The Goodwin Family: Boone Family Weekender

We recently returned from a very fun trip to the mountains with Granny and Grandpa. We had a blast! They had rented this beautiful cabin (I don't think any of us had ever stayed somewhere so nice!), and we all wanted to stay in that relaxing atmosphere for the rest of the month, I think! There were several neat/cute/interesting/fun things that we failed to catch on camera: Rylie running around the huge open space in the cabin (which she did pretty much constantly), the making of cheese at the cheese factory, some of the beautiful foliage, and trips to some of the cute old-timey general stores to name a few. BUT we did catch lots of other great things on camera, and here they are!

When we first arrived, Rylie decided to help Granny unload all of the cold stuff. Granny gave her a bowl, and she picked up ice cubes and deposited them in her little bowl. She came up with the concept all by herself, and it kept her busy for quite a while!

The inside of the cabin

Rylie's room :-) She slept in the bathroom.

The view from the front porch

There was even a hot tub on the porch...it was such a relaxing spot with an incredible view of God's handiwork!

The owner of the cabin builds the cabins himself. All by himself. It takes him about a year. He builds everything...even lays the hardwood floors!

Snacking with Granny

:-)

Taking a walk to go see the cows. This may have been my favorite part of the weekend. I used to LOVE going to my Nana's and Paw Paw's farm, and I haven't smelled that cow farm smell since I last visited them in SC before they moved to Thomson. I think I could've stayed across the street from the cabin and hung out with the cows the entire weekend. I was soooooo excited to smell that cow smell again! (I know that's kind of strange) It brought back so many fun memories of helping my Paw Paw on his farm!

I love Grandpa's face in this one...apparently, Rylie's getting a kick out of it as well.

The cows!!!!

Rylie just stared and stared and stared.

Waving to the cows...she waves at EVERYTHING now...bugs, leaves, waterfalls...everything. It's so sweet!

And the cows just stared and stared and stared as well.

Rylie got to wear one of my hats...it was cold and rainy much of the time, but still SO beautiful!

There was a beautiful hill right behind the cabin. One morning, Granny and Grandpa saw turkeys and deer on the top of that hill.

Snacking again...

My handsome hottie of a husband!!!!! :-)

Our little family

This picture cracks us up...it looks like a cop just told her to put her hands on the car so he can frisk her, and she's just glaring back at him. I hope this doesn't happen in the future! :-)

The following sequence is pretty hilarious. Tripp decided to take some photos of Rylie walking around on the gravel, the wet gravel. Well, she started heading down a small hill, and I don't think Tripp realized how slippery the gravel was...especially under his newly toddling toddler's feet. :-) So...mommy swooped in to save her little baby girl, and daddy got the following photos. Tripp really gets a kick out of my facial expressions. What you don't see is how I managed to grab Rylie and sit her down safely all before smacking my own hands and knees into the gravel. Apparently, I'm not so good on wet gravel inclines either.

The pretty little steam beside the cabin

Wiggly Rylie

On our way home, we stopped by Linville Caverns. It was really fun, but I just kept thinking about my claustrophobic mom, and how she would never be able to enjoy something like that. I had my panic medicine on hand just in case I freaked out, but I think trying to occupy a fussy toddler kept my claustrophobia somewhat at bay. It was really one of the neatest things I've ever seen. It didn't have any huge spectacular rooms full of stalactites and stalagmites, but we were in a cave! It was just incredible to see firsthand some of the neat little nooks and cranies that God fashioned with his hand. What a creative God we serve!

Rocking with Granny while waiting to enter the cavern.

Some of the beautiful foliage

First shot inside the cavern. This is actually how the cavern was discovered lots of years ago. People saw trout swimming in and out of a hole in the mountain. They followed the trout and discovered the cavern. The little stream runs all through the cavern, but Linville Caverns has put a cement walkway in the cavern so that people can walk through without being knee-deep in water.

An alligator head....look closely

Granddaddy long legs hibernate there in the winter. Our guide said when they all group together, it looks like hairy rocks above your head.

A little bat. We got to see several of these up close.

Our guide explaining this little hole. It's one of the only sandbars in the cavern. Civil war soldiers (from both sides at different times) found shelter in the cavern. A blacksmith's bench was even discovered inside the cavern. Apparently, it was somewhat of a "safe house" for the soldiers. The soldiers did a great job of hiding until they made a fire. Then, the smoke escaped through the cracks, and the soldiers were discovered. Also, Thomas Edison once sent a team of explorers into the cavern in search for platinum. They didn't find any, but they left their mark on the cavern wall...very neat!

A tight squeeze

slimy rocks

Another tight squeeze

Through that hole is a bridge that we all stood on. It covers the "bottomless lake". A few years back, some divers explored it and dropped a measuring device. The device didn't measure beyond 250 feet, but the lake kept going...so...they still don't know how deep it is!