Happy Thankgiving

I have so many pictures to post, it will definitely take me a long time once we're back home! The computer in the hallway, the only one where I can download my pictures from my camera, is having a problem connecting to the internet, so until it is fixed, no pictures ... ;-(

We went to Asheville NC for the holiday! We drove out here on Weds morning, and stopped at the Hiddenite Gem Mine along the way: http://www.hiddenitegems.com/
It's a very rustic place, and we had great fun sluicing for gems ... we found emeralds, garnets, florite, sodalite, and some others we haven't identified yet. Ben's very interested in rock and gems, and he's got a big dictionary at home, so we'll have lots of rocks to look up! He got a rock tumbler last Christmas, so he'll have lots of stock to tumble now!

Then we drove on to the Grove Park Inn in Asheville: http://www.groveparkinn.com/Leisure
No time for spa treatments as we brought the kids, but it was a wonderful holiday there. Lots of activities take place in the Great Hall ... live music, big screen football (Thanksgiving afternoon!), Santa's arrival, and lighting the big Christmas tree. The Grove Park is known for it's huge fireplace, and it was roaring with a grand fire the entire time we were there. The grand Terrace was heated, and provided breathtaking views of the Adirondack mountains. We sat out in the rocking chairs each night. We spent each evening strolling the halls, looking at the many decorated Christmas trees, and taking in the National Gingerbread Championship Gingerbread houses ... winners and losers were all amazing! Now the kids are motivated to make their own ... we'll see if we can find the time!
Thanksgiving Dinner was huge, and amazing. We had reservations in the Blue Ridge Dining Room, and sat right next to the large picture windows overlooking the mountains. It was just so beautiful ... and so nice to be here, so close to all the activity. We spent Thanksgiving afternoon at the Sports Complex, playing tennis, ping pong, pool and swimming. That night, we watched the Wizard of Oz on the big screen in the ballroom. What a tradition!

We've loved every minute of it. Today we spent at the Chimney Rock State Park: http://www.chimneyrockpark.com/
We took the elevator up to the top, had lunch, then walked around the Chimney Rock. We walked down, and Ben did some real rock climbing on some real rocks! (video coming soon!) Then we hiked out to the Hickory Nut Falls and back, then came back to the GPI. We're all a little tired from the hiking! But, Gary, Ben & Alek then went to the Sports Complex and played tennis. I stayed in the room and read. I'm readding 'The Story of Edgar Sawtelle', and I'm really enjoying it so far.

Tomorrow we head home via Linville Caverns: http://www.linvillecaverns.com/

Then on Sunday we pick Chloe up from her mom's house, and our new dog CHASE comes to live with us! The boys (all three of them) are really looking forward to having TWO golden retrievers, and I really like CHASE. He spent the weekend with us last weekend, and got along really well with the family. He's a one-year-old rescue dog, and is as quiet and polite as Miss Chloe is. I think he'll make a nice addition to the family. More on him later!

Happy Thanksgiving!