Kentucky Bucket List...

When we move to a new place, we tend to spend all spare time we can being tourists in that area. This helps you to learn about the area and feel a part of it all. After living in a place for a while, your calendar starts filling up with all that stuff you deem important and the touristy thing kind of gets pushed to the back burner.  It has happened here in Kentucky just like other places we have lived. But there is still a little list of places you want to be sure you see...someday.

One of the places that has piqued our curiosity is the brown sign on I-75 as you head north that reads Big Bone Lick State Park.  I do believe that would pique any one's curiosity. Over the years we have learned it is named that because dinosaur bones were found there.  Any place with the word 'Lick' in the title is a place where salt naturally comes out of the ground or on the rocks and the animals go there to 'lick' it to get their salt intake.

The beginning of this week we realized if we worked hard and we could get all our chores accomplished, well, at least to the point where we could leave our home and not think about them for a bit, we had a Saturday we could claim for our own. Hallelujah. We both committed to filling the week so we had a Saturday to get out just the two of us for a bit. We both felt like it would be a great time to find out about this Big Bone Lick Stake Park.

This morning I awoke when an enormous clap of lightning hit right by our home.  I sprang out of bed and called out, "What was that?"  Not sure if it hit our home or a neighbor's home or what, I checked outside by looking through all the windows and didn't see anything hit. Clearly it was pouring rain with very bad lightning. This was not conducive to an outing in the out of doors. Yuck.  We both putzed around the house doing little things and then the skies cleared. I hurried into Claude's office and said, "I think we should go while there is some clear sky."  We both got in gear and prepared to leave for the day.

Our first stop was in Florence for something to eat.  It was 11:30am and we had not had breakfast in anticipation of a meal together to start our day. Bob Evans serves breakfast all the time so we enjoyed our pancakes and bacon before our tourist event. Yum.

While at Bob Evans in Florence we realized we should have seen that brown sign about the park on I-75 and had not seen it.  I pulled out my cell phone to check for a map to the park. Then I hesitated.  What would I get if I wasn't careful about what I Googled?  Claude chuckled as he realized my dilemma. I carefully entered Big Bone Lick State Park KY and it fortunately gave me their link at the top of whatever list there was there. Whew!!  Map found we realized we had passed where the sign probably was but the Bob Evans was right on the Hwy. 42 that would take us exactly where we needed to go. Fortune was smiling on us. 

We drove through the countryside and found Big Bone Lick State Park. We opted to go to the museum first. Inside were mastodon bones

and a mastodon tooth

and a bison bones.

We looked in two displays. At the top of each was the skull and the horns of a bison. As we walked past Claude and I both commented that would make a GREAT Facebook post.  Back we went. I put away my camera and pulled out my cell phone. Then Claude did the pose while I snapped the picture. My caption on Facebook:  "My Great Sadieville Viking (bison)".

There are lots of hiking trails at the park. The longest appeared to be one mile. Now, it was 89+ degrees out there. It was hot and muggy and we opted to take one brief walk behind the visitor's center and then take the .2 mile walk to see the bison. Even with that we were both dripping with perspiration by the time we got back to the car even though we tried to walk in the shade of the trees.

The spot behind the visitor's center was a representation of a bog area that the animals would have come to for water.  Since a mastodon can weigh 11,000 pounds, they step into the bog and get really 'bogged' down and can't get back out. They simply stay stuck till they die. This is how they found dinosaur bones at Big Bone Lick Stake Park.

Claude is standing to the side so you can get perspective on the size of the animals. There is a bison partially buried in front. A mastodon knee deep behind him. To the left of the mastodon is an animal almost completely buried with two birds feasting on his remains. A mammoth is at the back left coming out of the bamboo. And the large creature at the back right is a giant sloth.

I loved this shot of the giant sloth looking as though it is trying to escape out the open gate.

We opted out of the 1 mile walk that went from this bog representation in favor of a tree covered .2 mile walk to the bison. I love these shots of Claude walking ahead of me. I found him once turned around looking. He thought I was right behind him and, of course, I was taking a picture of the butterfly and much further behind him that he thought.

The herd of bison is small. However, it featured a two day old baby. The baby was laying in a low place that was just dirt. I'm thinking it was cooler there. The poor mother appeared to be nudging it repeatedly trying to get it to stand.  I got closer and watched and realized she was just licking it to keep it clean.

 

We hiked back to the car via another road. I tried to get water bottles out of the soda machine but it would not take my money. I had some water in the car and we enjoyed that. Then we pointed the Jeep back out of the park.

 

There were signs along the way for Rabbit Hash, Kentucky. This is a historic little town along the Ohio River with a colorful history. We decided to drive to this little community and find something to quench our thirst at the General Store. Alas, the road was blocked because of a Labor Day weekend event. We opted to wait to tour this little town when there are a lot less people around.

 

We drove back to where we started our day only down the road a bit from Bob Evans. There is a McDonald's there and we both wanted a smoothie really bad.  Smoothies consumed we pointed the yellow Jeep back toward Sadieville.

 

As I type this Blog entry it is pouring down rain again and the lightning is fierce. Life just goes around. We started out with rain this morning, a late breakfast in Florence, KY, then a ride and touring, then a light afternoon thirst quencher in Florence, KY, then back home to more rain.  Life is truly a cycle.

He Will Soon Be a Little More Safe...

Raising parents can sure take a toll on you.

My father is now 85 years old. He has arthritis in his back and legs. He shuffles his feet when he walks. The tops of his legs are always sore. As I watch him move around in his home I see things that concern me as possible places for a fall or injury.  For aging people a fall ranks up there as one of the most feared events. And for rightful reason. If it is a bad enough fall you just don't ever really recover.

One of the places that has worried me for some time is Papa's sofa. He purchased it when he moved to Kentucky in December 2005. It has a recliner on each end. He literally wore out the reclining mechanism in one end. Then he moved the sofa to another place in his living room and now uses the other end of the sofa. Now that end of the sofa is about to give way.

But even more than that, Papa has an extremely difficult time getting the foot rest to lower.  I often see him put one leg on each side of that foot rest, which is still up, then struggle to get to a standing position, then with great effort left one leg over that extended foot rest to stand on the other side. Often he staggers as he does this. Yike!!  I have told him over and over we need to replace the sofa and get him a chair that is just as comfortable but that works with greater ease. This falls on deaf ears, literally. I try to make him understand he has every possibility of falling when he does this and really breaking a leg or hip. I've even gone so far as to add, after the falling statement, that the fall could be the end of his mobility. Still the answer has been 'no'.

