As you can see we have changed the blog around. We are now using Blogger and it seems to be easier to use so maybe I will post more often. Besides it's free! Pictures will be posted using Picassa but it's not up and running yet. Keep checking back. Spring Break is finally here, hurray! I plan on working in the yard, reading, putting away winter clothes, and just being lazy. We'll see how much of that I actually get done.

Summer's Almost Over. . .

for me, anyways. School officially starts for staff next week (Aug 12) but I have some school things I need to do this week. Time goes by way too fast! I didn't begin to get everything accomplished on my summer "to do" list and I certainly didn't keep this blog updated. So what DID I accomplish?? I'm not really certain. I spent time working in the yard and flower beds, I did some major cleaning, I read a few books, I scrapbooked, I painted walls and woodwork, I went to the dentist and the eye doctor, I wasted a day waiting for a repairman, and I spent a few days just shopping. In June we enjoyed Sarah's dance recital and her 8th birthday. We spent the 4th of July week-end at the races in Daytona and later in the month a week in Tennessee with Mindi, Chris, and Sarah. In July we also had a family picnic to celebrate Bob's birthday. H-m-m, all that in just 6 weeks? It looks more impressive when you write it all down but I still feel like I should have been able to do so much more. I will try to get pictures posted as soon as possible so keep checking back.

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year

Was it really 5 months ago that we were unpacking from our summer vacation? It seems like just last week. How can time go by so fast? What have we accomplished? The remainder of July and August was spent trying to complete my summer "to do" list. August 20th school started with new rules, new regulations, and new students. At the end of August we made a quick 4 day trip to Bristol TN for the Nascar races. September and October were just work, work, work both at home and at school. At the beginning of November Bob and I decided to travel to Tioga for the week of Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time but when we returned Christmas was upon us. Whew! We certainly hope that the next few months go by more slowly but that's probably just wishful thinking. Check out the traveling and family picture galleries to the right for new pictures.

Home

Well, we made it home safely on Sunday. Bob and Mike went back to work today and I spent the day emptying the motor home, doing laundry, mowing the lawn, and reassuring the cats that just because I was in and out of the RV all day didn't mean that we were planning on leaving again right away. We had a wonderful trip and are already talking about going back. The North Carolina mountains are definitely a place we could retire to.

One Last Hike

Today it was souvenir shopping and one last hike. I wanted to find some authentic Cherokee handicrafts so we headed downtown. Cherokee is a very tourist oriented town with souvenir shop after souvenir shop lining the streets. Should be easy to find something, right? Wrong! Tacky souvenir junk and t-shirts were a dime a dozen but authentic crafts, non-existent. Fortunately I remembered passing some kind of Native American store on the way to Cherokee so we backtracked and checked it out. The merchandise was a bit pricey but it was authentic so I got my souvenirs. After shopping Bob and I headed for Mingo Falls which is located about 1/2 mile north of the KOA. Because we didn't know how strenuous a hike it would be to the falls Mike opted out. The first part of the trail was a set of stairs that made us "huff" and "puff" a bit but once the top was reached the trail leveled out and it was just a quick hike to the falls. These falls were impressive - not a lot of water but the water drops over 120 feet. We went back to the campground and got Mike so he could see a "real" waterfall. After a trip to the end of Big Cove Road to satisfy our curiosity Bob and Mike loaded the car on the hauler for tomorrow's departure.

Rain, rain go away!

To get to Cades Cove we had to travel the same roads we took yesterday to go to Laurel Falls as Cades Cove is at the end of the Laurel Falls road. Again the weather was not cooperating, first drizzle and then hard rain. However someone upstairs must have been on our side because as soon as we started driving "The Loop" the rain stopped and the sun started to peek through the clouds. We took our time putting along about 10 mph and stopping to explore all the old buildings. We saw wild turkeys, lots of deer, and finally, a squirrel. We had begun to think that North Carolina did not have squirrels as we never saw or even heard any at the campground or on our hikes. But obviously they have a least one! We followed the same route home as US 441 is the only highway that crosses the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We stopped off at Harrah's for the buffet and a little "entertainment" but our luck had apparently deserted us. Tomorrow is our last day here. Boohoo!

A Hikin' We Did Go

Yesterday we took US 441 through The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and into Gatlinburg TN. On the way we stopped to hike to the top of Clingmans Dome (6643'). There is an observation tower at the top but unfortunately all we observed were clouds. However we did feel proud of ourselves that we made it to the top because it was not an easy hike. Next stop was Laurel Falls, another hike. This trail was 2.6 miles round trip but the rise in elevation was only 200' so it was easier. Our last stop was Gatlinburg for a late lunch. Gatlinburg is definitely a tourist trap! Today we are going to the western portion of the park. It's a very overcast day so I don't know what we will see.