Our Great Northeast Adventure (part 1)

Today is Day 6 of our Great Northeast Adventure.  I wanted to share a little of what we’ve done while it is fresh in my mind.  Days 2-3 were both spent on The Natchez Trace.  We had traveled the Trace from Natchez to Jackson many years ago, when the kids were at home, and really enjoyed it.  We decided then that someday we hoped to return and follow it all the way up to Nashville.  This was the perfect opportunity to do that.  The Trace isn’t for everyone, but it was ideal for us!  There are no commercial vehicles allowed, no billboards, no towns, no stop signs…just over 400 miles of natural beauty and peacefulness.  The speed limit is 40 MPH around large cities and 50 MPH everywhere else, so the pace is slow and restful.  The first day on the Trace, we traveled 170 miles…in 7 hours.  We stopped frequently at the different sites along the way.  We did a little hiking, stopped to take pictures of the changing scenery and color along the way, climbed hills to view waterfalls, and stopped at beautiful settings for leisurely picnic lunches.  We ended up Day 3 in Cookeville, TN.  Our plans were to assemble the next morning at the Frogtown church, so we decided to drive up to make sure we could find it.  Good thing we did!  All we had were GPS coordinates (and didn’t realize at the time that our car’s GPS could take coordinates).  We used Dennis’ hand held (woods) GPS to lead us up in the right direction and figured we would find it.  That doesn’t work in the hills and hollers of Tennessee.  We were driving some pretty remote pig trails before we finally found someone outside to stop and ask directions from.  We were within 1/10 of a mile from the church…you just couldn’t get to it from there!  The man was good at telling us how to get back to the road that would take us there, and we finally made it.  Turns out that it is really easy to get to, on good roads, if you know where you are going!

Day 4 was the Lord’s Day, so we assembled at Frogtown that morning.  We enjoyed meeting everyone there…especially Debie and Wayne Taylor.  I’ve heard of them for years, but this was the first time we had actually met.  Visiting with Debie was like talking to an old friend!  I also really enjoyed the lesson of the morning, on contentment. 

After the assembly and a short visit, we got back on the road and drove to Townsend, TN, a small town just a few short miles from The Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  It was still early enough, after we got checked into our room, to start exploring.  We decided to drive the Cades Cove Loop, an 11 mile loop.  It ended up taking us about 2 hours to drive it…not because of all of the sightings, but because of the traffic!  It was bumper to bumper most of the way.  We hoped that Monday morning would bring a little relief in that department!  It didn’t disappoint.  We got up before daylight and headed back to the same area.  There weren’t the heavy crowds this time and we could enjoy the view.  Right off, we started seeing deer.  A couple of nice bucks posed for us and were very close up and personal.  About 2/3 around the loop we saw a momma bear and her 2 cubs out in a pasture.  The cubs were just coming down from a tree.  They were about 400 yards off, so our viewing was helped using a telephoto lens and binoculars.  It was quite a show, though.  Then another momma bear and her cub came out of the woods and were headed for the same tree.  There looked like they might have a confrontation for a little bit, but the second pair backed down.  What a treat!  We then took a cut-through and circled back to the visitor center (at about the half-way point of the loop).  While there, we heard talk of another group of 6 bears.  We drove out to where they were and had quite a show.  One bear was right beside the road.  We drove past and were within 10 yards of him (or her)!  We parked a little ways down the lane, got out of the car with our cameras, and started shooting (along with about 20-30 other people).  The bear was oblivious to all of the spectators…it was busy trying to fill its belly with the required 7 pounds of hickory nuts that it needs each day to get ready for winter.  Up in the tree above him were 3 other bears, busy gathering nuts and chomping away.  In another tree across the lane were a couple of cubs.  What a treat!

We finally decided to move on and see another part of the park.  We stopped for lunch at the Chimneys picnic area.  Such a pretty place!  The hardwoods in that area were HUMONGOUS!!!  After lunch we drove up to Clingman’s Dome, which is the highest point in the park.  The drive was breathtaking!  The colors in the high elevations were really starting to shine.  There is an observation tower that normally allows a 360 degree view of the area, but it was fogged under, so we didn’t bother to climb to it.  Nothing but white fog was visible as you tried to look down the mountain.  So we headed back down to the lower elevations. 

