It is hard to believe we have been home for a month now!
We have done so much, and continue to enjoy all that Mid Tennessee has to offer!
Of course, that does include two of our granddaughters, who have spent time with us at our house
and at the Westhaven Race for the Cure
After walking there, then racing, Hailey still wanted to walk back home which is about a mile. Tegan decided she could do it as well, so she walked the mile back home as well... at a year old!!
Our children, including in-laws ;) believe in keeping us busy. They think it will keep us in town longer (LOL). So the first project Andy came up with was a great little picnic table for the girls. Paul sanded and stained, and it came out looking brand new!
Paul is also going to be running additional vents for their AC.
And Nate finally has hot water now that we are back, and Paul is now working on putting wainscotting up in their kitchen... it is looking great (I need to get a picture of it). He is also working on removing nails and planing the wood to rebuild the fence. (Are there child labor laws in TN?)
We got back just in time to enjoy the Fall Festivals in the area. You could keep busy every weekend with festivals. There are at least three or four on any given weekend. We have gone to a few:
Henry Horton State Park - Step Back In Time, with the pink tractor,
and various displays and presentations
Spring Hill - Ham Festival to benefit the TN Children's Home,
with it's pig races,
and simulated farm display
Nashville - Germantown Festival,
where Hailey got to ride a pony for the first time,
and Tegan enjoyed the ball bouncing "cage".
We have also been able to continue our volunteer work. First at Bellevue, along with several other volunteers from West Franklin Baptist, we helped paint the complete interior of a home which has been recently rebuilt from damage caused by the May flooding. I did not have my camera to show the reality of the devastation, but it was really amazing that most of the people in the neighborhood are still waiting for homes to be finished. Several homes are still just studs and roof, after exterior and interior walls were destroyed by 7 feet of water!
Then, in southeast Nashville, another victim of the flooding was Cottage Cove.
This is a Christian homework center and their flat roof collapsed, and several areas leaked. in August, a group replaced the roof with one with a significant pitch, (behind the cross in the picture) and interior walls damaged by leaks repaired after finding no support due to termite damage. So we joined a couple of men from Ohio, Paul helped with the residing of the exterior,
(you can see the back of the roof in this picture) and I did some interior painting.
The leak was in the corner, and the new sheet-rocking was about three feet on each side, but the room was sponge painted, so both walls had to be repainted to have it match. Then the trim paint needed updating as well!!
There is no rest for us while at home. But we are so blessed to be able to enjoy our retirement the way we do.
