Really?

One of the reasons we liked the Chattanooga area is because it is SOUTH, about as south as you can get and still be in Tennessee.  And the elevation of the mountains is NOT SO HIGH.  That way we could avoid the heavier snowfall and colder temperatures in other areas we looked to retire.  So why, as we were laying out plans for our pantry shelves with our contractor, did it suddenly start to SLEET and SNOW?  In all fairness, everyone was astounded, telling us they had never seen snowfall this early in the season, but REALLY??

Our California trip

Cincinnati skyline from Dan's apartment

We just returned to Chattanooga after a wonderful trip to California, bookended by a few days in Beavercreek with Becky and family and   in Cincinnati with Dan.

  Even though we were in California for only ten days, we managed to fit in so much, and having Becky, Scott, and Julia visit at the same time allowed for California family fun.  I was sad that Dan wasn't able to join us on this trip, but hopefully another time it will work for the whole family to be together.


For those of you who want the short version, here are the main goals of this trip:
Celebrate Krista's birthday - we miss you, Krista
Visit dear friends - you all warmed my heart
Have my final appointment with Bob Havard - No more 6 month oncology checkups.  Can you see me jumping with joy???

For those of you who want the details of the trip, read on.

  Our first few days were with Krista in Concord.  She and Mike are in a new house and are enjoying the extra space that a three bedroom house affords compared to living in a one bedroom apartment. Thanks to Mike for spending much of the night babysitting the smoker so we could have such a wonderful barbecue where, in addition to the great food, we enjoyed getting together with family members, both close and extended..  Lyrica, we  missed you.
Tilden Park was great with the young kids. This is the same park where we saw the mountain lion last time I visited Krista, but this time we headed to a different location in the park.  We enjoyed the train, as well as the merry-go-round, but I think the highlight of the day was the attack of the mad turkey, right on LeAnne's head.  If only someone had captured a quick picture!

 Elizabeth and Matt joined the family in Santa Cruz.  We were all eager to introduce Julia to the beach so she could experience the ocean.  She wasn't impressed!  The Roaring Camp RR through the Redwood trees and feeding the pigeons with Matt were much bigger hits with her.

We spent the rest of the time in Visalia.  Jim and Penny Purkiss were kind enough to play host and hostess.  Thanks to you both for welcoming us so warmly and opening your home to us.You did such a good job of helping us fit everything we wanted into our week.And thanks for sharing Aries and Ryder.

With Linda working we had to schedule visits around school, meetings, and such, but I'm glad we got our shopping time in.  It felt like we picked up right where we left off seven months ago. I love the pink Rangers shirt and have worn it so much I've had to wash it twice already.

Lunch with Sandi and Mary at Watsons was very relaxing.  I love it back in their garden and the sun and friendship were equally warm.

We have already had our Thanksgiving dinner this year.  Dennis and LeAnne hosted Thanksgiving a month early so we could all join in the festivities.  Yummy turkey with all the trimmings and the closeness of friends and family in one October evening!

Every woman our age should have a Book Club.  It is so much more than the name designation.  Scrabble may be Scrabble, but Book Club will always be Book Club.

I loved going to our old house for tea.  I was a little afraid of how I would feel about someone else living at our old address, but it was very pleasant.  My memories are still with  me and I'm glad the house has become a home for another loving family.

Laura Court-ers will always be important to me. You were a part of so many of our life experiences and each of you is special to us in your own way.  There is a warm place where I keep the memories I made/make on Laura Court.

Dwight and Cathy, what a great evening of good food and playing catch-up. Of all the experiences golf has provided, letting us become friends is the best one of all.

Halloween found us in Beavercreek again.  Julia enjoyed trick or treating with her Uncle Dan.










We came home to find that quite a bit of work had been done on the house.  The dry wall is up so we have inside walls and the outside is coming along as well.  It still looks like a January move-in. Working with a great builder makes this whole process very fun, but I am looking forward to having a real home.

Just a few pictures to share

Things are doing well in SE Tennessee.  Today we joined a few friends on a two hour river trip.  Normally this small boat goes through the gorge of the Tennessee River, but today was a Civil War cruise which took us upriver instead.  On board was a Civil War expert from the National Park Service who guided us through the decisive battle at Chattanooga.  Living history is always more interesting, and from the river it was easy to picture the layout of the siege.These two pictures are of the city of Chattanooga from the river.

