Hello Monday (Home Again)

I am so glad to be home after a week in Northern California. I got home late Friday night. Again another long day of travel. I left Redding California at 6:00 AM and then had a long layover in San Francisco. I like the San Francisco airport there is a lot to see and do there. However I barely made my flight leaving Chicago, O’Hare with just minutes to spare.

It was so good to be home and snuggle the babies. I think they were all glad to see me too.

I love the week I spend with other cave people. These are people who own or manage show caves across the US. We get to visit other caves and learn about their area. We also share ideas and experiences that are working or not working for us. This is a great networking time.

This year our host cave was Lake Shasta Caverns in Lakehead California near Redding. Such a beautiful area but man I was unprepared for the heat. Most of the days the temps were mid 90’s F. I thought the temps were going to be more like home so I didn’t bring enough cool clothes. It was hot!!!!

Some of our highlights: Sundial Bridge

We also took a walk on Sundial Bridge it was beautiful and a beautiful night for it.

This boat ramp is sooo steep. The water in the lake is down about 200 feet. It’s hard to believe but it was down even more in the spring and early summer. The sky and water is an unbelievably blue color.

***We had a nice boat ride on Lake Shasta.***

***My best cave girlfriend Ann. She is from Pennsylvania and I only get to see her a couple of times a year.***

When Shasta Lake is full, it is 517 feet deep at the dam 90% of the lake’s water comes from the rainfall. Currently it is about 200 feet lower than it should be.

Shasta Dam was built between 1938 and 1945. It is 602 feet high, 3,460 feet long, and 883 feet thick at its base. There are 15 million tons of concrete in the dam in the form of concrete blocks that are 50 feet square and five feet high. Shasta Dam was the 17th dam built by civil engineer Frank Crowe, who designed a system of towers that were used to get concrete to each of the 16,900 block forms.

Front side of the dam. We were able to walk almost all the way across it. It was so hot.

***We had dinner at a restaurant called Huff’s at the beautiful Bridge Bay Marina***

We had several speakers throughout the week.

Lake Shasta Caverns is one of the most beautiful caves I have ever visited. But it’s not easy to get to. Actually getting to the cave though is half of the fun. You take a boat across the lake from the opposite side of their ticket office. You then take a scary bus ride up a steep mountain road for 1.5 miles. Then you are at the entrance to the cave. There is 300 steps getting into the cave and then 300 steps back out. But it is totally worth it and the Lake Shasta Caverns crew have it all down to a science. They handle it all with ease. They also offer dinner cruises on the lake you can check it all out on their website here

At the top of the hill just before going into the cave. This was an amazing view.

***The inside of a stalactite. This one had been damaged and broken. But you can see the detail and beautiful design within it.***

These two boys are called The Fiddlin’ Brothers. They are 14 and 12 years old. They have only been playing for a few years and they are amazing.

After the cave tour we had dinner at the caverns and some entertainment. Such talented dancers.

On Friday morning I had to leave the hotel at 4:30 AM to catch my flight to San Francisco and then to Chicago and then into Knoxville. It was a long day and I didn’t get back to the house 10:30 PM. What a week.

***A beautiful sunrise in San Francisco***

A lot of airport time. I had a 3 hour layover in San Francisco. I have to give my new bag a 10 out of 10. It was on wheels and didn’t wear my arms out and it was small enough to fit under my seat. I splurged on a couple of books. For some reason I can’t resist books at the airport.

***And of course you know I took knitting.***

So I am home and so glad to be here for a while with no travel plans for a few weeks. How are you? What exciting things have you been up to.

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!

Friday Favorites: Sister Trip

Hello and happy Friday. I just got home from a three day sister trip to Gatlinburg Tennessee. Gatlinburg is about 70 miles from us and we have an annual Sister Trip every year. We tried to figure out how many years we have been doing this and the closest we can get to is about 30 years. We first started Sister Trip when my mama was alive. It was me, my mama and my sister Sandy. After a few years my two other sisters Pat and Carolyn joined us. Then my mama passed away. Several years later we lost my sister Carolyn and then last year we lost my sister Pat. We did add my niece Tammy, who is just like a sister to us. So we are back to three of us going. And we always have so much fun!!! We don’t always go to Gatlinburg we sometimes go to other places. Next year we are planning on a cruise.

We skipped Sister Trip last year because it was just too painful not having Pat with us. We bought a rose and took it with us this year and put it in the chair on our deck that she would have sat in. It was so hard not having her with us but we knew she would have wanted us to go.

This is a picture from our deck. The moon was beautiful and the weather was so nice. It was cool in the mornings and then warmer in the afternoon.

We had a lot of great food. We usually get breakfast items to take to the condo and eat one meal while we are out and then usually leftovers for dinner.

