Thanksgiving...

Another great Thanksgiving is over.  We celebrated as we have for the past several years, at the nursing home, with my mother, eating an assortment of Thanksgivingish foods that were "carry-in" ready.  The successes included turkey from Honey Baked Ham, sweet potato casserole from Pimentos and the family favorite, Ocean Spray cranberry sauce.  The canned stuff is a tradition from my father's side of the family.  On the not so good side, green bean casserole from Pimentos that appeared to be pulverized before cooking. 

I have a favorite moment from this Thanksgiving, a moment  that I will tuck it away in my memory.  The moment involves my dad and a gentleman named Mr. Murphree, who lives in the nursing home on the same floor as my mother.  Mr. Murphree is 99 years old.  He used to live in the retirement complex and often ate lunch and dinner with my dad.  One of his favorite things to do as he entered the dining room was to sing "You are my sunshine" to the staff.  Sadly, Mr. Murphree's memory got the best of him and early this year he was moved to the nursing home.   

My dad often stops to talk to Mr. Murphree when he is visiting my mother. More often than not Mr. Murphree does not remember him.  Today, after lunch, my dad sat down with Mr. Murphee to talk.  Mr. Murphree kept reaching in the depths of his memory but could not quite remember my dad.  After a few quiet words, I heard my dad raise his voice and sing "your are my sunshine, my only sunshine..." .  Mr. Murphee's voice joined in and they sang softly, my dad who does not sing and Mr Murphree who remembered the words...

Play date...

If you think the blog looks just a little different, you would be spot on!  Sat down yesterday to do a little tweaking and  ended up with a big blue mess. Blogger has changed some of it's editing methods and somehow, in the spirit of edit exploration, I downloaded a new template.  There was no going back to the old one so with some effort, I remembered the name and location of my most favored template and reloaded. It's not exactly as before but I like the look so it will probably stay as is, unless of course, I make the same mistake again! 

Tonight we had reservations at backcountry Campsite #13-Gregory's Bald.  We have been glued to the most current  weather forecast over the past few days and each update indicated that backpacking tonight was an iffy proposition, especially for two people that haven't spent much time in the back country this year. 

This morning we pulled the plug on the trip.  7" or more of snow was predicted for the higher elevations and Gregory's Bald, at over 5000' was a prime target for accumulation.  As it turns out, our decision was correct.  While we are currently sitting in sunshine, accumulations in the mountains as of late afternoon had already reached 7".  Oh well, we are disappointed.  We had looked forward to sitting on the bald, cooking dinner and watching the sunset. 

To compensate, John took the day off and we went out to play around town.  After a delicious  sushi lunch, we went to the movie, "Social Network", the only flick we could agree on.  Being facebook addicted, I looked forward to the story of the early days  about but thirty minutes into the film, I found the whole process dirty.  I  am not sure that feeling is going away anytime soon! 

A longish run...

With vacation a little more than halfway over, I finally have a day to myself.  No appointments, no places to be, just doin' what I want to do!  Yeah!  I like these days!  

I planned my longish run for this morning for the reasons noted above.   The term longish refers to my goal of completing 10k and because the 13-mile runs I logged about this time last year are a distant memory.  As usual when the weather turns cool, I tend to overdress the first few times out.  This morning was no exception, the temperature was 46 ish and the sky overcast...looked cold to me.  Not long before my lightweight fleece vest was scrunched around my waist.

During the summer, when I am fighting the heat and humidity, I tend to forget what pure joy running can be.  No equipment needed, just simple body movement, one foot in front of the other.  This week has been dedicated getting that feeling back.  Today, as I commanded my feet to move across the pavement, my senses seemed to be heightened.  I could see the reds, gold and browns of fall, smell the damp earth and leaves and feel the intermittent rain that fell through much of my run. I was happy to be in the moment, feeling my body work through the miles.   While not every run is this good, I took advantage of this one.  I reached my 10k goal and kept going a bit, just because I could.   

Running (and bicycling) again...

I mostly enjoy my job but I am on vacation this week...off, out of the office, gone fishing. Reminiscent of the good parts of unemployment, I can sleep late, linger over coffee and facebook and watch Ellen on TV. Vacation also offers me an opportunity to refocus on running.  

