Go Army, Beat Navy! (next year.....)

Jason and I headed up to Annapolis to watch Jonathan play in the Army-Navy soccer game. This is Jonathan's senior year (he's called a "firstie" in West Point lingo) and we're trying to make it to as many games as possible. We met up with some friends of the Breges in Annapolis and spent some time hanging out by the water before the game. This picture (L-R: Jason, Cary, Jim) was taken before the torrential downpour began in earnest....
Unfortunately, Army ended up losing to Navy, 0-1. I won't go into details but it was three hours of rain and then Navy scored on a penalty kick in overtime. It was a heart breaker, but a good, solid game of soccer. Per tradition, both teams ate together and hung out afterwards. Here are Jonathan and Jason in Navy's soccer complex.

Cary, Jason, Jonathan, Sherry and Jim.

Hanging with Georgie

I took the train up to DC to spend the weekend with my dad and sister for his 61st birthday. I don't think anything can top his surprise 60th birthday from last year, but we had a most excellent time hanging out at Mount Vernon, home of George Washington. It was a gorgeous day and a really beautiful estate.
Martha and I figured we'd join the Washington family while we were at Mount Vernon. Here we are with George and some bronzed grandkids. Note the "other" Martha looking none-too-happy that my sister has come between her and George!

Me, my dad and Martha overlooking the Potomac.

A view from the side of the Great House (this is near the kitchen). Some of these architectural elements reminded me a bit of Monticello, but I must admit I'm partial to Mr. Jefferson's estate, even compared to Mount Vernon.

Martha and I decided to capture a cheesy senior portrait moment with our arms on the fence post. We had little success in fighting the laughter!

"Within this Enclosure Rest the remains of Gen. GEORGE WASHINGTON."

What, it's not normal to hang out in period clothes by the old fashioned tents?

This picture is hard to make out, but it is priceless (and a big "no-no"). These are George Washington's actual dentures. They are made from both human and animal teeth. My dad is squatting down behind the glass so the dentures are at the same level as his mouth. Do you see it?

Martha, my dad and me, out on the town!

Labor Day weekend in the Smokies

Jason and I headed to the mountains over Labor Day weekend. We spent Saturday hiking in, slept by a river that night while the skies opened up and drenched the campsite, and hiked out on Sunday. We were also going to spent the night in the back country on Sunday night but I just couldn't take any more rain (that's not a vacation, right?). So we drove into Maggie Valley and ate BBQ and fudge, soothed our muscles in a hot tub, watched cable TV and even saw fireworks! But here are the pictures from the nature portion of our trip.
Locked and loaded and ready to go!

We hiked in about 4-5 miles the first day to get to our campsite.

It was really peaceful and serene being back in the woods and hardly seeing anyone. Here's the path we took through the trees.

The canopy above.

I took some side trails on Monday and found some old clearings with cemeteries. It was sobering to realize that many of the adults didn't live past 30 and the infant mortality rate was sky-high. But the inscriptions on the tombs were very beautiful and rejoiced in the triumph of a resurrected Christ.
Here is a pool and little waterfall in a stream where Jason fished.

I'm still playing with the settings on my little digital point-and-shoot camera. I am very seriously considering upgrading to a digital SLR to get more shots like this.

Of course, Jason did break out the fishing rod from time to time. I think he caught around 25 fish that weekend.

He's just hooked into a fish here--see the bend in the fly rod?

One incredibly interesting feature of the area where we were is that they are re-introducing elk. Evidently elk are native to the North Carolina mountains but the last one was killed off back in the late 1700's. There are two herds in the area now and they seem to be thriving.

There is a long field at the base of the mountain where the elk walk across every afternoon. People come from all over, set up chairs, and spend hours watching these majestic creatures take a stroll. What a refreshing change from my normal frenetic, fast-paced life! I could use more of that sitting, waiting and watching and doing so over the weekend was a real treat.

Elk are BIG, right?!?!

A panoramic view.