SV Part VIII: The Final Post

We were at Callaway Gardens for seven nights and loved every minute. I ran every day but once, totaling 30+ miles. We swam, walked, Ashley and Bode biked, and spent time with the Rankins, Watsons, and Barnharts (aka Ashley's family). We read in the "rest" periods (can't call them naps anymore). I finished two of the Game of Thrones books, and also read The Hunger Games, which was fantastic. Ashley is entralled with the Dean Kootz Frankenstein series. We go back to work tomorrow :-( We'd like to go back to Callaway, but, alas, work intrudes and we've yet to find a wealthy benefactor to fund our playtime :-)

Now for some odds and ends, some pictures, and some final remarks on SV 2011. First, here is a cute shot of Bode and Teddy.

Nana, Papa, and all the relatives spent a lot of time watching the cousins, giving Ashley and me some time to relax, and for that, we thank them.

Next is a cute shot of Dave and Teddy on a pseudo-tandem bike.

Ashley and Bode would have rented a similar one, but Bode wasn't tall enough. Maybe next year, little buddy. Next is a picture of Bode walking. He looks so grown up to me.

Finally, here is a shot of Dave, Ashley, Bode, and Teddy relaxing with a cold drink.

This concludes the SV posts (unless I get some new ones from relatives; then I'll post :-) We had a great time and look forward to doing it again real soon--August, anyone? Pleasant week to all.

SV Part VII: Tree Top

Callaway has a big, seven-acre vegetable garden. They grow all sorts of things: tomatoes, okra, beans, peppers, apple trees, squash, grapes, blackberries, and probably lots of things I've forgotten. There's a sign that says not to pick and eat the produce. However, there was no sign saying anything about the produce that had fallen off :-) Here is a cute shot of Bode and Mommy.

Next is a shot of the boys running around. The beauty of the vegetable garden was the wide open spaces for the boys to take off running.

One evening, Dave, Kathy, Ashley, and I did the Treetop Adventure. This involved harnesses, safety clips, and helmets. Scary. Basically, it was a course about 15 feet off the ground in the trees. There were obstacles and zip lines--tons of fun. The boys watched from below, constantly telling Mommy and Daddy to, "Be careful!" It was very cute. Here's a shot of Dave and Kathy before the course. I know it's before because afterwards, we were all covered in sweat.

Next, we had Ashley and me.

Below are some action photos. First, here I am crossing a bridge.

Next we have Ashley and me on a platform.

Here are Dave and Kathy going over some obstacles.

Finally, here is Kathy on a zip line.

The Treetop Adventure was awesome. We all had a great time and would do it again in a heartbeat.

One more post from SV forthcoming...

SV Part VI: Water Fun

We spent a lot of time out in the sun, either at the beach or at the pool. Of course, sun-screen was a big part of the day. Here's Mommy getting ready to apply some to Bode-man.

Even though Bode likes the pool, he doesn't venture very far into the water. He usually likes to stay on the stairs in ankle-to-knee deep water. Sometimes, after much begging, Ashley is able to convince Bode to let her carry him into the water.

Bode loved going to the beach. Sadly, I never took any real "beach" pictures. I did take some pictures of Cricket water skiing.

In the second picture, you can see "Aqua Island" in the background. This was a series of floating devices which you climb on, run on, bounce on, and jump from. Dave, Ashley, and I did this for an hour on our last day at Callaway. It was exhausting (this seems to be a theme...maybe we're just getting old). Part of Aqua Island was set up as an obstacle course, in which we could race each other. The three of us decided to race each other. Fortunately, there was no one else there, so we had the place to ourselves. Dave got a big lead on Ashley and me, but towards the end, he slipped off and fell in the water. I saw my chance, but as I passed, I too, fell into the water. Dave recovered and reached the finish line. I pulled myself back onto the platform just as Ashley was passing me. She turned the corner with the finish in sight, only to slip and fall, allowing me to pass. We all collapsed into the water, laughing. It was quite amusing.

There was also a miniature golf course. Ashley, Bode, and I played. Well, Ashley and I played. Bode just taps the ball along, but he gets real excited when he finally gets it in the hole. Ashley won our little game...by 10 strokes. It's not that I played poorly--she simply couldn't miss.

One more post to come, but it might be awhile. I'm trying to get some pictures emailed to me so I can include them. Let's hope I get them because I want to show pictures of the Towering Tree of Death (actually, it was called the Treetop Challenge, but my name sounds scarier :-)

SV Part V: Golf and Duck-Duck

There are two golf courses at Callaway. One of them (the Mountain Course) is very challenging. In fact, ten years ago, it was home to the PGA's Buick Open. There is also the Lake Course, which is very beautiful, very scenic, but not as hard (although there is water in play on the majority of the holes). We played the Lake Course because Ashley and I hadn't played in a year, I don't know when the last time David played, and Frank said it had been something like a half dozen years for him. Needless to say, we hit the links with low expectations.

