Nashville

My least favorite place is Gatlinburg.  And Nashville has to rank in my bottom 10. Ugh.  But I was so happy to go here to celebrate a friend's birthday.  Even though I don't like country music, or loud music, or drinking, or other people drinking. And as I would find out I also don't like redneck comedy Christmas bus tours.

If you were to zoom in, you would see that 90% of the revelers are bachelorette parties and girls' weekends-roving gangs of young women in impossibly tiny dresses and skirts wearing impossibly stiff brand-new cowboy boots.

Why I made Betsy take this bathroom pic-no idea but it seemed very important at the time.

Can we go home now that I have proof, I left the house and did a thing.

The best thing in Nashville-this skinny mirror in a small cafe we found.  

How we ended up in this Cracker Barrel instead of our fancy diner reservation is the stuff of legends.

So, I was led to believe I was going on a Christmas Lights tour.  That was not the case.

I went on a Redneck Comedy Bus Tour.  Redneck "comedy" is low hanging fruit indeed.  All you need are some silly clothes and a few zingers about women, gay folks, and the democrats.... voila, you're a comedian. 

To enhance the trip an very intoxicated young man seated behind us vomited often during the two hour ride. I would have gladly uber'd home at any point.  But, for fear of being rude, we all put on our best game faces and toughed it out.  Later commiserating that we wish we had uber'd home.

What in the love of Father Christmas....we picked him up along the way. 

Not the "redneck" but the rando Rudolph.

Smiling, is it over yet? 

Summer Time-Almost feels normal

I don't have a ton of pictures because we have been so busy this summer.  But busy is good, busy is normal.  And busy helps us appreciate it when we have time to slow down.  

Katydids fill the evening air with a cacophony of chirps. 

I look forward every year to my hardy Hibiscus blooming

Is this a furry festival or a Scottish Highlands festival...you decide

These guys landed by the pool and decided to stay.

If there is a metal shortage it's because I'm buying up all the metal yard art.

I got to meet up with with high school friends for a few days this summer

Our background for our visit was Grandfather Mountain

We all look EXACTLY the same

Back home.  -I love that this is my daily view

Apple apples everywhere in the apple capital of Georgia

Not as majestic-but so calming-the view from my front porch...

A big part of our summer was "J's" surgery. She is all better now!

My buddies -always ready for a treat

I never thought I would say "I'm sick of basil"

or "I'm tired of tomaotes"

We got some cool new shirts for the store and we can't keep them in stock.

 

Parkway

Derek and I took a little day trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  We stopped in Blowing Rock and I got DUCKED for the first time. It was a nice little trip but there is such a thing as too many scenic vistas.  We definitely got Parkwayed out.  

View from Mt Mitchell

VACATION! At last!

In June we went on a cruise to the southern Caribbean. 

The sign and I will never agree.  I do not love Aruba.

Here we are touring a cave in Aruba.  A hot stinky cave.

Is this an Arubian Bigfoot sighting? ...No It's "J" wandering off the beaten path looking for goats.

This is "J" saying she is just fine...before

Stepping on a bunch of these.

The entire island is nothing but thorns. 

Everyone yelled "yay" when we didn't bottom out along the road to the cave...

So "pretty" ??

We did manage to tear the bumper off the rental car.  "D" popped it back in place and we spent the way contemplating our insurance coverage and moral responsibilities.

People love "Aruba" but seriously this is a desert hellscape

 The butterfly garden was pretty...I bet they had to import living green plants.

The beaches were ok-but nothing compared to Curacao

This reminds me of the far side of Cozumel

This is Willemstad-the capital of Curacao and such a lovely place.  I can't wait to go back.  It was a huge contrast to Aruba.

A few pics before breakfast

We had Dutch pancakes (and regular pancakes and paninis) for breakfast

Now THIS IS A BEACH

My pics are awful-it was too bright to see the screen of my phone.

The water was like being in a aquarium

The water is crystal clear

They have pigs on the beach (or near the beach in this case)

But most of my pictures are like this...whoops

These days "D" has to pose for all the silly pictures when the kids aren't around

I love the Oasis Class ships.  It's got to be the most pleasant way to traverse the seas with the unwashed masses.