When we got back from walking along the river the line for cider was two or three times what it was before, so we had to give up the idea of getting cider today. So we bought our favorite tart apples (Empire) and started home. There won't be many more days like this! I know winter is coming and it is long, so we were thankful to have a day to just enjoy the beautiful fall season! God is good!
It was a perfect day to go to George George Park - a beautifully landscaped place with two fountains, many bridges, creeks, ponds with geese, clean picnic areas, gardens, and beautiful TREES!
In the middle of the park is a children's Play Area. It is for climbing, swinging, sliding, and pretending. Shelley and I played with Matthew there for awhile before we ate our lunches on a picnic table under the shade of a beautiful old tree. For awhile we played on a black twine structure that looked like a spider web. We all had to be "spiders". Matthew knows that neither one of us likes spiders, so he let us be "little tiny" ones!
The trees are just beginning to turn colors and they are so beautiful! Here is a view across the park.
We crossed several bridges on a walk through the park. This was the view from one of the bridges of a little creek running through the property.
I don't know what happened to my frame around this picture - I did make one - but it is still a great picture of Shelley and Matthew at the top of one of the slides in the play area. Shelley actually went down the slide with Matthew and she is eight months pregnant!! She gets around very well, but it is getting tougher to keep up with an active almost three year old.
We stopped by a large pond to see all of the geese swimming in the water and getting food in the mud and grass. There were also some cute ducks.
Matthew was very nice to pose by this big pine tree. It kind of shows how little he is, but most of the tree got cut off.
Matthew was getting tired of pictures by this time, but we "snuck" this one in. I wanted one that showed some trees in the background, but he would have nothing to do with any more pictures.
We had a great time - what a wonderfully beautiful place! Here is the pool around one of the fountains. There used to be a sign that said "No swimming!" in front of it. One day Terry and I were walking here and saw two girls actually swimming in this pool. Their mother had brought a change of clothes and towels to dry them when they got out. Go figure!!
Knoxville is a LITTLE closer to us than Charlotte, NC, so we are happy for that. It is only a couple of hours closer, but every little bit helps!
Knoxville is just outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park - a beautiful place! It is also home to the University of Tennessee. We will be anxious to visit and can maybe go through there on our way to Florida each year by taking a different route than we usually have. We are excited for them. We are praying that they will find a good church family quickly and that Mark will love his job. This is really the first time in their married lives that they can actually be together on weekends and every night because Shari will not be working - at least not outside their home. Little Esme is growing, gaining weight and doing very well! :) I miss her!
These are pictures of Great Smoky Mountain National Park just outside of Knoxville. Looks so beautiful!
The TIGERS lost the game - but, that has been the story for much of the end of the season. It is always fun to go to Comerica Park, though - it is beautiful there. In spite of the loss, it was a fun day spent with people we enjoy and love. We don't get time to do enough of that and it was a pleasure!!
Monday morning after we had slept in a bit and gotten dressed, Terry and I sat down on the couch to talk and we both decided that we didn't have anything to do that day and just didn't want to stay at home and work around the house. After all, it was so beautiful outside and it was our last summer holiday. So we tossed around ideas like going to the State Fair, the Romeo Peach festival or just going to the mall and to eat. But we decided in the end that even though it was already 10:00 A.M. that we could be at Frankenmuth by noon. So we just got in the car and headed off! What a gorgeous day it was!
All of the flowers and grounds looked beautiful. We arrived just in time for lunch at Zehnder's. We walked right in and got a seat right away. We thought it would be best to eat our big meal first and then walk it off while we walked around Frankenmuth and Birch Run. 
The meal was really delicious. We had chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, bread and rolls, relishes, dressing etc. As always at Frankenmuth, we had an excellent waitress. So we left stuffed and happy and ready to walk.
We looked at all of the shops in Frankenmuth - it is a beautiful place! Then we took off to do so serious shopping at Birch Run. We walked around Birch Run for about three or four hours and then left for the trip home. I really enjoyed just being with Terry on the trip there and back and the meal and all of the walking. It is so nice just to connect for awhile and get away. 
