></a>

 The French Market Crepêrie

526 South Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 

865.540.4372

Monday: 9 to 3

Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday: 9 to 8

Friday & Saturday: 9 to 10

Sunday: 10 to 3

And the answer is — a lot!

Best we can calculate, this is the seventh multi-house blitz build by Knoxville Habitat, and ten houses are already in Silver Leaf subdivision off Skyline Drive.  Blitz 2012 runs from April 14 to dedication day on April 21 with six houses under construction.  When all completed, Silver Leaf should hold around 50 houses!

Sunday brings out the Crew Leaders (trained volunteers who lead those of us who barely know how to hammer or hang siding), House Leaders (covenant partner leaders who are in charge of one house), some dedicated volunteers, and Habitat staff who are in charge of well, everything — from T-shirts, to food donations, to band-aids and music (which some people like John Smartt say is deplorable and not helping the work situation, but that’s just John’s opinion)!

Running around somewhere were the Construction Staff for Knoxville Habitat for Humanity (KHFH): Tony Camesa, Dave Richardson, and Cliff Shadwell. (Tony told me emphatically that he did NOT want his picture taken!  He’s bigger and stronger, so I complied with his request!)

On this 80-degree afternoon, I found workers at each house mostly nailing down roofing material, but others were operating power saws, framing windows, leveling the first piece of siding, and sweeping!  After all, this was Day Two when exterior walls and interior studs hold up the trusses placed on Day One. 

Wanna see what a few of the “leader” types were doing on a Sunday? 

Jim Nixon practically begged me to take his picture and email it to his wife.  Please send this to Chris so she’ll know I’m working today! I obliged!  Jim’s no newcomer to hard work.  He’s carried heavy boxes for the Empty Stocking Fund recipients at Christmas and wielded a hammer many times for Habitat, so it was a pleasure to stand beside him and Terry Sproul and thank them for what they were doing on what could have been a leisurely day at home!

Jim Nixon — hammering, not hunting, today!

It’s a sweaty (but good) place to be – between Terry Sproul and Jim Nixon!

Greg McMillan (House Leader and former Chair of the KHFH Board) came off the roof to grab a board and say word or two to me: I’m really not scared of getting up on the roof, but I do get kinda dizzy looking down.  Have to get my bearings every now and then!

Others were grateful to pose for the camera and share what they were doing.

Don Loher and Bert swap tales and occasionally work, so they tell me!

Lynne Liddington, (worked with her on Women Builds before), finishes up for the day.

Phil Watson stands proudly with Shay, one of the homeowners.

John Smartt (See, I told you he didn’t like the music!) balances on the ladder to do some window work.

Tom Pfalzer and Debbie Widmann return to the Blitz after checking out rental property in downtown Knoxville. (They must have been reading my blog!)

Rukiya, another homeowner, loves her new porch. It catches the breeze just right!

Dick Graham, House Leader for Cedar Springs Presbyterian and Dave Richardson, KHFH Construction Leader, joke about who’s gonna talk to WBIR when they come to film!

Bob Stivers (Crew Leader) brought his son Rob to the site today.  Rob, father of three, says with a smile, This is a break for me!

And Jodi Price, KHFH Mortgage Manager, hands me a shirt so I can celebrate another successful Habitat Blitz Build!

Silver Leaf offers rolling hills and a panoramic view of the city — great property for homebuilding!

Dedication is this Saturday, April 21st at 10:00 in Silver Leaf. 

You’ll see some pretty terrific houses, but, more importantly, you’ll be touched by each and every terrific homeowner!  Building Habitat houses is a whole lot more than just building Habitat houses. For sure!

This year’s event did not disappoint.  Artists, local and faraway, (Texas, North Carolina, Kentucky, etc.) brought their best in pottery, jewelry, photography, and doo-dads no one really needs but we want ‘em because they make life enjoyable!  Weather cooperated: cool mornings, warm days, and breezy nights — perfect for outdoor dining and strolling with children in tow. 

Here are my favorite shots of Festival 2012. 

(My apologies for lack of captions on some of the pictures.  I wrestled with WordPress about as long as my patience could stand!  Still learning how to blog with the best of ‘em!)

Early Morning Before the Crowds

Photographer Clay Thurston opens his tent on Market Square

A quiet moment for the Festival booth before the crowds arrive

Knoxville Habitat for Humanity Boutique Sale

3 UT students man the register: Meghan, Emily & Johan

UT retail class designed the T-shirt for the sale

The sale brought in over $4,000 to build Habitat homes this year!

Art from the People Who See the World Creatively

Lorraine Fletcher's creative photography. http://www.fletchfotos.com

Food of the Festival — the Usual and Unusual

People lined up for an Orange Julius!

Music, Children and a Plethora of Hula Hoops

Local Authors Day at Union Avenue Books

(Since I can’t get the caption to work, that’s Jack Neely reading comments about Knoxville — pro and con — from research he’s gathered! Fascinating talk!)

