A Great Gray Weekend

As evidenced by these photos it was a great gray weekend here in the southland. Also really, really wet, and I'm not just talking river water. It poured buckets, which put a damper on our plans to attend the Vols Orange and White game. Still, when life gives you rain make a rainbow. Something like that, right? 

Hubs and I trekked over the mountain to Tennessee to spend a couple of days with his brother and sister-in-law in their new lake home. My in-laws also live nearby and hub's sister and her family were in town for spring break,  so a mini family gathering occurred. 

My nephews had a couple of friends with them for the week and tubing was high on their wish list. We weren't sure the weather would hold, but it did so there was some fun tubing on the water Friday.  Hubs got to ski which pretty much makes his life complete, so he was a happy camper.

Here he is giving the teenage boys a heart attack-

photo cred-my sister in law

It's not just me y'all. 

My sister-in-law took this picture as he came flying straight at the dock we were standing on. He likes to ski towards the dock then drop the rope last minute so you might think he's going to plow into the dock, but he doesn't. 

We've been married more than thirty years, so I know. If I say he won't hit, he won't hit. 

Now that's not saying he's never come a bit too close to a dock, or a sailboat, or a cow, but that was long ago and far away.

I've stood on more than a few boat docks and watched him flying towards me (beaming of course because he loves it!), then dramatically slowing as soon as the rope drops. The teenagers on the boat hadn't done any skiing with him before this weekend, so they were sweating just a little. They'll learn-ha! 

In other boat news...here I am with my mother-in-law-

She wanted a boat ride and my brother-in-law was happy to oblige. Can you tell she loved it?

You know that boy on the ski up there?
Well he is his mother's son.

We headed home after church on Sunday (in the pouring rain), and opted to take the road through Gatlinburg instead of the Interstate. We wanted to see the landscape post fire, and y'all it's so sad to think of the destruction and loss of life that happened here. Chimney Tops is one of the prettiest places in the Smokies and the black swath that cuts across the mountains stands like a scar on this beautiful piece of land.

We crossed on into NC and my brother-in-law had given me the basic route we'd need to take. I did not want to take a wrong turn and end up on the Dragon (a crazy zig zag road through the mountains motorcyclists love and people who live on Dramamine fear). Anyway,  I guess I was either sleeping or talking (my two favorite car pastimes), we missed a turn, and next thing you know we're rolling along on the The Mountain Waters Scenic Byway.

Not sure how we landed there, but my goodness it was gorgeous!!
Also pouring rain but we stopped several times anyway. You just had to, it was that pretty.

We came around a curve and suddenly found ourselves on what I'm pretty sure is a road quite similar to the Dragon-incredible height with a teeny tiny minuscule little guard rail running beside the road to keep you from tumbling into the gorge and roaring falls below.

The first falls we saw were enormous, but since we weren't prepared for the overlook no picture. At that point we were trying to figure out how we got here and where were we anyway??? There was no backing up on the mountain, but the monstrous falls were absolutely breathtaking as we went by. We quickly realized we were on the road to Highlands, so I googled Cullasaja Gorge and falls when we got home. I read they're about 200 feet in height, but hard to see up close because of the blind highway curves and sheer rock cliffs. 

Yup.
That pretty much sums it up.

We were ready when the next one came up beside us, and we pulled over for a quick picture. This one is called Dry Falls-

Hmmm...these dry falls were a-rushin'! There was a really cool series of walkways and bridges down to the falls and it looked like you could walk behind them or close to it. We did not because did I mention it was raining? And cold? But we put it on our list to do on a return visit when we have the right footware and sunshine. 

A few winding curvy snaky twisting miles further down the road and we came to these-

Bridal Veil Falls. I think there's actually a series called Bridal Veil Falls, because I've read about hikes in there. We're adding that to our list of to-dos too.

Hike more waterfalls.
See them all.

I'm glad we went the wrong way home.
Sometimes back roads know best.
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Festive Family Fun

Let's talk Christmas. I hope yours was merry and bright. We're still enjoying morning coffee by the light of the tree. It will come down this weekend or whenever those little fairies show up to make it happen. Whenever they come is fine...I'm not in a hurry.

Except I kind of am because January looms and we have a lot of travel on the calendar. Fun stuff, which right now feels a little overwhelming, but then I sit by the Christmas tree and remember all is calm and all is bright.

