Day 40 - July 7, 2012

Day 40 – July 7, 2012

Rose Hill, VA

Today was the big Garrett/Smith Family reunion.  We were up early and working….prepping food, cleaning, bathing kids, setting up tents, packing my car (I had 17 bags in the guest room!, had to clear them out so the guests could get to the bathroom).  Oh, and it was HOT today.   Once everything was done, and we were waiting for the first guests to arrive, I almost fell asleep in Dad’s Lazy Boy chair!

Anyway, before we knew it….everyone was here…it was crazy for a couple hours (and HOT).  It was very nice to meet so many extended family members, but also a little overwhelming. 

I’m happy to report the kids were very good.  Woo-hoo.

So everything’s cleaned up, and I’m packed….ready to go home.  One more drive tomorrow, and we will be!

I’ll post pictures tomorrow (my last blog of the tripL) of the reunion.  Very slow upload in the mountains!  Too tired to wait.

Day 39 - July 6, 2012

Day 39 – July 6, 2012

Rose Hill, VA

Quiet & HOT day!  Fortunately, the power came on some time during the night.  Rich was still up when it happened and woke his mom up and they transferred all the party food from coolers back to the fridge.  Blessedly, I slept through it allJ.

Quiet day.  Rich, Lance & Stan took all their “vehicles” for a trail ride on some ridge.  Mom headed into Middleborough & Tazewell to pick up last minute stuff.  I hung with the kids, by the pool.

Mom saw a bunch of damage on her travels….lots of debris & trees down.  Apparently, we dodged a bullet!

Nice dinner and the boys are all watching some race on the TV. Mom and dad are in full party preparation mode. I’ve asked what would best for me to do, to help….the consensus is that I should get the kids OUT of the house tomorrow…as it will be tension filled, leading up to the reunion. So I will take my road warriors to Kentucky –add another state to our journeyJ….find a book store and a McDonalds…that should keep us occupied for a couple hours.

Happy Bear

Aud & Zoe

 

Jena, Rich & Gabe

Cammy....ready to take off.

Baby Garrett

The kids table

Rich, keeping a close eye on Gabe!

Day 37 & 38 - July 4th & 5th, 2012

Days 37 & 38

July 4^th & 5^th, 2012

Rose Hill, VA

Happy (belated) Fourth of July everyone!  We had a relatively quiet 4^th.  We spent the morning visiting with Rich’s Mamaw and his Uncle Stan.  The kids picked blackberries, determined to get enough for a pie!  We’re in the mountainsJ now.

For the rest of the afternoon, the kids were in and out of the pool and everyone found their own personal entertainment/relaxation.  I read for a while and planned a picnic with Camden (for the next day…he wanted a “date”).

We had a surprise visit from Rich’s cousin Jenna, with her new baby (3 weeks old) and Gabe, her 2 year old.  My crew played with Gabe while I got a wonderful, much appreciated, baby fix!  I love me some baby time.

We had a great dinner, but while I was tucking the kids in, the reminded me, wistfully, that it was the 4^th of July…where were the fireworks?  I felt so bad.  We didn’t actually forget, but it was definitely a nontraditional 4^th. 

So Rich, Uncle Lance and I loaded the kids on the 4-wheeler and drove up to a higher perch on the farm, to watch Fireworks.  It was a bid dud….couldn’t see anything.  Not even sure if there was anything to see.

Everyone went to bed, except me.  I had a book to finish.  It was a page turner!  Mary Kay Andrews Spring Fever.  Loved it.  Anyway….trying desperately to see how things would wrap up, and the clock said 12:20a.m. and that is the last thing I remember, until…

“Allie?”…mom’s gentle voice woke me at 6:40 A.M.!  We were going to take Zoe, their dog, to Kingsport, TN, for her grooming appointment and get our nails done.  Mom & Dad are hosting a big family reunion on Saturday, so she also had a bunch of stuff to buy.  So the plan was for me to take Zoe home when she was finished, while mom hung back and shopped.