Sam Venable chats with Jack Neely and David Brill

All Things Dogwood Arts

The Dogwood Arts Festival booth

Kathy Sharp and Dogwood Arts Chair, Lisa Duncan

For more information about the Dogwood Arts Festival – trails, events, and news — check their website.  You’ll wanna come downtown next year, too!

Pink, white, green — it’s Dogwood Time in Tennessee!

Although the Dogwoods came and went prior to our visit, Mother Nature is still lavishing broad strokes of beauty in pockets all over the city.  PRETTY is everywhere  –from Blount Mansion to Old City.

First stop, early morning: The office of Mack Gentry on the 23rd floor of Riverview Towers for a panorama of the city guided by the friendliest lady a front desk could have — Donna.

Coming together to form the Tennessee River

Seeing the green of the Howard F. Baker, Jr., U. S. Courthouse!

The spire of First Baptist Church in a cityscape foreground

 Just at the edge of downtown stands Blount Mansion, Knoxville’s only national historic structure. A quiet, mostly structured garden sits at the far edge of the property — boxwoods framing perennials, garden spire for height.  Brick pathways lined with lenten roses and shoulder-high boxwoods wind from the kitchen patio to the fence separating the property from Fort Loudon Lake.  The Knoxville Garden Club maintains this quiet garden with the goal of preserving the look and feel of the past.

 St. John’s Cathedral offers not only climbing trumpet vines, verdant shrubs, and azaleas but also a labyrinth in the courtyard

All around town, spring shows her colors!

An iron fence forms the backdrop for the last show of azaleas.

Flowerboxes at the Jig & Reel in the Old City

A full burst of hostas near O. P. Jenkins Furniture Store

Well-landscaped hillside at the base of the TVA Towers

Spritely purple pansies on Gay Street

Angel wing begonias in a sidewalk container

Just planted by the City Horticulture Department: summer annuals!

A stately glimpse of Krutch Park

Elegant mixed pot of flowers at Kendrick Place

It doesn’t take long to see that Knoxville does PRETTY, especially at Dogwood Time!

For the past eight years, artist Mike C. Berry, painter of colorful local landmarks, scenes of Paris, and the Pilot billboards, serves as Gallery Manager. His love of art in just about any form and willingness to share the “look-fors” when you’re struggling with symbolism and notable traits make him the perfect host.

Mike C. Berry, Gallery Manager, UT Downtown Gallery

When we stopped by last Saturday, Mike shared the uniqueness of Nexus 2012, the current juried show featuring 17 pieces selected from nearly a hundred entries. Although modern art sometimes leaves me cold, this mixture of mostly sculpture and pieced-together art offers creativity and even a bit of humor in the blend of found objects and natural materials.

In her Metro Pulse article, ‘Nexus 2012′ Challenges Notions About Dogwood Festival Art,”  Heather Joyner Spica confirms what I had been thinking:  This show is not about dogwood trails, pink blossoms, or lines of wash hanging outside clapboard homes.  This is bolder stuff than the usual festival line-up.

And, although sophisticated crafts have long been part of our city’s springtime festivities, unless I’ve overlooked ceramic wind chimes resembling Alexander Calder mobiles on Market Square, I don’t recall fine art from past festivals being particularly modern, let alone cutting edge, so Nexus represents movement in a stimulating new direction.

(H. J. Spica, April 4, 2012)

I’m downloading some of my favorites, saving the Jurors’ Choice Award for last! See if you agree — this is a “stimulating new direction”!

Fascinating shadows are cast by "Disguise" by Jessie Van de Laan

Extruded low-fire clay forms "Goods" by Quinton Owens

"Unemployed/Freedom" by Barron Hall

Crushed terracotta forms the basis of this floor piece: "Protective Coloring" by Quintin Owens

Made of clay: "Shell of Self" by Cindy Billingsley

"Tower No. VII" by Verina Baxter features a dome of alabaster.

"Ze Monsta" by John Cichon features recyclables: plastic forks and bottles, egg cartons

2nd Place: "How Many roads Must a Man Walk Down" by Marie Herrbach: fabric wheelchair

Nexus 2012 closes on Saturday, April 14th.

Hours for the the UT Downtown Gallery are

Wednesday thru Friday: 11:00 – 6:00

Saturday: 1:00 – 3:00

865.673.0802

http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

My husband and I had stood on the stage at the Knoxville Tourist Center on Saturday, the rows of blue plates lined up neatly behind and WDVX On Air.  But the main event was missing: the music of The Blue Plate Special!  I made a date with myself to go back on Monday from noon to 1 just to see what all the hoopla was about.

I arrived around 12:15 only to find every seat taken — even around the periphery where fans dined on hot sandwiches, soup, and salad from the Coop Cafe. 

Anna served up my choice:  Southwestern Chicken Salad (smoothly shredded chicken, black beans, and a kick!) and White Bean and Ham Soup — well-seasoned with fat chunks of flavorful ham!

