Lake Day 1

We spent most of this morning on the lake.  I didn't take too many photos because I didn't want my phone to get wet.

Nikki was first to go out on one of the jet skis.  Stan and I also took off on one.  Ethan is working on getting his boating license so he can legally drive one.

We went on a boat ride around the lake. It was very beautiful.

I also tried kayaking.  I wasn't too successful on my first try, as the canoe tipped over as I tried getting in.  After that, though I did fine.

The rest of the afternoon, we napped, relaxed, and read.  It was a very peaceful day and I enjoyed every minute.  

 This evening, Stan and Ethan ventured to the town of Hickory to catch a baseball game.  The home team is the Hickory Crawdads, a single A team of the Rangers.  

Tomorrow will be another lake day with more family.  

Sherrill's Ford

Today was a traveling day.  Now that the entire family was in town (Ethan came in late last night), we were ready to head to our next destination.

On our way out of Georgia, Ethan really wanted to see some of Atlanta since he had missed all of our adventures from the past couple of days.  So, the logical place to go?  The new Sun Trust Park, home of the Atlanta Braves.  Originally, before Ethan got his job with UPS, he was going to be on the whole trip with us, so we got Stan tickets to see the Diamondbacks play the Braves on our last day before we flew home. Unfortunately, Ethan wasn't able to take any time off since he was new, so he was going to miss out on that, so we took him to the stadium.  Sun Trust Park is the brand new stadium for the Braves, opened this past March.  It was a beautiful complex.

He got his Braves hat and was ready for his photo op.

After our visit to the stadium, we hit the road...destination Sherrill's Ford, NC to visit my aunt and uncle.  Here are a few sites from the drive.

A giant peach water tower.

Drove through South Carolina

Then to North Carolina

It's a whole different culture out here.

We arrived at my Aunt Judy and Uncle Bill's cabin on the lake.  This is where we will stay for the next several days.  Sheryl's Ford is about 45 minutes north of Charlotte, NC.   We are all beat from the jet lag and the traveling.

Ethan hopped in a kayak right away

Their view from the deck.  It's right on the lake.

The view from the dock.  We sat on the dock this evening right before the sun went down and saw fireflies.  It was the first time all four of us has ever seen them.  It was quite exciting.  

We are looking forward to spending the next few days kayaking, jet skiing, and visiting with family.

Hotlanta

We started off our second day in Georgia with a good breakfast.  We had found a cute little patisserie in the Marietta Square yesterday, so we headed there.  It was a beautiful morning, and we ate outside The food was excellent.  I tried an authentic quiche, which was much better than I had expected.

After breakfast, we had decided to spend the day in downtown Atlanta.  Stan really wanted to go to The World of Coca Cola, so we went there first.  Let me say, people in Phoenix shouldn't complain about traffic.  It is HORRIBLE here in Atlanta.  It seemed like accidents were everywhere and the drivers are aggressive (not mean, just aggressive). After a rough ride downtown, we arrived.

The World of Coca Cola is like a museum to tell about the history of Coke. When you get there, they give you a can of your choice of Coke, and then you go into a room where a guide tells you a little history.

After the introduction, you are ushered into a theater.  I was expecting it to be a movie about the history of the product.  Instead it was a 6 minute long commercial. 

Then you are welcome to explore.  I think that unless you are a die hard Coca Cola fan, if you ever come to Atlanta, you can skip this attraction.  I felt like the whole thing was a giant Coke advertisement.  The day we were there, the tasting room was closed due to water issues, so we couldn't taste the different Coke products from around the world.

My favorite part of the tour was the art room.

These bottles were designed by local artists.

Outside the museum is a big courtyard.  The aquarium is there as well as the Museum of Civil Rights.    It was very pretty.

After the Coke Museum, we went to the Atlanta Botanical Garden.  I am a member of the Desert Botanical Garden, so we were able to get in free. It was very beautiful, but here is where we felt the humidity.  By the end of our walk, we were sweaty and sticky.  But it was very worth it and I'm glad we went.  Here are a few photos from that visit.

While we enjoyed our day, we were hungry and tired.  We wanted to get out of the city, so we drove back to Marietta for a lunch at the Australian Bakery, where we had some very good sandwiches with the best bread.  Then we went home, showered, and rested up.  Stan and I are getting ready to head to the airport to pick up Ethan.  We are so glad he will be joining us at least for a few days.  Tomorrow, we hit the road again, heading to North Carolina.  

Georgia on My Mind

The big day finally arrived!  We headed to Atlanta to begin our big summer trip.  None of us has ever been to the south, so we were all excited to finally leave!  Well, three of us, anyway.  Ethan couldn't get off work, so he will be joining us in a few days.

We had a really smooth flight.  This is Atlanta from our first view.

She didn't want me to take this, but Atlanta airport is long, so you have to take a train from your gate to the baggage claim.  It's not too difficult to navigate, but it is CROWDED!

After waiting for what seemed like 1 luggage carousel for the entire airport, we found our shuttle and went to a hotel near the airport.  It was about 11 p.m. by that point and we really didn't want to be driving around in a strange city at that time. 

The time difference between Phoenix and Atlanta is 3 hours.  Nikki and Stan had no problems falling asleep around midnight, Atlanta time.  I, on the other hand struggled and finally went to sleep around 2 a.m.  Stan, who had a good night's sleep and didn't seemed to be bothered by the time difference, woke up at 6 a.m. Atlanta time.  He tried to be quiet, but Nikki and I were both up and moving by 7.  

Our car was reserved to pick up at noon, so we waited until about 10 and went to pick it up.  When we arrived at the car rental place, they told us that we could pick it up early, but it would be an extra $200.  We decided that two hours wasn't worth that, so we found a seat and waited 2 hours.  

I went to the car rental counter at our scheduled time, and this lady was much nicer.  She looked at my paperwork and said I was a "preferred customer."  I guess signing up for the special "frequent flier" type programs paid off because she sent me out to the preferred customer line in the garage, gave them my info, and they said that they would pull my car around.  This is what they pulled up:

So, we had our car, and went to find our house.  We rented a house through Airbnb in Marietta.  I'm so glad I did.  I usually try to rent a house instead of a hotel room when we go on vacation and I have not been disappointed yet.  This one is a three bedroom, three bath house and is just perfect.  

The front of the house

Backyard

Backyard

Living/Dining

Living Room

View from the front balcony.

After we got settled in, we were all hungry, so we headed to the Marietta Square, which is a more historical part of town and is a lot like the square in Prescott, AZ, if you've ever been there.   We ate at a cute restaurant called Hemingway's.  I told the waiter that we were from Arizona and wanted to try something southern.  Stan and Nikki both rolled their eyes at me, but I'm glad I asked because he suggested we try the fried pickles and sweet tea.  They were both so good!  

We then waked around the square and enjoyed the little boutique shops.

At the fountain in the center of the square.

A cute old fashioned movie theater

I love all of the greenery and flowers.  I took this photo to show all of the moss growing on the trunks.  

Square center

Then we just went for a drive.  Stan really loves the tree-lined streets.

I also love the flowers.  Very different from Arizona.

Georgia has been so beautiful so far and the people have been so friendly.  We will be exploring downtown Atlanta tomorrow and Ethan will arrive tomorrow night.