Knights by the Lake 2021

All American 4th of July Weekend with the diaper brigade

Gina-mom and all her grandkids

Pool noodle fight in Tent City, watch out for the leaky septic system

Trying to "one up" each other off the high dive

Endless hours of tubing fun!

The girl cousins!

This mat worked well for rest or playing "king/queen of the mat"

 

Happy Birthday, Ryan!

Birthday's rarely happen on a quiet evening, but we always squeeze them in and recognize them for another trip around the sun.

Happy 42nd Birthday, Ryan (Dad)!

 

Happy 16th Birthday, Elizabeth!

Quiet (relative term) family birthday celebration for our first born!

Not sure what she wished.  There was no car in the driveway, and she waited until April to get her license. 

 

Spring Break 2020

So COVID has canceled soccer tournaments, dance competitions, a cruise, and a trip to Puerto Rico which were all scheduled at some point for Spring Break this year.  So the backup to the backup to the backup plan was to head to the mountains.  Unfortunately, Ryan couldn't join (no surprise there).  The military had him on a short leash, again. 

We puttered around the house, explored some new trails, and just relaxed.   

It was super easy to social distance. 

North Harper Creek Falls

Still snow at higher elevations (towards Roan Mountain)

7 miles (maybe 8) on the AT, the kids never trust my mileage estimates

A dog always rips their ear at the worst possible time. I had to sacrifice my shirt to hitch a ride in a hiker shuttle. 

Linville Gorge from Little Table Rock Mountain

Lunch, more important than the view after a hellacious hike up to Little Table Rock. The map lied about it being a moderate trail.  It was 1000ft elevation gain over 1/2 a mile.

Lots of water in Dark Hollow Creek!

Not quite spring!

Mary Poppins

The reason why we moved out to the mountains for 3 weeks was because Lizzy and Ava were going to perform in Mary Poppins at Lees-McRae College. It proved a great excuse to escape the heat of Fayetteville and to do a ton on fun things in the mountains. The girls had small roles, but it allowed us a lot of free time around rehearsals for swimming, hiking, horseback riding, and enjoying friends.  The girls loved being part this professional production. They learned a lot about theater, made some good friends, and performed 7 shows, including closing night to an audience of over 600.

Closing event- 4th of July parade in Banner Elk

Elk Knob State Park

Looking back towards our house, Beech and Roan mountains in the distance.

Tubing the Toe River

Tubing on the Toe River and ending at the Blind Squirrel Brewery. The trip was made more enjoyable with a growler of hard cider tide to my tube.

Rafting the rapids with Gabe.

Other fun weekend activities with friends. Hanging out in Little Elk Creek.

Exploring new areas in the Pisgah Game Lands below Elk River Falls.

Horse Camp

While we were in the mountains, I created a horseback riding camp for the kids with Roan Mountain Riding Company.  The owner, David, and his daughter did a fantastic job.  From 9-11am, Monday through Friday the kids learned about horses, groomed them, feed them, cleaned stalls and practiced riding. Friday culminated with a long trail ride. Gabe rode the 4 wheeler since he is still a bit small to ride these horses on rough terrain. This camp was win for all the kids.