Jeff arrived on Wednesday afternoon and we went ahead and cut that cake a few days early.
Thursday morning Keith and Jeff went for a short hike. They couldn't venture too far out of cell range since Jeff was on call for the weekend. They hiked the Fighting Creek Nature Trail near the Sugarlands Visitors Center. They saw the John Ownbey Cabin.
Thursday afternoon was spent watching World Cup Soccer and then we had dinner on the deck. I grilled Cheesy Buffalo Chicken with red, white, & blue potatoes. Actually the potatoes were purple, but close enough!
After dinner we headed to the ballpark to see the TN Smokies play. There was a tie and the game was finally decided in the 16th inning! The Montgomery Biscuits won 4-3. Yes, they are called the Biscuits. It seems like a strange name for a baseball team, but there you have it. The fireworks were fantastic as usual. This time the music was a medley of patriotic tunes.
We finally got home after 1:30 am and, as luck would have it, Jeff got a work call at 4 am! Needless to say, he spent part of the 4th sleeping, when we weren't watching soccer.
We had our Fourth of July Feast (Surf & Turf) on the deck. We had Brownies with homemade ice cream for dessert. I really like my new Oster Ice Cream Maker. It makes just the right amount for a small family.
On Friday night we went to the Patriot Festival at Patriot Park. Last year it was rainy so the crowd was somewhat smaller, but this year the weather was perfect and the crowd was huge. The traffic was a nightmare. I think the Pigeon Forge PD needs to go get some traffic flow training. There has to be a better way to get people in and out of there! Anyway, we enjoyed Lonestar and the fireworks were great there as well.
After a fun day, the guys hit the hot tub.
We spent Saturday resting and watching more soccer. We decided to go to The Island to check on the progress of the world's largest jigsaw puzzle at Puzzles, Etc. This 33,600 piece puzzle is being worked in sections by the general public. When completed, it will be glued together and placed on the wall in the store. The first section of the puzzle is almost complete. You can follow the progress on You Tube ("Wildlife", Pete Jucker) and if you watch closely you might see me and Jeff standing at the table sometime around 7:15 on July 5.
We had dinner at the new Magaritaville on the Island. The food and service were really good, considering the place opened only two weeks ago. The Island continues to open more stores and is a very popular place to be.
Keith and Jeff hiked the Cove Mountain Trail on Sunday. They continue to explore all the nooks and crannies of the park. Jeff has been on 30 hikes in the park during the past two years.
We spent the rest of the day watching television and resting up before heading home. Another great holiday in the books.
