summer vacation (part one)

...just got back from vacation late saturday night. We had been away for almost 2.5 weeks. It was definitely good to be back home in Tennessee. We had left on the 27th of July, going east on I-40 towards Crossville to pick up my dad at his dental office there. We arrived there around 1 pm as he was just wrapping up his half-day. We left the office at 3:30 and stopped at Ozone Falls State Natural Area after about 30 minutes. This incredible waterfall is 110 feet high and ends in a pool with a stunning display of spray. After hiking around the area for a bit, we ended up at the base of the fall by the pool. A few of us even decided to experience the 'natural shower effect' that the waterfall creates.

...after staying the night at a Comfort Inn just across the border of Tennessee and Virginia and taking a quick dip in the hotel pool, we started this time along I-81. The plan was to spend the weekend with the Sicher family, friends who live in a lakeside communty on Smith Mountain Lake in Moneta, Virginia. Dr Sicher went to dental school with my dad and our families have kept in touch ever since then. It had been a year since the female half of my family had been to the lake-front home and more than a few since either my dad or I had traveled there. It was good to be back at Sicherland, a name my dad coined during this trip.

We spent the weekend boating, swimming, slalom skiing, water skiing, kneeboarding, tubing, jumping and diving off of the 11' and 14' pilons, relaxing, burning under the sun, eating, catching up with friends, and other such jovial activities. The weekend was much too short; it was simply not enough time to spend with life-long friends - I am sure we will be back there before too long and they know that our home is always open to them.