Way way better than a hurricane

The hurricane was moving closer to Florida...meanwhile we were enjoying perfect fall weather up in Tennessee and we were excited about the wedding! We headed over to my nephew's house that morning to help set up the chairs and tables as needed.

 Everything had been delivered, the bride had a plan in mind...we just helped her get things into their proper places.We set up the chairs in the front yard for the ceremony and then moved to the back yard to set up tables and chairs under the tent. While we did that, the guys were finishing up with the dance floor and the lights, etc.Everything was coming together nicely.
We found a great restaurant right near the hotel where we were staying; so  after we finished  setting up, we went and had lunch and watched a little football. I even wore my Gator shirt! ( remember we were in Knoxville TN!) No one paid much attention...probably because our team was only slightly better than theirs this year...hahahaha Neither one was a contender. We went back to the hotel and we took it easy until it was time to get ready. As the day went on, more family members rolled into town and everyone I was getting excited. 
We headed out to the "Snyder Compound" as they call it, since my nephews live next door to one another on what was once a single property. It was a beautiful afternoon, mild temperatures and clear skies. Perfect day for a wedding.

  We found our seats...and spotted our niece and her family already in the crowd. 

Next we spotted John's brother, his wife and their son Justin and his family. It was great to see everybody again and hear what they've all been up to.   

After the ceremony it was time to start the celebrations!There was lots of good food, drinks and conversation. We enjoyed taking and laughing with everyone

 until the music and dancing got started. As always things were slow getting started...so Brenna and I made a request or two and we got one or two out on the dance floor. I was dancing to songs I've never heard of...but once I start...Why not. I figure if the DJ plays my request...I have to humor him(her) and dance to someone else s. 

  
Once things got going, more and more people got up to join the fun. I even danced to some of the group dances.....even though I'm terrible at getting my left and right straight. By then no one cared...hahaha and maybe they just assumed I had been drinking....hahahahah   

    

it took Chase a while to get onto the dance floor...but when he finally joined us he was "getting down"

a heartfelt karaoke rendition of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" hahahaha

It was a great celebration and party. I think everyone had a good time.  We danced all night and laughed, sang, talked and just enjoyed the happy moments. It was WAY WAY better than being holed up in the center of our house listening to wind howling outside during a hurricane!!!!!!

Who doesn't like a wedding?

The last couple of months have really flown by. I know that's an old cliche but I swear...it's true. hahahah It all started at the beginning of September when Hurricane Irma was looming. Every year we sweat out the weekly weather updates...wondering if any of the tropical systems are going to strengthen and head towards our part of the Florida coast. This year we were especially nervous after seeing the crazy storms drenching Houston and causing the floods there.
We had plans to go to Tennessee in early September; right around "prime time" for hurricanes.  As the threat of Irma hitting us grew , we decided we'd better board up, pack important things away safely and leave town. After that...we could only hope for the best. It looked like we were going to get out of town just in time to miss the worst of it. An added plus for me....as a county employee, it is understood that in case of an emergency, including hurricanes, county workers may be called upon to help man the shelters. After last year's Hurricane Matthew, the county came up with a new comprehensive plan of action in case of any future storms. Well...this year put that plan to the test....with mixed results.( Now my theory has always been that it's an emergency! You can plan all you want, but until you're in the middle of it, you really don't know exactly how things are going to go.) When I attended the training, I stayed after to ask "What if you have plans to be out of town and you are called to help at a shelter?" I was told, as long as it is a "Planned" vacation...not one you plan because the storm is coming...hahahaha then you're excused.
Right on schedule...Irma was heading our way...and we happily packed our bags and headed north to Tennessee. Now Brenna and Josh, who were also planning to go to the same wedding had a little more complicated plan of action. The vet's office where they were going to board the dogs was closing( because they had to evacuate)...they had no where to keep their three dogs.Now what????? Have someone stay at their house with the dogs?....keeping an eye on the house and the dogs? Pack up the dogs and bring them to TN? One car in the shop was an added complication...as was the thought of all the other people evacuating from Florida...(since the ENTIRE state was being evacuated)...finally they decided to pack up the car and the dogs and leave ASAP. So they headed out at 3am or so and started north. Their plan was to get to Huntsville in time to board the dogs at their old vet...then head to TN as planned. Theirs is a whole other story........................................so for now back to ours. hahah
We left as planned....making a back-up plan for our return to Melbourne since the storm was actually supposed to hit the night before...or the day we were supposed to be flying back and We knew that wasn't going to happen. we arrived in Tennessee on Thursday the 8th. The weather up in Knoxville was just great....Sunny, warm.... but not too warm. Nice September weather...just like  my nephew and his fiance had in mind when they picked the date!
There was a lot of activity going on at the house, since that's where the ceremony and the reception were going to be held.

 Since we were there a day early, and had nothing better to do...we headed over to our nephew's house to see if we could lend a hand.(just a note here...both my nephew's live on this property...it's approximately 5 acres, two houses, driveways, etc next door to one another)
 Most of the big jobs had been done...but it was all the finishing touches that they were working on....and as usual, those little things add up to more than you expect. I ended up mowing the grassy area near the bridge, since down near that area was where the ceremony would take place.