Friday morning I went into Georgetown to take Papa and Tiny to the vet so she could get her toe nails clipped. Again Papa stumbled as he got out of that sofa and tried to work around the foot rest. Again I stated my concern. After cleaning some in his apartment, I left him tired and ready for a nap.

I took my happy self to the new furniture store in Georgetown just to look at recliners.  I found one that fit what I was hoping to find. I sat in it and tried all the manuevers with the button on the side. This recliner is electric and with the press of a button will slowly recline all the way to a complete laying down position. You can stop anywhere in that process that is comfortable for you at any given time. By pressing the other side of that button the chair slowly moves to a sitting position. I took a picture with my cell phone. Then I searched for an end table to go by the chair. I found a cute little one with a faux marble top. Perfect. Papa is not great at the coaster thing. I spoke with the sales man to get a few answers to questions. Then I headed back to Papa's apartment.

I made a stop at the McDonald's drive through by his home and purchased two strawberry/banana smoothies. Everything goes better with a little sugar in our family.

I got to Papa's and handed him the smoothie. He was so very happy to get it.  Then I told him straight up that the smoothie was to get him in the frame of mind to listen to my proposal. I pulled out my cell phone and showed him the pictures and explained how this chair would work. I told him the cost and the particulars about it. Amazingly, he said, if you think it is right go ahead!!! I was delighted. In Papa speak that is the same as saying, "I really like that idea and can see that it is a good thing to do."

I called Georgetown Public Works and inquired about them picking up the old sofa so I understood what had to happen there. Papa and I finished our smoothies and then I headed back to the furniture store to purchase the chair and table and arrange for delivery.

They only had one left in stock of the chair.  That was fine, I really only needed one.  Then I sent a text to Claude to block the delivery day on his calendar.  In about a week and a half Papa will be sitting in this...

with his beverage, papers and books to read on this...

and I will feel a little more peaceful because Papa will soon be a little more safe.

Humorous side note:  Andie called Friday night and I told her this story.  Then we both chuckled as we believe in a few weeks Papa will be saying, "I knew I needed to get a new chair and Sandi helped me do it."  He will then take ownership of the situation and that is just fine with me. I just need him to be as safe as I can make him while he maintains as much independence as he can manage. It really isn't a lot different than raising children.

Family Moments...

When your family is spread across several states, you learn quickly to value every time you have an opportunity to be together.  This weekend was another of those precious moments snatched from the busyness that is life.

Andie and the Mini's arrived Friday evening just before bedtime.  There was enough time for hugs and a bit of play before bed. Bailey covered she and Claude with pillows.

Saturday Claude and I had a commitment to help with Sadieville clean-up from 7am to 10:30am. We got there on time and finished by 9am. Then we hustled home to clean all that sweat and grim off ourselves so we could enjoy family.

Nissa and Paul arrive Saturday around noon. Bailey was beside herself with joy that Paul was there. She was so excited he was coming. He is the big boy cousin that can give piggy back rides and so many fun things she loves to do. When he came in the house we called Bailey from the basement. She was giddy with delight. She moved over to his right side and hugged his right arm. Then she bubbled with delight and moved to his left arm and hugged it for a bit. It wasn't long before he picked her up and she just hugged this cousin she loves so very much.

Aubrey arrived about 12:30. Then we all gathered in for a nice family afternoon. It was a hot day so it would be an inside day. Andie made a run to Kroger in Georgetown to pick up things and she also gathered up Papa and Tiny and brought them out for the afternoon. Claude grilled burgers and hot dogs and made potato salad and beans for dinner. It was just a nice relaxing afternoon. We enjoyed dinner on the deck and then came in for root beer floats for dessert.  After dinner we all watched a show Claude and I DVR'd about the germs that live and thrive on our bodies. It was fascinating to us and we were just sure it would be great fun for the family. I now know it will be fodder for many conversations in the future. I took Papa and Tiny home while Nissa and Andie got children bedded down for the night.

Sunday morning was departure time for the Michigan contingent. Nissa's goal was to be on the road by 9am. She was on the road by 9:15am so she was close to her target time. I wanted a picture of these four grandmonsters together. It was determined we should take it on the front porch. Hayden determined the arrangement of those being photographed. I got two supposedly serious shots and two silly shots.

I told my girls I wanted a picture of them together. This is what they deigned to give me.

A little encouragement later and they did turn around for a picture I will treasure. Aren't they beautiful.

Andie had a later departure because of the Iron Man that happens in Louisville each year at this time. Many bikers go past their street and it is next to impossible to get up and down that street on Iron Man day.  The Mini's helped Claude clear some things off the DVR we had saved for them that they really don't care about anymore. They enjoyed a show after that and Andie had time to get a shower. I was very sick during the night and did not go to Church so I lay on the love seat just getting better.

 

While Andie had the Mini's cleaning up their mess in the basement, she sent Bailey up with a big of Lay's Baked BBQ Chips. Bailey strolled into the living room and announced I needed to purchase more of 'this kind of chips' and she held out the bag. I assured her I would do so and it would help me to remember if she put it on my grocery list. Later I found this on my grocery list.

It was a short quick visit. But it was just delightful to see and be with our family again.

Dents...

dent (dent), n. [ME, dial.var. of dint], a slight hollow made in a surface by a blow or pressure.

'Dent' is what I thought of last week as I waded through another day. I was out of bed and running at 7am. That is not particularly early for many folks. But this is about me and not other folks. For me, 7am is bearable. 6:59am is definitely not bearable for me.

My day ended up being completely full of things that needed to be finished before family arrived over the weekend. I did stop one bit of time to visit with my hubby and have a bite to eat while we talked. Then it was back to accomplishing all that which seems important.

At the end of the day I felt like I made a 'dent' in what I wanted to accomplish. Just a dent. It felt good to know I even did that much but it still felt like a lot was out there to be done. I thought I would Blog about 'dents' but I was truly ready for some sleep and headed to bed instead.

Today, after enjoying some family time on Friday and Saturday and Sunday morning, I sat to Blog about 'dents'. I pulled out my trusty dictionary on my desk instead of going to the on-line dictionary I like to use. I wanted the feel and weight of that volume in my hand as I searched for the definition. What I found is typed above. I read it. Typed it. Felt dissatisfied. Then realized it didn't fit the 'dent' I was trying to express. 

I paused and noticed again that little bit of extra knowledge you get when you read all a dictionary has to offer besides just a definition.  The word 'dint' was there for me to learn. I never spell 'dent' with an 'i'.

