By Sheri Hopkins, Lifestyle Contributor
Hello everyone! I am back from vacation. I will say that was the best vacation I have had in a long time. My brother Larry, his wife Peggy and I went. We left on a Tuesday and stopped in Nashville to see my nieces and visited with them. We had dinner and then headed out the next morning to Mt. Airy, North Carolina, AKA Mayberry.
If you know our family, we all love the Andy Griffith show. Mt. Airy is his hometown and a lot of the show is based on characters from Andy’s childhood. They have a main street that has all the Mayberry shops, Floyd’s Barber, Ms. Ellie Walkers Soda Fountain, Mayberry Trading Post, Barney’s Cafe, Snappy Lunch, Opie’s Candy Store, Earl Theater, Mayberry on Main, Loaded Goat Restaurant, a replica of the courthouse and Wally’s filling station. We saw Andy’s childhood home and took a tour in the squad car. I am telling you everybody in that town was very friendly. Just like being in Mayberry.
We were riding in the squad car, and we were at a stop light and some guy in a truck pulls up beside us and starts yelling “citizen’s arrest, citizen’s arrest.” I yelled back in a hick voice, “you just go up an alley and holler fish.” We were all laughing. If you ever get the chance to visit, they have Mayberry Days in September and Andy Griffith’s daughter and her best friend come to it and dress up as the fun girls, Skippy and Daphne, and walk up and down the street kissing all the men.
For you older folks, Mt. Airy is also the birthplace of Donna Fargo. She comes every year on the Fourth of July and sings during their celebration. We also toured the Andy Griffith Museum. They had a sidecar that Barney had when he bought the motorcycle. He used it at Check Point Chickie to watch the El Truckos. I also go to stop at Bucees, it was my first time and I loved it. They have everything you can imagine and the cleanest bathrooms this side of the Pecos.
We left the wonderful town of Mt. Airy and headed to Atlanta, Georgia. Talk about traffic. I told my brother, “I need a pinch of a nerve pill!” It was crazy. We went to two Braves baseball games, my brother’s favorite team. I had so much fun sitting by these kids. They thought I was crazy. They were not far off on that. I had the best hotdog I ever had. Nothing like a ballpark hotdog. We headed home on Sunday. I had the best time but was ready to get home in my own bed and see my little JR dog.
We had stopped to eat at Wendy’s on the way there and my brother had to get some of their chili. Him and my nephew, Michael, loves the chili from Wendy’s. Of course he got some on his shirt. That evening we were going to eat, and he said, “should I change my shirt?” Peggy says, “yes, you are changing your shirt.” She handed him a shirt and he said, “why can’t I wear that other shirt,” pointing to one in the suitcase. She said, “that’s my pajama shirt!” Keep in mind, it’s bright yellow and has some design on it. The man is a hoot to go on a trip with. Every time we stopped and would get back in the car, I would ask if everyone had their phones, wallets, bras, teeth and gun. After my brother left his phone in the bathroom on our last trip to Nashville, I wanted to make sure nobody forgot anything.
I will have more stories next week. This week’s recipe is a red velvet dump cake. My granddaughter loves red velvet cake.
RED VELVET DUMP CAKE
20 oz. can of crushed pineapple
21 oz. can of cherry pie filling
1 box of red velvet cake mix (dry)
1 stick of butter (I used a stick and a half)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray. Dump the cherry pie filling in first, then the can of pineapple next (do not drain). Spread the dry cake mix on top of that, then add the melted butter on top. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Enjoy with some vanilla ice cream on top.
