Vacation in Appalachia

For several weeks, my family and I have been looking forward to going with mama on a vacation. We were going to spend a weekend in the Great Smoky Mountains. On the way back, we would visit the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, Tennessee, to see how people lived in the mountains years and years ago.

We were so excited the day before the trip began! Of course, there was a lot to do to prepare, like packing our suitcases. Betsy and I packed our nightgowns, extra shoes, toys, and books. Nim was content with only taking her little dragon, Puff, so she just watched us.

Early the next morning, we all scrambled into our new travel basket. At least it is a bit bigger than the sewing basket we had been travelling in. Into the car we went for a long drive. Elrond read us stories to make the time pass by a little faster.

Even with the stories, we were very glad to get to the hotel after almost 5 hours in the car!

Sadly, it was raining in the mountains so we only went on one outing there. Mama took a picture of me and Hitty Rowan in the rain. Everybody else stayed in the car where it was nice and dry, but I didn't mind the rain. Neither did Hitty Rowan.

We left the mountains and headed for the Museum of Appalachia. Mama carried a big "tote purse," but even with that, there wasn't enough room for everyone. Elrond offered to stay in the travel basket and look after all our things, including the new rabbit we found to take back to Eilonwy. I think after being in a basket with me, Betsy, and Nim for all those hours, he didn't mind spending some quiet time by himself.

The "museum" wasn't quite what I had expected. It was even better!! This museum was just out in the open. We saw haystacks and cabins spread out in kind of a circle. You could just visit all the cabins as you wanted to.

There were chickens and peacocks running around everywhere! Hitty Rowan liked them a lot and wanted to sit and watch them for a few minutes.

After watching the chickens and peacocks, we visited our first cabin. It was Mark Twain's family cabin. Ms. Merriweather said Mark Twain was a great writer who wrote very entertaining books. She thinks I would like reading the adventures of Tom Sawyer. From what she told me, I want to start reading that book as soon as I get home.

In the cabin, me, Betsy, Nim, and Hitty Rowan looked at the rope bed.

Ms. Merriweather studied the table and fireplace.

Next, we visited an old one-room school. It was called, "Big Tater Valley School House." Ms. Merriweather sat at the teacher's desk and we pretended to be students. The student benches were hard and uncomfortable. I can't imagine having to sit in them and stay very still for hours. I don't think I would have liked the strict way schools back then were run, from what Ms. Merriweather described. It made me very happy that Ms. Merriweather is my teacher and I get to sit in comfortable chairs for my lessons.

Then, we visited the church cabin. It was very solemn and still inside. We stayed very quiet as we sat up front.

Next, we visited a fancier cabin. It was a little bigger than the others.

There was even a room with a loom in it for weaving.

After we saw the last cabin, we got to look at the sheep. There was a little baby sheep! Finally, we returned to our basket for the long trip home. We asked Elrond how things had went while we were gone. He said, "Peacefully and quietly." I am not sure what he meant by that.

Back home, we got to use our souvenirs! Mama found rocking chairs for me, Betsy, and Hitty Rowan in an Amish store. They are just right for sitting on the porch on pretty days! Nim found a fairy dog in a gift shop, which made her very happy. And, we got our own black bear cub from the Smoky Mountains. We named him Smoky in honor of his home. Now, we can sit and rock as we wait for the Easter Bunny to visit us in a few days!