Back in my dictionary I searched for 'dint'.

dint (dint), n. [ME. dint, dynt; AS. dynt]. force; exertion: as by dint of great effort he got what he wanted.

These types of little finds make me happy.  There is so much to learn in life and when a little tidbit comes along that boosts that learning, it just always makes this old girl happy.

So I made a 'dint' in my to do list of life.  That 'dint' felt good.  And, I have not made a 'dint' in my life knowledge because of that long day of force and exertion. 

I'm Going to Rant...

Just look at this...

This is the second proposed redistricting map by the House Democrats in Kentucky. It appeared in our Georgetown News-Graphic. We live in Scott County. Look at the mess this makes for any Congressman trying to cover a manageable portion of the state.

I went upstairs a bit ago and found my dear hubby on the phone with Ryan Quarles. Ryan is our State Representative. If you know the story of Anne of Green Gables, you know that she had people in her life she called 'kindred spirits'. From the first moment I met Ryan, I felt he was a 'kindred spirit'. He is good to the core. He loves family. He is honest and fair.  He is young, well trained and educated, hard working on their family farm, and ready to serve. I was so very happy when he was elected.

When Claude got off the phone, he went out and got the mail and our paper was in it.  Inside was this lovely map. Claude showed it to me and I could not believe my eyes. 

I know there are rules to follow with redistricting that include population and party. But really!!!  This proposed redistricting will take our largest community, Georgetown, and split it between three congressional districts. Really?? I could understand this if Georgetown were a huge city but it is not large enough to be split between three congressional districts. I'm not trying to harp on Republican or Democrat. I am a registered Republican. But I just think somewhere along the line we have gone way off the deep end here. 

If you just think of the need to have a congressman being able to represent an area of people well then this kind of realignment does not accomplish that in any way at all.  It will not just pit two parties against each other, it has the potential to pit three congressman against each other.

Bottom line...is I am verklempt. Look at that map and just tell me any logic you see in cutting those squiggly little portions down through the middle of a county and dividing its largest city into three districts. I don't care who you are or what your political leanings are this map does not make common sense.

There. I've stated my frustration and will not get back to my Primary program and getting my things ready for Church on Sunday. Hope I can get my verklempt self into a better frame of mind. Geez!!     

Oh, The Drama...

Things are as large as they appear...

Ignore the needed manicure. This is tonight's edition of my war with the yellow jackets. They may have scored one this time. 

As the night wears on my pointer finger keeps swelling. I can't bend it very far at all. The middle fingers is beginning to swell. I can feel strange sensations in my thumb beginning. And, for added drama, note the lump at the base of my pointer and middle fingers just raising up like it knows what in the world it is doing. Goodness.

I've taken an antihistamine. I've put anti-itch medicine on it. I've washed it in cool water. I've held it up to keep the blood flowing. I'm now going to sit with an ice cube on it and see if that helps. Oh, and I'm still taking an antibiotic for the root canal.

Hayden would say, "Ma is a mess!!

Again, Goodness!!

Ouch!!!

Silly Moi!!

A couple of weeks ago I spent one evening from 3:30pm to 8:30pm weeding in my yard. I was quite successful but did not finish one of the flower beds on the hill.  I got one done and half of the other.  I also missed the area around our bench on the hill and two other beds in the back yard. 

As I was finishing the first bed on the hill, I kept hearing what I assumed was a big horse fly zipping around my head. It just kept circling and diving at me. I had moved to the second flower bed on the hill and felt a sting on the front of my right foot near my ankle. The stinging kept getting more intense. I thought it might have been a thorn or twig from the fir tree on that side of the flower bed. I finally stopped and pulled my sock back and that is when I saw it. It was definitely a tiny hole where a stinger had entered and exited.  I dismissed it and kept on weeding the second flower bed. Then it came at my hand and I felt a sting on my middle finger. It was from a yellow jacket. I was able to crush that little fella. It was really hurting my foot and my hand. I'm not highly allergic so my question was, "Do I keep weeding until light goes?" or "Should I quit and head back up the hill?"  I decided to weed a bit longer.

Last night I went back down the hill to finish weeding the flower bed I had not finished before. As I was weeding it, I realized I wanted to pull up the lamb's ear Andie had given me.  I really didn't like it in the bed. So I pulled all of it out of the flower bed I was weeding.  Then I moved to the bed I had completed a few weeks ago. All the lamb's ear in that bed I had planted at the bottom hoping it would provide a row of plants to stop the soil from floating down the hill and away in rain storms. My plan was to get that lamb's ear pulled and then call it a night. 

My thoughts as I pulled out lamb's ear were of taking my day lilies out of my front yard flower bed and planting them in a row along this bottom edge of the bed. I wasn't looking for horse flies...or yellow jackets. Suddenly, as I was shaking the dirt from the roots of one of the lamb's ears, I heard a familiar buzzing of a very angry yellow jacket. It didn't take it two seconds to buzz me and then sting. This time it was my pointer finger.  As I tried to move myself away from that scene which involved trying to get my feet under me and stand on a very steep hill without losing my balance, the yellow jacket came at me again. This time it managed to get between the leg of my glasses and the temple on my forehead. I yanked off my glasses breaking the leg off the glasses. No biggy, they are just readers. But that yellow jacket stung my head what felt like repeatedly. I managed to get it off my face and squash it. I took my glove off and pulled a stinger that felt like a tree stump out of the side of my head. That did it. No more weeding for me. I gathered my gear, left the rest of the lamb's ear for the yellow jackets and headed myself and my bags of weeds up the hill.

Inside I quickly Googled "what to do with a yellow jacket sting".  Following those directions I headed upstairs and washed with soap and water. The other suggestion I learned from the Internet was to put ice on it to stop the swelling. Hmmm...I remembered that I still have two of those little gadgets you use with a baby. You simply put an ice cube in it and the teething baby can chew on the mesh that contains the ice cube for relief from their teething. I grabbed one of those and put an ice cube in it and held it to my head. My head was hurting so much more than the finger. Although this time the finger was really swelling more than before.

Claude has been out of town and I had a text from him on my cell phone. I called him and he was extremely sympathic. While living in Maryland we had wasps trying to nest on our front porch. He took a caulking gun and was filling any hole they were trying to nest in. They stung him about 5 times in different places. He was so sick he missed church the next day. I'm thinking my Big Guy was still remembering how miserable he was and could truly feel my pain.

Claude suggested we wait and spray for the wasps and then try again to pull the lambs ear in the real early morning or late at night when they will have gone dormant for a bit. I was appreciative of his care, concern and ideas.

