Back To Ol' Virginny

Dear Cubby,
Once again we jetted off to Tennessee & Virginia to our annual family reunion.  Wow, did we ever have fun, didn't we?  That was only after we got done with a very hot Charlotte airport concourse and a secondary hour-long flight with no air conditioning.  By the time we reached Tri-Cities you and I were terribly overheated, but we managed to get cooled off and meet up with our welcome committee of Jim, Danny, and Jane. 

The reunion on Saturday was as awesome as always!  Lots of cousins were there who aren't able to come every year, so you had a lot of new people to meet, including Becki's girl Zoei who just adored you!  She took you for several walks and even over to the playground and you sure did have a good time with her!  After the reunion, we journeyed to Middlesboro, Kentucky to pay our respects to Uncle J.C. and Grandma Edwards.  It had been one very long day for you but you handled it like a champ, and you even had a whole lot of energy all built back up for going outside and playing ball after we got back to Jim's house.

Monday night at the Crooked Road General Store they have live bluegrass & country music and, this year, we got to see the best fiddler I think I've ever seen in my life ... 12-year-old Carson Peters with his band of guitar, bass, mandolin, and banjo.  They were amazing!  It's easy to see why he has been on the Tonight Show, Little Big Shots, and on stage at the Grand Ol' Opry.  I could've sat and listened to them all night ... but I don't think you were as enthralled as I was.  You were pretty restless and I figured it out too late that the volume was probably bothering your ears.  I had your ear pads with me all the time, and just didn't think to use them.  But you were a pretty good sport about it all and you were glad to hang out after the concert to talk to the band and have pictures taken.

Finally, it was time to come home.  That was an ordeal in itself.  The flight out of Tri-Cities was awfully warm and turbulent as storm clouds moved in, and we landed again in a very hot Charlotte.  We went outside as usual and then back through the terminal and back through security, got directed to the wrong gate so had to turn around and go the other way and, right about then, you took vengeance on the Charlotte airport by barfing all over the floor (thank goodness it was a tile floor).  We got that taken care of and found a little alcove to sit and settle down before proceeding to our second incorrect gate.  The right one was only five gates away, but I didn't know until the last second whether I'd let you fly home or not.  You were still awfully shaky and I knew you weren't well.  But if we didn't go home that night, we'd be stuck there for a few more days as all the rest of the flights were full with no tickets available.  So we chanced it.  And you did great and perked right up when you got home.  And wouldn't you know it ... the very first thing you wanted to do was go outside and play ball.

So now we head right for Trainer Jake, figure out what we did wrong, and make sure we know not to do it again.

If the Good Lord is willing and the creek don't rise, it's only 50 weeks and 4 days till our next reunion.  Are you ready? 

 

Photo Descriptions: Zoei and Cubby, Cubby under a table, Cubby with Carson Peters, and the whole reunion group picture.