Long drive, but worth it to get my hands and feet rubbed for five minutes.  I successfully managed to get Zoe in the car and we headed home.   When I got there…everyone but dad was gone.  So I did what any sensible person would do….took me a nice long napJ!!!!!!!

As I type this, we are all finally under one roof, but we’ve experienced a huge, wicked mountain storm.  We are one hour and counting with no power.  Mom has a car load of perishable groceries, so it might be an interesting night.  My kids are going nuts….no power and no possibility of swimming…if things don’t improve, we may have to bail earlyL

***Update.  Okay…now it’s been five hours with no power or water (they’re on a well)…tensions are rising…oh boy!  Not sure what tomorrow will bring.

No pictures...limited batery and can't find my camera in the dark!

Day 36 - July 3, 2012

Day 36 – July 3, 2012

Nashville, TN/Rose Hill VA

265 miles/5 hours

Grandmom & Granddad’s home – Smith Berry Farm

Well the kids woke up very excited to get to their grandparent’s house, but not excited enough to get right on the road.  They begged to go swimming in the hotel’s (outdoor) pool, since it had been raining the day before.  In a rare moment of early morning benevolence, I relented.  They swam (and probably woke up more than a few guests) while I read.  It was already in the high 80’s at 8:30a.m.

Then we (ME) loaded the car and ventured to the Grand Ole Opry.  I really wanted to see it….and the kids, really did not.  They complained and moaned that they wanted to see their dad and their grandparents….grrrr.  So, I only got to see the Opry from the outsideL.  I need to go back to Nashville, what a cool little town.

 The drive was beautiful.  We are so lucky to live in this country.

Somewhere around Knoxville…Barrett had had it.   And boy did he let us know it!   Yelling and screaming (Audrey swears he said “homesick”) and crying a little.  I felt really bad, until he grabbed a bag of popcorn and literally showered the car with it.  What a mess.  You do not even want to see (nor smell, for that matter) the inside of my car.

Once we came up on Cumberland Gap and the kids saw the “welcome to Virginia” sign….all Hell broke loose.  They went crazy.  They screamed for the next 20 minutes, until we pulled onto the drive of the farm.  We were greeted by Rich, on the four-wheeler.  I couldn’t stop the car fast enough, as the kids were clamoring get at him.

Nice quiet night.  Dad made me a Rose Hill martini and all the road irritations fell by the wayside!  G-mom & G-dad hooked the kids up with a pool, so everyone was happyJ!

Excited to go to the Grandparents

One last swim!

Opry Land

Virginia!  We've come full circle...

Daddy!

Pool time, mountain style!

Rose Hill Martini

Granddaddy, you wouldn't believe where she made us go!

Audie & Uncle Lance

Day 35 - July 2, 2012

Day 35 – July 2, 2012

Springfield, IL/Nashville, TN

378 miles/6 hours

Whoa daddy….long day!  Had no idea what a big state Illinois was….took two day’s to drive through it.  It is beautiful countryside, though…

Los of bickering in the car…but I can’t complain…even I was antsy.  I will spare you the ugly details (and at times…it was ugly).

It was a hot afternoon…we hit 100 degrees around 10a.m. and stayed there for most of the day….then we hit a wicked rain storm, and the temperature dropped from 104 to 79 degrees in ten minutes!  It was unreal.

We got to Nashville and immediately hit the Country Music Hall of Fame.  It was cool…I actually kind of liked it better than the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, but the kids preferred the rock. 

We just did a drive by of the capital, as it was raining.  Checking in at the hotel…and I am happy that it was the last time (this summer) I’d be unloading to a bell cart….I just need to get through the reloading tomorrowJ.

We had a dreadful dinner at Ruby Tuesday.  Just awful…ready for Grandmom’s cooking!  Back at the hotel, we finally had an outdoor pool…but it was rainingL.

Hitting the Grand Ole Opry tomorrow, before heading to Virginia!