Many times on this blog I have voiced my difficulties with running in heat.  I count my success by how late in the season I can run before putting away my running shoes. This year I actually suffered through August without completely throwing in the towel.  Good girl I thought, you made it through the worst of summer. But my success was short lived.  September arrived with back to back to back above 90-degree days.  Every evening the weatherman ticked off another sweltering day.  When the long, hot, dry month finally shriveled away, we were one "above 90-degree day" short of the all time record and my running shoes were in the closet.  I had lost my motivation, my mojo, I quit caring about the run.

Then a wonderful thing happened, the weather changed, fall arrived and I started thinking about running again. I laced up my running shoes and hit the road last week, it felt good.  This week, so far, has been great!  Yep, that vacation thing again.  I linger over coffee and facebook, then head out.  Running like this is comfortable, relaxed and fun.  It has been and will continue to be a bit of a rebuilding process.  Next week, when I return to work, I am going to have to find the discipline to slip out of bed in the cold, dark hours of the early morning instead of turning off the alarm for more sleep.  But I have hope and I have goals again.

With the onset of cool weather, I also pulled out my bicycle.  I have only  been on the bike a couple of times this year and last week proved a bit uncomfortable for my rump.  While I favor running, I am better on the bicycle, faster, more confident. I am trying to decide whether to abandon my 18 year old Trek 1400 for something shiny and new.  The answer should be easy but the investment is big and if I am not going to ride regularly, then the money is wasted... 

Good-bye September, so long October...

The weather has finally settled into fall and we watch as the days fly by.  One glance at the calendar reminds me that the moments of my life slip by without capture, my blog posts are becoming further and further apart. I am still working out the kinks of being married, working full time and doing all the other stuff I use to do.  I have been mostly successful at the important stuff and mostly unsuccessful at the rest.  You'll have to ask John which is which :-)

The following is the month of October in quick review...




On Sunday, October 3, we took our annual trip to Carver's Apple Barn in Cosby, TN.   It was a cool, grey day.  Low hanging clouds and light rain made for dramatic scenery. 


We have been to Cosby for apples almost every year since we started dating (in 2000). We take a picture at the same pull off every year.  In a few years, we will have a pictorial essay of our aging!  



In the early days, we purchased 1/2 bushels of our favorite apples. I spent days coring, peeling and dehydrating apples to enjoy on various backpacks during the upcoming year. These days we aren't backpacking as much so we sample from the many baskets of apples, choose a few favorites and buy small bags to take home and dehydrate. This year we also picked up some blueberry jam and honey.

Saturday, October 9th found us at the Hola Festival.  Our favorite festival moved from Market Square to the 100 block of Gay Street, which provided all 27 participating countries more space.  

Did I say this is our favorite festival??!!!  Lots of good food and music...



Sunday, October 10, we were still in the festival mood so we headed to Maryville for the Fall Foothills Festival. The usual crafty booths, banjo music, hot dogs and funnel cake stuff left us a little disappointed. Typical East Tennessee festival atmosphere. We have marked this festival off our "must repeat" list!!

Sunday, October 17, we decided to take a walk. We didn't want to do the usual walk around the block so we ended up taking a walking tour of Mead's Quarry and Ijams Nature Center.  The "walk" extended much longer than expected and by the time we walked home, we had logged six miles. Summer flowers were still blooming wildly even amongst the changing autumn leaves.  

Us at Mead's Quarry

The weekend of October 22-24 rolled around pretty quickly and we found ourselves hosting John's sister Laura and her husband Richard for the Tennessee-Alabama game.  They drove their Harley up from Tuscaloosa, AL Friday night  and joined us and John's son Lee for dinner at the new Brazilian restaurant Brazeiros Steakhouse.  It was a bad experience for all, long wait (even with reservations), questionable service etc.  We won't repeat the experience.

Saturday morning the four of us went to Market Square for breakfast at the Market Square Kitchen.  The place was packed with football fans from both teams.  Slow service again but tolerable because we weren't paying the grande bucks.  After breakfast, Laura and Richard  hopped on the motorcycle and headed to the Maryville Harley shop while John and I strolled through the Farmer's Market.  Saturday evening we shuttled Laura and Richard to and from the game. It was a late night for us and we enjoyed sleeping in Sunday morning.

