Merry Christmas

We want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We will be spending the holidays in South Carolina with the family. Mom and Dad are real excited about spending Christmas with granddaughter Kennedy Rae for her first Christmas.

We hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season.

Thanksgiving And Anniversaries

This upcoming week will be a busy one with Thanksgiving, two anniversaries and one birthday. The anniversaries start tomorrow which is the 4th anniversary of Mom and Dad adopting me into the family. While its only been 4 years, it feels longer than that because of all the traveling we have done and all the places we have been to. Wednesday is daughter-in-law Pat's birthday. This year we are spending Thanksgiving with Dave and Pat and all their dogs. Lenny and I will have a great time. Thursday, besides being Thanksgiving, is also Mom and Dad's 43rd anniversary.

We still do not know when we will be leaving South Carolina. There was a delay in scheduling Mom and Dad's annual doctors appointments so our departure is still up in the air. Of course, the delay does give Mom and Dad more time to see granddaughter Peanut.

We want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy all the turkey!

HAPPY VETERANS' DAY

Mom, Dad, Lenny and I want to wish a Happy Veterans' Day to all the men and women who are serving or have served in our armed forces. We appreciate the sacrifices you and your families have made to keep our country strong. We salute you and thank you!

Back In South Carolina

Last Thursday we arrived back in South Carolina. Our friends, John and Janet, along with their puppy Holly, also arrived here with us. Holly and I are good friends but she does not like Lenny. He is big and intimidates her.

Saturday Mom and Dad were happy as they went to lunch with granddaughter Kennedy Rae, AKA Peanut. Kennedy is growing like a weed and is such a happy, friendly baby. She is a real cutie!

Monday, Mom and Dad went with John and Janet to the Babyland Hospital in Cleveland, GA. Babyland is the birthplace of all Cabbage Patch dolls. You can see, from the picture, all the dolls growing out of the cabbage patch. After touring Babyland, they went to the Alpine community of Helen, GA and had lunch and did some window shopping walking through the town. We had to say goodbye to John, Janet and Holly yesterday as they left for Florida. It was great seeing them again.

Is everyone ready for Halloween?

Finished In Virginia

We have finished our two week stay at Lake Gaston in Virginia. Dad went through withdrawal there without cell phone service or Internet service for the two weeks. We were disappointed with the Lake Gaston Resort Park. Mom and Dad had heard so many good things about the park but it wasn't so great. The roads were very narrow and the sites were very short. The park had a bowling alley but it would cost $13.00 for two people to bowl one game. Mom and Dad didn't do any bowling.

Mom and Dad did take us on the road trip they promised. One day we traveled to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We visited the site on Kill Devil Hills where the Wright Brothers had their first flights with their plane, the Kitty Hawk. We also visited Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Roanoke Island. Roanoke Island is the site of Fort Raleigh and is where the Lost Colony had originally settled in 1585. We also got a lunch at Taco Bell which was quite different from our usual Happy Meals.

Tomorrow we arrive back in South Carolina so Mom and Dad can spend some more time with their granddaughter Peanut. They are real excited about that.

Movin' On

After two wonderful weeks at Forest Lake Thousand Trails in Advance, NC, it is time to move on. Tomorrow we head out for Lake Gaston, VA. We have enjoyed our time at Forest Lake. There are plenty of grassy areas for Lenny and me to play and roll on. One day Mom and Dad went to Charlotte, NC to have lunch with daughter-in-law Pat, who is temporarily working in Charlotte. After lunch, Mom and Dad toured the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which is a must for all NASCAR fans. Mom wasn't real excited about it but she knew Dad wanted to go there. Mom did sign Dad up to drive a car in a simulated race. Dad drove Jimmy Johnson's 48 car and only wrecked it two times.

During our stay here, we were pleasantly surprised when our friends Bob and Kathy arrived at the park for a stay. We haven't seen them since last fall. They are such nice people and are dog friendly. Lenny and I enjoy visiting them. One day, Bob and Kathy and Mom and Dad went to an RV show in Greensboro, NC. I guess they didn't see anything that excited them as neither couple bought a new RV. On another day they all went to a flea market and fortunately they didn't bring any fleas home.

In keeping with their hobby of finding historic graves, Mom and Dad did find the graves of Daniel Boone's parents and brother in Mocksville, NC. Daniel lived in Mocksville for several years.

While here, we learned that the Forest Lake Thousand Trails Park is on land once part of the Cooleemee Plantation, which was first purchased by the Hairston family in 1817. The plantation is still owned by the Hairston family. While the plantation is not open to the public, Mom and Dad met a caretaker who was eager to show them the house and outbuildings. The main house, which Mom and Dad call a mansion, is only called a villa by the Hairstons. It was built in 1851 in an Anglo-Grecian style of a Greek cross. The Hairstons also owned plantations in Virginia and were believed to be the largest slave owners and slave traders in the South. There are now two branches of the Hairston family, the white branch which pronounces the name as Harston and the black branch which pronounces the name as it is spelled. Three members of the black branch of the family have gone on to play major league baseball. On Thousand Trails Park land is a pioneer cemetery which predates the Hairston purchase of the land.

When we get to Virginia, Mom and Dad have a couple of day trips, with Happy Meals, planned for us. I will let you know later what the trips were.

We Hit The Road Again

Today we hit the road again. We are now at the Forest Lake Thousand Trails in the big metropolis of Advance, North Carolina. We have a big grassy site so there is plenty of room for Lenny and me to play. The park is fairly quiet now that school is back in session. We will be here for two weeks but nothing major is planned.

Saturday night, Mom and Dad did go to the PBR Greenville Invitational. They had a very enjoyable evening seing the bull riders they have followed on TV. Even though Lenny and I couldn't go, Mom and Dad did buy us a stuffed toy bull named Little Yellow Jacket. Sunday, Mom and Dad went to lunch at Trevor and Sharon's. Dave and Pat were also there so it was a nice family day. Of course, granddaughter Peanut was the center of attention.

Oh, by the way, I celebrated my 4th birthday last Thursday!