Having a Ball

Vacation Part III; Kentucky Wilds

Finally, the third, and final installment of our vacation series. Kentucky is where we spent the majority of our vacation. David was born in Kentucky and while he moved away when he was young, he has spent some time in the state. In doing some research, we learned that Kentucky has an amazing state park system. Many of the state parks have resorts that include a lodge/cabins, pool, restaurant, as well as all of the trails.

Our first stop was Cumberland Falls. This was an easy drive from Knoxville and while we only stayed at this park for a night, it was a great visit. I always love a good waterfall and while it was not the size on Niagara Falls, it was a pretty impressive sight.

Relaxing in the hammock after the hike back to the lodge from the falls

From Cumberland Falls, we headed to the Red River Gorge area of Kentucky and the Natural Bridge State Park. We LOVED this area of the state and already know that we will plan another visit. The number of natural arches and bridges in the Red River Gorge is very impressive. We spent two days in the area and hiked 8-10 miles each day, only seeing a fraction of what it has to offer.

After leaving the Red River Gorge, we headed to Richmond, KY to visit one of my college roommates, Melissa. Melissa is a basketball coach at Eastern Kentucky University, so we checked out the facilities, went to dinner, and visited. It was great spending time with Melissa and Drake was so excited to meet Melissa and her little dog.

It was so nice being able to get away, spend time as a family, and not worry about work for a few days. I look forward to next summer when we hopefully will have time to get away again.

Vacation, Part II; No Smoggy Smoke on Rocky Top

Our first overnight stop on vacation was in Oak Ridge, TN with our friends Dave, Jen, and their three kids. It had been a little over two years since we last saw them, so it was great for us to catch-up. After a lazy Saturday morning of breakfast, the kids played outside before we headed to Knoxville.

Drake helping Dave determine where the next foothold should go in the climbing tree

Dave and Jen's oldest had a soccer game in Knoxville, so we headed to the park to watch a little of the game and play in the splash pad. Public parks that have splash pads are amazing! I really wish that this is something that Clemson would invest in (since we do not have a public pool). On our drive home on Thursday, we actually happened upon a second park in Knox County with a splash pad when we stopped to let Drake stretch his legs. What a great way to spend some time in the park.

Drake decided, unprompted, that he would start tackling while we were away. It started on Saturday night as the boys got ready for bed. He would tackle one boy, get up, and start to tackle the other one. When Adam (5) had a football in his hands, Drake tracked him down to tackle him. All three of the kids were great with Drake and he really enjoyed playing with them.

It was great seeing the Westons, but Kentucky awaited...

Vacation, Part I; A tree that looks at God all day

When we left for our vacation this past Saturday, we knew where we were staying that night (in Oak Ridge, TN with our friends, the Westons) and we knew we were coming home today. Other than a rough idea that we were going to the Red River Gorge in Kentucky, we had no plans. As the week progressed, we found our way and had a great time.

On Saturday, we took out time driving to Oak Ridge with a planned stop at Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in North Carolina. Joyce Kilmer is a park with trees as old as 400 years. This was our first hike, of many, during our trip and we really saw some impressive trees. It is hard for the pictures to do the trees justice.

As were were hiking back down the trail, I came across this guy. David got close, taking the picture and, at the time, thought it was a king snake. Looking at the picture now, he realizes that it was a copperhead

After Joyce Kilmer, we continue to take back roads on our way to Oak Ridge. As we crossed North Carolina/Tennessee boarder on Route 129, we came across The Dragon's Tail. This was an establishment with about 500 motorcycles parked in the lot. We continued down the mountain and saw more motorcycles than one would see at bike week. Along the side of the road at three different points, photographers were stationed, taking shots of the bikes and performance cars as they made their way along 129.

On curvy mountain roads, motorcycles were passing us and flying down the mountain. The first guy that we saw who's bike got out from under him was going in the opposite direction. He came around a turn and lost control and went sliding into the bank, and luckily, not off the cliff. He was traveling with others, who stopped to help and he appeared fine. The second guy we saw skid off the road came up behind us, passing us without a second glance. We lost sight of him and about a mile down the road, found him pushing his bike out of the ditch. We stopped to ask if he needed help, but he made his way out on his own. At the bottom of the mountain, we also saw a car that had spun out and hit the guard rail. It was a fun drive, that apparently many people enjoy on a Saturday afternoon in the summer.

And on to Tennessee we continued.

Drake Goes to the Movies

Yesterday I took Drake to his first movie theater experience. One of the local theaters offers an eight week summer kids series. They show two movies that were released earlier in the year on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings for just $1 a person! I figured that for $1 (Drake was free since he is under two) even if we just stayed for a few minutes, I would be worth it.

We had two options for movies, Arthur Chirstmas and The Smurfs. I picked Arthur Chrismas because it is all cartoon, so I thought Drake would enjoy it more. We lasted 30 minutes into the movie (so about 49 minutes total). At first he had a great time sitting in his own chair. They he got a little restless and starting walking in our row. When he started trying to walk the stairs, I decided it was time to leave.

Next summer, I will plan to take a few mornings of and take Drake to more of these showings.

Where the Wild Things Are

Our friends, Sarah, Warren, and Will came to town this weekend as Warren is starting training for a new job. Unfortunately for us, Warren is still able to work from PA, so they are not moving back to the Southeast in the near future. Will is three months younger than Drake and we were so impressed with how they got along. Drake does not really have any kids his own age that he plays with (that will change in two weeks when he starts Playtime). They are still at the age when they do not really play with one another, more parallel play.

Saturday we went out for lunch and then came back to our house for a little indoor play as a storm rolled past.

Sunday we met Sarah, Warren, and Will at the Greenville Zoo. After a little play on the playground, we strolled through the zoo. 

Drake and Will checking out the Giraffes

Drake and Will sitting on a bear

We had a great time visiting with the Chases and will hopefully get to see them again soon. It is fun to see the boys play so well together. We just wish they lived closer!

Thank You

David, Drake, and I need to send a special and BIG thank you to Mammy, Granddaddy, Nana, and Papa. Margie, the woman that watched Drake since he was eight weeks old was leaving for Germany and keeping Drake. I am taking the next two weeks off from work, so rather than starting Drake in his new daycare, he had camp Grandparent for two weeks.

The first week, David's brother and his family were heading to the beach via Florence and so they took Drake with them to spend the week with Mammy and Granddaddy. Drake had a great time in Florence, playing, sweeping the deck (he loves brooms), and watering the plants. We are so thankful that he was able to spend the time with his Mammy and Granddaddy. While we were child free, David and I were able to do some much needed cleaning around the house and made it out for a few dinners and to the movies.

Last Friday, Mammy and Granddaddy brought Drake back to Clemson where Nana and Papa arrived from Jacksonville after helping to take care of the newest addition to the family, Ellie. Drake also seemed to have a great time with Nana and Papa. He showed off his dancing skills, the went to the park a couple times, and generally just played. It was great that Drake was able to spend some quality time with his Nana and Papa and we look forward to figuring out how we can get Drake to New Orleans so the three of them can spend more time together.

Drake, Nana, and Papa after breakfast at the Pendleton Cafe

So, and BIG thank you to Drake's grandparents for all of their help! This week I am off from work and we will see what Drake and I can find to get into.