Recharging in Tennessee

In the cold and gloomy days of January my mind  was already thinking ahead to warmer days and vacation. This was helped along when the doctor I work for told us that he'd be taking 2 weeks off for a family trip overseas. So, I contacted my friends in eastern Tennessee, and reserved their cabin.  We've been here several times before, but never in July.

~Todd, my sleeping co-pilot~

At the time, July seemed so far away, but here we are, at a place that I've come to love and enjoy for its peaceful setting and as a place to recharge my inner batteries --  And it's dog-friendly too.  (Carl is a left-behinder at home with the other dogs) 

~Early morning view from the porch of the cabin~

I may be here alone, but I'm not totally alone. With me on this trip is a very shaggy Todd, Charlie, Rhett and Max.

~On the way with Rhett probably wondering "are we there yet??"

And here for the first couple of days was a longtime friend who I have known since about 1975 when she dated my oldest brother.  Their dating may not have worked out, but Teresa's friendship and connection with my entire family, and ours with hers over all these years is one that without question, I truly value and treasure. Teresa lives just over an hour away from the cabin and it worked out perfectly with her schedule to come. We talked and laughed until the late hours of the night and ate too much.

~Freshly baked blackberry cobbler is best enjoyed with a friend!~

It was really great fun having her here, if only for a couple of days!

~We took a drive through Smokey Mountain National Park~

Now that I'm alone, and with 2 days left of my trip, it's time to just relax, reflect and of course recharge before I get back to my life.

I hope you're having a good week!

UPDATE on the Wrens in our garage. 

They family of Wrens were ready to leave before I thought they would be, and they did not leave quietly or without a little drama.  The drama came when one of the three fledglings appeared to not quite be able to find its way out of the garage. This really upset the parents who made no secret of their unhappiness with the situation. I think the fledgling was one that got "misplaced" when it fell out of the nest the day before -- During the day I saw it fall behind a box on the top shelf, fly and land on Gino's bed, sitting on top of the garage door, on the floor, and finally the next morning, I saw it sitting on top of my van looking in the direction of the big scary world. That was the last time I saw any of the wrens. It appears they all made it out of the garage safely!  Yay!!

~Two of the three wren fledglings out of the nest on flight day~