The Chewnings Visit & Mother’s Day

This week begins with preparations for a visit from the Chewning family (Melanie, David, Olivia [9], Zoë [5], and Zack [3]). We shopped, cleaned and began precooking the ribs Lydia planned to serve on Friday night. The work week went by quickly and we were in the middle of a neighborhood Happy Hour campfire when the Chewnings arrived  on Friday evening. After many hugs and  introductions, we gathered the food and moved to the clubhouse for dinner where we had much more room to spread out and eat comfortably.

After dinner we returned to the trailer and found a roaring campfire (thanks to our neighbor, Bill). Lydia rounded up the stuff for the obligatory S’mores and Jim got out the forks. The grandkids and a couple of the adults had a ball toasting and eating their S’mores. About 9pm the Chewnings minus Olivia, who was spending the night with us, left for the Hampton Inn in Brevard. It didn’t take long for the trailer to become very quiet – all three of us were really tired from our big day.

Saturday was a special event day at the Cradle, Migratory Bird Day. We had our own special guide, Kristyn, affectionately known as our 5th child. We were so happy she could join us – Melanie wanted to take her home!  After pancakes and sausages we all headed down to the Discovery Center. We hiked the trails, explored all the stops along the way, and did scavenger hunts in the Exhibit Hall.

 

 

 

Being the boy he is, Zack really enjoyed the restored 1915 Climax locomotive and the old mule drawn road grater.

After a break for lunch at the trailer we returned to the Discovery Center  for some special presentations about birds of prey and crafts sessions for the kids. The weather wasn’t the best so we were happy to have the option of some indoor activities to keep us busy.

 

 

Following a brief rest we all climbed inn the Chewning car and drove to the Pisgah Inn.

 

 

 

 

 

The Pisgah Inn is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway and the dining room overlooks the Pisgah National Forest. Unfortunately the clouds had descended and the breathtaking views were totally obscured. However dinner was great and we celebrated Mother’s Day in the best way – by being together. Thanks, Mel and David, for making the trip to visit us.

We returned to the trailer and Melanie made preparations for all three grandkids to spend the night with us. After a few quick good byes Melanie and David left. Everyone was asleep within 30 minutes.

The grandkids are awake at 8. Jim fixed breakfast, so Lydia could get a few more minutes of sleep. After breakfast, the kids jumped in bed to wake her up. It’s raining so we play games inside until Melanie and David return. We cancel our plans to visit a few waterfalls and the Chewnings head home. It takes a while to find and repack everyone’s stuff, but they are on their way by 1pm. It’s naps for us, cleaning the trailer, and doing the laundry. It was a great visit and we hope they can return. There are waterfalls and hiking trails galore just waiting for us to discover!

‘Til next time ….