And Back Again ...

Okay, more chaotic, fun life going on here! We left the mountains on Friday, after clearing out lots of junk, stuff, forgotten treasures covered with mildew from my parents' basement. More on those treasures later. We all headed to Asheville and met Philip and Kara at Cracker Barrel Restaurant for lunch. Adam performed a 7th-grade-boy photo bomb ...

So I took a second photo. See his grin?

Here's our wonderful son and his lovely girlfriend. They're a great couple! They drove all the way to the coast -- that was a long day for them.

We arrived home at 10:30. Adam got 3 hours of sleep and had to rise and begin prepping his 5-gallon batch of beanless, New Mexico chili for the Oriental Chili-Cook-Off Competition. He chopped veggies and such for hours. The Cook-Off ran from 11:00 to 2:00. This tent holds eleven contestants. A few minutes after this photo, it was crammed with people. They paid $8 each and got a cup of chili from each table.

One cute sign at one table:

The coveted two trophies, one for "Judge's Choice" and one for "People's Choice." Adam did not win either. It was his first year, and he is not a restaurant chef, nor did he represent one of the local restaurants. He cooked his chili on his own, and in really limited time. He was representing a local business, The Provision Company. However ... Adam did come in third place in the people's choice vote, which is pretty exciting. He had a yummy recipe, although it was too hot for me.

Philip and Kara came and helped for a bit, and then took off to the ocean for the afternoon. Adam has hot peppers, cheese, and fried tortilla strips to add to the chili.

Out the tent, across the grass, is the marina with many boats. We live in such a lovely place.

Needless to say, we were exhausted after all that. We rested Saturday evening and were perky enough to head to our church duties and joys today. Philip and Kara leave tomorrow. It's been so nice having them here!
Julia decided it was doggie bath time, a few minutes ago. Poor little things!

I do think Beau sees a bath in the tub, with his girlfriend, as a distinct improvement over a lone bath in my bathroom sink.

Sandy is downcast.