July 14 - “Ruby and Beyond”

We were able to sleep in for a change. Helpful since Caleb was joining us for the evening. He is generally speaking one who enjoys extra moments of slumber during the early morning minutes. And late evening minutes. And …

Anyway, it was helpful also that we were but a fifteen minute drive up Lookout Mountain to Ruby Falls. When our time came we crawled into an elevator and descended into the depths with 10 or 15 of our new closest (in the actual, physical close sense of the word) friends.  Once at the bottom we began the mile hike further in and further down. Looking at the stalactites and stalagmites and massive formations along the way made the hike go fairly quickly. And our guide was funny and knowledgeable. We appreciated his warning about the magnesium-laced pools of clear water, magnesium being a natural laxative and all. But of course … the waterfall stole the show, as it should. 

One last thing about Ruby Falls. We picked up not one, but two new passengers. AnnaGrace introduced Lou Leo Murphy (the bald eagle) to her best friend Daisy (the now-tame wild dog). And into my personal fold came Hunt. I know. Interesting name, but it is actually perfect. See, Hunt is a stuffed bottle of ketchup. Yep. I said ketchup. Never saw that one coming. 

Next stop was all the way over the mountains to that well-known hometown of none other than R.G. Huff and Dolly Parton … Pigeon Forge. After a great meal at the Old Mill Pottery House Cafe and Grill (I had fried chicken livers, so the meal was fabulous for me), we checked into our motel. Yes, that’s not a typo. Motel. Not Hotel. The kids immediately hit the swimming pool. They were fine. Chris was … OK. Christi, though? In Josh’s words, “She’ll survive. Will she sleep tonight? No.” Let’s just say Mamma won’t be Motelin’ again anytime soon. 

After the swimming extravaganza, we crawled back into the car and headed towards Gatlinburg and beyond. By “beyond” I mean the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Goin’ on a bear hunt, ya know?

We didn’t find any bears, but we did take a very cool hike. Walked about a mile up to a waterfall. Then on the way back, the kids waded through the stream, skipping rocks and posing for pics (AnnaGrace). Luke and Caleb spent the watery portion of the hike challenging each other to contests of skill to rival Robin Hood and Little John. 

Finally, what vacation day would be complete without a dedicated shopping trip? First we went back through Pigeon Forge to the place we had supper. Christi and I had key lime pie and split it with our respective spouses. Luke had chocolate cake. Caleb and AnnaGrace had ice cream. That gave us the energy we needed to hit the Three Bears gift shop. It’s a Christian run outfit with every kind of souvenir you can imagine - including Christmas. And to top it off, they allegedly had live bears on the premises. Sadly the alleged carnivores were already in bed for the night. Sure. 

But the shop was massive and had all kinds of stuff. Caleb and I discovered products by an ingeniously creative new company called ODD. Weirdly branded slippers and socks and underwear. For instance, candy logos, cereal logos, totally unexpected things adorned the unmentionables. Loved it. 

Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ says, Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Father, thanks for you for places like these National Parks. You did a great job there. Amen. 

July 13 - “Chattanooga/Chickamauga”

Hotel breakfast once again. Tiny waffles and/or hotel scrambled eggs and little round ham slices. Yum. 

We were on the road again by a little after eight. Next stop was the Chickamauga Battlefield and Lookout Mountain. One of them is in Georgia and the other is in Tennessee, yet they are mere minutes apart. Confusing. And speaking of confusing … somewhere in there we changed time zones. So long, hour. 

We pulled into the town of Chattanooga/Chickamauga (or whatever they call it). We were in and out numerous places. I do know we had some lunch at a place called ChooChoo Barbecue. Cute rhyme there. I had a great BLT and some crispy tater tots. But the star of the meal was Christi’s order. She had a baked potato smothered in beef knuckles. Yep. Knuckles. In true Texan fashion, she questioned whether cows really had knuckles. The waiter was befuddled and attempted an answer, “I really don’t know about that. Just that ‘knuckles’ is what it says in the box.” Christi seemed to enjoy her box of beef knuckles, though. Bon appetit. 

From there we jumped across the road to the back entrance to the Chickamauga Battlefield. We managed to get in on a ranger car tour of the park. As interesting as it was, Caleb did an admirable job of affirming and in most cases expanding upon the presentations. The last thing we did before leaving was take a hike. No idea where we were for sure, but it was uphill a lot. And after about half a mile we split up. I went with Caleb and Luke in a continued advance ever forward. The others went back to the car. Our hike amounted to a mile and a half. We bailed on the trail and followed a path created to clear the way for electrical lines. We came out behind the ranger’s house. Josh drove around and picked us up there. Whew!

