We've been on the move again......

Tuesday, April 19, 2010

Lots of miles have gone by since I last up dated you - this is where we've been and how we have gotten to where we are.

We left Smyrna, TN on Sunday, April 17th and headed toward Pigeon Forge, NC.  We had a really pretty camp spot right on the river and there was even a welcoming committee to greet us - look at this!


These guys came right up to Mom and said "QUACK, QUACK"
When Dad and I went for our evening walk, Mom said 7 of them
tromped through our camp!

Then we headed towards Asheville, NC (Monday, April 18th).  Mom realized that the Biltmore House was here, so we stopped and set up camp.  We all went to the Biltmore House and I stayed in the truck while Mom and Dad toured the inside.  Mom said there were 250 rooms, 43 bathrooms, 8,000 acres, and a winery among other things at this place!  When Mom and Dad got back to the truck, I was able to tour the gardens and they were beautiful!  This should make everybody back home jealous - spring has come to the Biltmore House:

SOME of the Tulips blooming in the garden - the building
in the background it is the GREENHOUSE!

 

Wisteria in bloom - sure smells good!



SOME of the Azaleas.

SOME of the Orchids



A view of the "House" from the garden




Dad and I sharing an Ice Cream Cone...YUMMMMMMMM


















WOW, the camera got a work out here!

Now, we are in Charlotte, SC (Tuesday, April 19th).  It's very warm and humid here, but the squirrels are going "nuts".

We are going to have lunch and visit with a good friend tomorrow.  "Aunt Hazel" is  the aunt of our good friends Hazel and Nori out west.  Mom and Dad said she is really nice - I haven't met her yet, but I'm looking forward to it!  After that, I think Dad is looking at moving farther East to the ocean again!  (I sure hope they have doggie beaches!)

Mom said she is behind on the maps again, so please be patient.....

Lots to write about....

Saturday, April 16, 2011

WOW, so much has happened since I last updated everybody.  Let's see - the first thing is, we need to send out a  VERY HAPPY birthday to my friend Hazel - her birthday was April 14th.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAZEL!

Next, Mom and Dad had a "date" night last night and I got to go Camp Bow Wow for a "slumber party"!  It was fun and scary at the same time.  You see, they had really bad thunder storms last night and I got a little scared (I threw up a little bit in my pen).  But, I sure had fun playing with all my new friends - there was about 10 to 12 of us that got to play together before bed last night and this morning when we all got up.  Mom and Dad dropped me off yesterday afternoon about 3:00 pm and picked me up today at noon. 

While I was playing with my new friends and at the slumber party, Mom and Dad went on a "date" to a place called Nashville Nite Life to have dinner and see a show.  They said they had a good time and it was worth the time and effort.  They saw a lot of entertainers that have played with the "big stars".  It was "small" compared to the Grand Ole Opry and very intimate.  The entertainers came out after the show and signed autographs and did photo ops with the audience.  Mom got an autographed CD from Charlie Vaughn - boy, can he ever play the fiddle, banjo, guitar and mandolin!  Mom played it for me and it put me right to sleep - really good stuff!

And, finally, Mom got her camera lens back from the repair shop in Atlanta, so now she is back in the photography business.  We even went back down town for Mom to give it a workout.

New photos of the Capitol Building - Mom really likes that zoom lens!!!!







And last but not least, Mom has revised and posted new maps at the bottom of the page.  She had to break up the maps so they have all the information on them.  If you click on a tent, a balloon will pop up to give you the location and the latest "stats".
We will be moving out tomorrow - headed back toward South Carolina.  I'm not sure where we will end up (neither are Mom and Dad), but we will keep you posted.

Our own tour of Nashville, TN

Wednesday, April 13, 2010

Today Dad took Mom and I on our own tour of Nashville.  All I saw were people and buildings, but Mom found some things to take pictures of:
 

Capitol Building





Nashville, TN skyline


That's about all we did today - this has been kind of a lazy stop for us.  We tried to see the Grand Ole Opry building, but there wasn't much to see.  Mom and Dad were very disappointed.  A lot of stuff is closed and fenced off here - bad economy Dad said.  After seeing the confusion at the Grand Ole Opry, Mom and Dad aren't so sure they want to bother going to a show.  Tickets are expensive, so they are still deciding.

When we got back to camp, there was a guy with a RC (Remote Control) Truck.  He sure could do some fancy tricks with it!  I didn't really like it - it was too fast for me!

Mom wanted me to tell you that she is still working on the maps - Map #1 of Bessy's Adventures is now complete and posted - she is still working on the rest....


Some of the old shops downtown


 

This is the Train Depot!



