Home again

After three weeks of visiting with family and friends in OH, PA, and SC we arrived home on Thursday, October 2.

During our visit to son Dan's in Uniontown, OH we got involved in cutting down some trees in their back yard. They needed more sunlight on the new pool. Well, Dan got more involved than me. I just helped clean up the cut up branches. Son Dan is cutting branches on top and Dan is holding the ladder.

 We also enjoyed the company of many good friends from Pennsylvania. The weather turned cold, and we were grateful that we were heading to warmer temperatures.

Our time in Myrtle Beach, SC flew by. In addition to walks on the beach and quality time visiting with Donna, we were able to catch grandson Chris perform with his band. Since he plays the tuba and in 6 ft 3 in, he was easy to spot in the center of this picture.

Then we traveled to Beaufort, SC where our son Doug moved after his retirement from the Navy. We enjoyed exploring that new area and found it delightful. His two youngest children performed at a band competition nearby while we were there. They were very impressive and took second place in their division. We weren't able to get a picture of Cheyenne playing the clarinet, but this is Daimen with his trumpet.

Of course we are proud of all the grand kids!

Since we are fond of lighthouses we toured the Hunting Beach State Park  and climbed the 176 steps to the top. In addition to being the only lighthouse in SC that is open for climbing, it is very well preserved, and the scenes of the ocean from the top were beautiful.

Another interesting spot we visited was the Marine Museum at Parris Island which is south of Beaufort. It included 10,000 square feet of exhibit space on two floors. We were both impressed with all the displays of the history of the Marines, South Carolina, and wars beginning in 1663.

On our last night of the trip, which was Dan's birthday, we had a wonderful dinner with our nephew and his family at his restaurant in the area. It was followed by birthday cake at Doug's made by Mary, our grand daughter. What a happy way to end the trip!

This year we logged 2628 miles on the RV compared to over 6000 last year. The sights in Eastern Tennessee were quite different than Yellowstone National Park, but we enjoyed the experience of meeting many friendly people and exploring a new area.

On the road again

We completed our contract with Dollywood on Saturday, September 6. On Sunday we took the opportunity to see the fall decorations at the park. Unfortunately we will miss the Gospel and Harvest Festival which takes place later in September. Here are a few of the cute sights.

We also viewed an entertaining musical program of country music

and had a meal at Miss Lillian's Chicken Buffet, a place that we never go around to during previous visits.

On Monday we turned in our costumes, ID cards, name tags, and car passes. That made our exit for the season official. We are on the "rehire" list and should receive a letter in December asking if we want to return. We both agree that it would be a good idea.

We finished packing up and left for Ohio on Tuesday. We will spend a week here with our son and then travel south to South Carolina to visit the other two kids and five grand kids. We should be home in early October.

Zip lining through Tennessee mountains

Throughout the summer the hosts where I work at River Battle had a secret pals who surprised each other with little treats and cards. On the last day I was astonished to find an envelope with two passes for a day of zip lining at Foxfire Mountain. My secret pal's husband works there and was able to acquire them for us. Needless to say I was excited to take advantage of this unexpected adventure.

Since we had only zipped once before we chose the Scenic Canopy Tour which was described as "a beginner course of 7 world-class zip lines." The first zip was designed to get us used to the feel of it. There were eight in our group who took turns. The guide began by show us what we could do if we wanted.

This is Dan's first zip with me watching.

Then I took off.

Dan is in the distance waiting for me.

We zipped three times and then took a ride up the mountain to continue the course. The longest zip was 1500 feet and was quite thrilling. Although we felt very safe, neither one of us was brave enough to do a flip. Here is Dan returning on the last zip.

He made it!

Here's my last zip. The way the equipment was designed made it quite comfortable and secure.

I made it too!

After the zip lining experience we enjoyed a delicious pulled pork lunch straight from their smoker. Notice the flying pig above the food shack.

The grounds proved to be an interesting place to take a walk. There was a cute little museum,

a privy,

a Make A Wish wishing well,

and America's Bridge to Prosperity,

Before crossing the longest swinging bridge in the US we wrote a wish on colorful a strip of paper. We carried it across the bridge

to the other side

and hung it with the others at the Whispering Winds covered bridge.

We did not attempt the rock climbing wall.

We also skipped the hiking trails at this 150 acre Adventure Park  because it was getting hot and buggy. Although we did not take advantage of all that was available we enjoyed the experience immensely.

More fun shows in Pigeon Forge

Although we probably won't get to see all the shows that are available to us this summer, we are picking the ones that appeal to us. One of the five shows at the Majestic Theater that we enjoyed was the Hit Parade.

The singers and dancers were talented and energetic. One really neat part of the show was the emcee who stood in a booth along the wall and told interesting stories about the original singers and songs.

The group sang songs by Chuck Berry,

The Everly Brothers,

The Archies,

Neil Diamond,

The Mamas & the Papas,

and many more. It was very upbeat and entertaining.

They performed a fantastic salute to the military with the singers dressed in authentic uniforms. They marched and sang and left the audience on their feet applauding. I had tears streaming down my cheeks.

We have one more show to see at the Majestic and have tickets for Thursday.

The Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Show was advertised throughout the city and in all the travel brochures, so we decided to go and see what it was all about. The food was delicious and plentiful. There were no doggie bags, but we had enough left overs for at least another meal or two. Before the show started the feud started on the screens in front of the room. They went back and forth with the Hatfield's slamming the McCoys,

and the McCoys picking on the Hatfields.

They also had trivia questions to figure out.

The show was action packed and hilarious at times. Once again the singers and dancers were tremendous.

The heads of the families out did themselves with comedy.

Fortunately after many fights and a musical contest the feud was over. The parents, who had always loved each other, got married, and the families ended up getting along.

We enjoyed the food and show very much.

Another theater in town called Memories describes itself as "the longest running show in the Smokies, featuring some of the best tribute artists in the world." Throughout the year different singers rotate in and out of the theater. The night we went we enjoyed the music of Conway Twitty,

Dolly Parton,

Jason Aldean,

Marilyn Monroe,

and Elvis.

At the end they sang several songs together.

Once again we were impressed with the quality and talent of the performers.

At the same theater where the Smoky Mountain Opry is shown in the evening, the Blackwoods Morning Show takes place several mornings a week.

The singers related many stories of their experiences in the past with many popular stars. They sang  a variety of songs even ones from the time of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

In addition to oldies they performed gospel music.

While the singers changed costumes, we were entertained by a comic couple whose skits left us in stitches.

We enjoyed more music by these talented singers.

And then laughed at the ventriloquists and their puppets.

The finale was a military tribute in grand style.

The audience consisted of older folks like us who appreciated the music from the "good old days."


Our most recent musical adventure was by Billy Joe Royal and Ronnie McDowell, part of the 2014 concert series at Country Tonight theater. Billy Joe Royal, famous for his song from the 60's "Down in the Boondocks," definitely showed his age. His singing was adequate, but we could tell he was out of practice.

Ronnie McDowell spoke of his past singing with Elvis and others. He's famous for the song he wrote after Elvis' death called "The King is Gone."

His one son played the drums and another sang a song. His eight year old grandson also took a turn on the drums. He introduced his songs with stories and background information which made it interesting. At the end of the night he brought up a back-up singer and the three of them sang a few songs.

The audience was mostly old folks taking a trip down memory lane.......

At this point we have two weeks left to work at Dollywood. Since the park is now closed on Wednesday and Thursday, we are working only Tuesday and Saturday. The crowds have diminished with the kids going back to school. We're starting to formulate plans for the trip home. The summer has flown by!