61 - There no place like Rome then Home for the Holidays!

We'd planned to be in Louisville to spend Christmas with both of our families.  Since we were driving anyway, we planned a couple of stops (and added a few more) on the way.  Our first planned stop was to be a pet sit in Rome Georgia for 3 cats and a 150-pound 2-year-old Newfoundland dog. However, since we had a couple of days before we had to be there, we stopped by Terri and Roger's house in Blue Ridge (again) to check out any possible damage from a recent storm in the area.  Turned out everything was perfect so we got to enjoy the house for a couple more days!

At the suggestion of friends, we stopped in the former gold mining town of Dahlonega Georgia on our way up.  The town claims to be the site of the first major gold rush in the US and plays up the mining aspect of its history. We spent a couple of hours wondering around and exploring.  One interesting attraction was the Chestatee River Diving Bell.  The diving bell was intended to be used for gold mining in the nearby Chestatee River but major flooding of the river just a few months after its installation caused the diving bell to break free and be carried down the river where it sat for over 100 years.  In 1981, the diving bell was pulled from the river and subsequently restored and left on display.  

From Dahlonega we stopped in Blairsville to have lunch at our friend's favorite restaurant.  Then, we spent the next couple of days enjoying "our" amazing mountain cabin.  We hiked around Lake Blue Ridge and a couple of other nearby trails.  Again, we found it necessary to support the local brewery which we loved the last time we were there.  Thank you again Terri and Roger.

At last, it was time to head to Rome, Georgia and to meet our charges for the long weekend.  It was love at first site for all 4 animals.  Nui, the newfoundland greeted us outside as soon as we pulled up like we were long lost friends.  Then, inside, we met the cats Max, Jamesie and Nick Furry!  They were perfect.  Katie, the homeowner, had every inch (seemed like it anyway) decorated for Christmas so we really got into the holiday spirit (well MaryAnn did).  The town of Rome has a quaint downtown area and a great bike path so we explored a lot with Nui and then took our bikes on the trail.  Another amazing house/pet sit.  We definitely would love to go back!

We left Rome and headed north.  Because we got a late start (wanted to enjoy the animals as long as we could), we only made it as far as Knoxville where we spent the night downtown.  We enjoyed walking around and briefly considered joining the ice skaters but decided that it was just too cold.

The next morning, we continued heading north and decided to detour to Natural Bridge located in the Red River Gorge area of Kentucky.  This is definitely one of our home state's best natural wonders.  It's a moderately easy 2.5-mile hike that takes you through beautiful woodlands and up to the sandstone arch aptly named "Natural Bridge" that stretches more than 75 feet long and 65 feet high.  Hikers are allowed to climb up, walk across the bridge and head over to a spot named lovers leap for more photo opportunities.   I'd not been to this area for many years and Pedro had never been so it was a perfect detour.

Not far from the entrance to the Natural Bridge Park, we also visited the Nada tunnel.  Originally built as a railroad tunnel, the 900 foot long one-lane road is just fun to drive through.  

Continuing north, we finally made it to Louisville just in time to enjoy Christmas celebrations with both sides of the family.   We stayed a couple of days with Pedro's parents and enjoyed Christmas eve with his amazing and ever-expanding family.  Christmastime with kids is the best!  I realized that I didn't take any pictures (in my defense, there was amazing food, really funny kids and copious amounts of alcohol) but rest assured we had a great time. Pedro's parents live just a few miles from Bernheim Arboretum and Forrest.  We hoped on our bikes and rode through the forest in search of the "Giants."  These three statues made from various recycled wood pieces by a Danish artist and are part of larger fairy tale called "The Great Story of the Little People and the Giant Trolls: While the Weather got Better."  The sculptures are created as a family and each has its own unique name.  We saw, Mama Loumari, Little Nis and Little Elina.  The father of the two younger giants is Isak Heartstone and he currently resides in Breckenridge Colorado.  Maybe we'll get to meet him one day but it was fun to see these and the park made for a great bike ride.  We made a stop to kiss under the mistletoe and for a photo op outside the Jim Beam bourbon distillery.

Time for more partying, we headed to my niece Lauren and husband JB's house to celebrate Christmas with my family.  Again, there is no better way to spend Christmas than with a bunch of excited kids, unless it also includes really cute dogs too.   Gemma and Eli also spent a great deal of time trying out the pirate lifestyle so we knew we were in the right place.  I absolutely, loved everything about it!

After Christmas, my other niece Brooke and her husband Bill, took off for Costa Rica so we got to watch their house, Lola (dog) and Cora (cat).  While Cora's only requirements were to be left in the comfort of her house (she loved to lay on the furnace vents) and to maintain the level of her food bowl (she definitely let us know when it was low), Lola, on the other hand, loved walking everywhere.  

We took Lola hiking almost daily to various different spots around town.   We walked to the nearby park a couple of times and even met my brother Mickey and his dog one morning for a great hike through the woods.  The next day, we met my sister Cathy, nephew Dahlon and friend Marty along with their dogs for a great hike through the Jefferson Forrest.  Everyone had such a great time that we went back again and invited Mickey to join us.  It was the perfect way to let Lola run while working off some of the partying we'd been doing.

Since we were staying in my niece's amazing house, we decided that it was the perfect opportunity to host a New Year's Eve party.  My great niece turned 4 just a couple of days before so we celebrated that too.  Someone (no fingers were pointed) also got the bright idea to use my nephew Bill's vintage Lincoln Continental for the perfect photo op to show them how much fun we were having staying at their house.  Not sure we'll get invited back to house sit, but we had a lot of fun!

The last party we had planned was the 60th wedding anniversary of Pedro's parents.  Following the lead of his sister Nancy, Pedro and his brother Jimmy put on an amazing party.  Since we couldn't find a venue that met our needs, we set-up in their parents' huge great room.  It was the perfect chance to see many of our relatives that we hadn't seen in way too long.  It was perfect all around.

The last of the parties was over and the snow started arriving so we knew it was time to leave.  Along with my dad, we packed up and headed down to Florida to bask in the warm for a few winter weeks.  But we'll fill you in on that next time.

Until next post!