We'll conquer the yellow jackets. We'll pull that lamb's ear. We'll move those day lilies. But...I may have to say "Ouch!!" again.

The Root of the Matter...

Even if one tries as hard as one can to do the right thing in the right way...sometimes one just has to go through a little difficulty.

A couple of months ago my hubby had a problem with a tooth that resulted in a root canal. I ached for him as I have been through that once before. He was diligent with brushing and flossing but, still, the problem with the crown happened and the result was the need for a root canal.

Even though I had great empathy for him, I must admit to a little pride on my part that it was Claude and not me. I felt boastful in my heart even if I didn't voice it. Claude is a tough guy and he made it through the process and recovery fine.

Then...it happened.  I felt a sensitivity when I bit down on my #30 (that would be the next to last tooth on the lower right side of my mouth).  There was no toothache.  It was really only when I was chewing and not even then all the time. I knew I had an appointment for my cleaning coming up so I determined to wait a bit and tell Michelle when she cleaned my teeth. I did tell Claude to prepare his pocket book...again.

Sure enough, last Tuesday when I had my teeth cleaned, Michelle took another x-ray and there was the dark spot where there shouldn't be a dark spot. Michelle cleaned my teeth and then called in Dr. Clay. Michelle had Dr. Clay help her hold a little camera to take a picture of the lingual (inside) side of #30. This was because, when I rubbed the back of my tooth with my tongue, it felt smooth. The picture clearly showed the white porcelain of the crown, the silvery metal underneath the porcelain and the root of my tooth. All this time I thought the problem was with the front of the crown where it doesn't quite match the gum. Not so. They, Michelle and Dr. Clay, have been carefully watching that lingual side of my tooth. Yike!!

Dr. Clay looked at the x-ray and inside my mouth and confirmed I would need to have an endodonist look at the tooth. Referral was written, prints were made of the x-ray and the picture and a prescription for a good antibiotic were given to me.

I filled the prescription and finished my days activities. Thursday I called Dr. Lambat and scheduled an appointment for yesterday. She agreed I needed the root canal. She was only going to tell me that and then have me reschedule. I asked if there was anyway she could go ahead and do it while I was there.  Geez...that is an hour drive in from Sadieville and and hour drive home.  She checked and moved me to another room and the process began.

I made it home and crashed for the rest of the day. Claude was wonderful and made soft things for me to eat for dinner as my mouth slowly regained it's feeling. Today my mouth is very sore but that is just part of that process.

And that is 'the Root of the Matter'.

That Great Desire of Your Heart...

Do you remember being a little kid and really, really, really wanting something?  I'm sure that happened more than once in my young childhood but I really only remember one time in particular not filling one of those needs. Not that we got everything we desired, far from it.

My mother and I went shopping at a discount store and there was a dotted Swiss fabric suit on a mannequin. The fabric was a navy blue with little white dots. The skirt was straight and the jacket was plain with long sleeved and button down the front. The only addition was white eyelet lace around the neck, down the front and at the bottom of the long sleeves. I fell in love with that dress and wanted it so very badly. Silly thing was my mom could have made it at any time. There was just something about buying the perfect dress in that store that attraction my attention and left me yearning for that blue suit. I mentioned it to my mom. She didn't feel the need at that time to purchase it. I understood. It was, after all, a luxury even at a discount price. While I was accepting of the reality, in my heart I yearned for that perfect suit and still remember it exactly as it was to this day. Years later my mother and I were talking and I mentioned that in our conversation. She even remembered the moment and the dress and said, "If I had known it would mean that much to you, I might have bought it for you."  That was very comforting. I knew she meant it.

Today Michael brought the Mini's to Lexington. Andie had a thing she had volunteered for at their school all day today. Michael was going to watch the Mini's. Then something came up for Michael to attend in Lexington that meant a lot to him. So, Claude and I agreed to take on the Mini's for a few hours in Lexington. Our plan...lunch at Cici's Pizza and then off to the Lexington Arboretum and specifically the Children's Garden in that arboretum.

As soon as the Mini's got us in their car and Michael sped off in my car, Hayden started laying the groundwork for what he wanted to do. He was sure we should see another movie, or go bowling or...find a tree to climb. He was quite willing to forego everything in Lexington to go out to Sadieville and find a tree to climb. It didn't take us long to figure out the desire of his heart for today was to climb a tree. Oh my!!

We ate at Cici's Pizza. Bailey was overjoyed with mac & cheese pizza.  Hayden tried to pretend he was the claw game in their arcade when he ate his brownie.

Amazingly, the kids weren't that eager to play any of the arcade games. Claude had even collected all his quarters and had them at the ready. Each were given a dollars worth and Bailey used hers and Hayden didn't use any of his. Hayden was really fixed on finding a tree to climb. So...off to the Arboretum.

 

I was sure they would not want him climbing the trees in the Arboretum.  We did find some in the parking lot he could try to climb. He was such a happy young man when he got up in that tree.

We tried several trees and he had great success at each tree. I told him my rule with Katelyn, when she was his age and we lived in Maryland and had climbable trees beside the house, was 'Don't climb any higher than you can get down by yourself. I'm not coming up after you.' This was fine with Hayden and he enjoyed every minute of his tree climbing experience, from being a sloth, to swinging up to get on or down, to just sitting and enjoying the moment.

 

 

After an appropriate amount of time, and since Claude and Bailey had already forged ahead in the Arboretum, I encouraged Hayden to come and at least see what they were playing on.  We found them where there are lot of logs and tree stumps to climb on.

  

We managed to make our way to the Children's Garden area. This was actually where Claude and I intended to take them.  We only played in two areas of this large part of the Arboretum. Hayden and Bailey first played in the pond. There are lots of little pretend fishing poles. I believe the Mini's were sure they could catch a real fish. And there were fish nets to help you bring in your catch. There was a boat which was closed, much to the Mini's chagrin. Bailey heard a frog and did much searching to try and find that frog. Hayden saw an object by a rock and on the bottom that clearly was out of place. He spent a great deal of time trying to get it up from the bottom of the pond. He managed it finally and it turned out to be a net someone dropped into the pond.

 

The other area of the Children's Garden the Mini's enjoyed was the stream and waterfall into the Children's Garden.  Hayden tried it first, then I retrieved Bailey from the pond to try it. They had great fun. The lesson learned is to bring kids with a change of clothes and things you don't mind them getting wet in. It was a hot day and the cool water felt great to them.

 

 

 

And then it was time to get Claude back to Georgetown to pick up his Jeep. It took a little prying to get the Mini's out of that stream. I texted Michael and we met him at Frank Shoop.

