Our final couple of weeks we spent swimming at the pool, one last visit to Six Flags and then off to Highlands to escape the heat. Bennett has been begging to bring a friend along on one of our vacations for the past year. We have tried a couple other times, but it has never worked out. However, we had a large home rented in NC, so we asked Mary Caroline to join us - and she did! She was a great addition for the week, as she gets along with all of the kids, and is talkative with us adults.
It was a scorcher at Six Flags, but a few of us were ready to tackle some ground - Pres, MC and me :). We were on a mission to ride the roller coasters we missed out on earlier this summer, and we had a blast! We cooled off periodically on a couple of water rides too, which were rides that everyone enjoyed. As the day went on with the high heat and longer lines, Bennett and Walker were ready to leave (they aren't the risk-takers in the group), but we talked everyone into the All American Scream Machine (the original wooden rollercoaster). Walker freaked out initially, but he eventually conceded and rode the ride. Once we finished, he said it was his new favorite ride of the park (dude just needs to be forced to try new things). We (Steve, Pres, MC and me) rode one last rollercoaster - the Superman, and then were off! We were thinking we would only be there from 11:30-5ish, but we didn't leave until 7:30, and then had to drive a few hours to NC. It was a long, hot day, but it was worth it. Due to everyone being overheated and tired, it was a nice, quiet ride there, even though we arrived much later than we wanted.
The following morning we tried to sleep in, but we eventually got out to hike, and then we went out for a late lunch at the Ugly Dog. We saw friends from home there, and agreed to meet up for a drink later. We went back to get settled in our house. Then the Passarella family came over for a couple of cocktails. The kids all played together, and we caught up on the screened in porch. It was a great first night, and even though we didn't have air conditioning...we slept fairly well.
The following morning, we woke up to rain, which prompted us to move slowly. After a late breakfast,
I took the girls shopping in Highlands for a couple of hours, while the boys stayed back and played video games and threw the football. As the clouds started to part, we came home to get everyone so we could go see a couple of waterfalls that didn't require a lot of hiking.
On Tuesday, we got up and hiked my favorite mountain, Whiteside. The views from the top are incredible, and everyone found it to be an easier hike (so little complaining). We then took the kids to Sliding Rock, where they can slide down the rocks into a freezing cold pond. After they had enough and were cold, we came home to get dry clothes on and drop Steve off so he could work for a couple of hours. I then took the kids back to Cashiers for a late pizza lunch. The kids wanted to hit a couple of the shops there too. When we knew Steve was finished working, we headed home to shower, and get in our pjs. We had a full day, and just wanted to chill with dinner at home, and a late night of cards and foos-ball!
On our last full day, Steve got up with the boys and took them fishing while the girls worked on their AP English summer reading project. Preston caught a couple of small fish, but sadly Walker didn't have any luck. When they got back to the house, we ate lunch and then went towards Highlands for a pretty, yet challenging hike. Glen Falls is great for viewing the beautiful water fall, but the whole first half of the hike is downhill, leaving the whole second half as an uphill battle. Walker did surprisingly well on the way up as long as he was holding my hand. As a reward, we went to "Bust Your Butt Falls." Once again the water was cold, but there were lots of large stones that created small wading areas, and then there was a cliff where the kids took turns jumping in (well everyone, but Walker). They had a blast! We hated to leave, but we had dinner reservations that night, so we needed to hurry home to shower and get ready.
Miraculously we were all ready in less than an hour, and we made it to dinner on time. We had a delicious dinner, and then treated the kids to ice cream for our final night. We came home and tried to get our bags in order so it wouldn't be too stressful on Thursday morning. Overall, it was a packed five days of fun, with some downtime before the craziness of school begins. As much as our family drives each other nuts, we can really enjoy ourselves too. Blessed that we can escape to do things like this even during a pandemic.
We got home to a pile of mail, which included a letter from Shades Cahaba to Walker. He was thrilled to receive his own letter. It had a scratch off with the picture of his new 1st grade teacher displayed underneath. When he finally scratched it off, he was excited to learn that it was Ms. Werner, Bennett's 1st grade teacher. Sadly, Preston didn't have in person 6th grade orientation or locker decorating due to COVID, but he didn't let that get him down. School is going to look different this year, and they will just have to learn to roll with it.
