DAY TWO – DENISE AND JEFF IN TENNESSEE

Wednesday morning began at 8:30 down by the Emory River in Harriman. Ron met us (Denise, Jeff, and me) with his canoe and kayak, and took them up stream as far as the river would allow, ending at the shallow rapids about an hour away.

I sat, well…I really laid back, read my new Cormac McCarthy book and took a short nap! It wasn’t long before Jeff and Denise came paddling around the bend and into sight, with Ron just behind.

After beaching the boats, Jeff decided he needed to try out Ron’s kayak, but soon understood that kayaks are for little fellers!

Just like the day before, Jeff showed off his lung capacity by sucking on a stogie while working out with the paddle. Me…well, I’d have to have oxygen hooked up! The day before on the hike, I suddenly smelled smoke and noticed that while I was laboring for air, Jeff was walking calmly along toking on his cigar! I was impressed!

Around 1PM Judy and I headed out for Gatlinburg, going in the back way through Townsend, TN, and showing the beautiful drive through the Smoky Mountains and into the south side of Gatlinburg.

We first rode the “Sky Lift” up the mountain to get a grand view of the little valley where Gatlinburg is nestled. Then Jeff wanted to see the celebrity cars at “Star Cars”, while Judy and Denise shopped.

We then got tickets for the ski tram that takes you to “Ober Gatlinburg”. It was fun watching Denise as the tram moved up the mountain at a steady 17 mph…she’s a bit uneasy with heights! She and Jeff rode the “Pirate Ship” in the mountain top amusement park; Jeff had to cut it short since the sensation was just a bit too much for her.

We then settled down to a couple of nice “normal” Yuenglings, while Denise converted Judy to her “Shandy”. She even intrigued me enough that I tasted of it…not bad, but I like “real” beer taste!

Back down the mountain, we went decided to drop a hundred dollars or so each at “The Peddler”! They come by the table with a large slab of ribeye and New York strip steak, and you get to guide the “peddler’s” hand as he cuts you custom slice of juicy steak! I was so filled by the salad bar that I had to get a “to go box” for over half my steak and baked potato!

We didn’t get back to Harriman until around 10 PM, so since they planned to leave Thursday, we wanted them to get plenty of sleep. Well, we woke this morning to the good news that they were staying an extra day!

More about the extra day soon…

I’m sure Jeff will be a lot more descriptive of his travels once he gets back and catches up!

ENJOYING ANOTHER LONG WEEKEND

What, another long weekend? Oh, I forget you all aren’t retired…all my weekends are seven days long! Sorry.

Well, here is a “FatHairyBastard” style weekend round up:

Anyway, started out Friday at Wild Wings with part of the Knights and Dragons, enjoying the “all you can eat” wing bar and cold beer. The Sierra Nevada pump was dry, so I went for the Bass, while Ron had another Skip Jack pulled, and Gary got his usual Miller Lite. The Dragons had a ball out on the deck while the Knights enjoyed a CAO cigar at the bar.

Saturday began at Neena and Ron’s for banana bread and coffee. Ron then took Terri to the lake for the promised short canoe and kayak trip. Getting in the canoe was somewhat rough on her bottom though. The algae slick boat ramp didn’t bode well with the Crocks she was wearing! I missed the first shot because I thought she had really hurt herself, but when I saw her laughing, I knew she only hurt her pride!

Her husband (Steve) sat in the back and did the stirring. You’ll also notice Gary in the Kayak…he had a shoulder and neck muscle that would spasm on him every few minutes and almost bring him to his knees. He figured the exercise would work that out, but he soon realized the paddling was doing him no good. They soon left and went straight to the emergency room where they gave him a shot to relax the muscle. I think he spent the rest of the day in bed!

Later, we met another Knight and Dragon at the local Mexican restaurant for beer, fun, and food. Steve and I took his Mustang and let the wind mess up our hair – right!

I included shots around the table, Terri/Steve, Linda/Noel, Ron/Neena, and finally Judy and me. Notice, she has her eyes open, but I think her mouth was full!

We later ended up on your back porch listening to tunes, smoking cigars, and drinking more beer! Everyone stayed until after nine, so we had a long fun day together.

Sunday, we had a biscuit from Hardees, and our granddaughter (Katie Bug) had pancakes. Katie used to spend every Friday night with us, but she has too many girl and boyfriends know to stay that often. This was an increasingly rare treat!

After lunch, I visited with my brother, who came in from Charlotte to visit our mother. One of his daughters came by with her husband and two daughters. It was a great weekend.