Next we started up Lookout Mountain. Conveniently, that’s where our hotel was located. Sort of. It was also the site of the battle that followed Chickamauga. We got to the park in time to see all the amazing views of the bend in the river. Did a regular hike as well. And on the way to the hotel we grabbed some Tennessee fast food, got some gas, and walked around Walmart. Perfect end to a really fun day. 

Psalms‬ ‭105‬:‭1‬ says, Give thanks to Yahweh, call on His name; proclaim His deeds among the peoples.

Father, thanks for the amazing array of information Caleb has at his fingertips. Amen. 

July 12 - “Missed Mississippi”

We pulled out of Arkansas around 8 A.M. Next stop? Corinth, Mississippi. We headed for the little Mom and Pop burger joint that Chris and I stumbled upon when we were in that area last. Along the way, however, we managed to squeeze in a potty break at a McDonald’s in Collierville, Tennessee. Our comment about the roads in Tennessee? Just two words. Roller coaster. Come on, Tennessee. Smooth out your roads. 

I missed the Mississippi state sign. Missed Mississippi. Sounds appropriate. Say that ten times fast.

Remember that mom and pop burger joint I mentioned? We found it, but sadly, it was closed. Their cook just had back surgery and won’t be back until Monday. We retired to Cracker Barrel instead. Usual national fare. 

After some gas (in the car) we headed on to the Shiloh Battlefield National Park … back in Tennessee. That was our stay for the next five hours or so. Caleb was in hog heaven amongst all the history. We did some hiking and video watching and peering from the car at monuments and deer and assorted battle sites. Oh, and I saw the bluest bird I have ever seen. Impressive. I’m pretty sure Caleb, at least, considered it a successful day. 

We still had another state to unlock before bedtime, though. Our next hotel was in Florence, Alabama. Gotta say … I for one was tired.

Amos‬ ‭5‬:‭24‬ says, But let justice flow like water, and righteousness, like an unfailing stream.

Father, thanks for another fun day. Can’t wait to see what happens next. Amen. 

July 11 - “Travelers”

Very early morning for Chris. Actually, about average for me. I woke up at 5:15. Chris’ alarm went off at 5:30. Let’s go!

Josh, Caleb and Luke got the car all loaded up with suitcases. Cars were switched around into their vacation resting places. Then the passengers slowly crawled into our respective spaces. Chris and I flanked AnnaGrace in the middle seats of the van. She hugged her African wild dog. I was corrected on that point of origin. Apparently there is a major difference within the world wild dog population. Good to know. I assisted my little stuffed version of Jesus into a crevice on the back of a chair. Gotta have him riding with us. 

And finally we were ready. Off we go! Well, except for the brief pause for prayer. 

The first leg of the journey took us to … Buc-ees! Well, after Josh discovered a faster route and backtracked a bit. But I liked the new route. Took us past not one, but two of my new favorite roadside words - Snuffers. It is apparently a restaurant chain in the Dallas area. Someday I’ll go there. 

Oh, and we also got to cross a big ol’ bridge that spanned Lake Ray Hubbard (named for a distant cousin of the better-known Old Mother Hubbard.  Very few people know of the connection. Apparently Lake Ray was a bit embarrassed to be associated with poor old Ma. But that’s a story for another day).

Buc-ees was, of course, amazing. It wasn’t even very crowded. After a quick bathroom break, the kids grabbed drinks for the road. Mom told them no sweets just yet. Umm. DadDad may or may not have superseded said direction. It’s possible that in his haste to purchase an essential straw attached to a nose made of a beaver, there could have been a six-pack of Buc-ees famous chocolate chip cookies. 

And of course that big drink meant a quick stop at a roadside McDonald’s not that far down the road. Bathroom break again. Caleb was driving at this time. He threatened to refuse to sto for another hour. Nope. Mom insisted. Dad “encouraged.”  

