Nursery

While I was gone in Tennessee, Bobbins had her dad and brother rip up the carpet and install wood flooring in Owen's room, which would become the baby's room. Bobbins and I painted the walls, then I tacked on the baseboard and put up a wall shelf. Voila, a nursery. Bobbins was very relieved to have the wood floor complete before the baby came.

Owen was in trying to help while we were putting the room back together. He loves tools, including screwdrivers. He saw me using one to put a wall plate (over an outlet) back up and tried to do the same. Lo and behold, a touched the live screw and got a shock, sending sparks onto the floor and jolting his parents. The electricity burned the metal screwdriver. Of course Owen shrugged it off. That's boys for you!

Chattanooga, then Home

We had a good part of Sunday to explore Chattanooga. We hit Mass at the beautiful Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, which had some very interesting Civil War history. We then checked out the Chattanooga Choo Choo, a historic train station renovated into a hotel and restaurants. We then drove around a bit before settling on a brunch spot that was delicious but too much food. We should've gotten one pancake for all three kids instead of 3!

We then got on the freeway for Nashville and our return flight to Phoenix. My dad and I had a nice conversation about the impending birth of my 4th child. We reached the airport fine, returned the rental van, and got past security in plenty of time. It was the end of a long day, so the flight, which was full, was NOT fun. We were in the back row and of course Owen wouldn't go to sleep. He had a breakdown the last half hour and screamed for about 10 minutes. My dad tried his best to keep him under wraps. When Bobbins got us, we were exhausted, and it was stiflingly hot in Phoenix. Still, it was nice to be home.

Leaving Gatlinburg

Saturday morning we said our goodbyes and packed up. It was a lot of fun living and eating with the extended family. We headed for northern Georgia to see some friends of my dad and Aunt Mel. It was a pretty drive through the forest and hills. We stopped at a Carl's Jr. for lunch, and made it to the friends in the early afternoon. Owen and I were exhausted, so we found an empty room and crashed, Owen on the floor, me on the bed. The girls stayed up watching TV and playing with their cousins. The pic at left is Owen right after waking up.

We had a wonderful dinner of sloppy joes and German potato salad. We got a late start for Chattanooga, where we intended to stay the night. While it was still light it was a very pretty drive. I drove Mavis's Suburban and had a nice debrief on the family with her. It was pretty twisty and turny at the end, but we made it to Chatta., where almost all the hotel rooms were booked up. We managed to get the last three at a cheap(er) joint. What a long day!

Dollywood

Friday I decided to take my kids to Dollywood with Katie. Aunt Mel, Mavis, and her kids came with us. My dad and Uncle Jack tackled the golf course again, on their own. It wasn't too crowded at D-wood. I thought it'd be hokey and very southern and music-y, basically very Dolly Parton, but it's a legit theme park with real rides (in addition to the hokey stuff). We started by watching a show by a China-men who made huge bubbles, then I took all the kids on the raft ride and got soaked.

From there we did some other smaller rides for my girls, then some bigger roller coasters for Leebree and D Shea and Kate.

The little kids went on the water ride where you're on a ship with water cannons, squirting targets and people on 'land' (who are shooting water back at you). They loved it, and Owen & I had fun squirting his sisters.

Owen spent most of the time on my back like this, or on Mavis's back. He wore that hat a little bit of the time.

It was right about after the water ship ride that we lost D Shea. We were all together, heading toward the exit at the other end of the park, when I noticed D Shea wasn't with us. Within a couple minutes we realized she wasn't anywhere near us. Aunt Mel and Mavis started to panic a little, and Mavis found a park employee. I knew she had to be close by and started walking way back, even past the water ship ride. Sure enough there she was, wandering around. I had a big smile as we walked to the reunion with Mavis and Aunt Mel, mostly because I knew we'd find her, and I did.

Dollywood was fairly expensive, like all theme parks these days, but a good time. 
 
 

Dixie Stampede

You probably can't go to Gatlinburg, TN, without going to Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. Tom and Kathie got us all tickets Thurs. night. The girls really enjoyed it. The horsemanship was pretty cool, as were some of the tricks. They do a North vs. South theme which involves the audience. It's very American at the end which is nice. The food isn't too bad, although there's too much and it goes to waste. Owen was a bit of a bear to keep in his seat. We did a whole family photo outside before going in, then individual family photos on the way in.

Before you go into the arena for the show and dinner, you hang out in a bar with a large seating area. MM led the other kids in some country dancing while we waited.

 

 

 The photo above on the right is Eric participating in one of the games. No one knows how he got picked to go down there. He and a few others from our side (the South) won their little game, but the North won the overall (just like in real life). Uncle Jack took the kids down to meet one of the performers at the end.