Anna serves chicken salad and white bean soup with a smile!

A gentleman shared his table with me, and I was set to listen to Brendan James Wright and The Wrongs — little bit country, every bit enjoyable.  Brendan was personable, talking almost one-to-one with the audience between each song, and even halfway apologizing for one about mean women.  We’re really nice guys, he said. We just sing about some bad times! The crowd warmed up immediately as if they identified, and then just sat back to listen to the next one.

Brendan James Wright and The Wrongs

Brendan James Wright

Enjoying The Blue Plate Special, April 9th

Red Hickey, host of the mid-day show, sits in the back and banters with the musicians.  She’s seasoned.  Been around music and crowds and seems comfortable with both.  Wearing cowgirl boots and a swingy skirt, she speaks in measured bits, never hurried.  By her own admission in the bio online, If I haven’t found the perfect job for a gal like me then ‘grits ain’t groceries.‘

Red Hickey, host of The Blue Plate Special

Some people stayed a short time, but most had been there since 12 and stayed ’til the end.  After all, where ya gonna find good music, warm-hearted singers, and an intimate setting right in the middle of a city — all for free?

The crowd at The Blue Plate Special, April 9th

Can’t get to The Blue Plate Special?  You can listen online.  But why not visit the Knoxville Tourist Center on your lunch hour and catch some good-time, old-time music with friends?

The Coop Cafe, featuring Ms. Cock-a-Doodle’s chicken salad, greets you at the door with hot-pressed paninis, salads, and side items like black-eyed pea salad and tortellini salad with mustard dill chips!

Coop's Cafe featuring Ms. Cock-a-Doodle's Chicken Salad

Turn left to see Knoxville-branded products (mugs, candles, jellies) and locally made crafts.  My very own go-everywhere suitcase will now sport an Enjoy Knoxville tag ’cause that’s exactly what I’m doing!

Just what a traveler needs: a Knoxville luggage tag!

Mugs from Knoxville Tourist Center

We ran into Tonie Hoss Hoffman who currently lives in upper New York, but returned to her Knoxville roots this weekend after 60 years, looking for her childhood residence on Natchez Avenue.  The home is no longer in existence, but Tonie took time to tell Bert about her parents and show him the pictures she had stashed away for a trip down memory lane this weekend.

Tonie Hoff Huffman shows Bert pictures of her home on Natchez Avenue.

Since no one was playing at the time we were there, we took a closer look at the plates in the staging area where performers play live (Blue Plate Special – noon to 1:00 weekdays) on WDVX at 89.9 FM, and I promised I’d find time to enjoy the old-time music before going back home.  (Just in case you can’t make it downtown, you can still listen to the live broadcast online or check out the Blue Plate Special Photo Archive!)

On Air: WDVX 89.9 FM

On Air: April 7, 2012

Talking to Annie White, the Assistant Manager of Visitor Services, I had a new appreciation for the Visitor Center, the Blue Plate Special, and the “good word” she hopes to spread about Knoxville events and locales that even Knoxvillians don’t know about.

Knoxville enthusiast, Annie White, Asst. Mgr. of Visitor Services

If you’re downtown, the Knoxville Visitor Center should be one of your first stops — or your last,  if you want to take someone a little taste of Knoxville! 

Knoxville Visitor Center hours:

Mon. – Fri.: 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Sat.: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sun.: Noon to 4 p.m.

Up early on Saturday morning. ( Not bad for old people who stayed up late for First Friday.) 

So, we headed to Pete’s Coffee Shop-Restaurant at 540 Union Avenue. Maybe you’ve heard of the Small Plate movement in restaurants where weight-conscious people (ladies, mostly) order tiny salads and half plates of food.  Nothing like that at Pete’s!  It’s bountiful food!

Pete’s was packed, and, after checking out what other people were eating, we ordered the Breakfast Special!

Our server was none other than Sheree who is nominated for Best Server in the MetroPulse poll! She’s worked at Pete’s for 33 years! (Well, first she was at Line’s which Pete bought 25 years ago.)  With a smile on her face, she plopped down those strawberry pancakes and just-right, over-easy eggs!

Also having a big breakfast were Rhea and Ron Sherrill and their son Nolan, who had just arrived from Washington, D. C., via the Megabus — a ride that he said was “OK” and definitely affordable!

Wanna  check out Pete’s at lunch instead of breakfast?  Bert loves the homemade chicken salad sandwich with mayo, lettuce and tomato or Sami’s Sub Club: sliced lean roast beef and turkey breast — grilled hot — with two kinds of cheese and bacon on a toasted hoagie roll!

Pete’s has Daily Specials, too, like meatloaf, roast beef and gravy, and chicken livers with a your choice of country vegetables like turnip greens, real mashed potatoes, pinto beans, and apple fritters.

Pete’s Coffee Shop – Restaurant is open 6:30-2:30 Monday through Friday and 7:00 to 2:00 on Saturdays.