Here's a Nice Bear for You!

No Zoom Needed for this Fellow...
Here is a bear for those of you who know about our bear watching. He was on the side of the road right before entering the Cades Cove loop. Since there wasn't a pull-off, we only watched him a few seconds then moved on. I took this shot right as we went by him and as you can see...he was very, very close!

Laurel Falls and Fall Decorations

Adam at Laurel Falls. Both of us at the Falls.
Adam with some fall decorations.
Me at the Falls.
Cute "Rafters" at the Aquarium...


Today, Adam and I went on a short/easy hike up to Laurel Falls. It was a pretty overcast and misty day, but the walk was definitely cool and "fallish." The falls were flowing nicely and were as beautiful as always. We then went to Gatlinberg for dinner and snapped a few photos of the fall decorations...which are amazing by the way!

Little Miss Rose...

Rose having a ball! Rose laughing...

Well, here are the photos I took during Dinah and Rose's visit. We were just too busy to take more as that would have required me to quit talking for a few seconds! We had dinner at the Apple Barn and then walked around the area to enjoy the crisp air, fall decorations, and more conversation...not to mention to expel some 2 year old energy!

Photo-less Update

Well, I don't have any new photos to place at this moment. Dinah and Rose came over to visit last weekend and we had a fabulous time! (One photo of this visit coming soon...) We ate well, drove around, and most importantly...just enjoyed catching up on all we've missed these past several years! Adam has been working out of town for the past 2 weeks, so I haven't gotten to see much of him at all, thus no new pics. He comes home today and hopefully we'll be able to get out a little tonight and tomorrow and take a few photos together.

As for jobs, Adam still has the bad travel gig for now. We're hoping something better will come along (one thing is pending now, but no news yet) as I HATE him being gone all the time! I'm still doing a lot of sitting around the office, but hoping that picks up once my cosmetic privileges are granted (first week in November). Until mid-October, I can't really advertise...which is killing me. Anyway, we're hanging in there and just praying that things turn around very soon. On a high note, the contractors started the interior build-out on my office this week and should finish it within the next 12-14 weeks!

If you still read the blog, send us a comment... We'd love to know how many folks still look at it!

Lake Chilhowee and Bear Hunting

The "Cool" Adam
The 3 black spots are the bears!

(Sorry the lighting was so bad...)

This weekend we relaxed quite a bit and did some exploration of the local area (by car of course). We went out to Lake Chilhowee on Saturday and out to Cades Cove on Sunday. We got to see a moma bear with her two cubs, which was truly delightful! A large bear also ran across the road in front of us when entering the park. Here are some random photos...

Village People Concert

Killing time waiting for the concert...Can you tell how much my husband was looking

forward to seeing the concert?

Village PeopleYMCA!

Tonight Mom, Dad, Adam, and I went to Knoxville to the Tennessee Valley Fair with the primary purpose of seeing the Village People. We did our research and knew that these dudes were the "real" ones and looked forward to a great concert. Unfortunately the Village People dudes showed up, but they didn't bring a band with them. They simply sang to tracks! Let me tell you...Village People without a band is like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the peanut butter! It was a real disappointment to say the least... Here are a few pics taken before and at the concert. Enjoy...

Abram Falls Hike

Today Mom, Dad, Adam, and I went to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park and hiked to Abrams Falls. It was a hot, humid, 5 miles hike up to some beautiful 20 ft waterfalls. As luck would have it, we didn't know that we should have worn our swimsuits as there was a great "pool" for swimming. Tonight we are dead tired, but glad we survived the hike and the ensueing steak dinner! Here are a few photos...