Claire Sleeps Over-- Adventures Follow

Claire has patiently waited over EIGHT MONTHS for

a sleepover promised last spring. We finally got to do it,

and we made up for lost time.

A week earlier Claire, Evan, and Ryan had set up
our new thrift shop manger scene. This week, Claire
added some special touches-- holly berries.

It was a real treat to see Claire pull out all our castles

and forts and fill them with a vast array of her favorite

characters. A virtual battle of Good Guys and Bad Guys

was about to be joined.

Here are her king and queen atop the battlements.
Do you recognize Jasmine?

The royal pets are staunch defenders in front
of the castle gates.

You can see what an assortment of characters she
employs. Look for Smurfette, Moses, the "Camel Store"
(I think it should be the Camel Lot), and more.

Here are the marauding Bad Guys, armed with a 
weapon supreme. That cannon was my Christmas
gift from Uncle Herman and Aunt Virginia when I
was about 8. I've done some repairs on it and it now
shoots some little wooden balls I bought at Michael's.

Claire is behind the protective walls of her Good
Guys and the villagers. Plus a host of animals.

BB-8 from Star Wars is her secret weapon.

She has to briefly switch roles to fire the cannon
for the attackers.

Losses are heavy in the first attack, but the walls hold.

Grandma is another secret weapon. All is well.

With Zorro, cowboys, Indians, and WWII soldiers
from four armies, how can she lose?

Grandpa gets his turn, too. Claire shares generously.

Here are two videos of Claire manning the cannon.

She also delivers some thrilling play-by-play commentary.

Here's where the Bad Guys get what they deserve.

NO MERCY! Her aim has improved, too.

We played a variety of games in a 24 hour period.

We played Rummy, Speed, Spite and Malice, and

Authors. Authors is a game I played with my mother

and her mother, my Mama Gaddis. Claire is the first

of the grandchildren to try this "Go Fish" variation.

It's quite educational. When I gave Claire a thirty

word summary of "Moby Dick," she said, "Great!

Now I won't have to read it!"😁

I don't know where you can find this game nowadays,
but it would be a good one for parents to add to your
game collection.

When you collect four titles by an author, 
you have a "book."

Here are all the authors. (Henry Melville isn't one of these.)

Claire got us to try Apples to Apples, which Judy 
and I had never played, even though we bought it
at a Hillsborough thrift shop. Thanks, Amanda, Bri,
and Hunter, for recommending it. We love it!

We had a ton of laughs, especially trying to justify
some of our far-out answers.

With all these activities, we had to sustain our energy.
That consisted of take-out from Pizza Cafe, take-out
from Granny's Doughnuts, and take-out from McDonald's.
What Claire wants, Claire gets.
And it also included Jiffy Pop Popcorn.

Claire is in charge.

IT'S GONNA BLOW!!!

YES!!

 Once Evan and Ryan see all this fun, you can bet

they'll be clamoring for their turn.  They don't really

need to clamor. Ryan is already on the schedule, and

then it will be Evan's turn again. We're so thankful

they look forward to these special times as much as we do!

Occoneechee Mountain Fall Excursion

Eight days ago, Judy and I were thrilled to join Amanda, Bri,

and Hunter for a day of hiking at Occoneechee Mountain near

Hillsborough, N.C.  Judy and I had hiked here before, but having

family along made it a greater pleasure than ever. 

I'm happy to share some highlights of that beautiful November day.

We began with a picnic lunch at Hillsborough's lovely
Gold Park. The kids were eager to show Amanda the
park's "Bee Hotel," a haven for pollinators.

Cozy nooks for our crucial pollinators.

The kids pose under the park's railroad trestle. Some
day I want to be under there when an east-west freight
rumbles through. Don't you?

Then it was off to Occoneechee Mountain, the highest
point in this region of North Carolina, bordering the
Eno River.

10 points if you can spot two grandchildren.

The kids were delighted with the first of three 
amazing rock formations. Here are King and Queen
of the mountain.

Amanda and Hunter

Bri on her lofty perch

Two old trail guides who came along for the adventure.

Judy and I will follow these two anywhere.

This is Trailing Arbutus, a dainty woodland plant
which will bloom under leaves and even under snow
in late winter.

Here was the next big rock formation. One or more
grandkids may be hiding here.

We love all rocks, great and small.

Christmas fern was abundant in this stretch of the trail.

As on our school nature trail, Christmas Fern will
remain green through the winter.

Here is wild ginger, another plant we also find on 
the SFL Nature Trail.

Bri, the victorious!

About halfway through our hike, we encounter the
Eno River. This is several miles from where we had
 hiked with Amanda, Bri, and Hunter back in October,
at the Eno River State Park.

Here was our third amazing rock formation.
Kids: "What's taking y'all so long?" (Not really)

Here Hunter demonstrates how to levitate.
Pretty neat trick.

Four rockhounds

Yet another cool boulder to pose on.

I had been giving a big build-up to the old quarry.
Here was the side trail turn-off.

Click below to read some history of this fascinating

quarry. It dates back to the Civil War.

History of the Quarry

It's a long way up!

You can see why no climbing is allowed.
These minerals are very soft and brittle.

As we continued on, we came to a "switchback" trail,
which zig-zags to make a steep climb easier. Judy and
I rode an old logging railroad at Cass, West Virginia,
that utilized this technology on a larger scale to 
ascend a mountain.

That's not an oil well-- it's a high voltage power
line.  Again-- NO CLIMBING!

There's a beautiful view of lands to the north from the 
overlook atop the quarry. No, we won't go close to the edge!

There's the Eno River below us.
These trees must have been beautiful a few weeks ago.

We're thankful for a little taste of mountain beauty
just a little over an hour from home.

Bri poses atop a boulder at the overlook.

We had worked hard for this view, and it was worth it.

What had looked a long way up now looked
a long way down!

The walk back to the parking area was pretty much
all downhill, and we needed that.
Bri and Hunter posed one last time in a
"Tree of Many Trunks."
Our Occoneechee adventure was over, but we still
had a Saturday of Granny's Doughnuts and a
memorable Family Night ahead. All good times.