We always take a jigsaw puzzle to work. My sister Sandy and I love these. We bought two at T.J. Maxx on our way in and we picked this one to start with. It was a nice autumn scene.

The finished puzzle.

I always take knitting with me. I love these colors. I am making a scarf and some headbands to donate to the cancer office where my sister got chemo this year. They have a little collection table and I put several things out earlier in the year. Everyone loved the headbands. It covers their ears and part of their head and this is really helpful when the weather is chilly but not too cold. I will probably do some toboggans as well for colder weather.

We drove into Cherokee one day and went to the Casino. We didn’t spend a lot of time there but we did stop at Newfound Gap and got some pictures.

We visited Anakeesta it is in the heart of Gatlinburg. I have a ton of pictures of Anikeesta and I will do a separate post on that very soon. It is such a fun place. It is listed on their website as a mountaintop adventure, and it is!!! It is just the cutest place. They have it decorated for fall with lots of leaves and pumpkins. There are several overlooks to sit and enjoy the beautiful views. Check out their website here.

The only way to get to the top of the mountain is by chairlift, these red pods, or by bus going up a scary mountain road. We chose the pods.

Look at all the seating where you can just enjoy the beautiful mountain views.

O.K. now for some more favorites. We always stop at T.J. Maxx on our way into Gatlinburg. I found two jigsaw puzzles. We always work a puzzle on our trip and I had left the house without bringing one of mine. I bought these two and we worked the Autumn In The Neighborhood scene first. I will start on the pumpkins soon.

I have to tell you about this nail polish that I have discovered. I have always loved Sally Hansen nail polish. It is very affordable and it lasts. I came across this Insta-Dri at Walmart and decided to try it. I loved it!!! I did my nails Monday night and the polish still looks great!!! I will be buying more of this.

Turkeys in our yard!!! This is not all of them. I just happened to look out the window on Sunday and this is what I saw. Of course when I went out to get a picture they took off. But I love having them around.

This is the only book I have to report on this week. It was an audio book through my Libby App. It was good. It was a little long but it had a good story and a great ending. I have so many books to read, I mean actual books that you hold in your hands and turn the pages, I must quit downloading and buying books. At least until I read half of what I have on the shelf, shelves. A lady I follow on TikTok listed all of the books she had to read, and put all the titles in a jar, and when she finished one she would just draw out the next one. I love that idea. I may just do that. Sometimes the books I think I might not like turn out to be the best.

On our way home today I stopped at Joanne’s Fabrics and bought these two color wheels of yarn. Two years ago when we were in Sevierville I bought two of these but they were in multiple colors. They didn’t have any of those this time but I did find these on clearance. They will be great for the headbands I am going to make.

So what have you been enjoying this week?

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!

A Few Days In Chattanooga

I feel like my posting has been so sporadic and a bit all over the place. I guess it has been that way because that is how I have been. Ha!! This past week was another crazy one. But then they all are it seems like. I spent the first part of last week in Chattanooga and got back home on Wednesday night. And then did a wedding cake over the weekend with a young couple I work with. Here is a recap of Chattanooga and I will share the cake with you on Friday. Well not the actual cake but you know what I mean.

After our meeting on Monday we met in front of the hotel and car pooled down to the Chattanooga Whiskey Distillery. We had a tour of the distillery and met with the owner and learned about some of their marketing strategies. Ummm we also had a couple of tiny samples. http://www.chattanoogawhiskey.com

***This may look yucky but it produces some amazing whiskey.***

Later that night we walked to dinner, it was just a short distance from the hotel, I think I mentioned in a previous post we stayed at Hotel Indigo. It was very nice and located within walking distance of lots of things. Back to the restaurant. We ate at Easy Bistro. The food here is served family style but it was very different. I tried the Octopus, I was not impressed. We also had a whole roasted fish. I think one per four people. It was tasty. The dessert was yummy. http://www.easybistro.com Check out the menu and the restaurant.

The next morning we took a CARTA bus to The Tennessee Valley Railroad. We had breakfast there in their newly opened tea room. It is adorable and the food is amazing.

