Mackenzie Turns THREE

Can you believe it? MacKenzie is three. She brings so much joy to my life. She was so fun during her party. I had my family over and cooked burgers. It was so good to see my mother. I've missed her so much. She is doing a great job recovering from her surgery. Sara was able to stay up during the whole party. I know she was pushing herself and I was proud of her.

Steve gave MacKenzie a pink Barbie fishing pole. MacKenzie and I went outside and fished in the pool. Then we climbed up onto the boat and fished from there. She had more fun driving the boat than fishing from it. I gave her a pink princess big wheel. The look on her face was priceless.

She fills me with so much love. What will I do with a second grandchild? I think I'll burst from happiness.

Dale Hollow Lake

We're home. Our last few days were interesting, filled with ups and downs. First, we met a neighter camper who took us out in the boat in the picture (those are his sons, not the camper). We were doing 60 miles an hour over the lake and it felt like we were floating. What a boat ride. They were sweet people from Ohio. I love meeting new people when we travel. There are so many interesting people out there.

We spent one day in Pall Mall, TN. This is where Sgt. Alvin C. York grew up. If you're not familiar with him, google him. He's a war hero from world war II, and quite a man. The first picture is of me and Sgt. York's son. It was cool meeting him. We bought the movie about Sgt. York and watched it that night. He talked a lot about his father. We ate lunch at a little cafe that had just opened up for the 127 corridor yard sale. We just missed it. It's 617 miles long.

Steve finally got the boat fixed. I don't know if I mentioned the holes in the pontoons. He assured me it wouldn't sink, but I sure am relieved the holes are fixed. I didn't know I have a water dog. I knew Nana liked to walk in the edge of the water. She did this a lot in the ocean and trout fishing. But, she got on the boat with us and loved it.

I'm glad to be home for a while. After I left, I found out they put my mother in the special care unit in St. Thomas. They had to put a tube down her throat and monitor her heart. She does have heart problems and the surgery caused even more problems. I spent several days on hold, waiting to see if I needed to come home. My sister kept in close touch. She stayed in there four days. Cassie has a couple of school friends that worked in the hospital, one was her nurse and one watched her heart monitor. She also had her heart doctor from Vanderbilt (who doesn't have priviledges there) calling every day to check on her. Her heart doctor went to school with her surgeon and my niece teaches dance to the daughter of the head anesthesiologist. I felt like she was being looked after pretty well. She was finally put in a regular room, but was in the hospital eleven days before she went home. I was pretty worried.

Then, on Friday before we left, Keith called and had to take Sara to the emergency room. She was incoherent. I waited with keys in hand ready to leave. The doctors said it was a combination of her sleep apnea and fibromyalgia that caused it. She is still in bed, but she is more coherent now. I remember being like that when I was bedridden. I wouldn't wish it on my enemys, much less my daughter. I was pretty worried.

The last day at Dale Hollow Lake, Saturday, we put Cleo in the lake and watched the sunset. I really needed that. So, I'm home, everyone is all right, and I'm ready to leave again. We have a busy traveling schedule planned, so I won't be home a long time. I'm not even moving back into the house. I'm staying in the motorhome until we leave again.

Diana the ready to leave again

Birthdays at Dale Hollow Lake

I spent my birthday reading a book, then off to a sunset cruise on Cleo. I think I'll collect sunsets.

Steve spent his birthday working on the boat. He found a hole coroded in the pontoon. He was moving the boat so he could work on it and a trailer tire blew out. It sounded like a gunshot. There is a ghost story here about three confederate soldiers who were deserters and their friends chased them down and shot them right in this campground. People have heard shots ring out in the campground. So, the whole campground went wild trying to find the ghosts. All I found was Steve kicking the trailer of the boat, and he wasn't white, he was red.

After he fixed the tire, and we ate dinner. We were invited by some neighbors for a sunset cruise in their 22 ft. searay. We zipped across the lake to Kentucky in about 15 minutes. It would have taken us three hours in Cleo. It was very, very fast. But steady. I was never frighted. I just can't believe they ski behind it.

Yesterday I met a fellow writer who has written history books about the area. He is called the gravedigger and does ghost walks in the campground. He gave me some books, one of which is his ghost stories for Dale Hollow Lake. Right below us is the old town of Willow Grove. It was flooded when the corp made the dam. The Corp says they moved all of the graves, but there is no record of some of the people being moved. the swimming area below the campground used to be the backyard of the Christ Church for Willow Grove, and it's cemetary. Kind of creepy swimming there now.

So, today I'm off to cruise on the lake, and maybe, do a little swimming. (oooohhhh).