Hot Times in the Smokies

There's never a dull moment when on vacation with our family! (Chelsea plans like her mother . . .)  On August 1, 2022, a morning activity took us to the adjoining town for some fun at the "Island at Pigeon Forge", a family entertainment complex.

The kids were champs on the ropes course! Later that day, we headed into the mountains for a short hike to Laurel Falls. This provided another glimpse of how beautiful our surroundings were.

The following day, August 2, we hiked to Clingman's Dome. The website, greatsmokies.com, describes it like this: "At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest peak in the Smokies and the third highest east of the Mississippi. From the parking lot, seven miles west of Newfound Gap, walk the steep half-mile path to the 54-foot observation tower for a 360-degree view of the Park. Sunrises and sunsets are spectacular. The Appalachian Trail crosses Clingmans Dome, marking the highest point along its 2,144-mile journey." Although the wind was fierce at the top of the observation tower, there were some pretty amazing views.

We couldn't resist wandering along the Appalachian Trail for a bit before returning to our car. Bob's dream is to hike the entire trail someday . . .

That evening, while the Bosen's played in the pool at the resort, Dad and I went to Dollywood. Of course . . . Sharon can't resist amusement parks!  I think the most exciting thing there was to see the drone lights show, which was something new for us. But their world famous cinnamon bread was a treat worth waiting in line for!

Our fun day ended with smiles and fireworks.

Birthday Trip to Dallas

Our two oldest grand children, Linley and Emma, officially became teenagers the summer of 2022. This was, of course, a cause for celebration! June 9, 2022, Linley flew to Dallas with her dad, who was headed there on business. Bob and I drove up with Emma and met Linley for 3 days of planned activities in the city. We purchased some POGO passes which gave us free entry to a good variety of activities in the Dallas area, and let Linley and Emma choose those things they were most interested in. Here was our suggested itinerary:

We met at a mall where our first activity was supposed to begin and snapped a few photos:

We were informed that Sea Quest was not opening until after noon due to a broken pipe. So we made a the decision to go to the Ft. Worth Zoo for a quick visit and come back afterwards. This might be a good time to mention that just a couple of days before this, Bob had his own wild animal encounter with an upset raccoon trapped in our backyard and released at a nearby park:

It seems we were only allowed admittance to the zoo until noon - so it was a quick look around.

We returned to Sea Quest and actually had a blast with the animals. Our most memorable experience was being in the parakeet room where we were "attacked" by the birds!

Emma and Linley decided against a swim activity and opted for a place called It'z where we played laser tag. Black light Monster Golf finished out the day for us - but not without a stop for stretchy Turkish ice cream at BigDash. Really! - it was stretchy, but in a good way.

On Friday, June 10, we started out the day with a walk around the sculpture park near our hotel. Then we took Linley and Emma on a trip back in time with a visit to the Video Game Museum. Let's just say, video games just were not nearly as fun back in our day. We made up for it by stopping for birthday cake - after all, it was Linley's actual birthday!

That afternoon we gave ice-skating a try at the Star Center, and Bob and I realized it was not like riding a bike - it did not come back to us naturally!  Emma and Linley did great on the ice, but Bob took a fall on his first attempt and decided he was done before I even had my skates on. I decided to practice in the "training area" with some buckets to steady myself before going a lap or two and calling it good for the day. Surprisingly, the girls didn't last long either, being cold and having sore feet.

The Fury Fun Center was the next thing on our agenda.  This would be the first time for all of us to try our hands at "Axe Throwing".  It was harder than it looks, with a definite learning curb, which I was never able to get past. But it was a really fun experience for all of us. The short videos will attest to our progress.

That evening we went to the observation deck at reunion tower to take in a view of Dallas. We were all pretty worn out and ready for bed that night.  We were staying in a sketchy Marriott downtown where we not only had to ask for a replacement mattress on the sofa bed that looked like a murder had taken place, but were awakened in the middle of the night by some drunk who was trying to get in the wrong room (ours)!  All makes for amusing memories in retrospect!

We met up with Bobby at the giant eyeball sculpture downtown on Saturday morning.

Linley and Emma wanted to return to It'z for more arcade activities and games where we all had a good time together.

We had time for one last activity before getting Bobby and Linley to the airport and Emma, Bob and I on the road back to Houston. Sky Zone is one of those trampoline, ninja course, places that requires much to much effort for Bob and I.  But we had a good time watching Emma, Linley and Bobby flex their muscles and show us their strength and endurance.  It was the perfect ending to a wonderful birthday celebration for our two teenage GRAND daughters!

Happy Birthday Linley and Emma! We can't think of any two teenagers that we love as much as you two! It is so rewarding to experience the friendship and love you share as cousins, despite the miles that separate your families. What an amazing trip filled with memories which we will forever cherish. Thanks for sharing yourselves with Poohpie/Gaga and Pa!