Sunday morning, October 24, we decided to do a Fall 2010 Colors Tour.  The Foothills Parkway, which rolls through the the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains National Parkway is only 35 minutes from the house and is less traveled by leaf peepers which makes it the perfect choice. 

The colors were great, the traffic light and we had a lot of fun driving through the foothills and Happy Valley. 

Beautiful...

October is a special time of year for us because we celebrate my Dad's birthday, 87 years this year.  We had our first celebration on his official birthday, October 26 at Shannondale Nursing Home, so my Mother could participate. Dinner included her favorite food, Kentucky Fried Chicken and cupcakes from The Cupcakery. 

Today, Sunday, October 31, we had our big birthday celebration at my house.  We grilled steak, roasted potatoes and asparagus.  Getting the family together is always a good time though we missed Mother's presence.

Me, Daddy and Carol  (Leslie and Mike were not here yet, John is behind the camera).  Below, the birthday boy!

Running thoughts...

We are back from a wonderful trip to Boone and Blowing Rock.  Today is a holiday, which translates to an opportunity to run at a reasonable am hour. Getting outside at 8:00 AM was easy with the cool temperature beckoning.  As I start to run, my mind drifts to Saturday's effortless run and I hope day will be the same.  Five miles is my day's goal.  A month ago, I would have considered five miles a short run, today it is an effort.  As my feet move quickly across the pavement below me,  I contemplate the heat and humidity that contributed to derailing my efforts to run a fall marathon.  Some day maybe I will move beyond the issues that hold me back.

Run finished, another five miles on the books.

Boone, NC...

First fall day of the year, or so it feels. We headed out of town in what should have been a simple pack n' go but these days necessitate an extra bag for our electronic gear -  smart phone, computer and running electronics.  Beautiful weather, blue skies with only a wisp of clouds, crisp, clean air.   We on our way to Boone, NC for a weekend away.  

A few miles outside Boone, bumper to bumper traffic materializes, lots of people like us out for a weekend away.  We check into the Hampton Inn and set out to explore the town.  We have had brief stops here in the past and remember that there really isn't too much to do, a few shops to explore and the Appalachian State University. We are right on target with this remembrance.  

 Dinner at the Red Onion Cafe tonight, breakfast at Daniel Boone Inn Restaurant in the morning and we will spend the day exploring Blowing Rock, a really nice nearby resort town.

Mid-August and the heat goes on...

Mid-August has finally arrived and in this area at least, we are on our 60th day of 90+ degree temps.  Really!  I am officially over watering my outdoor potted plants, most of which look something like this:

Petunias have long since burned up and almost nothing is blooming

Once again we will not be traveling at the end of August.  We passed on Will's backpack trip to Oregon for a couple of reasons, mostly because I have been working full-time for only 3 months and I am building vacation, some of which I will carry into 2011.  With that said, we look forward to a couple of weekend get aways and have begun the conversation for 2011 vacations.  Half the fun of travel for me is the dreaming and planning.  This process gets me through the months of daily routine. Besides, John and I tend to develop inertia when we don't plan. 

Currently our discussions center around two main destinations, both have to do with long time dreams.  The first is backpacking on Baffin Island.  While our dream has centered around exploring Ellesmere Island, the trip is cost and time prohibitive and we can't find a good way around these roadblocks (we have been looking for almost 10 years).  Baffin Island, located on the east side of Greenland, is roughly a bit south of Ellesmere and fits our time and cost objectives nicely. The scenery on Baffin is probably better than Ellesmere with magnificent glaciers, mountains and river valleys.  We think this trip would be similar to our spectacular 2001 backpack in the Gates of the Arctic in the Alaskan Brooks Range, only we would be dropped at the start of our hike by boat instead of float plane. 

Our other vacation option is Egypt.  On my "must do" list for almost 35 years, Egypt would be a dream come true.   Who wouldn't want to wander through the land of the pharaohs and pyramids, float down (up) the Nile, shop in the markets and maybe ride a camel? The culture, the food, the land, we think we would be remembering this experience for many years to come.  Where we will end up is really any one's guess.  I know John would like to take a trip with his mother and siblings and this is in the discussion too. 

