Helen--again!

Getting some ice cream in Helen.













Our cabin was located by Duke's Creek, and Riley had a great time splashing around. Angel and Ashlynn would throw rocks for him to "fetch." He'd bound after them, but of course couldn't get them.









Our cabin. It was a little rustic.

Of course you know I jest. Duke's Creek Cabins are very nice and we loved it. We even had a hot tub on the deck!










Since Helen is only allowed to have one fast food place (Wendy's), we drove over to Cleveland for some McDonald's after our day of tubing down the Chattahoochee. And you cannot make a trip to Cleveland without going to the Cabbage Patch Hospital. You already know, dear Reader, about the first trip we made there. But DJ had never been, so the girls had to take him. It was indeed an experience for him.
























I mentioned above about tubing down the Chattahoochee River. Angel, DJ, Ashlynn, and Riley spent the day doing this. I'm sorry to report that we do not have any pictures from this event, because it was really something to see Riley curled up in a tube (it had a flat bottom, not a hole in the middle) floating down the river. The family got lots of comments on it. Riley actually stayed in the tube and had a marvelous time. Many thanks to Cool River Tubing for the day's fun.

We do plan to return to Helen. There's several things we did not get to do that are a must for us--putt putt and gold/gem mining. And we'd love to go tubing again. There's only so many times you can piddle around the town. It's really just a bunch of trinket shops decorated to look like Germany, but the food in town is good and the people were all friendly. It makes for a fun family trip. And the town is quite dog-friendly as well. It was nice not to have to leave Riley behind.

August 5--Lavonia, GA (again)

Yep, this is where our summer began. Lavonia, Georgia. Ever heard of it? Not unless you've been reading my blog! This is the town where we stayed back in June for the Lifsey Family Reunion. Well, we're back with two new travel companions--DJ and Riley (and Maple, that new Build a Bear Ashlynn got in Canada). DJ and Angel felt it just wasn't right not to do a family vacation, so we're on our way back to Helen. DJ's never been there, so this should be fun. We'll be staying the next two nights in a cabin. We're in Lavonia because we couldn't leave until late today, and there was no reason to drive all the way to the cabin just to sleep. So we're off in the morning to Helen!

July 23?--Charleston Harbor Boat Ride

So the family went on a boat ride around the Charleston Harbor one evening after returning from the Grand Adventure of the Summer of 2008.










Gotta love the battery!













Even upside down she's the cutest thing ever!



















Our favorite thing to see in the harbor--dolphins. There was a lot of them out, but it's really difficult to take pictures and watch at the same time!










A place Angel would LOVE to go and walk around--Castle Pinckney. What's stopping her? For one, it's an island, and she has yet to perfect walking on water. Two, she's been told it's a federal crime to get out there and walk around.
The fort was used during the Civil War, but has fallen in disrepair and disuse since. There's tons of birds nesting on the island, and the shore was littered with pelicans taking a break. Ever seen a pelican dive for fish? Quite impressive the way they dive bomb into the water. Angel never gets tired of watching them.