Now that was a vacation

Our eight-day adventure to Kentucky and Tennessee is in the books (or, at least, on this page - finally), and it was all it should have been: fun and relaxing. Even the drives were better than ever.

Our destination was the Ten Mile, Tenn., home of Granddaddy and Susan, but we also stopped in Louisville and Lexington, Ky., on the way there and in Paducah on the way home. Thanks to everyone for the hospitality.

Now let's revisit it!

DAY 1
We spent the first night at the familiar Breckinridge Inn in Louisville after visiting our old neighbors, Paige and family, and friends Todd and Julie.

And the kids - particularly Levynn - began their week of "water-shed" moments, a play on words that you'll understand by the end.

Although Levynn had jumped off the dock when we visited Granddaddy and Susan two years ago, she had been too scared to jump into even the shallow end of our pool ever since.



But, emboldened by the hotel's shallower shallow end and knowing the dock was looming again, she finally jumped here.

DAY 2
We drove to Lexington the next morning to visit Kentucky Horse Park for the first time.



That's a big barn! (And it's called Big Barn.)


This horse is one of only eight of its kind in the world, we were told.




This is part of the Parade of Breeds, and we were able to touch the horses afterward.

We left the park early in the afternoon and finished the drive to Ten Mile.

DAY 3
We took it easy this morning, playing in the water by the dock a bit (no "water-shed" moments).

After lunch, we went on some errands with Granddaddy and Susan. Our last stop was a milk-and-eggs pickup, which didn't sounds at all interesting to the kids (or Mom and Dad, to be honest). Of course, neither Granddaddy nor Susan mentioned what this pickup might include.

Like meeting dairy cows.

Like holding baby turkeys.

And gathering free range chicken eggs from a portable hen house.

"Milk-and-eggs" indeed.

Who knew we'd need a camera for that? So thanks, Susan, for those photos and a few others here.

DAY 4
This was our big water day.

The kids jumped off the dock, with life vests.




Lincoln swam around with his life jacket. Here, he also is pulling along the rope for the float we'd ride on the lake later.




The kids practiced on the float before the real thing.

Then Granddaddy fired up the speed boat and...




"Lincoln, did you see that fish?"

"It was this big!"

Actually, Dad has no idea what he was saying at that time. But it looks funny - to him, at least.

Anyway, in the afternoon we all boarded the big boat for a ride and a swim.













DAY 5
We drove into the Great Smoky Mountains this morning and hiked, picnicked and played in a stream there.





Granddaddy toys with a snake - in the water where we had been wading.






The men were planning to go fishing the next morning, and not only in the traditional sense. Granddaddy introduced Dad to jug fishing on this night.



DAY 6
And bright and early they went looking for the jugs.

Alas, they returned without any fish. Granddaddy reeled in a couple of little bluegills and tossed them back.

Then we got back in the water, and both kids jumped off the dock!





That afternoon we went to The Lost Sea, billed as the largest underground lake in the country. It's about 45 minutes from their house, but neither Granddaddy nor Susan ever had been there. We all wondered if it was a tourist trap. It is not. It's the real deal.

Unfortunately for the rest of you, the lighting down there is photo-unfriendly. We were hundreds of feet underground, after all!

So this is all you get.

At least you can see the sign.

These are the boats you ride on the lake (after descending hundreds of feet on a footpath through a massive cave.) The boats don't feel too steady on the water...
... particularly when these rainbow trout leap out of the water and scare a tourist into jumping out of his seat.

No, we were not that tourist. But one was sitting across from us. And, yes, he did rock the boat. Did we mention that the water is as much as 70 feet deep?

Here are the kids, ready for "bed" on our last night in Tennessee. They decided to sleep in these new sleeping bags instead of a bed the first night and then did so each night thereafter.

DAY 7
Before we hit the road this morning, the kids got a chance to fish from the dock. They didn't catch anything, but they looked good!




Then we said our goodbyes.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Granddaddy and Susan!

To Grandy's we go!


We had eaten a lot of fresh-from-the-garden(s) fruit and vegetables on this trip, but now we got to pick (and then eat) some in Grandy's backyard.





Thanks, Grandy and Uncle Byron, for leaving some picking for us!

DAY 8
We drove home. And that was it.

EPILOGUE
Levynn now is jumping into the deep end of our pool!