Townsend

Luna Moth we found on the porch this morning, as

large as an open hand.

Sav and I in the Tuckaleechee Caverns...it was cold down there!

Back porch with rockers and the rain pouring outside

Cozy featherbed with charming pressed flora/fauna prints

Current Reading

Looking forward to reading.....

Rivers and Cavern Fun

We have had a blast today! The Dancing Bear lodge is the sister lodge of the famous Blackberry Farm in Walland, TN. It is similar in some ways but much more relaxed. We have slept on a heavenly feather bed for the past too nights and it makes me want to put a feather bed on top of my mattress at home. Aaaaah!

Yesterday there was a lot of rain and the rain hitting the tin roof all night made the entire trip for me. Having a two story at home with our bedroom on the main floor cuts out hearing the rain on the roof. Last night it was really coming down on the roof and DH and I woke up and agreed that it had made the trip and enjoyed listening as long as we could stay awake. Lots of cricket sounds, a porch swing, dark woods and mountain mist!

This morning we woke up to more rain, so we decided to tour some local caverns (caves). We were about 500 feet under ground in a cavern system that was about 4 miles wide. Lots of rock formations and two water falls.

This afternoon at 4:45, it finally was sunny enough for us to float down the river. We were the last group to float and with all the rain, it just took about 30 minutes when it normally takes 1 hour and a half. So in other words, we flew down that the Little Pigeon river because all of the rain. The owners of the company floated along with us and were able to tell us where to go and when she got out, she said that it was the best float she had had the whole season.

I jumped off my float one time when I was getting close to the end and totally went under and was unable to even touch the river bottom. 65 degree water! It was cold! That was an accident and surprised me with how strong the current was. When I finally got to the side, one of the company guys said he had to get in the water about 50 times that day to help pull people out because of all the excess water and fast current.
It was a blast though and finished our trip was a bang! DH said that it made the trip for him.

Back home tomorrow to the pups and I know they have had fun having Inez all to themselves.

Off to Townsend in the Great Smoky Mountains park to spend a couple nights

at the Dancing Bear Lodge for some hiking, rafting and cool mountain air.

Wedding Dance

This has got to have been the happiest day for any wedding couple ever! You may have seen it on the Today show, but wherever you see it, it will make you smile BIG! What a wonderful way to celebrate your happy day with incredible personality!

Whenever I feel down, I am going to watch this video! :-)

I Love it!!

Savannah saw this and says she now wants to do this at her wedding one day. Oh boy!

Wedding dance

A Gift Wrapped Life

Everyone who knows me knows how much I love papers, ribbons, pretty packages and any other kind of ephemera and have seen my gift wrapping room devoted to all things frou frou. Well, this pretty lady has it going on! Oh the happiness that she delivers to all! Forget sacks, bags and totes! These are real presents with presence!
If you want to see some of the sweetest gifts that she will gorgeously wrap and mail for you, check out ooohlalacadeau by Ms. Sande Chase. Her blog is delicious also! A Gift Wrapped Life

*all photos are property of Ms. Chase

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Not since Scout in "To Kill a Mockingbird" have I enjoyed the company of the very bright, curious and extremely intelligent Flavia in this delightful first mystery by Alan Bradley.

Paris Opera

Here are a few more pictures of the Paris Opera House that I took with my cell phone. A little fuzzy in places, but you still feel the grandeur. I think we all gasped our way through this beauty and dreamed of going back in time and attending.

Saint Chappelle

We saw a LOT of cathedrals on the trip, but this was our favorite. Saint Chappelle. We waited in line in the rain, had to go through a security check point and payed 8 euros to get in. It was sooooo worth it! The stained glass is amazing! Each tall stained glass from bottom to top is a picture story of a book in the Bible. This was the way they learned the Bible stories, because so many could not read.

Glorious!

I am so proud that I got this picture of the Eiffel tower at night lit with all the lights. I actually took this picture with my cell phone and it is my phone wall paper. Aaaaaaah Paris! (with accent)

Diving In A Moving Vehicle

I found and bought this framed print in a darling little shop in Santa Barbara, California. Leslie and I had found it on one of our sister trips. I had been looking for something special and at the end of the trip I decided to go back and buy this picture as my souvenir for the trip.

Anyone who has been to downtown Santa Barbara knows there is traffic on the main street. Leslie decided to let me out and I go purchase the picture and by the time she came back around and by the store that hopefully I would be ready just to hop in the car without her having to park.

Well, all went well with the purchase and Les is calling me saying "I'm coming by! Come on!" So I tell the lady this and we hurry.

This is a LONG picture. I come out and see Les already down the street some and she has her window down still moving in the opposite far direction and yells, "Run!" So of course I run down the sidewalk with people looking at me like I had just robbed a store with this huge thing under my arm and someone in a car yelling "Run!" I had to practically jump in the backseat with this picture behind Leslie's seat because I didn't have time to go around to the passenger side and fit the picture and me in time since the light was changing.

Why didn't we just park like any other normal person, you say? Were you in a rush somewhere, you say? No, we just didn't want to pay for parking and we're just plain crazy!

So now every time I look up at that picture in my family room, I think of me running and diving in the back of a PT cruiser rental that my sis was driving!

To Lighten Things Up

These chandeliers from Anthropologie are divine!!

Enjoying a lovely day in Peachtree City with my loved ones!

This gives a whole new meaning to a "book nook."

-CAVE by Sakura Adachi

What the Weekend Looks Like

Camera Bag

This is a really cool purse/camera bag! A company named Emera has come out with these adorable bags. Camera bags can be so ugly and you might as well wear a sign that says "Take this." Very cute! It has velcro dividers. This might be an idea for Leslie's upcoming birthday in August!

The Right Time for The Angel's Game

Looking for the right time and place to start reading The Angel's Game, the second book in a trilogy by the author of the excellent The Shadow of the Wind. Barcelona would be the ideal spot for reading it, but I think I may save it for when the leaves start to change and there is a Fall cool crispness in the air and I can curl up in front of a fire. Zafon is an exceptional writer of mystery and intrigue!

This was one of the most moving days of my life. Visiting the Caen Memorial, Omaha beach and the para-trooper cliffs in Normandy was extremely emotional. It is all so quiet. No sound except the sound of the surf below. Maintenance people were using clippers to trim the grass, no lawn mowers (Kentucky blue grass fescue only for our brave) and white crosses for as far as you could see.

The President had just been there the week before and there were quite a large number of visitors. This year marked the 65th anniversary.

Savannah and I had the honor of meeting a veteran from California who had been awarded the purple heart in WWII at Normandy and proudly displayed it on his jacket. He said his job was to get to the mines and rip the interiors out before they had time to explode. He had been wounded with shrapnel three times. This was his 7th visit since the war. He is living history.