Labor Day

Our Labor Day holiday extended through two weekends. Since Jenny had to travel, we started our family celebration a week early. After everyone arrived on Friday night we went to The Island for dinner at Timberwood Grill. After checking out the new stores we stayed long enough to see the Fountain Show and the Human Statue. It occurred to me after I got home that the statue would have probably interacted with us if I had put some "gold" in his pirate's chest!

Afterwards we headed home to watch some television and plan for our Saturday adventure. 

After breakfast on Saturday we headed to Townsend to go tubing. We decided to try River Rats Tubing. That way we wouldn't  have to worry about taking tubes or the logistics of transportation. They drive you down the road and then you tube back to their property. They have two options: "Easy Float" or "Slight Rapids". I was all for the longer easy float option, but the man said that was "closed" because the water level was too low and it would take too long to get down the river. So we opted for the slight rapids. Oh my!  I spent most of the day trying to keep my head above water.....literally!  There was one time when I saw my life flash before my eyes. I had no idea it could be so difficult to get upright in 3 feet of water.  There are probably a million rocks in that section of river and I crashed into most of them!  But, I finally made it down the river, bruised and battered. (I'm too old for this stuff, but the kids had fun.)

After tubing, we had barbecue at their restaurant since we bought the package deal. Food never tasted so good!  We finally dragged our weary bones back into the truck and headed for the house. We grilled hamburgers for dinner and watched Sherlock Holmes. 

On Sunday after breakfast, Jenny and Bobby headed back to Knoxville since she had to fly to Texas. Keith and Jeff hiked the Meigs Mountain Trail. 

We spent the rest of the day watching sports and Jeff headed home after dinner. 

After just a few short days, Keith and I headed back to the mountain. He had a business meeting on Wednesday and I spent the afternoon setting up our new television for the Spa Room. 

Jeff joined us on the mountain on Friday after a long day at work. 

On Saturday, the guys hiked the Meigs Creek Trail. They were excited about seeing otters at the Sinks. 

We spent all of Saturday afternoon watching NCAA football and checking the "Pick 'Em". As usual, Jeff came out ahead on that!  For dinner I fixed Low Country Boil. Yum!  It was pretty good if I do say so myself. That recipe is definitely a keeper!

Afterwards we headed to the lower deck to try out the hot tub and the new television. Yes, I know, we're spoiled!

On Sunday, we got ready for Football Time in Tennessee!  I must say the day got off to an inauspicious start. We decided to wait until about 2:00 to go over to the game. I mean, we have a parking pass so there's no need to be in a rush. That would still give us plenty of time to tailgate before the 7:00 kickoff. It was only after we had packed up the car and got ready to go that I realized I had left the parking pass at home. Oh well, we would have to pay but we knew about a good location we had used before. Apparently, on opening day Vol fans start tailgating at the crack of dawn. There was not a decent spot to be found. We drove around until we finally found a parking space across the river. That meant we would have to walk over a mile up and down the hills to get to the game!  Oh well, we got our grill set up and Keith started cooking. 

Once the burgers were ready we discovered that the entire pack of hamburger buns were covered with mold!  I guess it was a good thing we parked where we did because there was a little gas station/market next to us and Keith ran over and bought buns. We ate, packed up the truck, and then started our long trek to the stadium. It was a long walk, but I must say the view was great!

We got to the stadium and that's when the bottom fell out!  Rain! Rain! Rain!  Fortunately we "borrowed" some seats under cover and stayed there until their legitimate owners showed up and ran us off. Fortunately, the rain stopped and we arrived at our real seats just in time for kickoff. The rest of the evening was fantastic!  

Vols 38, Utah State 7. Hopefully, we will have a good football season. 

After the game we went down and out of the stadium, up the hill, over the river, through the woods and back up the mountain!  Keith and Jeff headed straight for the hot tub. I headed straight for the shower and the bed!  A good time was had by all. 

On Monday, we all slept late. After unpacking the truck, we nibbled and watched baseball while Keith got the grill ready for Smoked Ribs. 

We concluded our two weekend Labor Day Extravaganza with dinner on the deck. 

Another great holiday in the books, but autumn is coming and we have big plans for October. Stay tuned!