What I Did on My Summer Vacation, by Mother of Purl

Where to start? We went first to Cades Cove, which is a remarkable valley that was made a preserve in the 1930's. There are many 19th century buildings here and wildlife galore. We LOVED it, and I highly recommend it to everyone. Here are a few photos.

We hiked a mere 1.2 miles to a waterfall (and it liked to have killed us) :

Of course, we went to Gatlinburg and drove through the Craft Community or whatever they're calling it and it was wonderful! There were many local artists and craftspeople with their wares for sale and on display. I bought a beautiful weaving which I will eventually frame. DH was soooo good the whole time, but I think it's just because he decided that whatever I spent on souvenirs and prizes, he would put toward his new compound bow. Sounds fair to me.



Um, what else? Oh yeah, we went to Knoxville and I hung out in Market Square and did a little more shopping. That shocks you, I know. Had lunch with a friend who moved to Knoxville a while back and went to a couple museums. Finally, we went to Chattanooga and stayed in a train car that has been converted into a hotel room. Talk about cool! We also went to th aquarium and loved it. Their freshwater exhibits were incredible. Observe:

We also did some random window shopping at a wood carver's studio. His name is Gene Webb and he has some interesting pieces...

We finally got the answer to that age-old question: Does a bear sh*t in the woods? Apparently not.

I'll leave you with some warm fuzzy images of sunset in the Smokies: