Labor Day Weekend... Whew!

4 days flew by in a flash -- Daddio even took off most of Friday too! We took that opportunity to mow the lawn ( first time in a month ) and clean up the house -- Saturday we headed to Bay's Mountain in Tennessee. It's a great state park that has animals that have been rescued and would not survive in the wild. The first place we look is always the turtles... nothing like a swim to the log and getting some rays, then otters, wolves, deer, and several large birds.

Girls having some euro lunch - a baguette with cheese - and watermelon and grapes!

( not the typical lunch fair found in Tennessee either )

This is one of only 4 pictures we took at the farewell party for the Tolars, this is because David and I were in charge of the shindig and we stayed busy the whole time, this is a good shot of the covered dish table that went with the Shockley BBQ - nothing like a good church gathering!

We could not of ordered a better day - the weather was perfect, sunny, breeze, and lots of shady trees. We think the Tolars had a good time eating and having fellowship with the church family that is going to miss them more than words can say.

To the end we gathered and anyone who wanted to share something was welcome to speak to the group - and David and I kept looking at each other thinking one of us could do it but I kept tearing up and he didn't look much better. Little do the Tolars know that a mere 5 hour drive to us is nothing - so we will be taking them up on the offer of their spare bedroom in the new house.

After this party - we piled in the car and headed to Hillsville, VA to see the other side of the Shockley Clan. Graddaddy Dave and Nana Hazel and Uncle Chris, Kim and Lil'Christopher were up working on the house in Fancy Gap. We visited -had dinner and had to hit the road back home as it was a school night.

did I mention that they gave us a set of drums?????????

I wonder what I did in a past life to deserve this.

Hope running to the apple tree to get more food for the cows, and stepping in more than one cow pattie... eww.

Looking at the cows

( not much different than Abingdon cows - but still )

This one ate the apple out of Emma's hand

G-daddy - Hope - Uncle Ernie - Em's

Nana - Kim - Lil'Christopher - Em's

RP - Hope - Emma -Mamie

an interesting note: Mamie is the last of the original "Shockley's" that settled in the Hillsville area - she has a copy of the original land grant signed by the president giving the Shockley's 254 acres of land in Hillsville, VA - She has been working very hard on the Shockley family tree and it is a HUGE tree and very complete. You would never guess that she is 80 year old country girl! RP is one funny man and we had the pleasure of their company for dinner as well as the usual crowd.