Seven City Tour: Florence

Stop 6: Florence. The Granthams.

Since Sally couldn't make it to Greenville for a full roomie reunion, we made a one night stop in Florence to visit with her and Wayne and William. When we got there, William immediately gave me a tour of his new outdoor playhouse, and Zach went bezerk playing with Barley, the resident golden retriever. The five of us went out for dinner, and William was a real trooper sitting in his chair while the grown-ups ate their too-long-for-a-toddler meal. It helped that his mamma got him a cookie!

Wayne and Zach took William home for a bath and bed, which gave Sally and me some time to catch up. When we got back to the house, Zach and Wayne were engrossed in a video game, and Sal and I looked through her extensive foreign study scrapbooks and had some good laughs. We stayed up into the wee hours "giggling, talking, and telling stories," as we are wont to do. The morning brought more video games for the boys, and lots of good playtime with William for me. He is ticklish, so I would tickle his foot and he would laugh hysterically and squirm away. Then he would inch back over so I would do it again. Then he went after my feet, and I would laugh and carry on. We had a good time. He also conquered Uncle Zach's suitcase. 

It was a short visit, but a good one. Zach had a great time hanging out with Wayne, and of course I love any chance to see the roomies and the nephews. 

Seven City Tour: Greenville

Stop Five: Greenville. The Richards and Beckers.  

It was a rainy, foggy day, and we relied on a Toblerone bar and David Sedaris audio book to get us through the drive to Greenville. We did pass through some gorgeous country, and drove through some small towns that I had been past, but never through. I love these pictures from a stop we made. You can just see the moisture in the air. 

Greenville is home to my alma mater, Furman University, and to another college roommate, Vonda. And to her charming husband Jason, and son Max. We met Max last year at New Years when he was less then two months old. Now he is walking and doing all sorts of big kid stuff. It was so fun to play with him and to get to see Vonda the Mom in action. 

Rebecca joined us in Greenville so we could all have some roomie time, and we got to have a quick visit with Vonda's mom, Mama Spalding, as well. After Max went to bed, the roomies went out for dinner and a drink!

We are content to sit around in our jammies just talk, which we did plenty of, but we also managed a visit to Furman to see some of the renovations and new buildings. Ah, Furman. 

Our second night there, the Richards took us out for a fun dinner at a place downtown for tapas and drinks. I had been feeling like I was subsisting on mostly cheese for the past few days and had vowed to eat a salad for dinner, but when the fried goat cheese and gourmet mac and cheese arrived at the table, au revoir salad! If that wasn't enough decadence, we shared a bottle of wine and then had ice cream at a cafe across the street. Delicioso!

Full and happy

Seven City Tour: Pigeon Forge

Stop Four: Pigeon Forge. More of the Simms. 

Zach is terribly allergic to cats. My parents have two adorable indoor kitties whose dander and fur is Zach poison, so when in Knoxville we can't stay at their house. This year we decided to do something a little different so we could all spend time together. Mom rented a three bedroom cabin in the mountains of Pigeon Forge, and it made for the best retreat. We were able to be together to cook meals, read by the fire, play games, take walks, and the gals got to do a little outlet shopping to boot. We had a breathtaking view of Mount Le Conte, and it was mesmerizing to watch the fog sweep in and out of the valleys. 

Dad was out reading on the porch when a squirrel scrabbled down a tree and across the rail to take a sniff of his drink. Not impressed, she turned and went back up the tree.

We were sad to leave, but we had a few more stops to make. 

Seven City Tour: Knoxville

Stop Three: Knoxville. The Simms Family.

The Dad Transportation Service got us from Chattanooga to Knoxville on Christmas Eve. Everyone had a few last minute Christmas errands to take care of, and then we had dinner with Gran before heading out to a Christmas Eve drop-in hosted by some family friends. 

Gran was able to spend all day at the house on Christmas day, and she seemed to really like being out and about. Zach and I gave her a furry pink pillow, and when she touched it she exclaimed that it "felt like a million dollars." Mom reported that Gran took a nap with the pillow in the afternoon and the she rubbed it on her face when she woke up. 

We spent the day around the house and took a walk in the neighborhood. We read from new books we got for Christmas. Christina and I had fun with the camera. And we got ready for the adventures of the next day.