Camping in Tennessee

Dan and I had an awesome time camping, fishing, hiking, etc. The fish eluded us which was disappointing, but we had a awesome camp site right next to Gee Creek. The pancakes and cherry pudgie pies were my favorite part of our menu! We hiked on the John Muir Trail. I guess he hiked through Tennessee on his way to California! Our campground was real close to the Hiwassee River which is a recreational fishing, tubing, kayaking area in the Cherokee Forest. It was very beautiful. Lots of rivers including the Ocoee where the 1996 Olympics took place. We hiked 6 miles on the Chestnut Mountain right above the Ocoee. Lots of beautiful mushrooms grew in its deep forests. We found a couple favorite spots of the locals. One was the Gee Trail which had a deep swimming hole called the "Blue Hole". We got caught in rain so we didn't get to try it out. The other spot was off of the Cherohala Skyway. We rode down along the Tellico River and just beyond the Bald River Falls there was a small falls called the Little Tellico Falls. It was full of teenagers jumping off the rocks--very exciting.

After 5 nights we headed for the Smokey Mountains where we camped by the Little River. We tried out the Appalachian Trail, and hiked up to Laurel Falls where we were treated to a bear sighting! A mamma and her 2 cubs were eating blueberries down the trail from us. Danny and I had just read "Blueberries for Sal" which is about a mamma and her cub eating blueberries! We awoke to a big downpour which didn't dampen our spirits but we did have a wet load coming home!

More fun with the grandkids

Dan and I had a great time with the grandkids! They kept us entertained with their shenanigans. And we did our best to entertain them with stories, George time on the computer, snow balls, etc.! Our favorite was the morning we kidnapped Danny and Jane while mom and dad were sleeping. We went to the French Quarter and got beinets and walked on the mighty Mississippi. Carolyn and Bill had a nice sleep in!
Dan's big project while we were out there was to paint the deck. Notice the change in the pictures!
Also, take note of Jane's "serious face". This is her take on how to "smile for the picture"!!!

Good news!

Peter is such a good baby! We almost forget he's around. Jane, the one year old, keeps us all entertained and happy! Danny, the three year old, has been really sick with an ear infection. He's still laying around recovering.

We had po boys for dinner one night--yummers! And Beth W. brought us snow balls one sunny afternoon. We all sat outside with Ang P. and enjoyed the ancient New Orleans treat. All the while Danny slept. The good news was that during his few waking moments he was not in pain!

Today it is pouring and thundering. The back yard has become a swimming pool--remember New Orleans is below sea level. Another back yard phenomena are the lizards. They scoot across the deck and then stop and do sit ups and fill up their throat and do deep breathing! Yikes.