Meanwhile, we remain in Knoxville. We have a busy couple of weekends coming up so today we ran some errands and did some of that stuff that has to be done.  Yesterday I worked 1/2 day (1 of 4 Saturdays a year I have to do so).  After work we jumped in the car and headed to the tourist town of Pigeon Forge to hit the outlet malls. The town was crazy busy with back to school shoppers and end of  summer vacationers, traffic was bumper to bumper.  While we enjoyed being close to the mountains, getting to Gatlingburg on the outskirts of the national park was  not something we were willing to sit in traffic for.  So we walked around Five Oaks Outlet complex, looked but didn't buy too much.  We did stop at Harry and David's to pick up these jars to goodness:     

Salsas and pepper/onion relishes

We ate a "gray hair" dinner (5:00 PM) at the Applewood Farms Restaurant (also in Pigeon Forge) and were home by 7:00 PM.  By all accounts, we had a nice weekend.

Hello August...

After working 1/2 day last Saturday and looking forward to the same for the next 2 Saturdays, I wanted, no needed, to sleep in on Saturday. Unfortunately I am not a particularly late sleeper and John was stirring around by 6:30 AM preparing for his 60+ mile bike ride. So around 7:15 AM I found myself awake and in the kitchen wondering why John hadn't pushed the brew button on the coffee pot before he left. Ah, nice quiet time to lounge in my jammies, drink coffee and and catch up on blog posts. Okay, not exactly. I hear baby Dunlap moving around upstairs and I scrambled to get some shorts and a t-shirt on before the kid is permanently scared by seeing me in a night gown.

After a couple hours of undisturbed time on the computer, it was run time. Saturday should have been a longer run, but, with rain threatening, I decided to put it off until Sunday and went out for a short effort. On the way out, I stuffed my camera in my pocket in case the private plane that had flown head first into the river early last week (pilot is okay) had not been removed. It had.

A few rain drops started to fall as I ran by the airport, then more drops and finally a downpour. I found a temporarily dry spot under some large oak trees, checked to be sure my cell was in a plastic bag, took a photo and ran home.

Since I did not get a chance to photo the plane before it was lifted out of the TN River, I borrowed this one from the WVLT website. The white cloth floating around the plane is a parachute. Fortunately, the plane was too close to the river so the parachute, while deployed, was not needed. The current speculation is that wind and weather in the area may have played a role in the crash.

John drove into the driveway just as the rain really broke loose.  He was pleased with the 60 mile group ride from Maryville through Townsend, around the Cades Cove loop and back to Maryville. Apparently a big (12 person) turnout with lots of friendly competition. Rain continued for a good part of the afternoon  and we lounged about doing nothing in particular.

We headed to Chaiyo's Thai and Sushi restaurant for dinner.  One of our favorite types of food is Thai and Chaiyo's is truly the best Thai food in Knoxville. Located on James Agee Street, the restaurant lies in the heart of the University campus and since most of the students on break right now, this was the perfect weekend night to grab a nearby parking spot and enjoy a quiet, intimate meal.  We ordered too much... soup, chicken sticks, vegetable rolls and Panang Curry but managed to eat every bite and sop up the last of the curry sauce with an extra scoop of rice.  Both of us waddled back to the car, holding our stomachs, complaining about eating too much but smiling big.

Sunday morning arrived and like it or not, it was time to do a longer run. I am struggling with my long runs right now, the heat and humidity are kicking my butt.  After yesterday's rain, the humidity was heavy! A thick cloud cover kept the sun at bay but there was no hint of a breeze.  As usual, I ran the first miles through the neighborhood.  Somewhere near the downtown airport, a car full of burly guys slowed to a stop and rolled down a window.  A cloud of marijuana smoke poured from the open window and one the guys asked if there was a good place to eat nearby. Really?!  I know I run slow but do I look like I want to stop and chat about restaurants?  I mumbled something about turning around and heading downtown and went on.

Eventually I arrived at the waterfront and my favorite running reward, the Coke machine.  I run with a $ bill just for this purpose.  Small problem, today the machine would not take my bill.  In a panic, I pulled my cell out of it's plastic bag and dialed 577-JOHN.  I kept running while he got a Coke and drove down to the landing to meet me.  Coke consumed, John went home and I kept running.