For lunch … Arkansas. Christi found a little back-woods, out of the way place called Three Chicks. Amazing food. Even more amazing waitresses. And the actual “three chicks” were even hard at work on the premises. The food was named for people who worked there, and one dish was named for a customer who ordered the same thing three or four times a week. And she just happened to be seated at the table next to us - eating her signature food. Classic. And it gets better. She is the general manager of a rival restaurant in town. Wow. Oh! And they even had a little gift shop connected to it with some kind of homemade super-pickles, among other stuff. Not to mention the feed store that was the original purpose some 50-60 years ago. 

Stop at Three Chicks, folks. 

After grabbing some gas, we hit the road again. Chris drove this leg into North Little Rock and our first hotel. We didn’t have a lot of time to get checked in and unloaded before we had to get on out to the ballpark. 

Yep. Our first night excursion was to a AA minor league baseball game between the Arkansas Travelers and the Tulsa Drillers. It was an interesting combination for us. One team was the Baby Dodgers and the other was the Baby Mariners, both pretty serious rivals of the Astros. 

We were seated on the Baby Mariners side. I say all this by way of explanation. See, Caleb and I made a point to wear Astros shirts. And his was a replica jersey of none other than the Dodger nemesis himself - Jose Altuve. He’s not very kind to the Mariners, either. Nice move, Caleb. 

The game was fun. We chose to root for the Travelers for a few ready. One, we are travelers. Two, as Caleb informed one of the mascots, “We hate the Mariners less than we hate the Dodgers.” And three, our seats were on the home team side. 

I chose a favorite player. Not for skill. He just had the coolest name. Blake Rambusch. That’s a winner if I ever heard one. And I actually got a new stuffed friend. They actually have two mascots. That’s if you don’t count the one in honor of the groundskeeper’s dog - the Barkensas Dizzies (AnnaGrace got to pet the real dog). Or the one they operate under once a year during the opening week of duck season- the Mad Mallards. I love minor league baseball. 

So, the two regular mascots are

Ace, a horse, and Ocey, either some sort of swamp rat or maybe a possum. And yes, someone entertains the crowd in those full costumes. I went into the gift shop to get a stuffed rat loosely dressed in torn overalls. And who should be in there, taking pictures with people? Both of them. The cat was sitting on the floor. How could I pass it up? I joined him for a picture of my own, holding up the stuffed rat as well. 

Apparently, that didn’t set well with the horse. He wanted me to take a picture with him, too. I refused, showing the stuffed version of Rat Man, er Ocey. Ace stomped around a bit, then stormed off to the back of the store. Almost immediately he returned with a miniature image of himself, and thrust it into my face. I told him I just wanted one with the rat. The handler lady took off with that and conspiratorially said, “He called him a Rat!” The horse reared his head back, then offered me a fist bump. Friends forever. 

Later, the rat showed up near where we were sitting. The kids had a pic taken with him. When the handler saw Caleb’s Altuve jersey, she asked what was the deal with the Astros stuff. The Rat didn’t like his answer (we are equal opportunity fans tonight. Don’t like either team), and started hitting him over the head with one of those foam bats. That’s when Caleb assured him, “We hate the Mariners less than we hate the Dodgers.”  All was forgiven. Almost. 

Oh, and one time they announced that everyone should start dancing. Dutifully, me and the boys complied. And almost immediately, we were featured entertainers on the stadium Jumbotron. 

In the seventh inning, the on field announcer came to us with the mic and had us help lead the crowd in “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”.  We crooned with the best of them. 

Meanwhile, there was a baseball game going on. After a few home runs by the home team tied it up, they went ahead and took the victory. Baby Dodgers lose! Woohoo!  Final score was 7-5. 

It didn’t take long to hit the sack last night. We were all beat. Today, we seek out the Civil War in Tennessee. 

James‬ ‭1‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ says, My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.

Father, thank you for the chance the kids had to experience the randomness of a minor league game. Thanks for the memories for call of us. Amen. 

July 10 - “Loading up”

We got a little bit of a late start yesterday. We packed differently to try to minimize space. Not sure how successful we were. Guess we’ll find out when we load up this morning. 

The Buc-ees stop was rather uneventful this time. There were not very many people there, which was eerie in itself. They were already into the lunch menu, so I missed out on my bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. The brisket was pretty good, though. Chris had a chicken taco. She was not a fan. 

As we pulled away, another of those Central Texas thunderstorms hit. These folks sure don’t need more water right now.  It didn’t slow us down too much. We made it to Waco around 2:30. Plenty of time to watch the latest episode of Ryan and Haley. 

