A Fun Fall Trip!

Last week, we had two grand adventures! First, we went to Dad’s cabin overnight with Nana and BobBob. It was a blast! We started the day with lunch at Moe’s and Nana and BobBob seeing Jon’s new office for the first time. The weather was gorgeous, so from there we meandered up through Townsend, stopping at the Dancing Bear Lodge (formerly the Maple Leaf Lodge). It’s a beautiful place...where Jonathan and I thought about having our wedding... The pics below are from the lodge. We spent some lazy time at the cabin, then we headed towards the other end of Wears Valley Road for some shopping and dinner in Pigeon Forge. It was a great time! Nana and BobBob even got a Snow White scepter for Caroline at the Disney outlet to go with her Halloween costume!

She called this deer a ‘lama’. Guess we need to work on some local wildlife terminology!


What a beautiful fall day!


The next day, we woke up and packed our things. Nana had to get back home to work on her items for the upcoming Foothills Craft Guild Show/Sale. If you didn’t know, Debbie is a magnificent quilter (amongst other artistic talents). Take a second if you like to look at her work on the Foothills Craft Guild website. Click here and it will take you to information about the upcoming craft fair. It’s a great place to find unique, locally made Christmas gifts! Note the little rocking horse picture on the lefthand side. If you’ve been to our house, you’ll remember that as one of Debbie’s creations, a beautiful “Dick and Jane” quilt that hangs in our front bedroom/playroom. Then, to see Debbie’s profile, click on Member’s Search (on the left), and put in Cooper. She’ll pop up! There’s a little bio and pictures of some of her work. This Guild is a very prestigious honor, and we are so proud of Nana. Maybe one day Caroline will learn from her Nana how to create such beautiful pieces!

Ok, so back to the adventures. We then met Mimi and Pappaw at Exit 407, and we headed for Biltmore House! Again, the day was perfect, and the leaves near Asheville were really stunning. Caroline really had fun at the new farm area they’ve added to Biltmore...she got to see baby animals, hear some bluegrass/gospel music, and dress up as a little pioneer girl and play turn of the century games! It was some serious fun. Of course, we also toured the beautiful house and grounds. Caroline thought it was a castle...so we used that to our advantage and told her she had to behave like a princess while inside. For the most part, it worked!

I mean, c’mon. It doesn’t get much cuter, does it?! :)


Caroline in front of the ‘castle’


The view from the Vanderbilts’ back porch


-Beth