..My nephew Solon  had mowed most of the yard(s), and was going to finish up that area...but since he was at work and had the rehearsal dinner that evening...I figured  he might not have enough time. I mow our grass and wanted to do something anyway...so it was a perfect job for me. I mowed while  John and Ken trimmed up the "edges" and around the trees. After that we picked up the walnuts on the ground...hoping to prevent anyone from tripping over or falling on one.
Later that afternoon, the group in charge of setting up the tent arrived to go to work.

                           They worked in the back yard while we worked in the front.My brother-in-law and his brother were also stringing lights down near the tent where the "dance floor" was going to be.
Once we did all we could do, it was time to get ready for the dinner with all the family and bridal party. Everyone was meeting a a local restaurant. We were looking forward to seeing everyone.

the bride and groom....they've been together  for a while so we were all waiting for this big day !

John's brother and his wife were there. We also saw our niece and most of her family.

John's brother Bill with our niece Lori and her new husband Danny. In front...

Uncle Ken with two of their kids

John with one of Chase's uncles on his Dad's side

Chase's nieces...our great nieces

Sandy with some of Ken's family and our s-i-l Kathie with Ken's sister

Kathie, Elizabeth and Solon (brother of the groom)

sisters-in-law

a nice group of family members enjoying time together

the groom and some of his good friends

Chase and his Mom

It was a nice evening. We all had a chance to catch up a little and meet friends and other relatives. When the evening ended we were ready to call it a night and start again the next day. More on the wedding on the next post.

Looking for whales and other wildlife

The only to "tour" we planned was a boat trip to go whale watching. Martha and Maris have seen plenty of whales in Hawaii...and I've seen a few from a distance. Also got to see a Right Whale off the coast of Melbourne Beach once...but we were hoping to get to see some big whales up close(er). Maris was hoping to see some Orcas. So...we decided to book the tour  for our day in Juneau and hope for the best.

 We lucked out once again with the weather. It was cloudy and a little drizzly, btu the water was calm as could be. Our guide was very informative and we liked the other three people on our boat. It was a family from Houston, they were all very pleasant and we all got along.
Our first stop...a big buoy to see some seals

. They were pretty funny. The three big ones were not letting the little guy up on the buoy. He was swimming around trying to hop up. He made it a few times but the big ones barked at him and made him jump back off. He never gave up...but neither did they. The guide warned us that while they look playful...you wouldn't want to ever get too close to them, because they BITE. After watching them for a while we headed to a spot where whales had been seen recently. There were three or four other boats in the area, so we figured we were in the right place. Looking at the other boats we were happy ours only had John, Martha, Maris and I plus the family of three!

as I mentioned in an earlier post, the coolest thing for me was Hearing the whale, before actually seeing it. Someone would hear it "blow" and then we'd all start looking around the area for it to surface again and flip it's tail. Each time we heard one we'd move closer and the other boats in the area would move in as well.
We had hoped we might see some bears...but no luck there. We passed an island where many of them live (according to our guide) but didn't stop. Later we heard from some of our friends who went on a tour while they were in Alaska. They went to a "spot" where someone blew a whistle (rang a bell? something like that) and the bears all came out to eat. He laughed and said maybe we were better off not having gone on that particular tour. hahahahah He and his wife joked that it was like being at Disney World or something.
While in Skagway we saw lots of salmon running.

It was interesting to watch them all working their way up the streams.

John wished he had had a fishing pole...he would have fished all afternoon. He did go to a local thrift store to see if they might have one...no luck. probably better, because he needed a license
Our day at see was kind of uneventful

. It was rainy, foggy and chilly.

There were activities on board of course...I actually tried Zumba and had fun doing it. Why not...I wasn't going to see any of those people again...hahahaha Also participated in some of the organized games on board. There was a putting contest...didn't participate, but had fun watching those that did. Interesting people watching! hahahahah.I thought about entering the paper airplane contest....but they gave you a sheet of paper to make your own "plane".

I couldn't remember exactly how to make one...and Josh wasn't available...hahahah so I opted out. Once people made their planes they had to toss them and try to get them through a hula hoop that was suspended from the upper deck.

That was fun too... all different shapes and sizes some flew well....others not so much. My favorite was the last entrant...the host asked her where her plane was...she said she had messed it up and showed him a wad of crumpled paper aka her plane.He let her toss it...it went right through the hoop....hahahahah! My kind of plane.
Victoria BC was nice too.

We didn't really have enough time to really explore though. We had a late start out of Skagway, due to a situation that came up with a passenger, so we had less time in port to look around.

It's a pretty town, lots of art, and colorful  flowers everywhere..  and we got there at my favorite time of day...twilight.

There was some sort of celebration going on at the town square

. Military parades and bands, good music. A nice treat. We all walked to the Fairmont Empress Hotel. I really wanted to check it out. It was too late to have tea :( and we didn't need to eat dinner there...so we settled for appetizers and a drink.

I had hoped to check out the Butchart Gardens...but we didn't really have enough time to take the bus out, see it and get back in time. Maybe another time. I know they're beautiful.

 The last leg of the trip was smooth "sailing".