North Carolina and Tennessee travels

Monday morning we left the Cape.  Leaving behind those wonderful babies, Sara, Leo and Erik was difficult but we will be back, I am sure.  We took 2 days to travel to our next destination in North Carolina.  The drive was nice, through the countryside avoiding the big cities of the coast and going inland a bit.  The trees were just beginning to 'bud out' and the 'red buds' were beautiful.

We arrived in N. Carolina in time for a reunion with some T.C. friends that live there and one of our neighbors up here was visiting then too.  What a wonderful coincidence.  We caught up with everyone's activities and then headed over to David's house to be settled by bedtime.

 Paul is still playing the violin and he gave us a little concert of his music while he was practicing.  He is now 16 and getting taller with every visit.

One morning we got up early and drove over to see Olivia and have breakfast with her.  After the breakfast, Bud and Paul went hiking.  I went back with David to the medical school and read while he taught a class and then took me home.

Joseph is reluctant to pose for pictures so this is the best I could get from him.  One morning he took David and Bud to a nearby island and they did a little target practice.  Joseph is really interested in hunting and guns.

Paul always talks Bud into a game of Monopoly

Friday morning we left N. Carolina and headed for Tennessee to visit Matt and Diana and the girls.  That evening B. had a practice with her little league team.  It was a wonderful evening and a nice chance to be outside and enjoy the sunshine, not to mention watch the team practice.

A. practiced her piano so we were able to enjoy some music.  All the girls are taking piano lessons at their new home.

Speaking of new home, here it is.  It is a beautiful home in a great subdivision on a large lot of 2 acres.  We walked around the subdivision one afternoon and it truly is a great area, close to town but with lots of spaces between the houses.

The weather was fantastic on Saturday so we loaded up the bikes, borrowed a couple of bikes for Bud and me and went out to enjoy the out of doors.  It started with a picnic to fortify our bodies.

Everyone looked 'fit' and stylish.

The girls had fun posing for the pictures.

A healthy looking group.  Unfortunately we forgot the sunscreen and all went home with a bit of sunburn on various parts of our bodies that were exposed and I went home with a sore seat because I am out of shape.

Matt and Diana cooked wonderful meals for us.

The 'pink' faces were radiant from all the sunshine AND the joy of seeing us, I hope.

The big pile of steaks were devoured by the hungry group that spend the day in the sun and exercising.

We had a few early birthday presents for Diana.  This one was from Eva.

I brought along a few 'jewels' for the girls, some little stretchy rings that will be fun to wear.

Everyone was having fun playing solitair.  Here A. is learning from Diana.

B. and I learned to play in November and like to play together.

H. was into her technology but still a wonderful person to sit and chat with.

SO, the new home.  Here is the street view.

A. is doing a little clover picking.

Our Sunday walk included a trip to the nearby pond that was full of ducks and turtles.

I wanted a group picture but didn't have the skill to set up one so took them individually. I just couldn't find the right place to prop up my camera and wasn't interested in fooling around to do the work needed.  I needed Jessica there to help me.

 Somehow this picture of Diana and their bedroom popped up here in the wrong spot, I am sure it is my fault but here is their bedroom with Diana coming out of the bathroom.  It is an nice sized room that looks out over the back yard.

H. has a new room all to herself.

And she loves decorating her door.

A. has a room to herself too and is relaxing while reading a book in the afternoon.

The girls all share this pretty bathroom upstairs.

And B. has a room to herself too.  She was outside when I was taking a picture tour of the house.

The living room is nice and spacious for everyone although Matt plans to put on a new garage this summer and turn the garage they have now into a family room/den.

The kitchen and dining room are great and big enough to hold the family and a few guests.  They have done a great job of decorating and looking settled into their new home.  

 The back yard is spacious and there is room for a nice garden.

The back deck is a very inviting space for the family to relax on a cool evening.

We had a wonderful time, put a lot of miles on our Subaru but were so happy that we were able to see so much of the family on this trip.  We have been doing some version of this trip for many years and love the idea of being able to visit our families in their homes and spend this time together.