The last couple of miles were tough but I made my 10-mile goal.  As I said a few paragraphs ago, my running has suffered recently.  Last night John and I had a long talk about my running goals and ability to achieve them.  He is so encouraging but I am struggling with some real confidence demons, he cannot do the work for me...

Anastasia Itsa Whitesell...

My precious aunt lost her battle with cancer in the wee hours this morning. We had not expected it quite this soon. I will miss her so...

Anastasia Itsa Whitesell

June 5, 1928-July 20, 2010

And the heat goes on...

With June on record as the hottest month to date, we have slipped into July and are on the way to breaking another record. Our yard is a parched desert desperately in need of some hydration. Last night we received the first good soaker in some weeks, a couple of inches or so the weatherman reports. The garden water gauge collaborates his story but our yard is not looking much better.

My after work plan was to take it indoors and run on the gym treadmill but at the last moment I changed my mind and decided to run the large hill near our home. The humidity was so high I felt like I was drowning with each breath. Thunder rumbled across the sky threatening rain at any moment. I set a couple of water bottles on the sidewalk but I noticed several people walking dogs by the bottles and worried the dogs would lick the condensation off the sides. Aware that every dog's tongue is used as toilet paper I found the thought disturbing and spent too much effort keeping an eye on my water bottles. Sad, I know...

Fives times of up and down was enough hill work for me. I headed around the boulevard for a lap or so and ran home sweet home where the AC was blasting!! Ahhhhh...

The last of the summer family celebrations...

My sister celebrated a really BIGGGGGGG birthday today. As she turns over another decade, it reminds me that I am just a few years from the BIGGGGGG birthday myself. How did time slip away so fast!!? Anyway, this is the last of the summer family celebrations. It will probably surprise you to know that we did not take dinner to Shannondale to share with our mother but went out to eat instead. We did take dessert to the nursing home, cupcakes, to be shared by all.

A pic of John and me from the day...

Virginia again...

A last minute decision to join friends Will and Kim in Abingdon necessitated an early morning start to our Saturday morning. After a 9-mile run for me and 52-mile ride for John, we grabbed some stuff for the weekend, loaded our "mountain" bikes on the back of the car and headed to Abingdon.

Abingdon is a pleasant drive from Knoxville, all interstate that is fringed with broken patches of Appalachian mountains...absolutely beautiful. We arrived in the small resort town in time drag the bikes inside, change for dinner and meet Will and Kim in the lobby. We had dinner reservations at House on Main before our theater reservations at Barter Stage II.

This was our first visit to this restaurant and dinner was fabulous! We each ordered something different and tasted around, except Will a vegetarian, who stuck to his squash and eggplant lasagna. I had a Maine Scallop dish and John, goat cheese ravioli. My mouth still waters thinking about it.

After dinner, we hurried to Barter Stage II, an intimate theater across the street from the original Barter. Stage II was constructed in 1829 as a Methodist Church and converted into a theater in 1967. The intimate space holds about 170 people and provides the opportunity for theater goers to be very close to the stage. It's a wonderful space but the play, Violet, not so good.... Enough said about that!

Sunday morning was all about bike riding. Although Abingdon is famous for its hiking and Virginia Creeper multi-use trail, a lesser known trail lies some 1.5 hours southeast of Abingdon, the New River Trail. This 52-mile trail is another rails to trails conversion and runs from Galax, VA to Pulaski, VA with a side leg to Fries (pronounced Freeze if you want the locals to understand you). The New River Trail was our destination.

We arrived outside of Galax (at the Shot Tower parking lot) around 10:00 AM where we were met by a shuttle service. As it turned out, our shuttle driver considered himself the unofficial promoter of all things Galax, VA. A local bicycle racer, married to a successful local runner, our shuttle driver is the son of the Galax mayor. During the school year, he teaches high school chemistry, during the summer he shuttles New River Trail bikers and races. He took us on a quick tour of the small mountain town, talked about the challenges of unemployment in a community who had been dependent on furniture and textile mills for survival and suggested places for us to eat and stay. Fun!

The shuttle was quick, about 20 minutes , after all, Galax is not a big town. We unloaded our bikes at the trail head and noticed a number of other cars in the parking lot. As with the VA Creeper, this is a multi-use trail and includes not only runners and bicyclers but also HORSES. We are not fans of horses on multi use trails due to the random dropping of horse poop and the skittish nature of trying to pass horses, with on bikes or foot.