***As we were riding the train our conductor gave us a brief history of the railroad and Chattanooga.***

http://www.tvrail.http://www.tvrail.comcom. (Tennessee Vally Railroad)

Next we rode the Incline Railway up Lookout Mountain. The incline railway follows a one mile track straight up Lookout Mountain. Once you are at the top the views are amazing. There are microbreweries, fresh fudge, an indoor climbing wall and lots of other fun things to do. Once you are at the top of the mountain you are on the Rock City side of the mountain.

http://www.ridetheincline.com

If you haven’t been to Rock City you have to go and check it out. Rock City gardens has over 400 different plant species, a panoramic view where you can actually see seven states, several regional gift shops and a wonderful restaurant called Big Rock Grill. While you’re there be sure to stop in and see Fairly Land Caverns and Mother Goose Village. http://www.seerockcity.com

We also toured Ruby Falls. I have been to Ruby Falls many times and I love it so much. Here you actually descend 260 feet underground by elevator. Once underground the cave system is covered with some of the most beautiful active formations I have ever seen. Ruby Falls is the tallest underground waterfall open to the public. Although there are different colored lights on the waterfall the name Ruby Falls comes from the man who discovered the cave and the falls, Leo Lambert. His wife was named Ruby. He discovered the cave in 1928. There is such wonderful history to this cave. And the waterfall is just breathtaking. http://www.rubyfalls.com

After visiting Ruby Falls and the tree houses at Ruby, I’ll tell you more about those in another post. We went back to the hotel for a quick refresh. We then took the CARTA bus downtown close to the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge. The bridge was built in 1890 and is 2,376 feet long. There is no traffic on this bridge other than bicycles, Segways or scooters. And many many people walk across the bridge. The scenery is beautiful.

Once we crossed the bridge we had dinner at Frazier Five and Dime. It was so yummy and luckily we walked all the way back to the hotel I needed it after all the calories we had. I had the Cajun shrimp with a cheddar biscuit and the trout fritters. http://www.frazier5and10.com

View from The Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge

Vendors were selling balloons on the bridge

We got back to the hotel around 10:30 PM. It was a long but fun day. According to my watch about 16,000 steps.

The next morning our meeting started early and we were out by noon. It took me about an hour and a half to get back into town. I stopped in at work for just a little while and then went home to hubs and the fur babies. Wow!!! I love traveling but I am always glad to get back to my own bed.

I hope you enjoyed this short trip to Chattanooga and if you ever get to this part of Tennessee be sure to visit some of these wonderful places. You will not be disappointed. For more information about Chattanooga visit: http://www.visitchattanooga.com

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!

Hello Monday!!!

Hello friends and happy Monday. How was your weekend? Mine was actually very quiet. I had a lot of things planned and then I didn’t get to all of them. I did a grocery pickup on Saturday morning and ran a few errands in town. Then I spent most of the day Saturday puttering around doing small things.

I cleaned the spider webs from the sides of the house. The spider webs have been really bad this year. I plucked several Japanese Beetles from my rose bushes. I’m telling you it was exciting times over here. I cooked dinner both Saturday and Sunday, laundry, the usual.

On Saturday evening a terrible storm came through. August is the worst month for these late afternoon thunderstorms. The skies get black as night and the wind is terrible. It’s really scary sometimes. Anyway the power was knocked out at my nephew and his wife’s house. They live about fifteen minutes from us. My nephew called on Sunday morning and wanted to know if he could come and get our generator. They had already been without power for about fifteen or more hours. They came to get the generator and spent some time with us and just before they left they got power back at their house.

On Sunday morning I went outside to see if there was any storm damage. The sun was shining and there was a light fog over the lake. There is an Appalachian saying that the number of fogs that you have in August will be the number of snows you have throughout the winter. This was our first fog for August. But we shall see.

***You can see a very light fog. A beautiful morning after such bad storms were in the area.***

I decided to go over to my Father in law’s house. It is just through the woods from our house. He passed away several years ago but we have kept the house. I try to go over every week or so and check the house out and do any cleaning that needs to be done. I knew the spider webs were going to be really bad so I wore a hoodie. It is crazy how fast the trail has grown up. Last year we were walking the doggos every day through this path in the woods. The path is still there but I couldn’t believe how fast it had grown up.

***Look at this spider web!!!! I’m glad I saw it before I ran through it.***

You can barely see the trail it has gotten so overgrown.

***I had to be careful I knew there was a lot of poison Ivy here.***

The road I take to work is currently undergoing a huge renovation. There is a much needed turn lane being added. There have been a lot of car accidents on this stretch of highway. However being stopped for fifteen minutes at a time while trying to get to work is a bit annoying. That is exactly what happened to me this morning. After sitting in the traffic jam for about ten to fifteen minutes I decided to take a detour. Fortunately I was right near a road that I knew led closer to a road near my work. I took it and man am I glad I did. Look at the views I saw. I think I will take that road again. It was just beautiful.

Beautiful Countryside.

Did I happen to mention that the humidity here has been stifling. It’s like the minute you walk outside you instantly feel clammy. Or your glasses fog up terribly. Oh well changes are coming. There is already a different feel to the air. A slight shift in the morning air letting you know that fall will soon be coming. And as for me. I can’t wait. I don’t like to rush the seasons but I will be happy to see cooler temperatures. We have been really fortunate this year with a milder rainy summer. It has helped a bit with the heat. How is the weather where you are?