Thurs. Golf Tourney

Won't write too much about the PMGT, as we have a separate blog for that, but here's a shot of the winning team (Ryan, me, Tom, Mavis) and two of the holes.

 

 

Rafting

Wed. in Tennessee our big adventure was whitewater rafting. I didn't bother taking any pictures. We ended up buying the disc they sell of group photos, so if Uncle Jack ever burns me a copy of those, I'll try to put some up. My cousin Brad's daughter also had her GoPro on and got some good video, which I'll try to find the link of at some point.

But this was the best rafting any of us had done. Mostly because we had a funny little white guy with huge dreds for a guide and because we chose 'the extreme' trip, which entailed only a six person boat and a rougher course. And an extra $5 per person. I concluded later that was so Larry, our guide, could pay off the other guides who picked us up when Larry intentionally flipped us in one big rapid. Brad and Maddie ended up falling out on their own before that. It was quite an adventure. Brad and I were up front, with Maddie, Riley, and Mavis (and the guide) behind us. We got to swim and jump off a rock as well. Worth the money and a highlight of the trip.

My dad was a good grandfather and took the little kids on the easy rapids separate from us.

Accommodations and Dining

The best part about Tennessee was the accommodations and dining therein. We had two massive cabins, each with three stories and many bedrooms and bathrooms. Katie and the kids and I got two bedrooms and our own bathroom downstairs. Each room had queen size bunks. Kate and the girls slept in the bottom bunk closest to the bathroom, while Booch and I took the corner room with the patio. Outside our rooms were the movie room and the air hockey table. Ryan, my cousin from Houston, was in the rooms across from us. Mavis and her three had the "master suite" on the ground level, off the living room. All the 2nd generation (sons & daughters of Jack, Dave, and Phil) were in their own cabin next to us, while all the grandkids and their kids (us) were in the crazy house.

Tom organized everyone into groups to make dinner each night. I was in charge of dinner on Wed. night. Becky and two of my TX cousins and I went to the store Wed. morning to pick up chicken and few other ingredients, but we decided to use the leftovers from the previous two nights to make some caseroles. Turned out great. We all ate together, which made for some great conversations and lots of noise. You bond so much better living and eating together.

Real Hike

After re-tooling and stopping at a gas station for snacks, Uncle Jack navigated us to a different hike, one which Tom had actually did some volunteer work on. It was a good three or four miles up a small tight valley in the mountains that had previously had some homesteads in the early 20thC. A creek ran down the middle, and it was raging full with all the rain. This is us to the left starting out, nice and dry. It was all the Dave clan: my dad, Uncle Jack, Aunt Mel, Aunt Susan, Becky, Mavis and her kids, me and my kids, and Katie. Olivia (pink shirt) from the Jack clan joined us. It was one of her first times being away from her parents, and I'm sure it was quite memorable for her.

 

That cemetery was pretty neat. Lot of little kids' graves. Hikers a few decades later built one of the structures below, while one was a barn also built later.

After this point, we decided to keep going up the valley to a waterfall about a mile away. It started to rain lightly, then heavily, but we pushed on. We had to cross that creek I mentioned earlier, ragingly full, on a semi-flattened but slipper log. After I walked over, I looked back and saw the girls by themselves walking it and realized how treacherous it was. If they had fallen, they probably would've died from getting bashed on the rocks, or maybe drowning. Aunt Mel was right with them and yelled at us for making her watch the girls.

We kept going, determined to make the waterfall, even though it was raining hard at this point. Eventually we made it, stopped briefly for a look, then headed back down the trail. The second time we crossed the log bridge I held each girl's hand. Of course they were fine. Booch on my back was fine as well. Olivia had a hard time and broke down at one point, but Uncle Jack sang to her, which probably numbed her senses. We all made it back to the cars drenched and armed with a new legendary Paul hiking/wilderness story.

Aborted Hike

Tuesday we set out on a hike under Uncle Jack's navigation, and we got off track in the Great Smokies. After driving for so long looking for the trail, we just stopped in a pull-off and played in a creek. Owen was the last one down but he eventually caught up to all the girls and T-stan. It was a pretty slippery trail.

Even though it wasn't our destination, it was still a pretty cool stop. With all the rain, the creek was really up.

 

Cumberland Caverns

Monday, on the drive to Gatlinburg, we stopped at the Cumberland Caverns. It turned out to be a fun visit, even though Owen was kind of a pain, for some reason. They took us back pretty far in, and it was nice & cool & dry. There was also a huge chandelier, that changed colors, over the stage area where they stage bluegrass concerts.

 

 

Sunday Night in Nashville

After a long day walking around, we were ready for a good meal and drink. We cruised down to Broadway, where there's a bunch of bars and music joints. We found a cool place and piled in, all dozen of us. Afterward we walked back to the capitol and watched the sun set. Somehow T-stan got a ride most of the way from his Grandma.