Happy birthday to me! Today, Terry and I met Dad, Janice and Jill at the Riverview Restaurant & Marina in Ashland City for a birthday lunch. We sat outside on their covered deck with an expansive view of the Cumberland River. Here’s a little history from “Tennessee Home & Farm” magazine about the marina: “Opened as a bait shop in 1956 that served quick bites like hamburgers and hot dogs, the restaurant’s original structure was destroyed in the May 2010 flood that devastated much of Middle Tennessee. After just over a year of reconstruction, Riverview Restaurant & Marina came back better than ever on May 25, 2011.”
Okay, now a little personal history: Janice with friends Penny and James Lee would cruise from Hendersonville through the locks on their cabin cruiser and grab burgers at the original bait shop. Coincidentally, one memorable day in June of 1967, Mom and Dad stopped at the aforementioned bait shop before heading towards the banks of Cheatam Dam to do a little fishing. Apparently, Mom fell on the rocks and that evening I arrived. So today was a full circle moment.
We all tucked into to some old fashioned southern cooking. Dad ordered fried mushrooms, and Bobbers (a fried appetizer with garlic grits, bacon, cheese with a side of homemade remoulade sauce) for the table, had my eyes set on a cheeseburger with fries, Dad and Terry both ordered the catfish plate with hush puppies and fries while Jill and Janice both had baked potatoes. There were rave reviews online for the homemade banana pudding so I had to try that before we left while Jill and Janice split a piece of key lime pie.
What a wonderful way to spend a gorgeous summer day with family.
