Margaret and Mary and not a margarita in sight
The beautiful Taylor family
Blue Ridge Mountains
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Sliding Rock Videos - 2
Here's one of James, then one of Michelle and Beti. Berhanu was with me, so he did not get filmed.
The Redneck Riviera, hookahs and more...
We arrived in Mobile, AL on Thursday to the home of the famous Kelly Strong and family. Once again, my children met the children of my friend, and they all settled in together. Kelly's wife, Najwa, has been on the fast track to Heaven since marrying Kelly in 1994. When I told people we were coming to Mobile, AL on our way to Boulder, CO, one said, "You're not too good with geography, are you?" and another said, "Did you look at a map?" Honestly, we're here to see Kelly and his family, and it has been worth the trip.
Who knew that 'Bama had beautiful beaches? We went to Orange Beach, AL for a day in the Gulf of Mexico. The beach was beautiful - nice waves, warm water. Kelly says it's the Redneck Riviera.
Today, July 4, we had a bbq around their pool with Najwa's Lebanese family and friends. They are all so nice, warm and friendly, we enjoyed getting to know her siblings and their families. Najwa even had a birthday cake for Berhanu because his birthday is next week. Kelly is in his element with his brothers-in-law, smoking the hookah. I'm trying to upload the photos.
We leave here tomorrow to go to Memphis and it will be hard to say good-bye. Our next stops are Memphis, TN, Lawrence, KS and Boulder, CO.
Asheville to Atlanta
I'm having trouble uploading photos right now, but I have some good ones to post. We left Pittsburgh for our longest trip to date. We arrived in Asheville, NC on Wednesday evening to meet Michelle and Rachel at our campsite at Lake Powhatan in the Pisgah National Forest. We were all sad to leave John's family and the kids were really missing their cousins. I was anxious because I felt that I was now leaving familiar territory. Up to this point, we had been only a day's drive from home. We had a family meeting to decide whether the kids could get along well enough for us to continue with the trip. We decided to make it a go, and off we went.
I was really grateful to have Michelle and Rachel meeting us in Asheville. We've missed them so much since they left Kittery four years ago. It's was interesting to see Rachel and Hannah together now that they are so much older and more mature. They picked up right where they left off. The children were wonderful in the car and kept their word that they would cooperate along the way. We arrived without incident, set up camp and the kids jumped right into the lake. They all pitched in with camp chores - making the fire, helping with set up, washing dishes.
The next day (June 30) we drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway to find Sliding Rock - a natural water slide just outside Asheville. We climbed up a path, sat on the rock and slid down into the swimming hole. The water was a balmy 48 degrees! Being Mainers, we were undeterred, but the cold water did take my breath away. That was pretty fun.
On Wednesday, July 1, we drove to Great Smoky Mountain National Park on our way to Atlanta. We met my old friend Margaret, her husband Patrick, and four of their five children. I hadn't seen the kids since the two oldest were babies, and I was so happy to get to know them. I suppose I should not be surprised that my favorite old friends have such wonderful kids, but I just knew my children would love Margaret's children, and they did. Photos of the beautiful Taylor family will be coming soon. Margaret is as fun and down to earth as ever. It's such a pleasure to have this chance to see my friends in their homes with their children.
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