tired puppies

Hello to all our friends, wondering...."where is LePew Man's blog??"
Well, things have been a little hectic since last we communicated.
There aren't any pictures right now due to a very slow connection. I just don't want to spend the time waiting and waiting for pics to load. I will post them next week from home and alert you all that there are loads of pics to see. For now, I will stick to narrative so you can at least know how we're doing!
Once we left the Washington, DC area, we drove to Charlottesville, VA to spend some time with Mr Jefferson, at his home, Monticello. We loved it. We were there about 2 1/2 hours. The weather was great. The views from his idyllic mountain top home were amazing.
We then drove to my brother and sister-in-law's house. We had not seen each other in several years, so this was a very nice reunion for us. Tree Hugger had never met her brother-in-law or his wonderful wife, so it was special for them, as well. Having not seen each other in some time, I didn't want to take time out to fiddle on the computer, so this past Monday didn't lend itself to a blog post.
Then on Tuesday, we drove to Knoxville, TN and spent the whole afternoon driving around in the glorious and wonderful mountains of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. No place on earth is as wondrous and special to me as the Smokies. Tree Hugger had never been, so she was definitely up for seeing this place I love so much. They did not disappoint. The day was clear so views were uncluttered. There was wild turkey and deer to gaze at. There was the signature mist at times. Of course, the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia, that we drove through to get there, were pretty darned beautiful, as well!
That evening, we had some really good bar-b-que at Gerald's Smokehouse with some of my fellow Tennessee Lady Vol fans and one unbiased reporter...or so she tries to be. She's a damned good reporter and judges things well, so I'll allow that she can remain impartial....I guess! Anyway, the food was good and the company couldn't have been any better. Two of those friends gave me some totally, way cool Lady Vol paraphernalia, too!
Wednesday morning, we stopped at McMillin's on the way out of town. McMillin's is a store that sells all things Tennessee Vols. I, of course, wanted mostly Lady Vol stuff. The manager there, a really nice guy by the name of Kelly, is a member of the Lady Vols message board, so I got to meet another fan that I have communicated with online. I got some cool stuff...including a key chain that plays "Rocky Top." Can you stand it?? I love it!!
I'm saving the sad story of our lack of internet access to the end.
After Knoxville, we drove to Asheville, NC. What a beautiful drive. We spent that whole afternoon at the Biltmore House. We ate at a lovely restaurant on the estate, then did the house tour. It's gotten extremely expensive to tour the house, so that might be my last time at the Biltmore House! Anyway, the late lunch was superb. The tour of the house itself was beautiful and worth having Tree Hugger see it for the first time. It was my fourth.
The next day, we slept in for some much needed rest. We left Asheville around 11:00 and headed for Atlanta, where we are now. We have seen so many friends already! Lunch with some, dinner with others. Each and every reunion has been wonderful, delightful and deeply satisfying. Today we see some very dear family (cousins) and very dear friends tonight. Our time in Atlanta will continue to be like that until we leave on Wednesday. Even though we are a little weary, our hearts are full.
I've not taken pictures of meet-ups with friends or family. I don't mind posting my own picture online, but I won't post the pictures of other people online. I could ask their permission to do so, but I think that is their domain to do or not do. Any pictures will be of Tree Hugger and me or things we've seen. So....for this last half of the vacation, there will be fewer pictures anyway. BUT.....when I do post pics, next week, of what you haven't seen yet, they will be good and you will like them! You got that???
Regarding the internet connections......I didn't want to spend time away from family at my brother's place. The Knoxville motel only had dial-up which I consider the same as no access. The Asheville motel screwed up my reservation and didn't even have a room available with access. The connection here in the motel in Atlanta is either "low" or "very low" which makes the speed very sluggish. Uploading pics would take a looong time. I'm just not going to fool with that. If we find a motel on the way home with a speedy connection, I'll get a head start on that. Until then, just enjoy the narrative and eagerly await the picture show.
I'll post again in a day or two. Hope you enjoyed the pictureless travelogue!!