Weekend in Asheville, NC

Here are some pictures from our trip up to Asheville, NC this past weekend.

We all stayed at Bryan's dad's house near Mt. Pisgah Academy and on Sabbath drove down to DuPont State Forest where we explored 15.5 miles worth of trails (with the aid of our bikes).

After working up a good apetite we all went out to eat at India Garden, in Asheville. It was pretty good -- I'd give it 4 stars (out of 5).

The final picture is of "Patches, BP's Cat." We stopped for gas and noticed this cat staring longingly in through the front door. I got out to take a picture and then decided to see if it was friendly -- thought it might be a stray or had been abandoned. It had a collar and tag that said "Patches, BP's Cat" and then listed the phone number. So I guess it actually lives there! Ha! :)

Boat-camping on Ocoee Lake

This weekend we went boat-camping for the first time with our little home-built sailboat. Our destination: a little recommended campsite on Ocoee Lake, and our only means of finding it was with a GPS!

We arrived at the lake Friday evening just as the sun was dipping behind the trees, and quickly headed toward the little checkered flag on the GPS screen. We were very thankful for our new electric trolling motor which propelled us over the glassy water. About 15-20 minutes later we arrived at a deserted beach with several camping spots and fire rings. We then set up camp, built a fire and fixed supper.

Sabbath morning we awoke to a gorgeous sunrise with steam swirling above the lake as big fish jumped and flipped out of the water. After breakfast we headed out on our big voyage of exploring the lake. We started our trip by checking out the closest big dead-end and on the way we rescued a poor spiny softshell turtle snagged on a fishing hook & line which was tangled in a nearby tree.

Then we hoisted the sail and headed to the other end of the lake to check out the islands (near the dam), towing Todd behind us in the little blow-up raft. The wind wasn't very strong and so we only made an average speed of about 2 mph, which took us about an hour...

Upon reaching the small island, we quickly explored the entire land mass and discovered that we had cell phone coverage there! :) So we happily checked our messages and emails while we were there. We also decided to go swimming. The water was a tad chilly, but very refreshing!

We then raced back toward camp for a late lunch. The wind had picked up by this point and so we were able to reach frightening speeds in excess of 3mph!!! Hahaha!

Arriving again at the campsite we enjoyed lunch, supper, the campfire, and our sleeping bags.

Sunday morning we awoke to yet another beautiful sunrise, again with the "magnificent jumping fish". It was so pretty I couldn't decide which photo to use...

Aside from the "magnificent jumping fish" and the spiny softshell turtle, we were also fortunate enough to see a "leaping lizard", a tiny ringneck snake (maybe 4 inches long), a scorpion, spiders, millipedes, and yellow jackets. Thankfully none of those caused us any harm. :)

After cleaning up camp and dousing the fire, we packed up the boats and headed home.
It was an absolutely perfect camping weekend!

Tropical Thursdays!

A couple weeks ago we tried the newly-reopened Tropical Smoothie Cafe on Gunbarrel Rd. and discovered that Thursdays were "Tropical Thursdays!" and it just so happened to be a Thursday!

Basically what that means is that you get a free HUGE fruit smoothie with the purchase of any sandwich or wrap. It's a super great deal and a nice excuse not to fix supper! :)

They have a good selection (see the menu) of wraps, sandwiches, salads, breakfast items, smoothies and drinks... and for those of you vegetarians, they can easily make just about anything veggie-friendly.

Check it out (if you haven't already) and make sure you go on Tropical Thursday!

Tropical Smoothie Cafe

1925 Gunbarrel Rd # L
Chattanooga, TN 37421

(423) 648-7785‎

tropicalsmoothie.com

Neighborhood Discoveries!

This evening we went for a walk around the neighborhood and then down to the new ball fields just down the street. On our way back we noticed this strange sign nailed to a tree (a few houses down from ours). I wonder what the story is?

Then directly across the street from this sign, Jane11 discovered a strange thorny wild(?) citrus tree growing in the woods. It had small fuzzyish fruit which we took samples of. Upon cutting them open we discovered that they were VERY sour and had an amazing number of seeds inside! Any ideas of what these might be? They don't appear to be anything on this list...

Oh, and P.S. we have a new neighbor behind us -- he moved into the "Fence Neighbor's" old house after they moved. We haven't met him yet, but it appears it's a single younger guy with no roommates or family. He seems pretty quiet and keeps to himself... Woohooo!!! :)

Busy Weekend: Biking, Moving, Sailing

Last week Jane11's parents closed on their new house so Mark & Kristin decided to come up for the weekend and help them move. Sabbath afternoon, a group of us decided to go bike riding over at Harrison Bay State Park.

We spent most of the day Sunday moving loads of boxes and furniture from several locations to the new house, most of which had been in long-term storage for the past 32 years!

Then on Monday the two of us decided to take the boat out after getting home from work, since the weather was great. There wasn't much wind, but we were able to do a little sailing before the wind died completely. Thank goodness we have an electric trolling motor now!

Friday Afternoon Fun

Friday afternoon some friends of ours called and asked if we would like to join them to go skiing out on the lake after work. So after getting changed and picking up some snacks & extra life jackets, we headed over to the Harrison Bay boat ramp and met up with the rest of the gang. We each took turns behind the boat -- some skiing, some kneeboarding. After it got dark we cruised up the river and dropped anchor in a quiet cove where we enjoyed the peace & quiet while David & Zach went swimming. :)