 

A good time was had by all. Hayden fulfilled that yearning in his little soul to climb a tree. I'm sure both Mini's will want a return trip to the Children's Garden at the Lexington Arboretum. Claude and I will remember to bring extra clothes and shoes for them and towels. And, I have fulfilled a great desire of my heart to build good memories with my grandmonsters. 

That Little Bird...

I started this Blog post from my cell phone last Sunday, August 4th.  I'll finish it today.

This morning while driving to an early meeting at the church, I saw a little bird walking across the road. As my car approached, I expected him to fly away. Nope, he just moved those short little legs faster and hurriedly walked across the road.

Suddenly I saw my self as that little bird. Life was the road. I just keep on hurrying as fast as my stubby little legs will carry me. I'm hurrying doing things I'm sure are important and worthwhile. Hopefully keeping up my quick little pace will accomplish good purposes and at the end of this road I'll feel good about what I have spent my precious time on.

Thanks little bird for causing me to pause and think a bit.

A Chance to Feel the Spirit...

Thursday evening Claude and I were invited to participate in special training focusing on Counseling in Councils. The leaders for the training were Elder Robert Hymas and Elder Erick Kopischke.

Elder Hymas was our Stake President and I served as Stake Relief Society President under his direction. I have a huge amount of respect for Elder Hymas who was called to serve as a Seventy in the Church after his release as a Stake President.

Claude is a High Councilor and my calling is Primary President.  Each of the callings to serve in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gives us an opportunity to sit on the Ward (local congregation) or Stake Council. In these councils we have an opportunity to look at the needs of the members in our congregations of groups of congregations and detemine how best to serve and meet these needs. This training was to help us fill these rolls better.

Claude and I both found this particular training to be especially helpful, direct and worthy of every second we attended. It is always good to come out of a meeting feeling like your time was well spent and you have fuel and desire to continue to serve. This was definitely one of those meetings.

In my haste to be a Gramma during the day Thursday, I forgot to take a little notebook to take notes in Thursday evening. Claude handed me some paper and I took notes. This morning I transcribed those to my laptop for future use and reference. For this Blog entry, I want to share some of the insights that particularly struck me as important to me and my service in Primary.

• You can only teach what you know
• You can only learn what you are ready to receive
• Joseph Smith was always questioning...not doubting...but questioning.

We were asked to think of good questions found in the scriptures. After several were given and we pondered the lessons from these questions, we were asked to spend the rest of our training time this evening asking those 'good' questions we needed answers to as we served in the Church. This was a great springboard and we covered five different questions in the hour we had for training. This made the training personal and what we needed. The answers were given by Elder Kopischke, Elder Hymas and Pres. Woodbury, the Kentucky Louisville Mission president.

Question 1 had reference to how we can each do better:

• Doctrine & Covenants 88:72-73 the Lord states:
  I will take care of your flocks
  I will raise up elders (laborers) and send them
  I will hasten my work in its time
• Doctrine & Covenants 88:74-76 tells how this will be done
  Institutionally by assembling, organizing and preparing
  Personally by sanctifying, purifying our hearts and cleansing our hands

Question 2 had reference to training youth so there was no apathy:

• Elder Kopischke referenced a quote by Elder Russell M. Nelson during a meeting in Amsterdam. Elder Nelson gave a nine item list of things parents should teach their children:
       They are sons and daughters of God
       They should pray morning and evening and more
       An understanding of the Atonement
       About prophets and dispensations
       About angels and heavenly messengers and restoration
       The role of father and mother
       The importance of missionary work
       Payment of tithing and living the Word of Wisdom
       Have a picture of the temple in each child's room
• Elder Kopischke also quoted from an August 4, 2009 broadcast talk to Seminary and Institute teachers by Julie B. Beck who was then the General Relief Society President:
       Motherhood and fatherhood are eternal roles
       Each carries the responsibility for either the male or the female half of the plan
       A man cannot become a 'father of many nations' without being sealed to his wife. Likewise, Abraham could not hold the right belonging to the fathers without a wife who had the right belonging to the mothers.
       The story of Isaac and Rebekah is an example of the man, who has the keys, and the woman, who has the influence, working together to ensure the fulfillment of their blessings.
        A gift is given to women to lead as Christ led.
• Elder Kopischke said it is a simple thing to just 'live the Gospel'.

Question 3 focused on the role of parents and leaders in raising righteous children:

• Quote 1 was from Joseph Smith:  "I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves."
• Quote 2 was from Elder Boyd K. Packer:  "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior."

Question 4 focused on missionary work:

• Doctrine & Covenants 88:81  "I will send you out to testify and warn the people" could also be stated as "I will send you out to testify and invite the people"
• The Lord of the harvest is the Savior.

Questions 5 dealt with inspiring us to do better:

• Teach true doctrine and the importance of that doctrine.
• Help them to feel the Holy Ghost.

In his testimony at the end Elder Kopischke stated:  Jesus Christ is the Author (beginner) of our faith and the Finisher of our faith.

It was a wonderful way to end our day. Claude and I are both so grateful we were able to sit and listen and learn from these great men.  We did hear pure, clear, true doctrine.  I left once again feeling so very grateful I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The gospel is such an important part of me and my life.  How grateful I am that my life is directed by these teachings and my belief in them.

Life in 3D...

Ever heard of Temple Grandin?  She is a fascinating person who happens to be autistic. Our daughter, Andie, loaned me a movie about Temple Grandin and it was absolutely wonderful. Totally enjoyed the movie and the story of her life. 

Thursday, Temple Grandin and her mom were in Louisville for a conference. Andie wanted to go. It was a day long event. She asked if I would be able to watch the Mini's so she could attend. Her friend who lives down the street was also going to attend. So I marked the date in my calendar and, as luck would have it, the Big Guy could block out time and would go with me.

Wednesday afternoon found us covering bases.

I had a dental appointment at 1pm for cleaning my teeth. Turns out I have a cavity forming under a back crown. I knew something was not right and the dental visit confirmed this. Prescription in hand for an antibiotic and a referral to an oral surgeon (as this will probably also entail a root canal) I headed out to fill that prescription.

Claude had a speaker in his Jeep that quit working (or would that be 'speaking'?). He called and Frank Shoop was able to take it in Wednesday late afternoon and keep it to work on it. Claude stayed home and finished odd jobs like fixing one of our multitudinous toilets. Then he came to Georgetown and left his Jeep at Frank Shoop.

