Anna and the kids and I went on a three-day vacation to the mountains this week on Wednesday through Friday. Our adventures included a two-night stay in a rental house in Clayton, GA; a visit to downtown Clayton; a visit to Highlands, NC; a stop at Dry Falls in NC; and a visit to the Jane Hurt Yarn Interpretive Center at Tallulah Gorge State Park on our way home
Here are some of the pictures I took:
Today, the last day of Anna's Fall Break, we made the sixty-mile trek up to Burt's Pumpkin Farm in Dawsonville to walk around, enjoy the fall mountain air (such as it was), and pick out some pumpkins. Here are a few of the pictures I made while we were there:
After purchasing our pumpkins (and one butternut squash), we drove up to Ellijay for lunch and to walk around for a while. I took some pictures there too, of course, and I may or may not post some of them later.
Today we went on our annual summer-time trip up to Helen, so Anna and Elyse (or Anna and whomever she can convince to go with her) can go tubing on the Chattahoochee. Here are some pictures from today's outing:
I think I've written before about my indefensible fondness for Brach's Chocolate Stars, which they have at Betty's Country Store (where J. and I went to get a snack after dropping Anna and Elyse off at the Helen Tubing start point):
I'm also very fond of attraction brochure racks, which they also have one of at Betty's:
After about an hour and ten minutes, we went to the bridge by the Chattahoochee to watch for Anna and Elyse. The fence underneath the bridge is festooned with "love locks," including many interestingly shaped locks, such as the fish, camel, and owl shown below:
Finally, after about an hour and a half, Anna and Elyse floated into view:
J. and I spent the next half hour or so looking around in various stores, then went and picked up Anna and Elyse at the end point. We then all went and had funnel cake or ice cream; I don't have any pictures of that, but here's a picture of downtown Helen:
For the past few days, Anna and the kids have been on a road trip to Sarasota, Florida, to spend a few days at an Airbnb house with Molly and Dave and their kids. (It was only Spring Break week for one of the colleges where I teach, not both, so I stayed home so I could teach.) Here are some of the pictures they texted to me from their adventures:
 |
| This is at the Florda Welcome Center, sometime Sunday afternoon when they finally broke free of Georgia. |
 |
| In the pool of the hotel where they stayed Sunday night in Gainesville, FL. |
 |
| So as not to arrive in Sarasota too early Monday, and because it seemed like it would be fun, they went here for a few hours. |
 |
| The pool at the rented house in Sarasota, lit up at night |
 |
| The beach at Sarasota |
 |
| Another picture of the pool at the rented house in Sarasota, during the day. |
 |
| Anna at the bubble-tea place |
 |
| The kids at the bubble-tea place |
 |
| Kayaking in the Mangrove Forest |
 |
| On the way home today, they stopped at Georgia's Indian Springs State Park, where this and the following pictures were taken. |
