As near as I can remember, Thanksgiving Day was the first time all of our six grandchildren have been together since Easter. It was fun watching that happen, believe me.

For as far back as I can remember, the UMW have decorated the church for Christmas. Then about 15 years ago when we built the new lobby, the UMM started helping us with the giant Chrismon Tree that goes in there. This year, though, because none of us women and men are getting any younger, we pulled the youth in to help. I got this picture of them helping to fluff and hang the garland from the balcony – although the picture itself didn’t turn out very good. That’s June in the middle.

Some multi-generational decorating of the Chrismon Tree.

When Charlotte and I were on our way home from our birthday trip to Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, we stopped for lunch and a little bit of shopping at the Bush’s Beans factory and museum. We had both been before, although never together, and it was as fun (and delicious) as we both remembered.

Rain was due to arrive about noon on Thursday when Charlotte and I were in Pigeon Forge, so we got out early for a hike there at the cabins where we were staying. Our first stop was to sit in a great swing with beautiful views of the mountains.

After a break there, and a stop to visit the chapel along the trail, we headed on up the Sunset Ridge Trail. This was the barrier we ran across when we reached the end of the trail. It was a great little walk.

We spent a good while in the Heritage Center Museum – as is my way :-). After the display from the Townsend Archaeological Project I enjoyed the rest of the Native American Gallery, with details about how the Cherokee lived day to day in that area. Looking at the weapons reminded me of the exhibits we saw at the Native American Studies Center in Lancaster. which was the first time I can remember seeing this word for the spear.

From the Native American Gallery we moved on to the side of the museum dedicated to the pioneers who settled in the area around Pigeon Forge. There were many artifacts on loan from the National Park Service, not surprisingly. So interesting.

Another building I really enjoyed seeing in the Appalachian Village at the Heritage Center was the Blacksmith’s shop. Just the information about what all blacksmiths did – they were often called on to be vets, among other things – was so interesting. You can see Charlotte checking out one of the signs in this picture.

Once we finished up touring the village we headed inside to the museum inside the Heritage Center. I had never heard of this, but when Highway 321 through Townsend was being widened back in 1999 they discovered a huge treasure trove of Indian artifacts, and the project was postponed for two years while the area was excavated by archaeologists from UT, among other places. One interesting thing that I learned that I had not even thought of was that Indians had lived there for 10,000 years – always the Cherokee. Of course I knew Native Americans lived in the area for millennia before settlers arrived, but it just never occurred to me that it was the same tribe of Indians, they just went through several periods of advancement, for lack of a better word. It had just never crossed my mind. Lots and lots of artifacts were on display. So interesting.

Wednesday afternoon while Charlotte and I were on our birthday trip we spent time at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center. The first part was an Appalachian Village set up on the grounds of the center, with buildings that had been moved there from all over the surrounding counties, to show what life was like before modern days arrived with all of its conveniences. Of course the first stop was the Moonshine Still :-). There was a great display explaining exactly how it worked, and also including stories – some were pretty funny – of the runners and the different things they ran into 🙂

I took a picture of this sign that was in one of the cabins we went through. You know I have already looked this book up on Amazon 🙂

Wednesday morning we left our cabin soon after breakfast to head to Smoky Mountains National Park to do a little hiking. Our first stop was at the Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse. We were lucky that the gate was open so we could drive up to the parking area – I understand that isn’t always the case. Later on in the museum we visited in Townsend, we saw a picture from the 1920’s of children sitting at these very desks. That was pretty cool.

This past week Charlotte and I went on our annual birthday trip for a few days, this time to the mountains around Pigeon Forge. Charlotte and her husband Bob vacation there several times a year, so she knew the perfect cabin for us to stay in. And it was so cute. It was round, so it was fun seeing how the bedrooms were shaped. I got this picture of my bedroom as soon as we got there, before I got it all rumpled and messed up. So cute.