WE HAVE ARRIVED!

We have arrived . . . well, actually we arrived a week ago today, but things have been hectic and I was without Internet access until Thursday. Our trip went off without a hitch. Our friend Duane and his son Christopher arrived about 8 hours behind us with the truck. After a wonderful breakfast at the Cumberland Inn in Williamsburg, we got the travel trailer set in place and the beds made and let the guys take a nap before unloading. My "niece" and her new husband drove up from Knoxville to help us unload. I don't know what we'd have done without them!

True to form for us, life is an adventure. We found "squatters" in the carport/patio in the form of a family of barn swallows that had nested on a blade of the ceiling fan. Good thing the guys noticed the nest BEFORE they turned the fan on! We've had a blast watching Barney and Mrs. Swallow prepare for their hatchlings and then when the little quadruplets arrived, a constant flurry of activity to keep the little guys fed. Much better than TV! Mrs. M. Dove has also nested in the carport - in the grape vine growing between the posts. So far no little doves, but there are two eggs in the nest. A family of house wrens has made their home in the trash can in the barn. We'd left some dead branches from an old rose bush in the can before we left in April and they must have decided we left it just for them and built their nest amongst the thorns. Guess we didn't need that trash can anyhow - at least not until the eggs hatch and the little wrens fly the nest!

The greatest treasure waiting for us comes in the form of a puppy - and I use the term puppy loosely! She is probably about 6 - 8 months old, a beautiful red color with long legs and paws the size of a small third world country. Our neighbor, Mr. Wilson, tells us she's been hanging around for about three weeks or more - just like she'd been waiting for us to arrive. Throughout the day, while we were unloading the truck, we tried to come up with a name for her. Trouble was one of the top choices of the day, but somehow just didn't seem right for a pretty little girl. I finally decided on Grace (or Gracie). No, I didn't name her after my wonderful Sunny friend, although she does have a sweet disposition and constantly makes us laugh. Her name came about after she followed Brigitte and I on our evening walk down our little country road. She was galloping along beside us when she suddenly disappeared - down into a ditch on the side of the road. She looked up at me with that "how did I get down here" look on her face as she picked herself up and made her way back up on to the road to join us. Once was funny, but when she rolled down into a ditch on the other side of the road just a few minutes later - well you can imagine me doubled over in laughter. I was still laughing when we got back to the carport/patio where the guys were relaxing. Before I had a chance to tell them what happened she, in all her clumsy puppiness, cleared a table with her tail. I told the guys that I thought we should name her Grace - something that she was definitely lacking, but a beautiful name for a beautiful "little" girl.

Unfortunately, pictures will have to wait until I figure out where I put the little cord thingy that transfers pictures from my camera to the laptop. I put it somewhere I'd be sure to find it easily - so if anyone out there can give me a clue as to where that might be, please let me in on the secret!

Blessings y'all!