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.