How 'bout we back up a little, because we always start out in reverse on This Side of the Pond. When last we spoke the painters were on their way and they've come and gone so no more blue tape. Whoohoo! The ice man came and jiggled something in the ice maker which necessitated a part order which means he's coming back tomorrow to complete the job. My laundry room countertop was replaced so that's done. Oh and hubs hung a few more pictures. Just ask Daughter2...he was hammering outside her bedroom door at 9:45 a.m. on Christmas Eve Eve.

Or as she would say 'the crack of dawn'!

Speaking of daughter2, she finally got here on Wednesday morning because we had a little drama with her sweet pup that required a trip to the specialty vet the week before Christmas. Meanwhile hubs and I both had our cars in for service and it all felt a little bit crazy and in fact was a little bit crazy. Merry Christmas to us-ha!

Daughter2 was her usual cookie baking rock star self and we sipped tea on the porch and went for side by side manicures and talked recipes, kindergarten, and the meaning of
life. The three of us enjoyed a lovely dinner out with Daughter1's in-laws and close friends before heading to the mountains for a Tennessee Christmas with hubs side of the family.

Christmas with hubs side of the family means Angel Pie and she deserves her own mention here. Carry on. 

We were all so missing Daughter1 and the Dr. Captain this year, so it was extra nice to have a whole houseful of aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents to fill the mountain cabin with love, laughter and chatter. Especially chatter. We are world champion chatterers.

Hubs brother and sister both own cabins in the Smokies, as close to one another as the crow flies. Does that expression mean what I think it means? Anyway, they're close in proximity to one another so we bop between the two when we visit.

Everyone trekked down the mountain on Christmas Eve for a big family dinner out before church, and then sat side by each in two pews singing Silent Night to the glow of a dripping candle.

Christmas Day was filled with the usual gift giving and receiving, game playing, and a celebratory toast to my in-law's 60th wedding anniversary which had taken place earlier in the month.

The nephews helped my mother in law experience a little virtual reality...

And I think she liked it.

These glasses are freaky y'all. I felt like I was in some other dimension of time and space, which I think is the point of virtual reality, but still...super freaky and very cool.

We had rain all day on Christmas Eve, but Christmas and the day after were both ridiculously warm. 70 degrees up on top of the mountain, and nobody complained.

photo credit: my sis-in-law

Monday we trekked back down the mountain to see my sister and brother-in-law's new home which is almost complete. We've been sharing the angst of building a home from the ground up for more than a year, and we're excited for theirs to be finished now too. Also, aunts are special people and my girls have a whole squad they dearly love.

Because it's against the laws of family togetherness to skip a meal we stopped in town for a pizza lunch with the grandparents, selfie style-

photo credit: my sis-in-law

We headed home on Tuesday morning because we had visitors coming by around lunchtime on Wednesday and there were gifts to put away, groceries to be purchased, and floors to be vacuumed. We enjoyed our company and then hubs, Daughter2 and I finally watched Home Alone last night which is a holiday tradition we hadn't managed to squeeze in before Christmas.

We went to bed knowing there was absolutely nothing on the must-do list for today and in my mind that's as good as sugarplums any old day.

An Eggs-tra Special Weekend

We've just returned home from a very full weekend spent in the mountains of East Tennessee. Hubs family gathered to celebrate his mama's 80th birthday (yes we do know how to make a birthday last around here!) along with the Easter holiday.

We missed our west coasters (Daughter1 and her hubs), but the rest of the crew was present and accounted for, and combined to create one great big family gathering.

We drove over the mountain and through the woods (literally) late Friday afternoon, arriving just in time to indulge in our favorite BBQ (Buddy's for you local peeps reading here) with the parents and my sister-in-law's family.

Daughter2 and her sweet pup rode over from SC with us, and her boyfriend drove in to join the party Saturday morning. Hubs declares any weekend with a daughter in the house a win.

We spent Saturday morning prepping the food for that evening's birthday dinner, and also Easter lunch. Nobody went hungry, that's for certain!

My sister-in-law is the only girl child in the family, and we all know the girl child is the designated family event organizer, right? She did a fabulous job with the gift and cake and I know my mother in law felt very well loved.

Because she is.

My mother-in-law's four children, their spouses, and her grandchildren may reside in six different states, but we managed to make great use of technology and create a cute birthday video message in her honor.

We also each contributed several pages filled with photographs, hand-written messages, and memories that were pressed into a scrapbook, which she will absolutely treasure.