After the cruise we had lunch near the river and were able to watch the many teams who were participating in a crew event.  There were teams from all across the east, including Harvard, Princeton, Auburn, etc. and several blocks along the river were closed to traffic for the event.  It was a beautiful day to be on the river, both for us and for the athletes as well, I'm sure.

Here are a few pictures of our house.  It is all under roof and the plumbers, electricians, and HVAC people have been busy all week.  The siding and the wood for the tongue/groove sections of the ceiling are stacked in the garage, and the bathtub is in place.  Scott helped Gary wire the house for audio and Internet last weekend so the house is ready for drywall as well.  Thank you, Scott

the front of the house

the back of the house

the fireplace framed in

Julia got her pictures taken at daycare/school a few weeks ago so I thought I would share.  Those of you who knew Becky as a 2 1/2 year old will recognize a lot of her in Julia, but we see Scott as well..  

We are VERY tired of apartment living and I miss my stuff in storage!  Otherwise the world is good.

Judy

We have rooms and windows

September  greetings.

 Isn't this time of year refreshing?  The mornings are cool and on the mountain there is a wonderful smell of autumn leaves.  Another sign of fall is the sound of the official's whistle.  Gary has discovered how to find a seemingly infinite number of football games that he can watch by running the computer through the TV screen.  Meanwhile I have found a fun group of women from our new development.to hang out with.  It started by my joining the Thursday afternoon Scrabble get togethers and grew from that.

 And here is a wonderful story of a Little  Library that Could.  It was started by  couple when they retired to Signal Mountain twenty years ago.  They found space in an old elementary school and began their free lending library.  The wife passed away two years ago, so Bill, who is now 90 years old, continues the library  in memory of his wife. He keeps the book selection current by accepting donations, of course, but also by using the money from the sale of his iris plants which he divides each year. With the NY Times list in hand, he goes to Books a Million with his proceeds and buys as many of the bestsellers as he can.  The books in the library are not organized according to the Dewey Decimal System; Bill continues to organize the books the same way his wife did.  There is a card catalog where books are filed by both title and author, and each book has a check out card tucked into its pocket.  You don't need a library card to check out books, just an honest face and a telephone number. I have joined a few of the women who are starting to volunteer in the library and help Bill out on the two days a week the library is open.  There is such a peaceful atmosphere, and I swear I saw the ghosts of Barney Fife, Andy Griffith, and Gomer Pyle the other day.

Front 9/24

Our house is moving right along and a January move still seems possible.   The framing is completed and today the windows and outside doors were installed.  I have included a picture of the front and of the back.

  Becky, Scott, and Julia are coming down next weekend so Scott can help Gary string the speaker wire through the house before the drywall goes in.  I know that Julia will be expecting to see her rocking horse in the house on this visit, but it's still in storage.

Back - a lot of fill dirt needed yet

I saved the best news for last.  Becky and Scott are expecting another baby in late March.  I'm so excited to be Nana to another adorable baby.  It gives me another reason to bake cookies!

Looking forward to a California visit,
Judy

Labor Day Weekend

We've been here in the Chattanooga area long enough to be getting familiar with things and  have started visiting some of the tourist attractions.  Annual passes to the Tennessee Aquarium along the waterfront will give us a nice place to relax if we are in the city. Besides, I couldn't resist checking out a members-only Caroling with the Fish evening in December!


We finally went to Ruby Falls one afternoon.  These caverns have been a tourist attraction for about 75 years.  The features are now strictly protected, but in the early years the regulations weren't as strict, so some damage from humans has been done.  But the underground falls in the depth of the cave are incredible.  It seems strange that no one has been able to figure out the source of the water, but in a rainy season the falls are very full and in a dry season much less water makes its way to the cavern.

Another afternoon we went to Signal Point on Signal Mountain.  This is where the Union army based communications in the Civil War and it is the reason for the name Signal Mountain.  In this picture the second mountain behind the river is Lookout Mountain and Georgia is off in the distance. There are quite a few trails which begin from this point, but most of them start by descending a very steep wooden stairway and the thought of climbing back up those stairs in the summer heat made us choose to put off exploring until the weather is a little cooler in the fall.



Our house is coming along. It is about the same size as our home on Laura Ct, but since it is one level (except for the bonus room over the garage), the footprint is larger.


 In this picture the dogs are standing in our bedroom closet.





The next picture is taken from the kitchen and looks into the breakfast nook and the view to the back.