Much of the trail is in the shade, which made for a pleasant ride on this hot, summer day. The surface is the same gravely surface used on the VA Creeper Trail and with the recent dry conditions, we stirred up a lot of dust that stuck the suntan lotion we had sprayed on our legs.

I had not been on a bike in almost a year and it didn't take too many miles on the rough surface for me to feel the effects of sitting on a bike seat...a discomfort that got progressively worse as we road the 27-mile section of trail. Luckily the scenery along the trail was distracting.

The trail followed several water ways. Cooper Creek ran mostly along side the trail from Galax to the Fries turnoff. From Fries turnoff to the Shot Tower, the trail followed the New River.

Along the way, we crossed a number of railroad bridges and rode through a couple of tunnels.

The bridge below crosses the New River at the Fries junction.

We also stopped to explore a couple of power plants.

With all the stops to check things out and eat lunch, we finished the lower section of the trail in just under 4 hours.

Post ride, John and I jumped in the car and drove home, we had my parents 65th wedding anniversary to celebrate today. Will and Kim hung around the area another day to explore.

A great trip! More photos and commentary here .

Sunset run...

With heat and humidity settling in for the summer, I am testing different times to get my run in while minimizing my misery. Monday and Tuesday I ran directly after work, it was hot and unpleasant but doable. Tonight, something new. After dinner, I took a 15 minute nap to shake post work exhaustion then left the house about 8:15 PM for a run.

The sun had started to slip near the horizon, clouds partilly obscured the sky and the humidity was brutal. I slogged around our neighborhood, listening to the evening insect calls, smelling mimosa blossoms and enjoying the peacefulness of the summer night. About halfway through the run, I headed toward the Downtown Knoxville Airport and discovered this sight...

Humidity and the warm water resulted in a low level fog on the river. I called John (yes I was talking and running), who is occasionally willing to act as my paparazzi. He grabbed the camera, jumped in the car and met me at the waterfront. As soon as the short photo session ended, we went our separate ways, me to finish my run and John back home. Such a lovely night in the neighborhood...

A busy June weekend...

Busy June weekend for us. Mid-Saturday morning, we met my family at Shannondale for a family "group" birthday (read to celebrate Leslie and my birthdays). The Smith family has so many summer celebrations that combining a few here and there works for all of us. We did the usual food, presents and cupcakes. Always a good time with family, we cherish every moment.

Saturday evening our plans included dinner with friends, Will and Kim. Will, a vegetarian, pulled together a dinner of black beans and rice with a middle eastern (sorta) influence. We brought fresh strawberries and blueberries served over cheese cake. Lots of chatter and laughter. As usual, our talk somehow gets around to travel. John and I will have a slow travel year thanks to my new job and other issues but have a couple of plans on the burner for next year! Meanwhile we look forward to hearing about Will's August trip to Colorado and Will and Kim's August trip to Peru.

Will always does a great job in the kitchen, lots of great food thoughtfully prepared.

Saying goodbye...

While yesterday was filled with laughter and food, today was all about saying goodbye. Saying goodbye to someone you love is not an easy thing to do.

John and I arrived at the apartment around 9:30 AM. Itsa was feeling good and answered the door, giving hugs all around. We sat around the dining room table making idol chatter, mostly about Itsa's 82nd birthday celebration next weekend. Time slipped by too fast and in a flash, it was time for us to leave.

I think it was about that time that Itsa leaned over, touched my arm and looked into my eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked softly. Well no, now that you ask, I am not okay, none of this is okay and I don't know how to say goodbye. Needless to say, lots of crying and hugs followed.

It took us a while to say goodbye...to tell each other how much we mean to each other and to remember the fun we have have shared over the years. We got it all said, or as much as we could fit in through the tears.

The ride home was long but the trip is one I will always treasure. I am going to miss you my dear Aunt Itsa, you have made such a difference in my life...

A day to remember...

After a short morning run around our hotel, John and I headed to my aunt's apartment to visit. With the exception of the roundness in her belly (cancer tumor), she looked good and was still glowing from her family visit last night. My cousins (her daughters) Vicky and Lynn were there as well as her granddaughter Catherine, who was headed back to DC. Shortly after we arrived, her grandson Thomas arrived.

