eating at the Modern Tavern

Who would have expected a little place like Monteagle, Tennessee, to have elegant dining?
But it does.
Apparently, Dave tired of the usual fare and opened his own place, called simply Dave's Modern. Folks did come and try it out, liking what they found on the plates there, like the tasty grilled salmon I dined upon.
But folks get thirsty, too, including Dave. So he expanded the selection of beers and modified the name to Dave's Modern Tavern. That last word drew in a different crowd and soon the place was thriving, between the gourmands and the craft beer fans.
Dave's a pretty smart fellow.
How did I come to be there?
Well, this morning, I was texting to Stephanie and Chris - of Monteagle - that I was going to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga after I left North Carolina and expected to be there between 2 and 3 PM. I had checked the map and found Monteagle would only be another hour westward and wondered if they would be able to meet me on such short notice?
Oh, yes! Stephanie would love that, but she had to work until 5. We could meet for dinner and hang out until I had to leave for Dalton for the night!
Her brother Chris was in Atlanta for a concert, so he wouldn't be able to join us. Nor would her fiancee, Daniel, as he was on a business trip.
Cool beans, just me and her it would be!

I was able to visit the Aquarium for more than three hours.
The place had added another building and completely changed the exhibits since my previous visit in 2001, after Mama died, with the BFF and her family.
But of course things had changed! More otters, more stingrays, more seahorses! There were even two blue macaws!
The exhibit with all the different jellyfish really caught my attention and I spent a good deal of time exploring those rooms. Aren't these tiny ones so cool?!!
I left Chattanooga just before 5 PM, as rush hour traffic was starting, and I arrived in Monteagle right after 5 PM.
Wait! I had said they were an hour apart!
That's right... but one is on Eastern Time and one is on Central Time.
So even though I gained an hour going there, I lost that hour on the return trip to Chattanooga. I then drove in the dark, in the mountains, to the hotel here in Dalton, Georgia, in preparation for my visit with my youngest brother in the morning.
Well worth the extra time in driving! Stephanie and I were able to spend almost three hours together! I haven't seen her since the trip to Nags Head for the Kopek family reunion in July of 2009.
I especially wanted to see her and talk with her about her dad's death. I had been in Las Vegas and was unable to come for the funeral and truly wanted to make sure she knew that I cared.
I very much recall what a loss it was when Daddy died five years ago. In fact, tomorrow will make exactly five years.
After talking to her, I am not worried about how the loss of her father has affected her. I think she foresaw his impending death after Gwen passed away last July. Stephanie seems to have had the time to prepare herself for her dad's passage, much as I did for my own father's death. What a blessing to have had that time to treasure and to know it as special. And what a fine young woman she has become, with a very good head and sense of purpose. She will soon be 34 years old and reminds me of my first niece in both maturity and outlook.
When she and Daniel get married in another year, I will be there.
Hopefully, I will also see them in mid-June, as the Kopeks and Davidsons gather in Orlando this time for their annual get-together.
Hopefully?
I can do better than that...
I will plan to be there!