While Claude was doing these things, I took my new prescription and headed to Papa's to pick up him and his musical instruments and head to the nursing home to perform. We had a good audience and they responded well to the music. One of the ladies from Sadieville had a stroke and is in the rehabilitation portion of the nursing home. She and her hubby were there to hear us sing. It was a very nice session and Papa was so happy with the response.

After singing we headed to Frank Shoop to pick up Claude, then to Zaxby's for dinner with Papa. We returned Papa and his musical gear to his apartment and then we headed to La Grange to play Pa and Ma to the Mini's.  Andie had already sent me a text with a request from Hayden as to our anticipated arrival time.

The evening went quickly. Bailey re-enacted a large portion of her performance after the Music Camp she attended. Andie made hamburger and dinner was consumed. A show was watched and then it was bedtime for the Mini's.  Once they were in bed, I got Andie's hair cut and we had a little time to talk and watch one of the programs Andie had DVR'd for herself. It was an interesting one about the genealogy search for an actress whose mother was a Jew and her father was a German. Then it was off for a little shut-eye before our busy day on Thursday.

Thursday morning I was out of bed before Hayden could tap on the wall. Amazing!!  He is good at not tapping until the clock is at 7am. We had a little snuggle time and then headed downstairs. He had been given instructions we could watch some shows in the morning as everyone was getting up and until I said, "No more shows."  Ah...the power of being the Gramma. Bailey joined us a little later and we said goodbye to Michael as he headed to work. Andie left before any of us were awake. Claude woke up much later than the rest of us.

We enjoyed a quiet morning and managed to get Bailey's hair cut in the process. Then we plotted our afternoon.  We decided to support The Children's Miracle Network by have lunch at Dairy Queen followed by Blizzard's all around. Then we would head to the theater to see Despicable Me 2 in 3D.  The Mini's had each seen it but Claude and I had not.

This turned out to be a delightful afternoon. The Mini's ate well and enjoyed their Blizzards. We made it to the theater with plenty of time to get popcorn and an Icee for snacks. Then we settled in for some previews after all sitting in the proper order. Hayden and Bailey had agreed on that order and that was how we sat. So cute!

Claude and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Adding the 3D effect was great fun. Listening to the Mini's talk out about things coming right at them was hysterical.  They have a bit where bubbles are blown during the credits and Bailey and Hayden and I were reaching to pop the bubbles. It was just lots of fun.

As we left, Hayden suggested we hurry home and play some bowling on the Wii. We did just that until Andie came home. Then Claude and I had to make a quick exit for a 6:30pm meeting in Louisville.

Thank you Marx family for a wonderful visit!!

This is a Test...

If this works, I will be able to Blog on my cell phone.  I am not sure if this is a good or bad thing. My hope is that it will allow me to Blog those little moments I think about and then forget before I get home to my laptop.  Here goes...

Donuts, Dinners & Driving...

Thursday, July 25th Mike and Neffie were leaving to go visit his father in Indianapolis. Claude and I were leaving to go on a week long. We got up and drove our respective cars to Georgetown and picked up Papa to take him to breakfast before we all left. A wonderful last bit of time together at Cracker Barrel was enjoyed by all. Then Claude and I dropped Papa back at his apartment and headed out to West Virginia. Let the journey begin...

We drove to Morgantown, West Virginia where had I booked us a hotel right near I-68 which would take us to Maryland the next day. We checked into our hotel and I was at peace. There was a warm round lobby area that looked so inviting. Behind that was a glass wall that looked out on the outdoor swimming pool. I have not laid out in the sun for several years now and thought to myself that it would be a delightful treat for me to do that.  Alas, as we got to our room and settled in, a large group of bikers also arrived. Now, we have been bikers and having bikers was not the problem per se. What was a problem was these were loud bikers with lots of cigarettes lit up. A quiet nap in the sun would not be in my future.

Back in the room we searched all resources for a place to have dinner.  We finally settled on two potential places in town. Maps and GPS on the cell phone at the ready we made our way into Morgantown. We couldn't find the first place but we did find the Pita Place. Claude parallel parked and we walked down to our really good dinner.  Then we walked back to the Cold Stone Creamery for dessert.

Here is a sign Claude noticed on the ice cream case:

While I was getting us a table and Claude was paying for our ice cream, I noticed two clean-cut young men with name badges. Missionaries.  I hurried to the door and yelled down the sidewalk, "Elders."  No response.  A little louder, "Elders."  They heard that time and turned around. I said, "Would you like some ice cream?"  They were ready for an ice cream treat.  They sat with us and we enjoyed our ice cream and conversation.

Friday, July 26th we were up and ready but not in time for the free breakfast offered by the hotel. This would be the theme for our trip. After all, we were on a loosely planned vacation and getting up early was not part of that plan at all. So we found a Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast in Sabraton, Maryland. This would become our pattern all our trip. We should have found a frequent user card for Dunkin' Donuts.

After our donuts, Claude headed across the street to fill up with gas. This interesting motorcycle was parked in front of us.

Our first stop was to be in Cumberland, Maryland. Fred and Bevy live in Centerville, Pennsylvania just north of Cumberland. These dear friends were our favorite biking buddies when the Goldwing ruled our lives. They went on our first cruise with us to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. I played the piano for their wedding. Lots of moments in our lives have been shared. So we left Sabraton with Fred and Bevy our next stop.

I was on the lookout for something near Frostburg, Maryland. There is a church there (I believe it is the Jehovah's Witness) that started trying to reconstruct Noah's ark. When we left 9 years ago only the framework was made. Alas, there has been no progress since we left.

I was really hoping this would be done. There is a full size replica of the Tabernacle that Moses and the children of Israel carried through the desert in Pennsylvania along Hwy. 30. It is fascinating to tour. I have always hoped Noah's ark would be finished an opened for tours at some point as well.

We called Fred and Bevy and determined to meet them in Cumberland as they wanted to take us to lunch in Cumberland. Their son-in-law has opened a restaurant and they wanted us to eat there. We parked in the Shriner's parking lot and road back into Cumberland with Fred and Bevy. It is always so good to see them.  It will often be a few years between visits but we just pick up like it hasn't been anytime with conversation. Just love that kind of friendship. The restaurant is named 'Mezzo' and the food was delicious. The interior reminded us of Galvin's here in Georgetown, Kentucky. Shannon, Bevy's daughter was able to come and visit with us. Then we went back to Fred and Bevy's for the afternoon.