We ate lunch in the retirement center's dining hall and Aunt Itsa had a lot of hugs and tears from her friends. Her cancer diagnosis is recent and her time is short. Back in her apartment, we talked and talked. After a couple of hours, John and I left for her to nap and returned to find her still resting. We curled up in some comfortable chairs in her room and watched videos of several of her trips to Greece. We listened to her stories about surviving during the "occupation" and about how she got to the US.

By late afternoon, we figured we had outstayed her stamina but the family insisted we stay for dinner. Fresh Greek salad made by my cousin Lynn and Greek pizzas from a local Greek restaurant were on the menu. Delicious! At some point, Aunt Itsa stood up and began to stumble back to her room. This was our cue to leave so we headed back to the hotel to relax.

A few pictures from the day, the last one with the reading glasses is my favorite, my aunt is so cute!

The long ride...

Long but uneventful drive to the "far" west end of Richmond, VA, also known as Short Pump (named for a short handled pump located beneath the porch of a tavern located in the area). While the trip sounded like a good idea a week or so ago, 6.5 hours on the road seemed endless and we are glad a planned side trip to VA Beach did not work out! Our purpose and focus of this trip is to spend some time with my sweet Aunt Itsa, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

We pulled up to the Hampton Inn in Short Pump a little after 6:30 PM. Similar to Biltmore Park Town Square (Asheville, NC), Short Pump is a planned upscale community with office parks, condos, apartments, great shopping and restaurants. After a quick drive through the area, we were happy to discover a REI, Performance Bicycle Shop, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods stores, all within a block of our hotel.

Since my aunt has other guests visiting this evening, we took the opportunity to go out to a relaxing dinner and explore a few of the shops. It was our good fortune to stumble across Mama Cucina, a locally owned Italian restaurant. The smell of mouthwatering Italian food knocked us off our feet when we walked through the front door, as did the crowded interior. We had a bit of a wait before a table opened.

Homemade bread with small bowl of olive oil, vinegar and spices for dipping was served soon after we were seated. We struggled over the menu because everything looked so good. I finally settled on chicken breasts stuffed with feta, asparagus, prosciutto and covered in a pink vodka sauce and mozzarella cheese (freshly made in the kitchen as was the pasta). John had bow tie pasta with shrimp, peas and a light, tasty white sauce. Delicious! Were we just that hungry or is this the best Italian food we can remember eating?

After dinner we scurried through a few shops before they closed. Now it is back to the hotel for some sleep. The day ahead with my aunt is unknown.

Farmers Market opening...

Nice, 6 mile loop run downtown and back. The weather was quite pleasant and the Market Square Farmers Market was in full swing. My route took me along on Union Avenue and through the middle of the market. Lots of people and vendors out. After spotting some fine looking lettuce and other late spring vegetables, I decided to head back post run to do some shopping.

Filled my shopping bag with flowers for the table, daisies for the front garden, lots of fresh lettuce, radishes, chard, green onions, fresh baked bread and local artist note cards. So glad the Farmers Market is back for the summer!

An evening under the big tent...

I had a fine time at the the Knoxville Zoo this evening, celebrating the many Zoo volunteers who give so much of their time. While I am not a volunteer, giving time to the Zoo runs deep in my family. My father has been on the volunteer roster for about 3 decades, participating in everything from classroom education, to shoveling rhino poop. He has gotten so much from the experience. My sister Carol is the newest volunteer recruit, giving time as often as she can. I attended the event with my sister Carol and as a sub for my dad, who could not attend.

The dinner was a potluck affair held under a big tent on the zoo grounds. A nice cool breeze kept the bugs away (I should mention I got my first two mosquito bites this afternoon before the event), but the air was buzzing from the chatter of 160 attendees. Had my dad been there, he would have been called to the front, recognized for his efforts and awarded volunteer emeritus status. As it was, the pin was quietly given to Carol while we were in the buffet line and not mentioned during the award ceremony. We were a bit sad about that.

All in all, a great time was had by all!

Happy 86th b'day sweet mother...

Fine birthday celebration today for my Mother. We had all her favorite fixings (none of them healthy), hotdogs, chili, french fries and cupcakes. She was still feeling bad but soldiered through the event with a smile. A few photos from the festivies are below.