Here are shots of the various players before we teed off. First up is David.

Next is Frank.

Finally we have Ashley. Can she ever not wear Auburn gear?

Now, down to business. We actually played pretty well, but there's no need to post the scores, as those don't really add to the story :-) I did get some good action photos. First, here's Ashley right as she's contacting the ball. Is that Tim Tebow playing (google "Tebow golf swing" and you'll see the picture I'm talking about)?

Next is a good picture of Dave's backswing. Note the "straight" left arm...

Finally, some movies. First is Ashley hitting a nice drive.

Next is Dave going over the water.

The round of golf was very enjoyable, and we have Nana and Kathy to thank for watching the kids while we were gone for half the day.

The evenings at Callaway were just as fun as the days. We'd usually gather at Nana and Papa's cabin for dinner. Sometimes we'd do ice cream (ok, always). The kids would then entertain themselves, running around outside, laughing, and simply doing what kids do. One night, Chelsea, Cricket, and Calley taught Bode and Teddy how to play Duck-Duck-Goose. It was hilarious to watch. I tried to get some pictures, but they don't do justice to the fun the little ones had.

Duck, duck

Duck, duck...

Goose!!!

I also got this short video.

Next up: water activities and more golf (the miniature kind).

SV Part IV: The Demise of Dougie the Flat

There was lots to do at Callaway. We were never bored, and often had too many different things to choose from. Adding to the fun was the presence of a lot of Ashley's family. Her parents were there, here brother Dave, his wife, Kathy, and their kids, Teddy and Charlie. Bode loves Teddy and Charlie. Every morning, first question he'd ask was, "Where's Teddy?" We had to explain (often) that Teddy was at his cabin with his Mommy and Daddy. This always seemed to perplex Bode.

Callaway has a wonderful Butterfly center. We met up with Ashley's cousin Penny, who also came to Callaway with her husband, Milton, their kids Chelsea, Cricket, and Calley, her parents, Dwight and Pattie, and a friend of Chelsea's who happens to be named Chelsea, which just adds to the confusion. Here's a picture of Ashley, Penny, and Bode in front of the Butterfly Center.

When we got inside and started walking around, Bode wanted to take some pictures. Here he is reaching for the camera.

The boy takes a pretty good picture. Here are some of the butterflies.

We then convinced him to sit on my lap. Ashley snapped this photo of the two of us.

The funniest part of the day was when Dave wanted to get a picture of Teddy with this crayon drawing of this cartoon character. Evidently they take this drawing everywhere, snap a picture, and send it to Teddy's maternal grandmother (or something like that.). Here's Bode and Teddy getting ready for a picture with Dougie the Flat (I've no idea why this is the name).

Next we have an actual picture of the boys and Dougie. So far so good.

Next, something horrible happens. Teddy drops Dougie. You can see him down by the guard rail.

Sadly, Dougie ended up in the water. Teddy was distraught.

Fortunately, Dave was able to find someone to help fish Dougie back to safety.

They got most of Dougie back, although he's missing as ear. Teddy was consoled, and in the end, everything was fine.

Next up: Golf and duck-duck-goose.

SV Part III: Circus Tricks

The Florida State University Flying Circus performs at Callaway Gardens. They also teach at the camps, and show the kiddos how to do various stunts. We went to one of the free shows. Bode really liked it. Here we are arriving at the big tent.

Next is just a shot of the various pieces of equipment the gymnasts used during the show.

It was impressive, more so now than then because Ashley and I actually tried our hands at the trapeze. We each got three turns to swing from the trapeze and release into a backflip. Just the swinging from the bar is a rather exhausting exercise. Here are some action photos. First we have Ashley getting into position.

Next is a shot of her in mid-flight. She's up pretty high. Fortunately, there is a safety net and also safety cables on our harnesses.

Finally, here are some movies of Ashley in action. The first, she doesn't quite make it around. The second is much better. In both videos, you can hear Bode in the background making comments and oohing and ahhing.

Not to be outdone, I had to try my hand at this. Here I am reaching for the bar. Just grabbing the bar without falling was a challenge.

Next, here's a good video of me. I didn't include the one swing where I grossly under-rotated. As editor of this blog, I have creative control over content.

