ON SETTLERS RIDGE

It was Katie Bug’s birthday this week and she decided that the family should celebrate the occasion in Gatlinburg, sitting high atop a mountain top! So, that’s what happened. Wednesday morning we all woke up bright and early and started the 80 mile trip.

Me, well, I woke up dizzy…hadn’t been drinkin’ either…inner ear trouble I suppose. Anyway, I fought it all day Wednesday, even driving a couple of 40 mile per hour go-carts! One of the suckers put me through quite a “G” force battle on turn 3, leaving my right thigh a little sore from my mass being forced into it. However, it was a slick-track and you don’t let up on a slick-track…it’s peddle to the metal and you slide the corners, and I would gently scrap the wall before hitting the straightaway! It was cool as heck for a fat boy to be scooting along and passing “old” people! I even t-boned one young dude that spun out in front of me…BAM!

But, I get ahead of myself! We killed time before checking in at the cabin by driving up to Ober Gatlinburg and letting everyone, everyone but me, ice skate…I was too unstable for falling on my butt on wet ice! Judy walked herself around the rink holding on to the rail, and I sat above and took pictures, with my finger on the movie mode just in case a YouTube moment happened!

Katie and Zack rode the Alpine Slide down the mountain while the rest of us tried to cool off with water and soft serve! Tracy got a kick out of how fast I can inhale a soft serve! I hate melted ice cream, so, I just start licking and sucking in as I rotate the cone…soon it’s gone and I’m cool! Not cool in how it looks for a full-grown man to be making sucking noises with his tongue sticking out, but like cool inside!

Afterwards, we made our way back toward Pigeon Forge, and up to Settler’s Ridge to the cabin called Perfection! It was too! Located just right to see the mountains to the south of Pigeon Forge, and it had everything you could want in a cabin for 6 people. A beautiful view, three bedrooms (and 3 couches for Zack to chose from), 3 baths, a game room with pool table, Foose ball, and a pin-ball machine, a huge kitchen and dinning room, a computer room, 6 wide-screen TVs…one in the master bath and all with Dish TV hookups, a Jacuzzi, and lots of outside deck space with rocking chairs! If I could afford it…I’d live there…no wait…the drive up and down would be hell in the winter! Maybe not…maybe I’ll just stay right here.

That evening we did go for the go-carts, which were, besides the family, the high light of my trip!

Later we went to the Alamo Steakhouse Restaurant and chowed down! Katie ordered a t-bone and said it was the best steak she had ever eaten! Judy and I split a fried shrimp and a shrimp wrapped bacon dish and thoroughly enjoy it. I was not feeling my best and the taste of beef was just not on my list of foods I wanted that night.

Before going back up the mountain, we stopped at MagiQuest for Katie and Zack, but Judy and Tracy decided to join them inside the attraction. Eddie and I sat in the lobby talking and watch the people inside on a monitor. We then used another tag off our “ParkHopper Pass” brackets to ride go-carts at another track. Then it was time to go back to the cabin.

Sometime early in the morning I got very sick and threw up several times…I was out of it for the rest of Thursday. I was weak and dizzy all day, and spent most of the day in bed. (I should point out that it was not from bad food…there was no food in what came up ! It may be that I’m developing a gall bladder issue…we’ll see. )

So, Thursday afternoon, the rest of the family left me in bed and went back off the mountain to continue their fun. I insisted Judy go and told her I would be fine. Around 1AM Friday morning, the group woke me up. They had closed Gatlinburg and other parts of the mountain at Murder Mystery Theater and playing Black Light Golf! Me, I had slept most of the day, and after they settled in for the rest of what was left of the night, I went back to sleep!

This morning I seemed to have my balance back and after a pancake and egg breakfast I was feeling pretty good. Judy decided she had better drive back, but only made it to I-40 where she had to pull over from fighting sleep! I drove from there home, with Judy only waking up for the last 11 minutes of the ride! Good thing I drove!

Tomorrow we are invited out on the Charlotte and Gary’s party boat, but I think Judy will make the trip by herself. I’m in no shape for any wave action on Watts Bar Lake right now.

Thanks to Katie’s birthday wish, we all enjoyed each other in the Smoky Mountains, which is just in our backdoor. We should go there more often, and probably would if so many of you folks didn’t also like it enough to go there. Gets too crowded for me at certain times of the year and I hate bumper to bumper traffic! Let me know when you’re not going and maybe I’ll try it again soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE…and thanks!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Look at this great photo my mom had taken for her church directory! (Isn't Photoshop wonderful!)


She still looks great at 82 today!


It's hard to believe this little 100 pound lady used to whip my butt while holding me still with one hand!

Happy Birthday Mom!

LILY TURNS TWO!

We celebrated Lily’s 2^nd birthday today (Saturday). The storms that raced across western and middle Tennessee blew themselves out by the time they reached the Cumberland Plateau, and just let us have some much needed rain. By party time at 4, the sun was out, the sky was blue, and everyone was ready for a hotdog and some birthday cake!

Corey had rented an inflatable “bouncy house” and the kids loved it.

The tradition Tia and Corey began last year on Lily’s birthday was to have everyone party on the front lawn. With a pass-thru window from the kitchen, everything was handy right on the front porch. Tables were placed in the front yard, some in the shade, and Corey prepared the hotdogs!

Naturally, as do most kids these days, Lily was showered with lots of gifts of clothes, toys, and money!

Her Grandmother Connie (Corey’s mom) and Tia (Lily’s mom) stood capturing all the activities with movie cameras, while I snapped away with my still camera.

Corey recently purchased a new Canon video camera, and he was doing his best to capture all the traditional poses. Reminded me of myself back when he was little – it comes full circle!

Lily rarely gets to eat “junk” foods, but today she ate wieners, chips, and that delicious cake! Check out the bite being feed to her by her great grandfather Stevens! Mmmmm!

Most of the older folks at the party are from Connie’s family, and they are the ones I used to share events like this with when Corey was little. It is great that we all get along, and that I can again enjoy her dad, her uncles, and aunts again. Even my old buddy Bill Powers (black shirt in the porch shot) was there and we reminisced about our college day fun, and how we used to race riding lawnmowers!

So we all thanked Dora the Explorer (the cartoon character) for stopping by and making it a great birthday for Lily!

Oh yes, we would like to thank the people down by the lake playing AC/DC so loud for us. Since they are one of Corey’s favorite groups, it added to the overall enjoyment!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE LILY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIANA-BUG-BUG!

It was grandkids’ day Sunday with Juliana turning a big 8 and the Chan-Man (Chandler) was cheering her on. The dogs and brats, followed by cake and ice cream were wonderful, and yes, I “backslid” again! Who cares?

We were missing one Dragon and one Knight, but a great time was had by all!

There is nothing like family to cheer you up.

61 FREAKING YEARS AGO TODAY!

I was born at home in my great grandfather's bed, after mom grew tired of waiting on me at the hospital. She left and went home and I arrived that night. Dad gave ol' Doc Cotton a five dollar bill for his trouble. Ain't been worth much since!