Twilight in Northwest Georgia: A Hidden Gem

Sunday, May 5, 2024

A Hidden Gem

It was mid-morning last Thursday when we backed the car out of the garage and, as we often do, took off for parts unknown. Driving in the mountains and forested countryside of northwest Georgia on the winding roads is a peaceful and relaxing experience. And you don't need to have a destination in mind. There is always something just around the next bend...a festival, flea market, junk shop or maybe just an old abandoned building that beckons to be looked at and to be appreciated for the images it conjures up about its glory days. The building has done it's job if it leaves the viewer with the age-old thought, "if only it could talk."

We had been on the road for a couple of hours when Maribel said she was getting hungry. We were a few miles from Summerville and were talking about which restaurant we should eat at when an old building caught our eyes. Some old buildings have character; some do not. I guess that it's up to the viewer to determine which category a building belongs in. We pulled over and got out of the car to take a photo and look around a bit.

We felt that this building has character, and its structure had us guessing about its age and what its original purpose was. The sign above the doors intrigued us; The Willow Tree Grill. It was too new...it didn't fit with the story the building was telling us. We peered through the windows, expecting to see loads of trash but were literally stunned by the sight that greeted our eyes. Inside there were tables and chairs and a bar, And people were sitting at the tables and bar. And there was a waitress carrying plates of food. This is a working restaurant! The parking area is not visible from the front, being located behind and some distance from the building, leading us to believe that the building was abandoned.

The entrance is through a narrow door on the left side of the building. Upon entering we felt as if we were stepping back in time. I would not have been surprised to see a couple of cowboys and an Indian belly up to the bar and order whiskey. There was no way we were going to walk away without spending some time looking around and eating at this restaurant.

The menu contained the typical southern family restaurant offerings. Maribel had a chicken salad plate which she enjoyed but was disappointed that the chicken was ground up rather than served in slices. I ordered fried breaded shrimp with onion rings and a house salad as the two sides. Everything was done to perfection, even the one-inch thick toast was delicious. The portions were generous, the prices reasonable and the service was excellent.

The Willow Tree Grill is a 50 minute drive from our home. We will be back. When we do return, I wonder if we will have the same feelings. It may be that having experienced the initial surprise and uniqueness, a large part of the attraction will be gone. It's happened before, but somehow I don't think so. I believe that The Willow Tree Grill truly is a hidden gem.

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What this blog is about

Hi. My name is Tom. I am a long-time blogger, having started in my native Wisconsin some fifteen years ago and continuing during my ten years living in Peru. I all but stopped posting to my blog when my wife and I returned to the United States and moved to Rossville, Georgia in July of 2017. We don’t actually live in Rossville. We live in one of those census-designated places, a term I really don’t understand and am not interested enough to learn about. The only practical difference I can see is that the city does not pick up our trash.

I’m starting a new blog because my old one was Peru specific, and that was yesterday. I chose the title ‘Twilight in Northwest Georgia’ for two reasons: twilight because I am old and for me age is playing an ever-increasing role in how I view myself and the world around me. And Northwest Georgia for obvious reasons. It’s not a great title but it identifies and introduces what it needs to. Good enough.

This blog is not going to have a central theme…it’s not going to be about anything specifically. I like to write and will post about anything and everything that may interest me at the moment. I do know that my wife Maribel will be mentioned frequently because she is everything to me.

A comment here about my writing style and philosophy might be in order. We live in an era of political correctness…a time when the broadcast and print media, politicians, and petty people in general are lined up like vultures, eagerly waiting to pounce on anyone for the slightest faux pas, no matter how innocent and unintended. The media do it to sell their services. Politicians do it to advance their careers by degrading others. Petty people do it because…well…because they’re petty people. It is never my intent to be politically correct, politically incorrect, obnoxious or offensive. I can be critical and sometimes very critical but try my best to be objective. I do like to praise when praise is warranted. I do have pet peeves, am very opinionated and can be very vocal about them, which in the past has drawn the ire of some readers on my old blog. But that’s life. We all have different likes, dislikes, values and beliefs. The key is how we handle those differences.

The purpose of this blog is to provide a platform for me to write. I am opening it up to the public simply because someone may find something of interest in my ramblings. Any reader comments or criticisms, provided they are civil, are welcome.