Our park literature told us about a remote area in the North Carolina part of the park, where elk had been reintroduced.  So we decided to head that way.  We left the park (you couldn't get there through the park), drove through Gatlinburg (what a tourist trap!) and hit I40 towards N. Carolina.  After one missed turn, we found the park entrance.  The road leading to the Cataloochee Valley, where the elk herd stays, is 7 miles long…and took us about 30 minutes to drive.  Talk about switchbacks!  It was narrow and graveled and the maximum speed you could drive was 15 MPG, except for on the curves, when you had to slow down.  But it was worth the drive.  Not only did we get to see elk, we saw two big bulls that put on quite a show for us.  They were in separate areas, so we didn’t get to see a fight, but we did watch them bugling!  That is a sight to see…and hear!  We did see a couple of smaller bulls doing a little friendly sparring.  After watching for an hour or so, we decided we’d better get back out that road before dark.  On the way, a bear jumped down onto the road in front of us for a short “race”, then headed off into the woods!

When we hit the main road, we set the GPS to take us to the closest restaurant on the way back to Tennessee…or so we thought.  We ended up way back out in the sticks, in the dark, with an almost empty gas tank…and no town in sight!  We managed to find a man outside working on his truck and asked for directions to the nearest gas station.  Turned out that we were only about 5-6 miles from a Pilot station on a main road and were able to make it without getting stranded.  What a relief!  We filled our tank and our bellies and then drove back to our room in Townsend.

We aren’t even 1/3 of the way through this adventure and it has already been well worth the trip!  Everything from here on out will be well northeast of anywhere either of us has seen before.  I can’t wait!

Family Fun, Odds and End Jobs, and Last Minute Travel Prep

Well, we got our temporary guest room in acceptable condition by the time Stephen and Mandy and Jesse arrived Saturday.  It worked out quite well for their family.  It afforded them a quiet, private room to themselves, with an a/c that they could control.  Jesse loved it!  (Imagine a large, mostly empty room with concrete floors.)  It was great for running around and rolling his car around.  But the absolute best thing was the door!  There is no telling HOW many times that little guy opened and closed the door leading from the living room to the den!  Kids sure get a lot of pleasure from very simple things!


Tacos!



Doing a little reading

After lunch on Saturday, we took Jesse to the city park.  He had a blast!  He loved climbing on the playground equipment, but didn't quite know what to do once he got up there.  One section had a steering wheel, which he played with a lot.  When other kids would come over and start playing with it, he would patiently stand aside and wait until they left, then play with it some more.  He was leery of the tunnels and slides (although he went down the small one a couple of times with me holding his hand), but loved the swing.  We adults finally had enough of the heat, so we headed back to the house, stopping for a cold treat on the way.  (And I discovered that Jesse LOVES lemonberry slushes!)

After supper and washing dishes, we all piled into Stephen and Mandy's little SUV and went for a drive through the state park looking for deer.  We were able to see quite a few, and a couple were close enough that Jesse could see them.  He really enjoyed that!  Then we parked and walked down to the lake.  If Stephen hadn't been holding his hand, I do believe Jesse would have jumped right in!

Looking for deer

Jessica came over Sunday, after church, so all of my kiddos were here at the same time.  It was so nice having everyone together!  Right after lunch, Ricky and Dennis had to leave (Ricky - going out of town for work; and Dennis - going to a business meeting).  After getting the kitchen cleaned up and visiting a while longer, Stephen's family had to move on.  (They were heading to Abilene for a work conference.)  We thoroughly enjoyed the weekend!  Jesse is so much fun!  He is old enough now that he remembers all of us from visit to visit.  I love seeing him relate to his Uncle Ricky (boom-boom!) and Aunt Sheila.  Being a granny is the best!

We are hoping that things go smoothly for Shepherd to come home soon.  All of the preliminary stuff is done, and they are waiting until the rainy season ends (in Ethiopia), so a court date can be scheduled.  Stephen and Mandy will fly over there for the adoption, but it will be another several weeks before they can go bring him home.  We are hoping and praying that will occur before the end of the year!  We are all looking forward to meeting our new little guy!

Dennis and I are trying to finish up a few odds and ends around the house before we leave Thursday morning.  We've decided not to worry about having to get the den and guest room finished.  The den worked so well for a temporary guest room that we can use it again, if needed.  We are getting the ceiling painted today, as well as several little jobs that we've been putting off.  We may try to do some of the flooring before we go...depends on how things go.  I've been busy making my lists of things to take with us on vacation and getting things together.  Plus I have a couple of CASA commitments this week.  So there is plenty to keep us busy over the next 3 days!

