Sleeping with the windows open worked out much better. :-)

James was still restless on the soft bed, so was up at eight; I was stirring a few minutes later. Once I was dressed I opened the curtains to gaze upon the valley below the lodge buildings. I could hear ducks quacking excitedly in the distance.

James went to breakfast with the Lawsons and some others, but I stayed in the commons and had some apple juice, toast, and a granola bar and read the comics and my Wide Awake. When James returned, we finished packing up the room (I had done about half of it earlier), loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly...I mean Picnic Shelter 6.

The road to the picnic shelters, which continues to Anna Ruby Falls, is a miniature version of the switchback roads we rode up to Hiawassee on yesterday. The truck darted back and forth as glimpses of the lake, the leafing trees, and dead wood flashed in and out. Because of the altitude many of the leaves were still coming out here, and, as in town a couple of weeks ago, it seemed many of the trees reached full leaf over the course of the weekend.

It was very funny that just as we started this route of curves that the CD player switched to Petula Clark singing "Round Every Corner."

We always have a picnic to close out the festivities, since checkout time at the hotel is 11 a.m. Ken has done the grilling of late and does a smashing job. We had turkey and beef hot dogs, and hamburgers (there may have been some turkeyburgers in there, too). The picnic shelter is along Smith Creek where it leaps and plashes over the numerous rocks. The kids always go down to play at the water's edge, where they occasionally find crayfish, and always one kid will fall in. Jessie was first in the water, but she did it on purpose. This year's new winner was Charlotte, who is six. She wasn't hurt, but had to stay bundled in a jacket for a while—this is mountain water and it's so cold it stings.

We were the first at the picnic shelter and I was adopted by a "bee fly"— it was striped black and yellow like a yellow jacket, but was a fly—who attached itself to my Wide Awake. It finally disappeared when I let Amy see the book.

So we had a lovely time chatting for another two and a half hours. Daniel's wife Oreta, who had to go to a school conference this weekend, arrived, as did Alex and Pat and their boys. Although the temps were forecast for the high 70s today, it was cool under the shelter cover and the breeze was delightful.

About 2:30 we headed for home. An unremarkable ride, and the fids very glad to see us. Pidge's beak is trimmed to regulation and his other tests came out okay, but it will take a few days for the results of the blood test. He was chirpy and happy all the way home while Willow panted and tried to settle down. She was stress-shedding so badly at the vet that when James petted her a cloud of hair rose and floated everywhere.

It's very warm here, though, and the sky is hazy with smog, a little disappointing after a cool comforting weekend.

Labels: pets, weather, weekend

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. . . . . noted and logged by Linda at 6:14:00 PM

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