Stuff!

I wanted to post a few more pictures from the beach, but don't have a lot of time, so here are some from our very favorite show in the world, The Carolina Opry. Awesome show, awesome talent! Music from the 60's, 70's, and 80's. I've already got tickets for the Christmas show in December. This was our entertainment for Wednesday night! Don't those sweet monkies look suave - all ready to go out for the evening.

Okay, so our trip was great. But, it's the unpacking and buying groceries the next day to re-stock that are not so pleasing. Macy, however, made that all worthwhile. She's no dumb pup. As a matter of fact, she's one cool customer! She just can't decide if she wants Sunny D or a juice box. Or, maybe she's waiting to see what else is going to be stocked. Smart Baby!

British Open, it ain't!

It's the Cherry Grove Open, a much more enlightening speciman of entertainment! Incredible athletes to say the least. All four young athletes made a hole in one at some point in the 'tournament'. Undeniable talent!1st hole in 1!

2nd hole in 1!

3rd hole in 1!

4th hole in 1!

And then, we have our golf pros! Like I said, it ain't the British Open! They did do a very good job instructing the young ones, though!

And, by the way, there were some rewards to be had if Amy and I had behaved. But we didn't, so these little gems will be enjoyed by some other 'piratesses'!
Alas, some fan and athlete pictures before the big tournament! A great time was had by all. Our reward....see the last picture!

Oh Yeah!

Ridie or Breaker?

The Hughes/Garrett clan arrived safely at Cherry Grove Beach yesterday. We had a lot of rain, wind, and rainbows yesterday (where's my camera when I need it?), but today has been a typical, beautiful beach day. We've been on the beach all day and all got more sun than we should have for the first day of vacation. We love to play in the water - all of us. Even Nana was out riding the waves today. So, the question is -are ridie waves or breaker waves the best?

The grown-ups here like the "ridie" waves the best and the kids like the "breaker" waves. Makes sense - ridie waves are smooth and rounded on top. Breaker waves smack you in the face if you don't dive under them. I had much rather glide across them.Here are some first day pictures.Cammie

Brittany

Brooke

Seth

Me and my Buddies! We love to ride those boogie boards!

Thomas, Nana, Amy, and Greg take a break from the sun!Once a lifeguard, always a lifeguard. Nah, I wouldn't take on that responsibility at the beach. I'll leave that to Mr. Nigerian man. I asked him if I could climb up in his chair. He said, "sure, just hurry." I hope he didn't get fired! He wasn't supposed to let me do that!

Macy Too!

I just can't help myself. I wanted to post a few more pictures of Macy before we head out to the coast this weekend. Puppies grow so fast and we know she'll look so different when we get back. They're just like babies - eat, sleep, poop and repeat....... An occasional romp is necessary, of course.

"Check this out - I can go up AND down the stairs. Whew, that took a lot of work. I'm glad Cammie knew what she was doing when she taught me that stuff!"


"Ah, Brookie. I know I'm cute, but is this necessary? I mean I really thought this was for your American Girl doll. Yep..it is. She needs it much worse than I do. Here - take it..take it now!"

Back Up the Mountain

Sort of a last minute plan and a good one at that - Christal and I stocked up on a good cup of coffee from the Crooked Door Cafe and headed up the mountain to Blowing Rock. Just she and I. We had a ball, even if it was drizzly when we got there. Lots of other people were there too. Blowing Rock's July 4th parade drew many people to the quaint little town. The parade started at 2 and chairs were lined up on both sides of the street by 11.

We headed down the street and spent most of our time in a kitchen store and a gift store, where we laughed until we cried at some the adult humor on coasters and magnets.

I noticed my hair starting to flatten, which meant, of course, more rain and humidity. We got this picture in before we looked too disturbing.
Onward to a couple of boutiques where, if she had been a TRUE FRIEND, Christal would have purchased me a pair of $260 sandals and a pair for herself too.HA HA! That didn't happen!! I love her anyway. She already knows how many pairs of sandals I have in my closet! At this point we were getting hungry, so we hustled to the Mellow Mushroom for pizza. We hustled in the rain, that is, while hundreds of people sat happily in their 'lined up' seats watching the parade.

You gotta try this place some time. There's also one in Boone.

Inside the restaurant, this PARTIALLY disturbing, flat-haired picture was taken by a PARTIALLY inebriated fellow who sat in the bar while his family watched the parade.

We got back to the car, half-soaked, even with umbrellas, and headed to Boone. It was kinda funny though, 'cause the sky cleared slightly and the rain clouds looked as if they were moving on by the time we drove over there. We took NO umbrellas with us into the shops since we weren't going to need them. We visited Mast General store first and then The Shoppes at Farmers Hardware. Love those stores, I tell ya. Christal did too. At this point, it was time to head back to Marion and we thought we had it made. WRONG! The sky opened up and vast amounts of water came pouring down. We had two blocks to run - with no umbrellas! We were sliding out of our sandals because inches of rain were in the streets. So, off came the sandals and we ran. I've heard it over and over but the saying is true this time. You can take the girls out of the mountains, but you can't take the mountains out of the girls. Very true, but we loved every minute of it!

Totally disturbing picture of two drenched mountain chicks!

"Time isn't what makes a friendship last...it's love and devotion that keeps the tie between souls".

Macy's here!

We have been sooooo excited! We were looking for a Golden Retriever puppy and the opportunity presented itself a couple of weekends ago to take a peek at some very young pups in Hickory. A sweet little girl puppy came our way and looked up at us with those, uh, puppy dog eyes and we were sold! Waiting 10 days for her was miserable, especially for Brookie and Cammie. Okay, okay, okay - and for me too! Today on the way back from Marion we got to pick her up. So........................................

INTRODUCING

MACY!!

She did well in the car. She was ready to be out, however, after the 40 minute ride home. Brookie got to hold her first in the car.

She loved chewing on Brookie's ears!!

She also enjoyed looking out the window, with Cammie's help!

She even got to ride with the driver!

She'll just be spoiled only slightly. Well, probably a little more than that! Okay, alot! But isn't she just the cutest thing?!

Salute!

Happy 4th, everybody!! Hope you're celebrating and enjoying family. It's a great day, if not every day, to remember our troops overseas and our Veterans who have fought for our freedom. It has always been so interesting to me to hear stories from Veterans about all the different conflicts, wars, and responsibilities our soldiers have endured.

On a lighter note, all four of the Hughes/Garrett little chickens are always ready and willing to pose for some pictures. Red, white, and blue we are!

Hope everyone has 'Old Glory' flying!

Abraham Lincoln once said, "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves". Something to think about...don't you think?