Claire Turns 9!

We got to celebrate Claire's 9th birthday with her this weekend up in New Market. 

We walked to SVA and happened upon a couple good buddies on their bikes - and the kids found this "seatless wonder" by one of the campmeeting apartments.  Even Grandpa Randy didn't think it was salvageable. . .

Crossing under I-75, a little off the beaten path.

Cutting up some of their firewood - with the chainsaw

We had some great fun and exercise Friday hitting balls from the ball blaster.

We listened to church from the screened in porch on Ryan's phone.  The power went out at 2:30 a.m. and still wasn't back on.  Randy, Carrie and Jaclyn played special music for church "As the Deer" on the guitar, flute and cello - beautiful.  Jaclyn n Ryan sang "Sweet Jesus" with Randy accompanying on the guitar also.

Claire asked for hedgehog cake pops made out of red velvet cake (after hearing how cute her pig cake pops were on her 2nd birthday) so Carrie created these tasty little birthday treats.

Sabbath haystack dinner with friends in the student center when the cake pop count took a hit

Good time to relax and catch up with friends and family

Social distance visit with good buddies Sabbath afternoon

Easton gave up his bed for us and slept on the air mattress in the sun room

Her birthday morning - aha, the American Girl books she asked for and a bucket of perler beads

Easton asked if we could play this favorite card game . . .

. . . while Claire tried out her new friendship bracelet maker unit.

We went to a park and had Pooh stick races, her choice birthday lunch from Taco Bell, and fun in the puddle cleaning their shoes off.

Pandemic family shot

And we finished the Life game that was her choice just before bedtime Sun. night with her win! 

Red Top Mountain State Park

On our first hike at Red Top Mtn State Park when we arrived Monday, May 11, on Lakeside Trail.  This park is just 70 miles south on I-75 in Acworth, GA, not far north of Atlanta.  So it's very busy! 

some interesting old farm equipment 

We enjoyed the rocking chairs at this cabin on the trail for awhile.  Due to Covid, the cabin rooms were not open.

The rocking chairs fit us well.

Our campsite #73 for the four nights.  My hammock that you see between the trailer and van wasn't in quite as idyllic a spot this week, but nevertheless, I enjoyed some great reading and FB time there, and a nap even on Thurs.  I woke up to find ants had found me and my hammock - so that ended hammock time. . .

One campground view of Allatoona Lake.  The campground has lots of these big boulders around.

The swimming beach that was well used on the last two days we were there since it was in the 70's and 80's.

The hiking trails are very nice in the woods.  The blue trail at the bottom is also a biking trail and goes along the water for part of it.  It was probably the most used trail - lots of hikers and folks who staked out their spots along the water.  The trail we won't do again is the Homestead Trail - more up and down than we cared for!  We only did 3.5 miles of it - which was more than enough.  Our favorite was White Tail - just .5 mile one way - and most of it with lake views.  You can see water surrounds the state park.

There weren't many wildflowers to be seen.

Our one brief stop while on the grueling Homestead Trail - we were afraid to sit for long for fear we would seize up and not be able to get going again.  We were there literally less than a minute I think!

On the Iron Hill biking trail - time to shed a layer!

A bum break 

I don't understand how pictures never do justice to hills. . . This is one of two that we walked our bikes up on the connector part of the Iron Hill trail from the campground.  If we go back, we'll drive to the trail parking lot and avoid these.

I enjoyed some Kindle reading time 

We enjoyed lots of Splendor matches - he's gloating after two or three wins in a row here. But don't worry, I got my winning streak in that would NOT have happened had YOU been with us, Anne!

We met Katelyn and Obi our last night.  She wanted info from Randy on the solar panels so he looked it up from his Amazon orders and gave it to her the morning she was leaving, heading home to MI.  She's 70 and single and has spent the winter months in FL mostly, till the campgrounds closed due to Covid when she went into GA.  While camping at Okeefenokee Swamp her dog Obi got the flesh-eating bacteria disease and was in a coma and nearly died.  He's 13 and it really slowed him down. But what a beautiful Australian shepherd!  He really took to Randy when he was playing his guitar when Katelyn stopped at our campfire to listen and visit.

The lake's edge below Katelyn's campsite.  None of the "premium" campsites (that you pay $5 extra per day for) on the lake are right down at water level, but all way above the lake with lots of trees between, and a good hike down and back UP.

Wiping sap off

We had two fire pits on our site.  But this one didn't have enough level chair space around it so we didn't use it.

That's our picnic table and fire ring.  The next site's table and pit was on the woods side of their tent. But we felt like we were sitting in their front yard . . . which wasn't ideal.  The first night we were there we had a trailer there with a young couple out on a trip across the country.  He was from Israel and had his girlfriend with him he told Randy. He was quite the Romeo. . . He loved our trailer and said it was the "sexiest" trailer he's seen and he wants one.  He doesn't need any help in THAT department!  :)

Navigating one of the inclines on the short Osprey Loop Trail

This little guy was about an inch long.  Claire n Easton woulda' wanted to take him home with them.

At the point at the end of White Tail trail where we watched a guy fly his drone.  The video footage it got was awesome.

We didn't see a lot of wildlife - but this great blue was on the White Tail trail.  We saw two deer on the bike trail.

The valley area on White Tail Trail before the ascent back up to the parking lot

We hiked this trail the morning we left - one more time.  I would enjoy going back to this state park, but Randy isn't so sure.  He'd rather go to Honeycomb CG in AL on Lake Guntersville.  The hiking was better here, but the campground was definitely more to my liking in AL.