About 5:30pm we decided we should head on into Germantown, Maryland where we were hoping dinner would await us.  Pelican Pete's was one of our favorite restaurants because of their crab cakes. Fred told us there was some bad press about the manager and Pelican Pete's might not be open. Yike! We quickly pulled out the Kindle and started searching. It seemed there were charges against the owner for sexual harassment or something of that nature. There was still a restaurant listed. I tried to call and kept getting a busy signal. Well, what do you do? Why, you just go anyway and hope for the best. And, while you drive the 2 hours there you talk of alternatives in case Pelican Pete's is really closed.

We were delighted to find Pelican Pete's open and doing a light business. It is definitely under new management. I thought the crab cakes were not quite as good as before but Claude didn't see any difference. The steamed shrimp were excellent. You could tell the trouble with the previous owner shrank there business. For a Friday night one dining area was completely empty and the other side was only partially full. We enjoyed our meal and were satisfied with it.

Saturday, July 27th at 6:30am I heard the loudest, most obnoxious noise I have ever heard in my entire life. I was in a deep sleep and this noise blasted in my ear and I awoke quickly but didn't know what the heck was going on. It took a second to realize the fire alarm was going off in our hotel room. We quickly got up and got dressed, grabbed my purse and our cell phones and headed for the door with that noise still blaring. We found the stairwell and headed down from our third floor room. Outside there were lots of others similarly dazed and in various attire.

The fire department came with two trucks. The alarm kept blaring. Eventually things settled down and one fire truck clearly was leaving. We walked to the front of the hotel and saw the other fire truck getting ready to leave. We felt safe going to our room and crawling back into bed. We slept through breakfast again. When we checked out I asked the front desk clerk what happened. He told me someone opened an emergency only exit door and that set off the fire alarm. He apologized profusely. It wasn't a problem for me, I was just very curious as to what happened. I told Claude the cause of the alarm and he said he guessed a guy was trying to sneak out for a smoke and opened that door. Silly Claude.

We really didn't want breakfast because our next meal was to be in Arlington, Virginia at the Italian Store. We took the George Washington Parkway along the Potomac River. As we got on the GW Parkway I asked Claude if he could get there without having to correct his drive any. From Maryland, you drive the GW Parkway taking the exit to Arlington Cemetery then making the traffic circle at the base of the bridge over the Potomac into DC so you pick up the GW Parkway going back the way you came being sure to take the Spout Run exit into Arlington, Virginia.  With traffic and several possibilities for error it would not have surprised me to have to loop around a couple of times to get there. Claude took my question as a challenge and the game was on. He did every turn and lane change perfectly and we got to Spout Run without having to retrace any steps. Yeah Claude!!

 

 Now we would drive to Ocean City, Maryland. We patted ourselves on the back for finding a different way out of Arlington to the Beltway and then off the Beltway when it clogged up with traffic to Hwy 50. This would take us to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge over the Chesapeake Bay to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The problem...this was Saturday and summer.  I was surprised Claude wanted to have this as part of our trip for this reason. But we were not on a time clock and determined we could patiently wait out the traffic issues. This included an hour and a half in the queue to get on the bridge. The drive over the bridge was fine but the bottle-neck in traffic revisited us on the Eastern Shore side of the bridge.

There was still several hours of driving to get to Ocean City. We made one stop at at Dairy Queen for a smoothie along the way and a break from being in the car. We determined to take the northern bridge over to Ocean City which deposited us right in front of JR's where we wanted to have dinner. Wonderful meal again. No wait because we got there just before the dinner rush started.

 

After dinner we determined we had about one hour before we should head out to find our hotel for the night. We would use that to walk the boardwalk in Ocean City. Claude had to have a slice of pizza because that is what one does on the boardwalk. We also found a Kohr's Brother's frozen custard stand and had dessert. We purchased the obligatory salt water taffy. Then we headed to Princess Anne where our hotel for the night was located.

 

It was dark when we found our hotel. I know I booked a non-smoking room with a king bed. Imagine our surprise when we walked into a room with a king bed and a huge whirlpool tub. My poor hubby had earned that whirlpool as relief for his back after all that tense driving. Nice surprise finish to the day.

 

Sunday, July 28th we again missed breakfast at the hotel and found another Dunkin' Donuts along Hwy 13. We were going to use the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to get across the Chesapeake Bay to Virginia. The bridge is at the southern tip of the Delmarva Peninsula (Delaware/Maryland/Virginia). It is part bridge and part tunnel. There are actually two tunnel spans in this system, one for each channel for the ships. They are the Chesapeake Channel and the Thimble Shoal Channel. We paused at a lookout before driving this bridge and tunnel system.

 

There was not nearly as much traffic as we anticipated on a Sunday. We were fascinated with the freighter going over one of the tunnels as we went through it. The other thing that caught our eye and we noticed on bridges with lamp post throughout the trip were the seagulls taking up residence on the lights. We even saw some seagulls fighting as one tried to sit on a light that another seagull already claimed as his own.

We navigated that mass of humanity that is Norfolk/Virginia Beach/etc. Then pointed the trusty Buick south toward Rocky Mount, North Carolina where we would spend two nights.

When we were checked in we again did the search for potential places to eat in a city with which we were unfamiliar.  We really like to eat at local places when traveling.  We both agreed it would be a good night for Mexican food. We found two restaurant possibilities and headed out to locate them. One was not open. The other looked very questionable as we pulled up and parked. I looked at Claude and said, "Let's give it a whirl." We entered the little place and found a booth. There were two ladies working there and a couple at the booth next to ours. Clearly we were the only anglo's in the place. We were able to communicate to the server what we wanted and they set to preparing it for us. In came others and again we were looking very anglo. Our food was served and it was yummy. Two young men came in and put money in the new computerized jukebox. It was relaxing and so very pleasant to listen to. Claude paid the bill and tipped nicely. I worked at communicating to the young men that their choice of music was delightful. We left full and happy with our choice for dinner.

Monday, July 29th, we planned a drive along Tar Heel Trace. I found this drive on the Internet and could only find a little about it. It sounded like the kind of drive that Claude and I would enjoy. Monday morning we again missed breakfast at the hotel. We stopped for gasoline before our ride. I went in to see if I could find us a muffin for breakfast. The nice lady at the counter talked to me and I asked her if she ever drove the Tar Heel Trace.  She had never heard of it. She did tell me that Rocky Mount was noted for its violence. She warned me that the mall across from our hotel was ruled by gangs after 3pm each day, the burger place across the street from the gas station had shootings every Friday and Saturday night. She stressed the gangs ruling the area after 3pm each day and to be very careful. When I got back to the car and shared this information with Claude we just looked at each other and remembered our dinner experience the night before. We both felt we probably entered a gang area restaurant and didn't have a clue. I have to say the neighbor was neat and tidy in all respects.

