We made it through Atlanta without getting stuck in any traffic, which is a July 4 miracle. This, just as we were saying we’d never travel over the Fourth of July again because everything is closed on the Fourth of July. There was a yarn shop and a chocolatier we wanted to stop at before leaving Nashville, but both were closed for the holiday. So be it, here we are, just south of Atlanta, where Christina just beat Billy’s and my butts at Five Crowns and we made our trip official by watching a Harry Potter movie on the hotel TV. I’m looking forward to getting back to the dogs tomorrow, food shopping, and about 200 loads of laundry. But it was a good trip. Good to get away.
Tag: vacation
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July 3
We literally did EVERYTHING today. We walked over the pedestrian bridge, went into a honky tonk, bought cowboy boots, visited the Country Music Hall of Fame and RCA Studio B, went into the Parthenon, had authentic barbecue, and ate the best ice cream sandwiches made from homemade cookies and ice cream. When you have one day in Nashville, you do it all or bust. We may have done both.
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July 2
We had to get some Kentucky bourbon before we left and found a place that distills Mammoth Cave bourbon on the way to Nashville, so we made a stop. It was really cool – a small family-run distillery. The owner gave us a tour and tasting, introduced us to his horses and his dad. They gave us tips for visiting Nashville, and it was generally great. Much better than going to Maker’s Mark or another big distillery. After getting to Nashville, we were exhausted, and ended up spending most of the day sleeping, but not until after much-needed showers.
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July 1
We went on another cave your this morning. It was unlike any other I’d done – the cave was wide open and, well, cavernous. It was really cool. It rained most of the morning, but after lunch we went for a short hike. It was somewhat drama-filled since there were varying levels of enthusiasm for the hike, most of which were barely registering. I may have screamed at everyone in the middle of the forest. The day got better, though. We played Uno No Mercy and got ice cream. We made pork chops and potatoes for dinner and then kicked Billy’s ass twice at Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. Billy made the biggest campfire ever, using almost an entire package of firewood. It was, shall we say, MAMMOTH. As fun as it’s been, I think most of us are ready to go in the morning.
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June 30
We went on our first cave tour. It was really cool! National Park rangers are generally awesome. This cave is different from others we’ve toured because it’s so much bigger, and most of what we saw was dry. After the tour, we took it easy. We played That Escalated Quickly, which is always fun with Christina. I did some knitting. Making dinner was a lot smoother tonight. Christina caught more fireflies and we roasted s’mores. I’m glad it didn’t rain.
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June 29
Today was great. Made it to the campsite and got everything set up pretty quickly. Getting a fire going to cook dinner was not as smooth. We didn’t get self-lighting charcoal, and we didn’t have lighter fluid, so that was a bust. Luckily we got to the camp store one minute before it closed and got some firewood. It took us an hour to get it going, but then it burned for hours. Christina told stories by the fire and caught fireflies. She and Billy walked to the visitor center and saw 26 deer. We are in a group site loop in the middle of three busloads of kids with some sort of organization. They were loud for a bit but are otherwise fine. It’s so nice to be camping again. It’s been too long!
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July 3
We went to the Bee City Zoo, where we were attacked by parakeets, spit on by llamas, and hand fed kangaroos, giraffes, and monkeys. Robin particularly loved petting the bunnies, especially the little black baby bunny that hopped around all over the place. So fun.
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July 2
We went into Charleston today and spent way more money than we should have. The weather eased a little and it was much cooler than the last few days. Robin traded her phone for a very expensive, very cute pair of shoes that brought big smiles to her face and happiness to my heart. Christina fished Robin’s pen out of the Edisto River and touched a branch in the water even though it had a spider on it. An action-packed day.
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July 1
We visited Fort Sumter today. We humans have so much history to learn from and yet it feels like we’ve learned so little. Today I stood in the same place where soldiers fought for the integrity of the United States of America over 150 years ago. I could see the artillery in the walls. There were fingerprints in the bricks that were made and laid by hand. And what of that integrity they fought so hard for? Have we come so far since then? Humanity is such a challenge.
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June 30
We checked Congaree National Park off our list today! We hiked a trail that was described as a good opportunity to spot otters. Unfortunately the creek was almost completely dried up so we didn’t see any. But all the cypress knees were pretty cool.
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June 29
We have a cute AirBnB in South Carolina for the next few days, right on a little river. Looking forward to exploring the next few days.
Year in Photos 