I came across this site the other day as I was searching  for restaurants, dentists and the location of a small lake.  Although we will be living on Signal Mountain our development is not actually in the town itself, so some of the entries don't apply to us as much as others, but most of these comments now make perfect sense to me. Don't forget to click on the photos, as a few of them will give you an idea of the area and the lifestyle.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49335924277

When we moved to CA so many years ago we had to adjust to the three hour time difference, and over the years we have gotten used to football according to a west coast schedule.  But now we have to wait until 10:00 pm to watch Fresno State play Cincinnati.  I wonder where Danny's loyalties will be during that game!

Love to you all,
Judy

Instead of doing lesson plans...

We are really getting into this grandparent thing.  Spending 10 days with Julia in Ohio was great fun.  She has all the cuteness of a two year old.  . It's unbelievable how much she reminds us of Becky at that age, both in looks and personality.  Becky and Scott are busy planning out Julia's big girl room, so we were able to add our comments to that design.  Julia wants purple, but I think they are going for less drama.

 It was also fun helping Dan organize himself from his Kroger apartment into his real apartment.  It's in the same building, just on Floor 24 instead of Floor 23, so it's not a huge move, but his view changed from river front to cityscape. He is well-placed,  within walking distance to work, the football and baseball stadiums, the pedestrian bridge to the Kentucky side of the river ,and the social life of both downtown and Mt Adams.   

Scott, Julia, Dan waiting for the start of a concert along the Ohio River

As for Krista, she isn't spending all of her time kissing dolphins.  She is nervously preparing for her new position as first and only counselor at a charter school in Oakland.  It should be an interesting year for her as she navigates her way through setting up a counseling department and working outside the definitions set by a traditional high school.  

We got back to Chattanooga to find that there has been quite a bit of work done on our lot.  It was going so slowly until we left, but the adage about the watched pot seems true here.  I don't remember spending this  much time and effort  planning when we built our house on Laura Ct.  Possibly we didn't pay as much attention or there are a lot more choices out there now, but this is a full time job for both of us.  We are either running around Chattanooga to look at ideas in person or we are online doing research, using  planning tools, or looking at pictures for inspiration.  Houzz and the gardenweb forum have become my go-to sites.  I must admit, we are both enjoying this process so it is a great way to spend a year of retirement.

Our apartment is at the base of Signal Mountain, actually still in Chattanooga and our new home is up the mountain, just past the crest.   Normally it is a 20 minute drive, but this week it has been taking us an hour to drive the distance on Highway 127.  Those of you HGTV watchers will recognize that as the route of the longest garage sale in the country, lasting a week and stretching from Alabama to Michigan.  The amount of traffic along that small rural road through the town of Signal Mountain this week has been crazy, and, of course, everyone is driving slowly trying to decide which sales look interesting.  Avoiding pedestrians crossing the street with their treasures is a challenge as well.  We stopped at a few places, but without a house and with our own junk still in storage it is a little hard to seriously look at someone else's castoffs.  But, if any of you are pickers, feel free to reserve our guest room  for next August. 

 Blue Cross Blue Shield, which is headquartered in Chattanooga, recently started a program called Silverlife and dedicated a building to its use.  This is the prototype of a program they want to expand to other locations.  Its goal is to support people over fifty in their quest for good health, which includes lifelong learning. At this point there is not much going on there, but I am taking a six-week class on writing memoirs which is run jointly through Silverlife and the public library.  There are 35 of us in the class, with wonderful stories to tell.  Compared to them I feel a bit like a writer for Seinfeld, trying to make something interesting out of non-events, but it does challenge a part of me that has been in hiding for awhile.

Love to you all

And we're off....

.  Our house plans got the okay from the committee on Monday, and Wednesday the guys showed up to begin clearing the lot.  It hurt me to see trees come down, but the tree specialists were very careful to clear only what was necessary for construction.  You can see what I mean by this picture of our car parked at our place, after the tree cutting was completed.  You can hardly see the cleared area.

Here is where we will call home soon.

And this is some of our firewood for the next few years.  We had to find a way to replace you, Matt, although feel free to come help us saw this into usable sizes.

It is really HOT here where we are living at the base of Signal Mountain.  It is usually 10 degrees cooler up on the mountain  though, and today there were sprinkles up there while it was just humid down here.  This weekend we are heading to Ohio for a few weeks.  Not only are we looking forward to seeing the kids and Julia, but we are catching the last day of  Dennis and Leanne's visit so we get to enjoy time with them as well.

Becky, Dan, and Krista - we are very proud of each of you.