Sadly, Ashley and I were exhausted after our three swings. We could have signed up for an hour lesson, and they would have taught you a trick and catch by a second trapeze, but I don't think we had the stamina for it. Yes, pitiful, we know.

Up next: The demise of Dougie the Flat.

SV Part II: My Kind of Camping

As I said in a previous post, we went to Callaway Gardens, which is in Pine Mountain, Georgia (about an hour south of Atlanta for those that are geographically challenged). It has all the feel of being outdoors camping without actually having to go camping. Here are a couple of pictures of the cabins we stayed in. Very peaceful and very tranquil.

The first shot is of the front of the cabin. The next is a picture of the road leading to it. You can't tell, but there are cabins sprinkled all through the woods (our group had four in a row). There are quaint little porches, both screened-in and not. Ashley spent the most of her time in the screened porch because she's to mosquitos like Sookie Stackhouse is to Vampires (watch True Blood and you'll understand. Bottom line is she gets bit. A lot. I do not. Evidently I have bad tasting blood. Good to know). The best part of the "rustic" cabins is they have cable TV, running water, kitchens, and wifi. Like I said, my kind of camping.

This next picture is of one of the lakes. This lake has some boats for water skiing, and a significant beach area for sunning and swimming and Aqua Island (more on that in a later post).

The are bike paths and jogging paths going through the entire property. One morning, Ashley ran 10 miles (yes, 10--she's tough). You could also rent bikes. Here's are a couple pictures of Ashley and Bode going for a ride.

It is hard to tell, but Bode is screaming mad in the first picture. I think he was crying in all the pictures shown above. It took him some time to enjoy the bike ride: "It's too fast!" he'd scream. But at some point in the rides, he'd start noticing things and forget that he was scared. Ashley really liked going for bike rides with Bode-man.

Next up: The circus and the flying Ash-ley-ney.

Summer Vacation Part I

For the past eight days, Ashley, Bode, and I have been in the great state of Georgia, soaking up the sun at Callaway Gardens. We had a fan-tab-u-lous time, and only wish we had had the foresight to book a two-week stay. The next series of posts will show some of the fun things we did at Callaway.

Like many of our previous vacations, we were able to stop in Atlanta and visit the Bledsoes. They were their usual gracious hosts, especially the boys Westin and Keller, with whom Bode loves to play. Here's a photo of the three of them, with a side shot of Cathy, eating their lunch.

For someone that was given survival odds slightly better than a coin flip a couple years ago due to stage 3 breast cancer, Cathy looks amazing.

Gary Whitehall, an old Atlanta buddy of both Dave and Ashley, stopped in for a visit. Here are Gary and me hanging on the sofa.

At this point, I would usually post some pictures of Bode and Westin from the pool. However, Saturday morning, the temperature was around 70, cloudy, and rainy. Brrr (well, not really, but when you're used to 90+ degrees, the delta is significant). The boys did brave the elements and went swimming--and I, too, got in the water. Sadly, Dave nor Ashley decided to enjoy (hate) the pool with me. Oh well, there is always next year.

Here is a final picture of Gary's 5-year old daughter, Sam. For some reason, Sam adores me. We saw Sam a couple years ago, and I had to use a spatula to scrape her off my legs. Evidently she wanted something to remember me by, and wanted to take my picture. Here is a shot of her taking a picture of me :-)

We tried to get Dave, Cathy, and Gary to promise to visit us in Dayton. They just laughed.

Up next, the events of Callaway.

Swim Lessons

Bode had a swim-lesson today. Last week, Ashley took him, and it wasn't pretty. He cried the whole time, and didn't do anything productive. All week, Ashley has been talking to Bode about being a good swimmer at this week's lesson. He promised he would swim and wouldn't cry. True to his word, the little fellow did everything, and did it with a smile even though he was still a little scared of the water.

First up, we have Mommy and Bode right after getting in the pool. Note the death-grip Bode has around Mommy's neck. He wasn't crying or complaining, but he didn't want to be an inch away from Mommy.

With a little sweet talking, Mommy was able to get Bode to loosen up a bit. Here's the two of them sharing a laugh.

Blowing bubbles is always a favorite.

Following the bubble-blowing was some exercise with the barbells (the floatable kind). He really got into splashing with his legs.

The last big trick was jumping in from the side. He wasn't near as daring as some of the other kids. At one point, he yelled, "Mommy come closer!" In the end, Ashley was able to get Bode to jump (fall) to her. He even said, "This is fun!" so he must have been enjoying himself.

All in all, it was a good lesson. We'll see if he regresses next time. Beautiful day here in Dayton. Hot, humid, and sunny. Ashley spent the day purring on the patio. Pleasant day to all.