We spent last week at Majestic Memories Cabin in Gatlinburg, Tennessee...a great family vacation time.
It was a great chance to meet and get acquainted with our newest little family member,
Oliver Tate,(who is quickly proving he's not so little anymore as he is quite mobile...and definitely fun.)
Scott loved to play peek-a-boo with Oliver and O loved to laugh.
Then Oliver found it was just as much fun to play with Scott's bald head.
Aunt Pat & Uncle John met and were entertained by Oliver.
...and Aunt Pat did some entertaining too. Oliver delighted in seeing the baby in the mirror and, if someone chose to sit down with him on the sofa beneath the mirror, he did some pretty good "eye-enticements" to get them to hold him up by the mirror.
Uncle Michael & Aunt Kimberly had their meet and greet too. We recalled our vacation news last July when they received the news of Oliver's coming arrival (We were at the Hoover Dam!)
When we ventured out of the cabin, fall decor was everywhere. Traffic could be a grind, but generally it was okay.
The Aquarium was a big hit -- We recommend it highly.
These were Oliver's favorites...he could track their bright yellow color all over the tank.
...the jellyfish (Sea Nettle) caught my eye.
The Giant Japanese Spider Crab caught our attention.
The Stingrays were interesting...gliding through the water like majestic birds in the air. They seem very gentle and affectionate...even wearing a smile.
Avery & Scott in the shark tank....wooooooooooo!
I told you the shark tank....and Scott was outta there!
Later we went on a nature trail in the Smoky Mtn Park (Cove Hardwood)...marked as "easy" on their brochure, "Moderate" at their site, and marked as "challenging" by Scott & me....BUT we made it with encouragement from Michael & Kimberly.
The trail goes up ... as almost every thing does in the Smoky's.
"Up, Scott, UP!"
Gregg & Lydia examine the bear claw marks on this tree.
and AVERY!!! finds his own entertainment.
"How old is this tree?"
We made it to the top....it's all downhill from here!
...can't pass up some big grapevines.
I love the sun shining through the woods.
back in our cars for the ride through a tunnel of trees,,,
Smoky Mountain HIGH
Where we met a gentleman with the "Mercedes Benz of Motorbikes" who wanted to share his ride for a few minutes.
A pretty cool ride. He had ridden 26,000 miles on it :)
Hungry that evening...so we went out for some fine dining at Calhoun's Restaurant (reservations worked well for 11)...great pork barbeque, ribs, steak, spinach maria.
We stopped at an old mountain-family cabin which caught my eye and Scott's attention...but Gregg, Avery & Lydia headed for the stream.
...water always entices.
...and pretty flowers nearby.
Back to Majestic Memories Cabin. I knew we had some pool sharks in the family, but I never dreamed my 90-yr-old Mother would be one!
...and let me tell you, playing pool can lower Scott's blood sugar!!!
Logan & Grandpa Les take a crack at it too.
Shannon & Oliver prepare for a trip up Clingman's Dome.
Oliver Tate is ready to roll!!
Bill pushed Jason up Clingman's Dome in a stroller when Jason was 18 months old, so Jason has been determined to do the same for his son, Oliver Tate.
Let me give you some facts:
At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is the highest point in Tennessee, and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi.
Oliver seems to be taking it all in.
Gregg, Avery,Shannon, Lydia & Michael into the mist.
Proof positive - They are at the top of Clingman's Dome!
The View - NOT so clear this day.
Shannon at the Dome. (a big thank you to Joe for taking the pictures)
...even a little spell on the Appalachian Trail(I love this pictue of Lydia..she is becoming so grown up now, yet this captures her 'little girl' look).
Oliver made it onto the Appalachian Trail too. Maybe someday he'll trek the entire 2,184 miles of it!
Back at the cabin, Logan was trying out the shuffle board.
...and Ava Grace was lounging on the steps.
...the pool games moved on...
Logan hid in this box and after we searched a bit, he yelled, "Here I am!"
OKAY! There's a bear in there...a BIG black bear. He was trying to get into the locked trash bin (about 30 minutes after Gregg & Logan had taken out the trash). We could see him well with flashlights but the cameras wouldn't capture him. We (20 that evening) were all out on the upper deck watching him. WHAT A SIGHT!!!
FAMILY PICTURE TIME---
Mom with her 9th great-grandchild, Oliver Tate.
Bill & Barb with our 3 darling blessings...Avery, Lydia, & Oliver.
part of the gang...
more of us on the deck...this is probably what we looked like to the bear :)
Momma & baby O matching eyes
Snuggle-time with GrandBarb
Shannon & Lydia
hottub time for M,K,A&L
OTD-R
three brothers and a baby :)
HOME! No we didn't go by hot air balloon....and Jason, Laura & Oliver beat us home by flying while we drove. Thanks to all for making this a go.
....and home did look good. I took this picture when we dropped Mom & Scott off at their house...the color of the trees has really changed in the past week :)
The picture of Kimberly on the motorcycle made me laugh :)
ReplyDeleteLooks like you all had a great family vacation together! Oliver is such a cutie.
The funny thing about the Can-Am is that I was the only one who sat on it who would really like to own and drive one!
DeleteOh my, the "Snuggle time with GrandBarb" image is exquisite. We'll be framing that one. We had such a lovely time.
ReplyDelete