If 50 is over the hill, then 49 must be on the top of the world

27 dollars in an old jean jacket

And there's dust under the collar

'Cause I've been walking for hours

But I'm almost where

I said that I would be...

But I'm out way past my prime

Looking for reasons I didn't get my time

- Greensky Bluegrass

My 49th birthday started in the holler and then up to Mill Spring, North Carolina.

It was a weekend that included a blown-out flip flop.  

Not to fear…I was able to buy a used pair out of an RV.  I kid you not.

 The weekend also included turning a marshmallow stick holder, for Christmas.  Still not kidding.

Then the creativity really got going. Somehow, a mole was created and turned into Queen Elizabeth II. I cannot make this up.

I know you’re a lonely woman and I love you

But someone else is waiting and he owns you

If he should ever wake up

Make sure your story is straight, love

If you talk in your sleep

Don’t mention my name

If you walk in your sleep

Forget where you came

- The Del McCoury Band

2026-27 School Year Kickoff

 And just like that, we’re back to school!

Driver Ed Pickup

A newly licensed teenage driver in the house.

There’s still been time for afternoons in the pool with friends and even a moms’ night out for me

We were lucky enough to have a visit from Granise and Grandpa this month.

(Fig Tasting)

High school swim season is also officially underway- break out the mosquito spray and neck fan.

And out in the garden, the pumpkin seeds we planted are sprouting

 

A new school year, a new driver, swim season, family time, pool days, and tiny pumpkins growing. 

Not a bad way to ease into this 2026-27 school year.

Sweet Summer Week 5 and 6

The last of our sweet summer.

For the last double-digit number of years, LDC and I have carved out time each summer to make sure we get our required dose of Vitamin Sea.

And honestly, it has been a pretty great prescription.

Our Jekyll Island summers together have been filled with treasures and memories that, years later, still make us laugh. The days are sandy, sweaty, sticky, and ridiculously hot…perfecto.

There has been minimal bougie.

(Minimal) 

That is exactly what makes it so special.

Because neither of us would want it any other way.

Over the years, the details might have changed, but the important stuff hasn't--like our little traditions.

There is something pretty wonderful about knowing that you can spend years doing the same thing with someone and still look forward to it…

Still happily choosing the heat, the sand, the sweat—and each other.

 LDC, I love you.

And as our summers together start to come toward their end, I just want you to know how perfect they've been.

Not perfect in the polished, picture-perfect kind of way.

Perfect in the hot, sweaty, sandy, laughing-until-we-can't-breathe, wouldn't-have-it-any-other-way kind of way.

And really, what more could we ask for?

So, here is to the 250th

American celebration

and to shorebirds, swatting at mosquitos and avoiding jellyfish.

Here’s to all the Vitamin Sea we've already had—and... 

to every last grain of sand still to come.

Sweet Summer Week Four, Red-Rock Buttes

 Nestled in the high desert

Five girls from Louisiana walked into the Arizona desert... and immediately started looking for shade, drinks, and a breeze.

Yep, my view from bed.

5:10am sunrise

Look at that paint stroke of colors

Guess the temperature

a) 86

b) 96

c)106

Correct answer 

b)96.....mid morning

Although,

it was 108 in Phoenix when the plane wheels hit the ground.

Meb,

We made it back.

Thank you for the surprise immersion program with a broken-English stranger.

Next time we are at an Italian restaurant, it will be "bueno".

Please never stop making me fish tacos.

I'll charge your crystals any time, any day...not sure why I slept on the Smoky Quartz- but let's go with it.

KT,

Thanks for bringing the joy.  

Life can sometimes shatter and that's okay—especially when those shattered pieces can put back together with peace and be more beautiful than before.

Hillary, 

Thank you for proving that every mile hiked earns at least an hour in the pool with a Long Drink. By our math, we were right on schedule.

Chloe,

Thank you for helping me realize those old, discolored scraps of paper weren't junk—they were just memories waiting for a reunion. And one day, I'll proudly hand over $5 to hear you perform at an RV campground—front row, of course.

And one of my favorite pics from the trip...

We turned the driveway into a five-star observatory—minus the comfort and plus a few pebbles.

Sweet Summer Week Three, Camp NURSE LIFE

 https://andersonuniversity.edu/news/new-camp-introduces-high-schoolers-to-the-world-of-nursing/    (front row, holding sign)

Her highlights from Nursing Camp...

proper PPE techniques, birthing simulator, and wound care

Although nursing turned out to be about as perfect a fit as flip-flops in a snowstorm, the camp was still an awesome opportunity for her to fuel her curiosity and keep exploring all the exciting possibilities in the healthcare field.

Sweet Summer Week Two, Women of Appalachia

 

Jumped on the AT for a bit

Trail name, Fern

Trail name, Kudzu

Kuwohi

 (formerly Clingmans Dome): 

 6,643 feet

Fireflies, extra helping of smores, elk watching, tunnel driving and river floating.

Lisa gave the trip a 10/10.

LDC gave it an 11/10.