Obed Wild and Scenic River

The Obed Wild and Scenic River is an area near Fairfield Glade, Tennessee that is administered by the National Park Service. It is a deep river gorge with steep cliff overhangs. It is really an amazing area. Here we are on a deck overlooking one of the more scenic areas within the gorge.

Near the gorge is a boulder field that is a local destination for rock climbers and kids of the Strong family. Eli scaled the first boulder we saw!

 Eve was next and didn't get too far until the boulder got the best of her climbing ability.

Kjersti went right to the top of the boulder. She posed at the summit with her handy spotter.

A Hillbilly Masterpiece

Near Fairfield Glade, Tennessee is the World Largest Treehouse. This is a true hillybilly masterpiece. It's seven stories tall, includes multiple rooms and a Christian chapel. That said, it's on private property near some guy's house and has been built completely of wood scraps by the home owner and some of his friends. Talk about too much time on your hands. This thing must give the local building inspector nightmares every time he thinks about it.  Needless to say, it attracts some pretty interesting folks including hippies, Indian reunions (not making this up), motorcycle clubs, college students and us. The whole place had an odd feel to it, but it was so remarkable it didn't stop us from taking a closer look.

It didn't take long to see that this treehouse wasn't very kid friendly. That's what happens when the place is built one available scrap at a time. We had to keep a close watch on all of the kids all the time. They still thought it was pretty cool though.

At five stories high, this deck on the tree house has quite a view of the surrounding area. Our Odyssey van is directly above Eli's head in this picture.

From the same deck looking directly up, you can see that the path to the top is still a pretty good climb. Here, I'm not sure if Kjersti is pointing out building code violations or the fact that somebody risked their life putting two more stories on top of the five below it?

The preacher can liven up the meeting by shooting free throws from the pulpit (notice the basketball rim/net directly above the cross mural) if he feels so inclined. This space was remarkably large for a tree house, but was also a little wierd. I don't think I would feel comfortable with the engineering of this chapel if it were filled to capacity. 

This tree house also had a classic hillbilly swing. A lawn chair fastened to ropes and held together with duct tape. As unsafe as this looked, it didn't stop us from letting all the kids take a turn on it.



This house could be the centerpiece of Hillbilly Disneyland. Throw in a few funnel cake vendors, a catfish pond and a few abandoned cars and you've got yourself a real destination attraction!

Giddy Up!

 While we were at Fairfield Glade, the kids had their first chance to go horseback riding. While they didn't blaze any new trails, they had an absolutely wonderful time riding the horses around. They all said it was a lot better than riding on Cody's back.

 Kjersti was just beaming as soon as she mounted her horse. Can you blame her?

 Eli was really digging the horse right from the get go as well.

 After awhile, the kids got to feeling pretty comfortable with these horses. Eli's got the expression here of an old cowboy. It's not easy leading these horses around, but some body has to do it.

Eve was quite the cowgirl. She ended up having the longest ride, but was also the least willing to let it end. She needs more horse time. Hopefully sometime soon we can work something out!

Fairfield Glade, Tennessee

 From 26 August to 2 September, we went on vacation to Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. It's a resort village midway between Nashville and Knoxville. We had an awesome time doing a number of activities, but one of the kids favorites was just going to the beach at a nearby lake. This looks a lot like Cody shooting a jump shot, but as you can see, it's much more than that. Eli's vertical take off (assist by Cody) from the lake was one of his favorite things to do.
 

 Eve managed to find quite a few different shells on the beach and made sure she shared liberally with anyone who was interested.

 Kjersti explored the depths of the lake sporting her swim goggles.

Eve enjoyed just bobbing around in her life jacket and instructing Cody where she wanted to go.

Spooktacular Party

 Kjersti decided for her 9th birthday party, she wanted to have a Halloween theme even though the day was still a few months away. It proved to be a very popular choice! The first person scared by the party was Cody. This was because all of the party-goers were fed spaghetti and marinara sauce in the living room. As it turned out, Cody was just a big scaredy cat.
 

 Spooktacular's need ghosts. What better way to make ghosts than to play the old penny in the flour game. There was a pretty good amount of anxiety about possibly being the first one to get flour on their face, but that didn't last long. A number of "ghosts" stepped up in no time!

 Heidi really made the party special with an amazing cake and more spooktacular party favors and decorations than bones in a skeleton!

 Kjersti had a great time opening presents and just hanging out with this many friends all at once.

Cora had a few tips to give out as well as a few interested listeners. She's such a great friend to Kjersti!

Waterfall Tomfoolery

 Indeed, things may seem to start out cute, warm and fun-loving at the Crystal City waterfall, but it didn't take long for things to descend into deep tomfoolery.

 It all starts out when Eve and Heidi try to break the single season record for most laps around the waterfall island.

 Craziness ensues as Eve takes a seemingly innocent "dip" into the waterfall basin. Oh, this is where the parents really should have put a halt to the insanity.

 But they didn't! The next thing you know, the Kjersti and Eli think they're both super heroes and they're ready to try out their "super powers" on anyone they deem a "bad guy". The innocent office worker who got a little too close to the silliness will never be the same.

 I'm not even sure what was happening here other than complete and senseless tomfoolery.

Of course, when the whimsical laughter had ended shortly after this picture was taken, Kjersti had been reduced to nothing but her flip flops by Eve who at this point was simply "beyond Thunderdome".

Two Years Old

Guess who had the best birthday ever?!? Elmo balloon, princess cake and presents to boot... this birthday was simply awesome.

Part of what made the birthday so great was a eatin... I mean, playing at Eve's favorite restaurant, Chuck E Cheese. In the days prior to her party, the name Chuck E Cheese was used in nearly every sentance she uttered.

One of her presents was a large inflatable ball she could crawl into and roll around in. The only problem with this gift was that it was so cool, that her brother and sister used it more than she did. This created a number of short, intense and well-justified tantrums until her siblings could be bounced out.