Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS !

Whoop Whoop Tennessee ~ Part 2

The great adventures of Queen Emma continued:

Mom says I must tell you about this next place even though I think it is the most absolutely boring place there is, but she loves it.  It's a place called Cades Cove.  When we go  here we have to drive around in the EmmaMobile very slowly around an 11 mile one way loop.  If that isn't bad enough this year we had to do it not once, but twice and in the exact same day.  Why?  Because Mom thought her camera wasn't working when she couldn't find any pictures from the  past 2 days.  Later she discovered her picture numbering system had reach it's maximum and started over at 0001 and all her pictures were still there.  The first round wasn't so bad because we arrived before it got too busy.  The second round not so lucky.  There were a lot of stupid people holding up the line of cars.  Some of these people thought it was o.k. to park in the road when signs and literature clearly say no parking in the road use pull offs.  They also thought it was o.k. to approach a young black bear and circle around it within just a few feet when all the literature clearly says not to approach or harass the wildlife you must stay at least 50 feet away it's the law.  What is wrong with some humans?  Yet when a bear attacks everyone is quick to blame the bear.  The park office told us we saw something much more rare than the black bear.  We saw river otters and they said to have seen them is a greater treat and we were lucky.  Even though they have river otters in the park people usually don't get an opportunity to view them.  That was pretty cool.  They were playing and swimming in the river having a good time.  Mom tried to get a picture of them, but it didn't turn out well and you can't see them.

I wonder what it was like for the doggies that used to call this piece of paradise home?  They had thousands of acres to sniff and pee on. I bet is was magnificent.  Mom reminded me the doggies then didn't have their very own comfy couch to nap on and not only did they have to go potty in the rain, but most of them probably even had to sleep out in the rain, GASP!!  Can you imagine :O

Since we had 2 opportunities to take a lot of pictures I hope you don't mind viewing some photos that unfortunately do not have my beautifully gorgeous face in them.  If you would prefer to gaze upon the Emma you can quickly scroll past Mom's boring photos and catch back up with my fun filled amazing adventures.

We braved a trip to Gatlinburg one week night evening.  If you have never been to Gatlinburg it's like a billion stores and restaurants all jam packed into a couple blocks.  There is the Gatlinburg Mountain Mall.  It's 3 levels and and pet friendly!!!  There's a store in the mall called Paws and Claws Pet Fashions.  They sell clothes for dogs, breed themed knick knacks, magnets, coffee mugs, dog toys, etc...  Unfortunately it started raining the night we were in Gatlinburg and none of us doggies got to go to the mall.  Mom said she was going to take us back, but some unforeseen malfunctions with the EmmaMobile snatched a couple of our vacation days so we didn't get back over that way again before leaving.   This will be added to our to do list for next year ;)

We got some yummy treats from a cute little bakery.  We love the blueberry treats made by Bonediggity Dog Barkery. 

For the humans reading this you must try the gourmet caramel apples at Aunt Mahalia's. They are absolutely wonderful and Mom and I have been brainstorming all the many different candy/cookie/caramel combinations we can try when we get back home.

photo from http://www.auntmahalias.com

 I like apples and as long as we don't roll them in anything chocolate you bet I'll bee eating some :)  Which reminds me I've got to ask Mom when we're going to make some of these sweet yummies.

I also like sweet goodness from this place.  Can any guess the name by this photo?

Yep, I ate a Krsipy Kreme doughnut.  My favorite part is the white sweet fluffy kreme.  Delicious!

We ventured into the big city for some Emma fun.  In Knoxville there is an awesome dog bakery River Dog Bakery.  They sell yummilicious treats and toys. 

 I met a beautiful friend named Cooper.