Mark‬ ‭11‬:‭24‬ ‭says, Therefore I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for — believe that you have received them, and you will have them.

Father, watch over the first responders of all kinds and from many different places as they deploy to give aid as needed in Central Texas. Give them stamina and strength to do a tough task. Amen. 

July 9 - “Grandkids Greenery”

I guess we have officially started our pre-trip preparations. Actually, we started weeks ago, but now all the “trip stuff” is stacking up on the table. Maps and snacks and even some paraphernalia we will need for the second trip (that will happen a week or so after we arrive home).

Yesterday I ran the truck battery a while to keep it charged up. The idea was to move it into the driveway while we are gone. Makes it look like somebody is home. And I also ripped up ten or eleven stickerbur weeds in the lawn. 

Chris decided to vacuum out the car. It took a try or two to get the electric on board, but we managed to shake it loose, and she got the job done. 

 

I had to take a time out for a much-needed haircut (thank you, Suzann). She cut it a little extra-short for me. I anticipate a warm couple of weeks coming up. 

Speaking of warm …

When I got home I checked our pre-trip list again. Maybe I should have left well enough alone. Right there, big as Dallas (or Houston or fill in whatever massive city you choose), was that horrible three-letter word … MOW. Ouch. 

But we braved the mega-heat anyway. Had to work on our tans, you know? I did the mowing and weed-eating. Chris did the sweeping and plant watering. We both did the sweating (and crashing when we got done). But I think the yard looks good. At least Chris is OK with us leaving it for three weeks. But we have the Grandkids Greenery Team stepping in while we are gone. All those little blades of grass and leaves of the bushes are in good hands. 

Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬ ‭says, Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Father, thank you for our yard service. Bless them while we are gone. And please ride with us to Waco and beyond. Amen. 

July 8 - “The Procedure”

We got up just a leeeeetle early yesterday. How does 4:30 sound? Yes, there was a reason. I should hope so. Chris had a procedure at the hospital to remove the loop recorder from under her skin. The battery was dead after several years of service, so the doc said to just take it out and see what happens over the next six months or so. 

Chris was the first in line for that mini-surgery room. In fact, there was only one guy there for a heart cath. Kinda weird being in an empty waiting room with only three procedures listed on the board. Not sure when they actually got started, but I got kicked out a little after seven. 

And then …

After a little while the nurse came out to get me, ostensibly to bring Chris her clothes to head home. The nurse’s first words to me were, “so … well …”.  Not a good start. Here’s the text I sent to Nathan and April (our family “medical team”):

“Good morning! Mom is at it again. We are here to remove the loop recorder. 5 minute procedure. In and out. Poof! Easy peasy, right?

“Not with her. They can’t find it! It keeps moving when they think they have located it. Now we’re waiting for a cath lab opening so they can do it under an X-ray. 

Woohoo!”

Then we entered … The Waiting Game. Not to be confused with The Progress Game. I guess you can’t hurry a heart cath. After an hour or two, we began having people stick their head in and express surprise at our presence. Before too long, we were moved to another room. When they offered to show us how to operate the TV, I figured we might there for the long haul. I was right. 

They finally came to get her again at 10:15, and I was kicked out to the waiting room again. What was supposed to be a simple five minute procedure seemed to take forever from my perspective. 

11:08 - The nurse came out to tell me she was done and I could go back to her room. There Chris detailed the issues they had been having. The loop recorder kept slipping away from them and disappearing into nothingness. It was as if there was a tiny Mario Cart driver operating the thing with the express purpose of getting away from the Giant Evil Pliers. They were finally successful, though, and the doc was quite pleased with his efforts. Next step was wait for the doc to come in and officially discharge her. 

11:45 - Nurse Melissa (a former Seaside youth, by the way) brought us some more juice (she had brought some earlier), a turkey sandwich, and a warm blueberry muffin. We shared it. Hospital bland yumminess. 

12:01 - New report. Doc is in yet another procedure. When he is done there, he will write the orders. 

12:06 - Doc finally came in and verbally released Chris.  Nurse followed soon after to unhook everything and remove the IV line. 

12:15 - Out the door. Phew! 

We did stop at Randall’s and Walmart on the way home. Just grabbed one or two final items for our big trips coming up. Quite the day, for sure. 

Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭10‬ says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Father, thanks for the success of the procedure. Please heal the incision site quickly. Amen.