Guise Lane

Guise Lane, Matterhorn Lane, Swiss Lane; welcome to Little Switzerland. This is the land of hummingbirds, wildflowers, waterfalls, and Guise's. Haha. Located in Cashiers, North Carolina, our little development is near and dear to me. I have countless memories of wandering these woods, and I couldn't wait to take Connor. Of course he won't truly be able to appreciate it until he's well into his boyhood, the introduction this summer was still priceless.

On the way to Great Grandma and Grandpa's house. I know the path well. When we were little we took this path countless times a day to go play with the Davidson's. Now that we are all getting older, I can't wait until Connor's taking the trip to play with the Davidson's offspring. I love that each generation can appreciate it.

Connor and my Grandpa Ernie are 90 years apart. It is always wonderful to spend time with him and listen to his stories. Of course some are repeated (like knocking down the trees and building the roads himself through our woods, or how he got his education on the GI bill), but we are always excited to hear a new one, and you know, the repeats are good too. He truly wants us to take advantage of what the world has to offer us, and look for ways to use what is available. He told us over and over again on this trip to find a career that we enjoy, and then "work, save, and invest". We have control of what we put our effort towards. Go after our dreams..."We live in the great country, America". I hope to share his stories and wisdom with Connor as he grows older. I think Tim is hoping Connor inherits the Guise love of flying.

We have certain staples of every NC trip. The "Bear Picture" started much before my time. There are pictures of Aunt Kim and Uncle Scott sitting atop this very bear. This infamous bear was pretty stationary for most of our yearly shots, but in the most recent summers it has become somewhat of an adventure trying to find it. It originally was built into the side of a mountain next to a wigwam, and a local "Chief". We have many many shots in this location. One year while on our way into Cherokee to find our bear, we found it wasn't there. We asked as many people as we could and found it in front of the Drama Inn next to the pool. No longer in it's original place of prestige we pressed on with our tradition. Last summer the bear was missing again. More sluething and we located our illusive carnivore in front of a newer Inn in the pouring rain. This year she was in the same spot and Connor was ceremonially inducted into this amazing bear club.

Another staple is Silver Run. When we were little no one knew about this beautiful spot, now there is a parking lot and a bridge. I say the bridge is for wimps, so we maintained our course via a fallen tree that has been there forever. When we got there it was just us. In the 30 min we were there a half a dozen families were swarming the place. No worries, I got pictures of Connor in the very same spot we have of Uncle Casey and I over the years. We even got his little toes in the water, and he had so much fun splashing around in the cold stream.




We made it up to Trillium and even into town for some music. We had a full circle moment when we took Connor to the very playground Tim and I discovered last year. While I was pregnant, Tim and I stood in front of this grand set and dreamed about our little boy. This year, although a little wet, Connor got to play, swing, slide, drive, and crawl all over this fun play yard.

Speaking of playing, Connor got to spend great quality time with Grandpa Gary. Grandpa Gary had cleared a play area for him and even had some of our old toys out and waiting for Connor's arrival. He spent time down on the floor endearing himself to our little boy and it worked. They took walks to look out over the porch, and Connor liked to show Grandpa Gary his toys. It was very cute. Dad couldn't get used to being called "grandpa", I guess he needs to hear it more!


North Carolina never lets me down. There are hikes like Whiteside, and waterfalls like Dry Falls. The temperatures are always pleasant, the people are kind, and there is always something to do. We took Connor down to the lake where he played on the beach and enjoyed the waves the passing boats made. Eventually we will take him to Klingman's Dome, Dollywood, and countless other favorites. I cannot wait for the mountains to unfold before him as the years go by.

We left NC Sunday morning and before our flight enjoyed some time in Atlanta by visiting the Georgia Aquarium and the Coke Factory. We truly had fun in both places, but the aquarium was just incredible. Connor of course loved the fish. He would reach out and try to touch them, and then was in awe by the huge whale sharks, rays, and grouper. The World of Coke was fun, and we left with a belly ache after sampling the many different flavors from around the world. We eventually planted ourselves in front of the Diet Coke and we were happy clams. The highlight for Tim was seeing the 2004 and 2007 Boston Series World Series Championship rings that Coke was given by the team to celebrate their longtime partnership.
It seems to us that Connor found his big boy look in North Carolina. Even after only 2 days Tim thought he looked different. Grandma Glenda and Aunt Kaitlyn both think he looks extremely different and cannot get over the change. He turned 10 months old while we were away and I want to slow time down just a tad. No new teeth yet, but he his crawling like he in a race, cruising like it's in style, and can take a few unsteady steps towards where he wants to go. Not walking yet, but certainly mobile and fast. The sound of heads bumping on things is a regular sound around here. It will prepare him for boyhood and sports. Good thing he loves baseballs and footballs.