Barrett, after Aud "did" his hair

Some bar, at a stop light...the band was rocking out...they were good...."Hony Tonk Central"

Day 34 - JULY 1, 2012

Day 34 – July 1, 2012

Des Moines, IA/Springfield, IL

345 miles, 5 ½ hours

We had a very full day!  Lots of Presidential history!  I truly hope I don’t bore you.

I got up early and ordered a pot of coffee and packed up…before waking the kids.  We were on the road, out of Des Moines, at just past 8a.m.  Downtown was quiet, and I found myself a little sad to be leaving.  It was really nice there.  I could totally live there – I’m serious.

About 2 hours east of Des Moines, we stopped at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library, National Historic Site & his grave site.  Honestly, I didn’t know very much about Hoover, but he seems like a nice enough chap (I’m listening to a British author on audio – and can’t get the accent out of my head….can’t wait to try that one out of Rich!).  I think the poor guy was just unlucky enough to be president during the Great Crash and the early  years of the Great Depression.  He certainly seemed smart and very well educated.  But then again, as the Clinton Library proved….they’re going to make themselves look good in their own library!

We were practically the only ones there, which was good.  Although ironically, Barrett was exceptionally well behaved – in the library.  Then we ventured over to the house (really a ROOM…it was a 1 ½ room house!) where Hoover was born.  When I walked in (behind the children), I discovered Barrett sprawled on a day bed (not really a day bed, but a close description), drinking a bottle of water!  Fortunately, the Park Ranger’s back was turned, as he was talking to someone else.  I grabbed Barrett a hauled him out on the front lawn.  Good Lord!  When I got back, Audrey was talking to the ranger, with her hands behind her back, batting her eyes…asking if she “could sit on that”, pointing to the furniture I’d just extricated her brother from.  The Ranger was appalled, “Oh no sweetie, that’s over a hundred and fifty years old!”.  She glanced at me, with a mischievous twinkle and started giggling, before fleeing the house.  She’s unbelievable.

Next, the grave site.  It was so quiet, almost serene…there in the middle of Iowa.  Then  I thought of the hoopla which always surrounds JFK’s grave – or Elvis’s, for that matter!

Back in the car….for another three hours….with very few complaints.  They went easy on me today.  We arrived in Springfield, a little before 3.  First stop was the Lincoln Museum.

Best museum….it was awesome and the kids loved it.  And...considering some of the amazing artifacts, the staff was incredibly laid back!  The Chicago Art Institute could take some lessons.  In a section of the museum called “Special Treasures” (an understatement) we saw one of five ORIGINAL copies of the Gettysburg Address…in Lincoln's handwriting!  There was the famous Ax he demonstrated his strength with, at 57.  There was a toy canon of Willie Lincoln’s that is featured in a famous painting of the Lincoln family, at home in Springfield.  Finally, there was the fan Mary Todd was holding when Lincoln was shot….with blood stains on it!  I could go on & on. 

The kids also did a treasure hunt, which was cool and really helped them actually learn some stuff.

Then we went to the Lincoln family home, where all the Lincoln children where born.  Unfortunately, tickets were sold out.  We did get there at the end of the day, but the Park Ranger said they sold out at noon!  So we only got to see the exterior.

Then we went to both the Old State House (where Lincoln lay in State) and the modern day one (very, very nice).  Finally we visited Lincoln’s Tomb, which is very grand…very much indeed.  You have to be silent when you're there…signs everywhere and they enforce it, let me tell you.  That wasn’t fun!

Tomorrow is our last "touring city”…Nashville.  It’s a long drive, though…so I may have to bribe the chickadees with something.  After that – “the grandparents-es” house….the kids are so excited.  Hope G-mom & G-dad are ready!

 

Hoover's Library was the first official Presidential Library

Me, in front of a replica of Hoover's suite at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC...his unofficial "office" post-Presidancy.

Hoover's birthplace

The Hoover Gravesite

The kids, in an Iowa cornfield

Illinois, here we come. 

The kids and the Lincoln Family 

 

Replica of the log cabin

The OLD Illinois Statehouse

The Lincoln Family Home in Springfield 

 

Illinois State Capitol

 

Poor Lincoln

Lincoln's Tomb