The cake was gorgeous. Made by a local baker with a 'tag' at the bottom that reads, 'Thanks to you, we bloom'. So, so pretty! It weighed about a thousand pounds, and was delicious.

Sunday morning dawned bright and beautiful, and I had baskets for my girl and her sweetie before church. You're never too old for an Easter basket, but you are sometimes too old to remember to photograph it.

Probably the highlight of the weekend for my mother-in-law was sitting in a church pew surrounded by her children and grandchildren. We're spread hither and yon, so it's not something that happens very often, and I know it was a bright spot for her in an already brilliant weekend.

After church we shared the traditional meal of baked ham and pineapple stuffing and then a few folks headed to the couch for a nap, and a few of us headed to one of our absolute favorite places in the Smoky Mountains-the Y.

It's good for the soul y'all.

Hubs drove me, Daughter2, and her boyfriend around the Cades Cove loop at dusk, and while we didn't see any bear this trip we did spy lots of deer, a coyote, and as always God's amazing handiwork. This place has His signature all over it.

"Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life!"~Albert Einstein

Monday's Laundry

Hello Monday! I missed posting on Saturday as we ended up having a travel day, and I think I already told you I'm not posting on Sundays. Essentially this whole Write 31 is filled with rules of my own making. I like it that way.

I'm not going to be on topic today either, because I don't feel like being tied to the word prompt. I feel like catching up.

Day 19-catchup

We've had positively glorious weather the past several days. Hubs and I both said we'd forgotten how gorgeous fall feels in this part of the country. A couple of my northern NJ friends posted pics of snowflakes falling over the weekend, and do you know I was not even the teeniest bit jealous?

Late Friday afternoon Daughter2 joined hubs and I at the movies. We saw Bridge of Spies which we all thoroughly enjoyed. The film is based on a true story, and the casting is excellent. When is Tom Hanks not believable in something? He's wonderful in this flick too, and Mark Rylance is fabulous as the spy Rudolf Abel.

After the film ended we dropped Daughter2 off to meet her honey, and since it was such a beautiful evening hubs and I decided to watch some of the university women's soccer match. Our girl's Alma mater was playing our own Alma mater, which made choosing sides a little hard for me. Hubs settled the question by wearing our own team shirt, but bringing stadium seats bearing the hometown team logo. I cheered when either side scored so Go Team!

The sky had such lovely variation in color as the sun sank, and hubs pointed out it looked exactly like our state license plate. Ha! It did! Crescent moon and all. There's nothing like an October sky, is there?

Saturday we got on the road bright and early as we needed to be in TN by 11. The road from our little corner of SC over to TN crosses the mountains of North Carolina and it's stunning, especially this time of year. We cranked up the tunes and enjoyed the ride.

We had a Memorial Service to attend in the morning, then spent the rest of the day relaxing with family in the Smokies. The peaceful side for those in the know.

Sunday morning hubs and I met his parents for early church, and then breakfast after which was so nice. At one point during church hubs put his arm around his mama, and she got a little teary eyed. It's so special to have your kids seated beside you in a pew, no matter your age or theirs.

Later we met hubs brother and sister-in-law for a drive out to their lake lot. They're building on a lake in Tennessee, and we're both at about the same stage of construction. That would be the lot-is-mostly clear, septic-in, no-house-yet stage.

But we're both getting there!

Hubs and I headed home, but had plans for a fun little surprise en route. We've been back and forth to TN three times since moving south in August, and every time we pass the exit for a little town in NC we say we're going to stop.

Sweet, sweet friends of ours from the UK years bought a B&B in a really charming NC town back in June. If you've been reading here a while, these are the friends we met up with in Hong Kong when we were there in 2012.

They were living in China at the time, but have changed geography just a little since then, ahem, and are now the proud owners of a lovely B&B, less than two hours from our home. It was about 4 PM, and as we were approaching the area we mapped it, saw the inn was not a ridiculous drive from the highway, and decided to go for it.

Yes, we are those friends who drop in unannounced, but sometimes that is the most fun thing in the world.

We pulled around the side of the building and noticed the kitchen door was open.

Yes, we are those friends who let themselves in through your kitchen door just to see the look on your face and hear your excited shout.

Totally worth it. Made my heart happy and I know they'd say the same. We didn't stay long as they had guests coming and going, but we did get a tour of their fantastic new home, and we can't wait to go back and stay the night. We'll book the regular way next time.

And now it's Monday and I'm finally catching up on the mountain of laundry and grocery shopping and bill pay and other general nonsense that Monday calls for.  Also, know that when you're building in a state with red clay dirt, you're going to have some ridiculous laundry.