I will try to start posting travel pictures when we get to Tennessee.  I'm hoping we start seeing some color by then.  This has the potential of being the best fall vacation ever!

Home improvement update

I think the most dominant characteristic of retirement over the past couple of weeks is "exhausting".  We have one week until we leave on vacation, then 4 days after we return, to get our den and guest room ready for company.  We have been working feverishly to try to make that happen!  We actually have company coming this weekend, but it is family.  Things don't have to be "perfect" for family!  But we are trying to get the den done enough that we can set it up as a temporary guest room for Stephen and Mandy.  Then we'll try to get the flooring in next week before we leave, so we can start moving furniture.  Then I should be able to get the old office fixed up for our October meeting company.  It won't be completed, but it should be "acceptable". 

So...here is what we've done, so far.  We put up (most of) the trim on the outside of the shop and got it (mostly) painted...enough to protect it from the weather.  Dennis finished putting up all of the outside lights on the shop and den, as well as all of the ceiling lights in the den.  We got the built in bookshelves (in the living room) boxed in and painted...just haven't made the shelves, yet.  We paneled the den and are now working on the coffered ceiling.  We hope to have it completed tomorrow.  (Trim will have to wait until a more opportune time!)  Friday, we are supposed to go pick up a bed for the guest room (and the new headboard for it is being delivered). 

We are LOVING the new shop!  It makes things so much easier.  It isn't finished out inside yet, but it is very operational.  We have worn a path between it and the den, hauling lumber and paneling back and forth between the two.  Dennis really did a good job designing it!

Before, when I heard people talk about being busier after they retired than before, I was very skeptical.  These past couple of weeks have made me a believer!  Dennis and I are both about worn to a frazzle.  We are certainly looking forward to our vacation!

I am not including pictures this time, because I want to wait and show the finished project.  I remember, back when I was still doing cakes, Dennis would sometimes come look at a cake I was working on.  He would be skeptical about what it was going to look like.  After applying the finishing touches, however, he would be happy with the results.  An unfinished project can look pretty rough...up until the final touches are applied.  So...I'll wait until things look a little more polished!

Other than remodeling, we also spent Labor Day weekend at our usual gathering.  We always enjoy our visits with everyone...as well as all of the wonderful food!  And, as I mentioned, our kiddos and grandson are supposed to be here this weekend.  It has been a couple of months since we last saw them.  I can tell from the pictures I see that Jesse has been growing and changing like crazy!  I can't wait to see him!

Well, I guess I'd better get some rest, so we can get back to work in the morning.  I'll try to do regular updates on our trip.  We are hoping to have some gorgeous pictures to share! 

The crew is gone!

Well, this has been quite the journey!  We began lining out the driveway 84 days ago and have had the construction crew here ever since (except for weekends, rainouts, and cure time on concrete).  I knew Dennis was a patient man, but he amazed me at how well he coped with this group of men!  He had to not only stay out there with them to keep them moving and doing things correctly, but most of the time, he was working right along beside them.  He is definitely looking forward to having his own schedule, rather than having to be out there anywhere from 5:45 to 7:00 every morning (until 5-7:00 in the evening).  I’m looking forward to having our privacy back…as well as being able to spend time together again.

We still need to get the exterior of the shop painted to protect it from the elements.  Then we will transfer all the materials and stuff left in the den to the shop, so we can start getting it finished out.  We only have 3 weeks to get it ready for company before time to leave on vacation!  (Actually Stephen, Mandy and Jesse plan to be here in 2 weeks; and I hope to have things to where they can stay in the guest room.)

So, here are a couple of pictures - outside of the shop: 

The inside of the shop:

 

While Dennis has been busy with construction, I’ve been trying out my new stove.  I won’t have time to do much baking when we return from vacation.  (We get home on the 12^th of October and our meeting starts on the 16^th.)  So I’ve been baking sweets and freezing them.  I also got the freezer defrosted and reorganized.  It will already be bow season when we return, and Dennis will be ready to hit the deer woods as soon as the meeting is over.  This new shop will really be great then!  He’ll be able to back into it with the deer and hoist it up using the O-ring he has built into the ceiling for just that purpose.  Then after dressing it (in a tight, air conditioned room, if necessary), it will go directly into the refrigerator in the shop for aging.  It is great having the right equipment to do a job!

I’m excited as we enter this new phase of construction.  We will work on our time schedule…still making time for other things that are important.  And we’ll be doing it together.