We headed out to find the beginning of the Tar Heel Trace in a town named Wilson which was south of Rocky Mount. Then we just followed Route 42 and Route 142 to Williamston.  It was a lovely drive through farm land. They grow tobacco, corn, cotton, peanuts and soy beans. We didn't see one big black barn like we have in Kentucky to hang the tobacco plants in to dry it out. The cotton plants had little blossoms on them.

We also found a neat store called Mackeys Ferry Peanuts. I've heard many people share their love of 'boiled peanuts'. I don't remember them ever being offered in Louisiana and had never eaten any. The signs advertised boiled peanuts at Mackeys Ferry Peanuts. I asked Claude to stop so we might try them. Fortunately the lady offered a sample of them to us. She gave us each one and told us how to eat them. You are supposed to crack them in your mouth and suck the liquid out of the shell, spit out the shell, then eat the peanuts. I opted to crack the shell and take the peanuts out and eat them. I just didn't like them. Turns out Claude was underwhelmed by them also. Thank heavens we didn't buy a bunch to eat. I think the charm would be that salt water they are boiled in all day. We did purchase a little container full of peanuts covered in milk chocolate. We also learned about 'muscadine grape cider'. This we did like. My grandmother's sister, Aunt Rachel, had muscadines growing where she lived so I was a little familiar with them although it has been many years. We loved the sample of muscadine cider and purchased some to bring home.

As we neared the end of Tar Heel Trace I was checking the maps on my cell phone and the old paper map I brought and noticed that this Hwy 142 went right out on a peninsula like piece of land and was called the Albemarle Highway. It went from the edge of this peninsula across a bridge to Roanoake Island where the Lost Colony was lost. Having never been there I suggested to Claude we try that for a drive. He was intrigued and we took the Albemarle Highway from Williamston.

As we drove down the highway the cars were throwing up grass clippings. It was like being in a severe snow storm only it was grass. They were cutting down the grass along the side of the road and we happened to be behind the process. 

There was a bridge that takes you across the Croatan Sound to Roanoke Island. We were held up on this bridge so it could open and a freight ship pass through.

The clouds started to roll in and we knew rain would happen this day. We had threats of rain in the weather forecast for a lot of the trip and had not had any. If we had some this day, we would consider ourselves fortunate for dodging it until then. Sure enough the rain came as we crossed the bridge and while we were on Roanoke Island.

 

We found Big Al's for dinner. It was a diner with a Coke interior design and old rock and roll music playing. The food was delicious and we totally enjoyed our meal.

 

After dinner we headed to the northern end of Roanoke Island to the Raleigh Historical Site. There is a museum there with a film and park rangers. We enjoyed the museum and the park rangers talk but didn't get to walk outside. It was literally pouring down buckets. We actually waited a bit for it to lighten up before we headed outside to the car. Then we drove back over the bridge at the northern end of Roanoke Island and found the Albemarle Highway around the southern side of the peninsula and made our way back to Rocky Mount. The cute thing I noticed was the Alligator River with a community named Stumpy Point nearby. Just seemed a little interesting to me.

 

Tuesday, July 30th was my birthday. We would have Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast and point the Buick toward Asheville, North Carolina. We checked into our hotel and again analyzed available resources for where to have a nice birthday dinner. 

 

We settled on two potential places.  One was named Burgermeisters. It was closed and being turned into a different restaurant. The second was The Moose Cafe and it was very open. It offers Southern home cooking...and lots of it. This is my dinner. I had chicken fried steak with pepper gravy, green beans and carrot casserole. We had a perfectly delightful server. She was frank, loud and totally honest. I asked her how they made the carrot casserole before I ordered it. She looked at me and said, "Honestly, I can tell you it is not healthy at all." I just laughed and told her I was not worried about that on this night. Then she explained it has carrots, mayonnaise, butter, brown sugar, crumbs and was baked. I'll just tell you it was absolutely yummy. Claude chose the tomato pie which seemed to be a lot the same except it had tomatoes instead of carrots. It was a wonderful meal at a unique restaurant. 

The restaurant was on a hill and I walked to the edge of the parking lot and took this picture of where we were going to be driving the next day. Great Smokey Mountains.  This trip turns my thoughts to Genesis 1:31 "And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good."

Wednesday, July 31st would be a travel home day. We deliberately had no breakfast. The plan was to drive through the middle of Great Smokey Mountain National Park and end up in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We should arrived around lunch time and have our last big meal of the trip at Bubba Gump's in Gatlinburg.

 

As we drove I sent this picture over Facebook as it showed the reason the mountain are called 'smokey'.

 

We drove through clouds covering the tops of the mountains. It was like being in a scene from Lord of the Rings a lot of the time, even when there was sunshine. I kept expecting the Queen of the Fairies to come out of those woods at any moment.

My Facebook post after viewing the scene below:

Think Karen and Richard Carpenter singing

"I'm on the top of the world looking down on creation..."

Drove thru the clouds on winding roads searching for

the yellow line that is supposed to be in the middle of that road.

Came to a sign "spiral turns and bump".

Poor Claude began to reflect on the guy that designed the road.

Went something like

"I bet he thought 'their brakes are already hot,

let's add a few spiral turns and a bump'". An adventure.

 

On one side of the park the Oconaluftee River ran along the roadway.

 

 

 

At our last pull off stop, I was taking pictures (see two above) of the beauty of this park. As I returned to our car, I found Claude looking at the stone wall along the edge of the pull off. He pointed this out to me...several stones had declarations of love and commitment... 

then there was this stone.  Poor Matthew.  We did chuckle.

We made it through the park. We were the first lunch customers of the day at Bubba Gumps. After lunch we headed to Sadieville with a stop in Georgetown for another smoothie at Dairy Queen

 

When we got to the house, I loaded up my arms with things from inside the car and opened the door to the kitchen. I was greeted with this fun birthday gift from the Marx family. Andie and the Mini's came to the house on Monday the 29th with a stop in Georgetown to visit with Papa for a long while. Then Tuesday they headed home with a stop in Georgetown to take Papa to Dairy Queen with them.  It was a relief for me to know she checked on Papa while I was gone. Then to get this happy banner and a cake make out of cans of Dr. Pepper. It was a fun and touching moment.   

We traveled over 2,000 miles on this little trip. I prefer being quiet about my birthday. Getting away like this was a perfect. We enjoyed those Dunkin' Donut breakfast, every restaurant we ate at was an original and had great food, and Claude deserves a medal for driving us all that way with nary a mishap.