Hoping to get back in the swing of the one-word prompt challenge tomorrow, but I'm outta the box when it comes to writing this month, so we'll see. In the meantime, I hope your Monday is filled with all the colors of fall!

Monday Throwback-Another Week, Another State

If you're here for the Hodgepodge Questions you'll find them just before this post.

A week ago

todayyesterday we were here-

In Tennessee. 

Let's recap. We moved from North Jersey to South Jersey to South Carolina, but made trips to Canada, Maine, and Tennessee in between. Or at the same time. Whatever. 

Also, it's not Monday, it's Tuesday but I started this post on Monday prior to upgrading our browser and entering all kinds of technology h-e-double hockey sticks, which is why I'm now posting a throwback Monday should be Thursday, on a Tuesday.  

Keep up people!

Hubs hometown recently constructed a brand new high school, and they were hosting an all-years reunion to mark the occasion. We trekked over to Tennessee to check it out, and also to visit with family since we were in the neighborhood. 

Neighborhood is defined very broadly when you're us. 

My father-in-law had celebrated a birthday earlier in the week, so his boys took him out for his favorite fried catfish supper. We ate at Allisons, which is a fun little spot in Friendsville, TN and is only open in the summertime, and only on the weekends. You've gotta go while the gettin' is good. 

We spent most of Saturday doing reunion-y type activities, and then on Sunday had a most relaxing day right here-

Back porch sittin'. 

Is there anything better? 

My brother-in-law is a master of The Big Green Egg, and hubs played sous chef while they grilled some truly outstanding ribs. 

We were missing the only girl child in the family, but I did get a picture of my in-laws with all their boys. I'm pretty sure there's an extra star in my mother-in-law's heavenly crown since these boys gave her a run for her money in their growing up years.  

Occasionally they still do. ahem. 

We drove around looking for signs of wildlife, but all we found was a Tree of Lost Soles. It was a nice low key weekend with beautiful scenery, wonderful meals, and sweet time with family. 

Knowing we only had a three hour drive home, as opposed to our usual 12, was delcious icing on the proverbial cake.  

Sweet Tennessee

Since I ended my last post in the middle I think I'll begin this one the same way.
In the middle.

After all the wedding planning hoopla wrapped up last Friday, and Daughter2 had finished in her classroom for the day, we three girls headed over the mountains and through the woods to grandmother's house.

Close to it anyway.

Tennessee. The Smoky Mountains. Where the air is clear and hub's family gathers to mark life's occasions large and small, happy and sad, momentous and just because. This particular gathering was to mark a milestone large, happy and momentous-my father in law's 80th birthday. It's challenging to get hubs whole big family in the same place at the same time, but everybody cleared their calendars for this special weekend.

Hubs family is funny and they all talk a lot oftentimes on top of one another, and there is much kidding, laughter, and normally a few tears shed too, as we're a sentimental lot. One brother and one sister own cabins on the same gorgeous mountain so we all pile in and enjoy the minutes and the hours and the too short days.

Friday night we ate barbecue and caught up on wedding plans and what it's like to teach third grade and back to school excitement? for the under 21 set and funny things on the Internet and great music we all need to download.When I'm with my girls I always come home with new music to download. They keep us in the know, and we manage to teach them a few things too.

Like Zotz are sour.
Really really sour.

Saturday morning hubs, two brothers, and one sister-in-law headed out to play a round of golf. I think hubs and my sis-in-law would want me to let you know they won. This family is not competitive at.all. Ha!

The rest of us hung out at the mountain house with the birthday boy. With views like this one there really is no need to go anywhere further than a rocking chair on the back deck.

We had a fun birthday dinner celebration Saturday night at Calhoun's on the River, just across the street from the University of Tennessee. Hubs sister organized a really special gift for her dad.

She'd sent each family member 6 or 7 colored cards and we wrote a memory or thought for my father in law on each one, so he'd have 80 cards to read and treasure.

We each shared one or two of our cards throughout the meal and there was much picture taking and laughter and a few tears too. Because beneath all the joy in what remains there lingers the ever present knowledge of what we've lost. It's woven into the fabric of our family, and we don't try to pretend otherwise. Still we tell stories and the night is a sweet, sweet celebration of years lived and paths trod and memories made.  

Grandpa was definitely feeling the love.

There is a lot of love in this family.

Love never fails.