Home Improvement Day

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Today was Home Improvement day around the old homestead (trailer).  Dad did a few things to make more storage, we went gorcery shopping, and Dad put up the map that Mom bought me a few weeks back.  It shows all the states we have visited.  Boy, we sure have gone a long way.  I also met a new friend - Hootie!


My new friend Hootie - he's a lot older than I am!


 

Mom wanted me to sit on the black
stool, but I didn't want to....





All the states we have visited so far.......coast to coast!



The LONGGGG road to Nashville......

Monday, April 11, 2011

We took the LONGGGG road to Nashville today.  Mom was navigating and told Dad where to turn, and it was the wrong way.  By the time she got a GPS signal (no signal in the mountains) and figured out what happened, it was too late to turn around (and besides, Dad couldn't turn around on that skinny mountain road with the trailer).  However, we did have a nice drive through the back woods of the Smoky Mountains.  We lost about an hour of time, so when we crossed the line back into the Central Time Zone, we got that hour back (sort of).  We were actually on the road for about 8 hours!  Anyway, we finally made it to a place called Smyrna, TN, which is just east of Nashville, TN.  We got here just before the storm hit, so Mom and Dad got the trailer all set up and then the sky opened up!  Boy, it sure does rain out here.  Mom and Dad went out to dinner and had to wait for a lul in the storm to get back to the truck!

We probably will be here for a week to see the sites and maybe Mom and Dad will go to a Grand Ole Opry show.  We will see what happens.

Spring time in the mountains - trees in bloom



Another look at the Smoky Mountains




Things sure are green in Tennessee - they should be with all
that rain!


For those of you following the map below, please be patient because Mom is really working on it - it takes a lot of time, and if she makes a mistake, she has to start all over again.......

Mining in the hills of North Carolina

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Today Dad took us to a Ruby and Sapphire mine!  They had to dig their own dirt (it was really red dirt, too) and run their dirt through a slous and then they looked for rubys and saphires.  Mom and Dad did pretty good - they ended up with 38.25 carots of stones!  Of course,they have no idea what that is worth, but I guess it was worth the entertainment value.  The mine was way back in the hills of Franklin, NC, so we got to see a lot of the back country.  We are going to be moving on tomorrow, but I don't think Dad has decided where we are going.  I'll let you know when we get there.

Now, picture time:


North Carolina country side

  

Dad working his slous box




Dad with a SHOVEL in his hand!!!!!!!



Mom working for those little precious stones.





Mason's Ruby and Sapphire Mine Office



The three of us!



A rush to the Park before the Government shuts it down!

Friday, April 8, 2011

This morning Dad and I were all snuggly in bed and sleeping in, when Mom woke us up and said if we were going to the Smoky Mountain Park today, we had better get going, because the park may be closed by midnight tonight!  (If the government closes down, the National Parks will be the first to go.)  So, Dad and I got up and after breakfast, we took off for the park.  It was a really pretty drive, and the mountains really do look smoky, but its caused by the evaporation of moisture on the trees and in the leaves that makes it look that way, not real smoke.  Spring is just starting in the mountains, so some of the trees are just starting to bud out and things aren't really green yet, but some of the wild flowers are starting to bloom.  Mom got some pictures, but it was cloudy today too, so they weren't REALLY good.  When we got to the center of the park, there was a truck from CNN.  They were there to report about the impact of closing the park on the people.  One of the guys spotted our Nevada license plate, so there was quite a discussion about Nevada and  Harry Reid!  Mom said I shouldn't repeat any of that conversation here!

Anyway, here are some of the pictures Mom took:

Smoky Mountain National Park



Some of the wild flowers



This is the Oconaluftee River (I don't know how to pronounce
this one!)



Fog on top of the mountain at the Clingmans Dome
observation tower.


It was a really nice day and the river water tasted good!  Mom said the rivers looked really good (nice and clean) and asked Dad if we could go fishing.  He kinda made a face because most of the fishes are going to be planters, but, we might be able to go, you never know.

OH, and I forgot to tell you....in the camp ground, we are right next to the river and there is an island right behind our trailer that is the dog run!  They have built a bridge to the island, and it's really cool because Dad takes me over there and I get to be off my leash and I get to run, and sniff at EVERYTHING!  YIPPPEEEEE!!

LIFE IS GOOD!