I helped Mom pick out a box of banana biscotti,  apple woofers, and a few others.  We filled that box to the brim ;) and I picked out a couple toys for my sisters.  When we got to the van I shoved my head deep down into that bag and pulled out the box of treats.  It surprised Mom and Dad that I was so interested in eating them it convinced Mom to go back into the store and buy another big box full of treats.  Am I good or what ;)

The shop owner is a pleasure to visit and very welcoming.  That must be where my new friend Cooper learned his kindness because he gave me a very generous gift.  I kept sniffing around the rawhide chew sticks and even found an empty basket that caught the attention of my sniffer.  The nice shop lady said there used to be some in that basket, but she moved them.  Mom kept telling me no she wasn't going to buy me one because I wouldn't chew it.  Cooper said he wanted to give one to me as a gift from him to me.  Thank you Cooper.  I love my rawhide chew.

After our shopping extravaganza we were off in search of a place to go for a walk.  We found Lakeshore Park.  There's only one vantage point at the very beginning of the walk at the top of a hill where you can get  a little peek of the lake.  It's still a very nice walk and worth checking out.

Our favorite walk is Gatlinburg Trail.  It's the only trail within the National Park dogs are allowed to walk.  It's absolutely beautiful and follows along the water. 

One of Mom's favorite scenic views is this spot.

Our dream is to one day wake up every morning and enjoy a view like this one and enough acreage we can run and play all day and never touch the same spot twice.

Kinda like this

Can you see the house down there next to the tree line?  Maybe one day we'll have a new EmmaHome with a mountain view.  We can dream right.

At the end of the Foot Hills Parkway we found this beautiful lake and had to pull over for some pictures.

That was our Smoky Mountain Adventure and we hope you enjoyed taking the journey again with us.

Emma

Whoop Whoop Tennessee ~ Part 1

Hello Furiends!!

It's that time of year again.  Yep! you guessed it....vacation :)  I've been counting down ever since we started our drive back home last year ;)

We drove all day and it felt like we had been in the EmmaMobile 2.0 for forever.

I think my seat is shrinking.  Hello!  a little help here would have been nice. O.K. Dad did help me after they were done taking pictures.

I had plenty of time to come up with a new game to play.  Check this out.

Hahahahaha!!!  Pretty clever huh?

This was the location for our first official Tennessee walk ~ Douglas Dam.

I think it's an amazing view.

This is one of Mom's favorite photos.  I think it nicely captures two very gorgeous subjects.  The beautiful fall leaves that have changed to a vibrant orange and ME :)

The next morning we headed out for the The River Walk.  This is where we spent a lot of our walks.  It's nicely paved so we do not pick up any buggy hitch hikers (ticks).  It's also lighted and runs parallel to the parkway for easy access and it follows the river for a nice scenic view and pretty water sounds.

Another lovely spot we visited a couple times was Seven Island Wildlife Refuge.  It's a beautiful natural walking environment.   On our first visit we walked the grassy trails and bathed in the sunshine.  On our second visit we walked the paved road that is used for authorized vehicles only.  There usually isn't any traffic and it leads back to some old barns and an old farm house. 

I sure do wish we could find a house in a secluded location with a view like this.  I told Mom and Dad we should just move right on in.  I mean who needs a running water or electricity.  Pee behind a tree and buy water from the store.  Why the family would have ever sold it I have no idea, but at least it's been preserved as the Wildlife Refuge and not developed into some tacky hotel, housing addition, strip malls, or other eye sore.

We didn't just walk trails and ride around.  We also spent a lot of time waiting on Mom to shop.  It's a tradition in our home to get a yearly Christmas ornament for our tree.  This year we got them from the Three Bears General Store.

My Christmas Ornament has my nicknames on it, but Mom had a lapse of memory or something and told the girl personalizing it wrong.  Dad gave me a new nickname on the way here.  The EmmaMobile 2.0 is a larger van and it's got a few creeks and squeaks the other EmmaMobile doesn't have.  We've had it checked out by two different mechanics at two different shops and they all tell us it's in great condition for it's age and they can't find anything wrong with it.  The back end is where the squeaking is coming from and Dad started calling me Squeaky Gus because my seat is the bench/fold down couch bed in the back.  I guess he thinks just because I'm the biggest dog I'm somehow causing this unexplained phenomenon.  Mom thought it would be fun to include my new nickname from Dad on the ornament except she got it a bit wrong she had them write "Squeaky Grump" What??????????  I think she got confused because Dad also calls me Grumpy Gus sometimes.  They both call me Emma Bo, Bobo, Emma Bobemma, Grumpy Gus, Old Goat (only Dad), Ole Stinkers (only Dad).  The list goes on and on.  I know they are a bit weird, but I still love them.  They try and I gotta give them credit for that.

