Lesson 598: Life

Eloise has been thinking a lot about life.

Graduation season pulls one's thoughts that way.

No words are ever wasted at the Lamp Post,

and the written word holds a spot 

higher than the spoken ones.

If you were one of the 113 people who sent my girls 

a graduation card,

know that they were read

and reread a couple of times.

Here's what they look like

 all spread out on the picnic table.

How many ways can one say

congratulations?

Lots.

From the store bought

to the hand made,

 

each held the perfect words 

to wish my girls well in life.

Some of you knew that we really like Dr. Seuss,

 animals,

dogs in particular.

This one went with Ellen's graduation cap!

And a few were great reminders that life

doesn't have to be serious all of the time.

Allow the squirrel to summarize your sentiments:

In a nutshell--

find your happy and go live your life

in the best way you know how.

And if life involves a red scooter

and a cape--

good for you!

Out of all the cards,

this one was my favorite.

A short,

simple,

and easy to remember

words of life advice.

And when you are busy

reaching for that star,

know that you might lose your balance

and fall a few times.

Make Faith 

and 

Courage

your friends.

Find your team.

Find your passion.

Find your game.

Play fair 

and 

give it all you got.

Enjoy your weekend, Readers.

Eloise

Lesson 597: Tennessee Mountain Home

Hello, Y'all!

Eloise has returned from

a vacation in the Smoky Mountains

just in time for this blog post.
The video of some really great snapshots
of our time in the Smokies posted at the top of this blog.

What a beautiful place to visit!
Tennessee is truly the Land of Blue Smoke.

Shaconage is my new favorite word.

I loved everything about this trip.

We brought along a friend of the family

for a special graduation treat.

We stayed at Little Valley Mountain Resort 

in Sevierville, Tennessee.

Eloise & Co. give it six thumbs up

and a paw five!

Lots of cabins are pet friendly!

The whole resort was pet friendly

offering three pet friendly hiking trails,

a par three golf course,

frisbee golf,

four fishing ponds,

and a pool.

If you do take your dog to the Smoky Mountains

know in advance there are only two trails that allow for pet travel,

so choosing a fur friend friendly resort

is really important.

The scenery was breathtaking.

Even the times we had rain

(yes, Erie, it rained elsewhere, too),

it was cool to watch the storms roll in from the covered porches.

With just some light rain on Wednesday,

our last day in the Smokies,

Mother Eloise decided to chance it and

head to Clingman's Dome.

It's the highest elevation point in the Smoky Mountains.

6,644 feet!

It boasts a unique vantage point 

where seven states can be seen!

This is what the half mile uphill climb looked like 

at the start.

They guys fell apart--

succumbing to their fear of heights

and slippery paths seemingly leading to a foggy abyss.

Sam apparently had trouble breathing 

as evidenced by his last text.

Life with Sam is so interesting.

I'll leave the other texts,

mostly with no responses,

left to your imagination.

The girls and I made it up the steep incline.

It's supposed to look like this,

 offering breathtaking views.

We came on this day.

Beautiful Virginia to the north.

Breathtaking Tennessee to the west.

Would you just look at that southern view?

And we dang near passed out

looking at the beauty of North Carolina.

Sigh.

There are always Google images.

Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg 

bordering the Smoky Mountain National Park

offer a nice blend of God-made

and Man-made.

The resort had a pool

There was plenty of mini golf in the area,

banjo bands,

and Moonshine.

Natalie got the biggest kick out of 

driving through the tunnels.

It's amazing what man can engineer,

and what God can design.

That's Tennessee in a nutshell--

a perfect blend of both.

We couldn't leave Tennessee 

without finding Dolly Parton's birthplace.

A statue in the town square commemorates this fact.

Oh, Dolly,

what a claim to fame!

If you ever plan a trip to the Smoky Mountains,

contact Eloise for a few pointers.

We'll end this blog tonight 

with a few words from Dolly herself.

Thanks for your hospitality, Tennessee!

Eloise

Dolly Parton about Sevierville, TN CLICK HERE