We weathered the storm!!!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

WOW!  What a night - WIND - RAIN - THUNDER - LIGHTENING - POWER OUTAGES - TORNADO'S!  We were just fine, because Mom and Dad parked the trailer in a very protected spot - behind Stone Mountain!  But, we sure had a light show last night.  Mom and I watched the lightening, while Dad slept!  He can sleep through ANYTHING!  The news just reported that there was $32 million in damages from this storm and six people were killed, and it was just an overnight event!  Most of the damage was from trees being blown over because the ground was so wet, and downed power lines.  We had to take a detour to get to Doggie Daycare today!   Rita at "The Park Pet Retreat" (www.theparkpetretreat.com) is really nice and I had a great time for the last three days - they don't put you in a cage at this place and you can play inside or go outside.  Mom is hoping I sleep really good tonight, because I was up most of last night (so was she) and I played all day today with my new friends while Mom and Dad went the the Georgia Aquarium.  Mom got a lot of pictures of the fishes and they had a good time.  Mom said that this is the BEST aquarium that she had ever seen - it was almost like diving with the fishes - and they will let you do that if you are a certified diver!

Oh, and yesterday, Mom and Dad finished going through Stone Mountain Park.  They went through Antebellum Plantation, the Grist Mill and the Quarry.

Look at this!



Antebellum Plantation





Yellow tailed (something or other) fish.

 
This is the Grist Mill....
























...and, this is where the granite quarry was...Some of this granite went to the Post Office in Reno, NV













Now on to the Georgia Aquarium...



Manta Rays - Mom and Dad have been diving with these guys.




WHALE SHARK!!!  WOW!!!




Lion Fish!




Clown Fish (Nemo)!





Sea Turtle



Tomorrow, Mom is going to do LAUNDRY and Dad is going to do the TAXES!  I thing I'm going to find a quite place and take a NAP!!!  Then on Thursday, we are heading to the Smokey Mountains!  (We will have to  move on before the camera lens is fixed!)

Stone Mountain Park and Doggie Daycare!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Mom and Dad went to Stone Mountain today, while I went to doggie daycare and played with all my new friends.  I had a lot of fun playing all day and after Mom and Dad picked me up, we went to KFC for dinner, then back to Stone Mountain for the Laser show.  It was really crazy, kids running around, people dancing - Mom said it was like a rock concert.  When the laser show started they had fireworks, and I didn't like that too much - it was REALLY loud.  I've seen fire works before at Disney Land and it wasn't that loud (I was in the trailer looking out)!  Any way, we left early, but I was still a little scared.  Here are some of the pictures Mom took at the park.  They did all kinds of things like; rode the tram to the top of the mountain; went on the train ride around the mountain; went to a 4D movie about the Journey to the Center of the Earth; and then a ride on a Duck (that's a land and water vehicle they used in the Army).  Looks to me like Mom and Dad went a little crazy today......


Dad walking on top of Stone Mountain





This is the tower to the tram




A view of Atlanta and some of the people who hike the
one plus miles to get to the top.



A view of riding on the train



Dad wearing the special glasses before the movie (how silly)!




A Duck in the water




Dad blowing on his "Duck" call - this is even "sillyer"!


Mom said Dad is going to kill us for putting all of these silly pictures of him on here.......hee heee.......

Mom said that they could act silly because they will never see any of these people again - and they were doing the same thing!

Tomorrow will be more of the same - can you imagine??????

A ride around the Stone Mountain Park

Saturday, April 2, 2011

We made it through April Fool's day with out any pranks being played on us.  Friday, we went over to the place that has Mom's camera lens, and the part they are waiting for hasn't come in yet, and it's coming from Japan!  Mom and Dad just rolled their eyes and asked them to keep us informed about when the part comes in.  Mom told 'the guy' that she is having a hard time taking pictures with Dad's camera.  Here are some of the pictures she took around the Stone Mountain Park area (I think she is doing OK, even tho she doesn't like using Dad's camera).

Dog Wood trees in bloom along the RV Park road





Azaleas in bloom everywhere



Our view out of the kitchen window - tough
view to wake up to



This is the actual "Stone Mountain" - it's the largest
granite mountain in the WORLD!



 


 













If you look in the center of the picture above this one, you
might see where this carving is - in the middle of the shot.
























We are going to have to find out what kind of tree this is -
the blooms are beautiful!




Here I am checking out the lake - lookin' for fishes...didn't

find any.....



The information on the park says that this place is as big as San Francisco.  Today, we went over to the doggie day care place and checked it out - they have a lot of dogs and a lot of room to romp and play.  Mom and Dad are going to go the Stone Mountain place (park) Sunday and Monday, and the Aquarium on Tuesday, so I get to go to the daycare for THREE days!  YIIIPPPEEEEE!  Mom said they are going to go to the top of the mountain in a tram and also take a train ride - that's why I can't go (I think I'll like daycare better).