Monday, May 2, 2011

Our Trip to the Smoky Mountains

Five days away from home last week, in a cabin in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee with my husband and our dogs, and six dear friends with their dogs,  was wonderful!!  I promised earlier that I would show you more of our trip, so here goes.

The cabin we rented was perfect!  All eight of the humans, and the seven dogs, were very comfortable.




We spent a lot of time around the dining table.





The dogs relaxed on their beds and blankets wherever they could find space.  Those who are familiar with greyhounds know that they are champion sleepers.

TJ, Emma, Asher, and Daniel in the living room.


Asher and Daniel sharing a dog bed.


Quinn thinks that he's not really on the couch if his back feet are still on the floor.


Daniel lost out on a dog bed this time, and had to be satisfied with the carpeted floor.


TJ claimed this chair as his own.


Audie, a Cesky Terrier, was the only non-greyhound in the house.


I couldn't resist taking Asher's picture, while he was lying sound asleep with his head on his toy and his tongue hanging out.


The humans and the dogs enjoyed the breezes and the view from the back porch.

The trees were lovely and green, the sky was clear and blue, and the mountains were a lovely shade of purple.


Taylor has taken Emma's blanket, and she knows it.


Emma spent a lot of time outside, gazing into the distance or schmoozing with the humans.


We made side trips each day to see some of the sights.  The aquarium in Gatlinburg was fabulous!  I'm always happiest in a new place when checking out the museums, and this aquarium is like a fish museum.


There were exhibits on all sorts of aquatic animals.  Here were some that fascinated me.

Mudskippers.


Jellyfish.


Who knew that Cuttlefish were so photogenic?


Starfish and Anemones.


The Penguins are always SOOO entertaining!


In one of the exhibits, a moving walkway wound through and underneath a huge tank with sharks and rays and schools of all sorts of colorful fish.


It was incredible to get THIS close to sharks!!


Another day, we went to Cade's Cove ... one of the oldest settlements in the region.  The park service has designed an 11-mile driving tour, with beautiful scenery, wildlife, and preserved homes and churches.

These cabins are on the grounds of the main visitors' center at Cade's Cove.


The mountain views were spectacular!


One of the stops was the Primitive Baptist Church.  I loved the inside!


So many of the graves in the church cemetery were those of children.  Life in this isolated region must have been so hard.


Whenever I'm in a cemetery, I'm always on the look out for tombstones with roses on them ... like this one.


... and this one.


We saw lots of deer ...


... and turkeys.


My favorite restaurant on the trip was the Old Mill in Pigeon Forge.





This really was a real mill once.  The signs we read said that it dates from 1830.  The food was SOOO good!

The three people on the lower left are a minister and a young couple who were getting married.


The Old Mill has a shopping district with interesting stores and galleries.  Outside one of the stores, this mama Muscovy duck was sitting on 14 eggs that she had laid in a flower box ... and the eggs were in the process of hatching when we saw her.



On our last night there, we went to see "The Soul of Shaolin", a wonderful martial arts show from Broadway.  The music ... the dancing ... the Kung Fu ... we thoroughly enjoyed the whole show.



I love vacationing with these friends!  We all have similar interests and we love each other's company.  It's good to be home, tho.  Daniel thinks so, too.

17 comments:

  1. Incredible!!! Can't wait for more.

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  2. It's great that all the dogs appear to have gotten along, but I kind of feel sorry for Audie.

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  3. Nice cabin and we were just up there a few weeks ago, but only for one day. We only live about 3 1/2 hours from there.

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  4. Wow Connie, your photos are amazing! You know me though, I love the doggie photos the best!

    Kat :)

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  5. You were in my neck of the woods! I felt like I was looking at a post about *home* :)
    All the pups are just so darn cute I can hardly stand it!!!! I wanna reach through the screen and nuzzle each one!
    In our dining room we have a grouping of paintings all depicting scenes from Townsend and Cades Cove. My fave is the one from
    Primitive Baptist Church!
    I actually attended a funeral in the church 2 years ago. The funeral was for a dear friends' grandmother who lived in the cove as a child.
    Such a sad, sad story Cades Cove really is..

    So glad you had such a grand time in our area with wonderful friends and adorable pups!
    xo, misha

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  6. The dogs were really enjoying their vacation just as much as you did! The food at the Old Mill is really superb, I like to eat there too:)
    Enjoyed all of your pictures-

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  7. That looks like the perfect vacation!

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  8. Your dogs are beautiful. I love this area of the Smokies! I'm a new follower and hope that you can follow me back. Thanks!!

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  9. Sounds like you had a great time and your photos are awesome! Love the one of Quinn halfway on the couch and of Asher sleeping with his tongue out... so cute! Greyhounds are beautiful dogs! Hopefully Audie didn't notice she wasn't a greyhound!

    The aquarium looks amazing! And the views...! Wow! So peaceful and relaxing!

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  10. Sounds like a great and much-needed vacation! You had a beautiful cabin. Love the pictures of the dogs. They're adorable.

    I can't get over the aquarium tunnel. That is amazing.

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  11. Looks like you had a wonderful time! Asher's picture is the best, shows how a real vacation should be! lol We are leaving for the same area Monday the 9th for a week! Looking forward to it. I am going to try to find that Mill restaraunt and maybe get some dinner there.

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  12. Funny shots of all the dogs sleeping! I love the one of Asher and Daniel sharing. And Quinn not thinking he's on the sofa! ha! Incredible photos of the sea creatures! Looks like you had the perfect vacation.

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  13. Asher on the toy was my favorite. Gatlinburg is my all time favorite vacation spot and I have been pretty much all over. Love that place.

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  14. Looks like a wonderful trip. I love the Tenn Mountains! All the dogs look like they had an amazing time also!

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  15. Ah, Connie! I LOVED seeing your vacation photos! Got more??? lol! I adore the fact that you bring all your pooches along - and what fabulous candid pic of them! lol! When hubby and I were traveling through TN on way down to FL, we so totally fell in love with that state that we'd love to move there! :) Glad you're home safe and sound!

    xoxo laurie

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  16. Your pictures are fabulous! I love, love, love animals so the doggie pictures were my favorite. The one of Asher sleeping on his toy with his tongue out is so funny. It would be so easy to cuddle with all those dogs. Sounds like you had a fantastic time. Wonderful!

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  17. Dear sweet Asher with the tongue hanging out... Looks like a fabulous time was had by all. :-))

    DI

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