We enjoyed great company and good food on Thanksgiving. We were blessed with several of Chuck's family members- Cindy and Dave, Colleen and Steve, and their son Charlie. My brother, Marty was here, and his friend Susie, and her kids Abbi and Calvin. I invited my friend Jennifer, and her kids Aiden and Tala because Jennifer's mom and sister had both moved away and she would have been alone. Sean was here, but Lilly wasn't.
The 7th of December Chuck, Sean and I flew to Tennessee. We celebrated Parsla's birthday, and did an early Christmas celebration with Jewel and Bjorn, and David and Grace.
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| Parsla loves her Uncle Sean. |
We had a great time, as usual. I love going home for a visit.
We visited my dad, and we asked him to ride with us the next day to Roan Mountain. He was born there, and has all sorts of stories to tell about it. We spent the whole day driving around up there, and drove to the top of the Roan, to the state line of North Carolina there. Then we came back down the mountain and drove to some other places, and went another route across the North Carolina line.
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| On our way to the top of the Roan, the trees were covered in ice. |
We had a great time with him, and we hope to go back when it's warmer so he can show us more on foot.
Our second day there, Jewel got the flu and was out of commission for a few days. But she was back on her feet thanks to Tamiflu, and the whole gang had fun at Bass Pro Shop's bowling alley for Parsla's birthday party. Every branch of the family tree was represented. It was so nice to see Myrna and Kyle, Tom and Jean, Brett and Jen, Josh and Megan, and Mike, and it was fun to walk around Bass Pro Shop. I'd never been to one.
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| I had no idea that Bass Pro Shop had a bowling alley. |
While we are in Tennessee we eat at several restaurants that aren't found in our area. One of them is the Golden Corral. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's OK. Dad wanted to take everyone out to eat while we were there, and although he preferred a nicer restaurant, they were all booked with parties for the holiday season. It worked out for all of us to meet at Golden Corral, or as dad says, "The Hog Trough." I think I get some of my cynicism from him. :-)
We like it because there is something for everyone. Sean is a bit picky about his food, but he can always find something at Golden Corral. And their dessert bar has a chocolate fountain that both Sean and Parsla love to dip marshmallows into.
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| The whole gang at the Hog Trough. But seriously, we all enjoy eating there. |
Though I grew up not very far from Piney Flats, I had never been to Rocky Mount. We all had a good time there. We listened to a Christmas story in the slave quarters, told by an actor playing the part of a slave, about a girl who was the daughter of the inn keeper who let Mary and Joseph stay in the barn. Afterward there was a reception in the basement of the museum.
Jewel recognized the man playing Christmas music on a keyboard as one of her professors. We chatted, and he invited Sean to play some of the Christmas music he knows. He played Carol of the Bells, and Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies.
We toured the museum upstairs, too. I wish I had gotten good pictures there.
A couple of days before we were scheduled to come home, I got sick. I ended up going to Urgent Care to try to get well before getting on the plane. It didn't work. And I'm still not back to normal.
Chuck got it the next day, and we were both dragging ourselves through the airports to get home.
Sean didn't get it until we got home, thank goodness. And he is better now. Chuck and I are both still dealing with some weird thing with our ears.