Mom got one more extra special ornament to honor me because she says I've left permanent paw prints upon her heart.  It's so sparkly.  I think it will look very pretty hanging on the tree.

Mom also went shopping at the huge flea market and bought some Bacon Egg and Cheese Biscuits from a nice lady with a homemade treat booth, Paws Fur Snacks.  Sweet Pea and Bella tell me they were delicious.  Those two will eat anything.  Me, I prefer to hold out for the really yummy stuff like Arby's roast beef and Wendy's chicken nuggets.  I had Mom and Dad stopping to get one or both of these delicacies daily. Treats wasn't the only doggie goodies she found at the flea market.  She also got us each our very own toy.  Bella and Pea both got psychedelic cows and I got a Love Monkey.  Isn't she cute?

No worries Sweet Pea hasn't been forgotten.  She is playing with a ball Mom couldn't resist because it's a squeaky monkey ball that looks just like the Tiff Monkey Business leash and collar set Bella is wearing.

One of Mom's most favorite places is Moonshine Ridge Country Store.

 Her and  Dad both are head over heels in love with their Moonshine Fudge.  Yes, there is real moonshine in the fudge.  They have two varieties a white moonshine fudge that Mom says tastes similar to eggnog and a chocolate moonshine fudge called moonshine explosion which is her favorite.  A new item they had this year was moonshine chocolate covered cherries.  They had an interesting flavor, but at $1.49 each Mom said they would stick to the fudge.  If you are looking for fudge you MUST try it here.  They have other flavors too.  Mom also likes the jewelery here and the beautiful items in the gift shop.  They have t-shirts, hats, books, cookbooks, stained glass, ornaments, jars of jellies/jams/chow chow/pickled eggs/pickled vegetables/salsa/, soaps, and more.

My parents are crazy about food.  Especially regional foods and different foods we don't have readily available back home.  They got us all BBQ from a wonderful chain called Buddy's BBQ.  I got my very own half pound of plain pulled pork and it was awesome.  They also like a little family owned placed called Grandmother's Kitchen where they serve up fresh home cooked meals.  Every time we stopped there I got my very own bacon and ham steak.  They stopped at a place called The Funnel Cake Factory and Mom got deep fried Oreos and blueberry cheesecake ice cream and Dad got a funnel cake covered in hot fudge.  Needless to say I didn't get anything from here except a few pieces of Dad's funnel cake that didn't have any chocolate on it.  I can't forget to mention the BEST cupcake shop in the world.  Has anyone ever had an AnnOlivia's cupcake?  They are amazing....well at least that's what Mom says.  Every cupcake is iced and filled.  Everything they make is sprinkled with glitter.  It's absolutely darling.  I'm sure you would rather be hearing about all my fun activities so lets get back to my walking and sniffing adventures.  One quick note before we do.  I think I've discovered why Mom's clothes are more uncomfortable now.

Another favorite walking spot is the Patriot Park with a half mile loop.  We walked here several times too.  It and the River Walk we like are very close to each other and probably centrally located to the area we spend the most time in.  You don't want to spend all your time trying to drive back and forth along the parkway because it takes forever in traffic. 

We walked at the the Pigeon Forge Community Center.  The Great Smoky Mountain National Park might not be dog friendly, but that did not stop us from finding alternative walking, sniffing and pee mail opportunities.  One of the reasons we love coming here is the variety of dog friendly walking spots.

In our down time we lounged around the cabin and romped on the air mattress and snoozed.

I think we shall take a break here and this story will be continued..............................................

Be sure to stop back by to see the rest of my vacation adventure.

Nudges and Soft Kisses,
Emma