It's Official...

Yesterday, I turned the grand age of 45!  What does this mean?

Anxiety about my age.  My mother passed away at 45.  Yes, I think about it.  I am healthier at this age than she was at 45.  Wow, I said it.  "I am 45!" It was not a BLOW OUT Birthday as we are in the beginning of a new school year and my birthday fell in the middle of the week.  A small celebration it was.  Well, actually I am not sure I celebrated.  My daughter did the celebratory acts for me.  Children are wonderful and see a birthday as "awesome!"  I remember that feeling.  I do believe that this is the "Only day of the year to claim as your very own."  So, in essence.  It is another milestone of life and should be regarded as special.  It was.  I think.
    

So, I will share bits and pieces of my thoughts throughout this year.  Changing my blog up a bit to share other things that are important and some things that are less important but at least I will have something to blog about.  So, today this is what is on my mind.  Important? Ummm, maybe.  Thoughtless?  Not so much.  But it is something I am pondering for sure.

This is a picture of my first cousins and me.

It was taken in October 1968 at Gold Rush Days in Dahlonega, Georgia.  We chose our goodies from the festival of which has changed a great deal over the decades.

We 3 are now the "head" of our family.  

Me, 45-  Lee, 44-  Deborah, 46

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Who knew that at this age we would have no family older than us living?  I am the only one with children.  Lee is the last male of the Thornton Clan out of Alabama.  It is kind of sad, really.  Deborah and Lee still reside in Georgia.  Lee is now the artist and curator of Foxfire Taxidermy on the Thornton Estate.  My uncle's legacy lives on at Sweetwater Creek State Park outside of Atlanta.  Several of his prize winning Taxidermy Animals are on display.  Lee will carry on the tradition.  At least I think so.  Deborah is into horticulture and pottery and lives in the N.E. Georgia Mountains.  We were very close growing up and our family always shared Christmas and special holidays together.  We also got together many weekends and shared family vacations when my family was stateside (Army Brat ya know).  I just find it so hard to grasp sometimes that we are, "it."  We lost Uncle Chuck in April and I know that my cousins must be thinking many of the same things that I now ponder. 

I feel that I am blessed.  I have 5 children.  But the Thornton legacy will be short lived.  My grandmother was one of 10 children where many families were born from her siblings.  But we are the last of the Thornton's.  I think back to many incredible memories and a childhood with lots of experiences shared with my family.  I just never knew or realized as we aged that the possibility of no hierarchy being alive when in my 40's.  It just does not seem right somehow.

So, this is what is on my mind this morning.  Mortality or the lack thereof.

In a NUTSHELL!

We arrived at the campsite early morning to set up and get used to our surroundings. Went on a few nature walks and had our traditional first meal at camp, HOBO Dinners. we also started our traditional Domino Tournament in which I still remain "THE QUEEN!"

Overall, I took almost 400 pictures and just made composites to view here on my blog.

Day One
Day Two

We awoke to lots of rain that subsided by early afternoon. This is the day we took our tours of the cave and also had breakfast at the restaurant. Considering it was literally a flood in the campgrounds, it was perfect to get dry and enjoy a good meal to the start of our busy day ahead.
By the way, our tent was dry but almost everyone in the campground was hanging their gear all over. We were very lucky.

Day Three

More hiking on this day. Soaking in the local history and stories of the Sand Cave and the historical death of Floyd Collins that died in the cave. In the year 1925, over 10,000 people came from all over to "picnic" and wait out while a man was under a pile of rock. It was known as, "Carnival Sunday." It is rather a sad story as he ended up dying. Hard to believe this was considered a form of entertainment. I guess it is not much different today, we all see "rubberneckers" on the highways each and every day when tragedy hits.

Here is a bit of history of Floyd Collins.
(click the above and read the story)

Day Four

On this day we walked down to the original mouth of the cave. It was pretty cool to feel the breeze (natural air conditioner) coming from the cave as we hiked down. You could feel it coming from the rock around our feet before reaching the mouth. It was 55 degrees and with a heat index of over 100 degrees outside...the mix was truly refreshing. In the late afternoon we took a short drive and went swimming. We did not have swim suites with us but our shorts and shirts were just fine. The water was very warm. But it kept us cool until late afternoon when we would conclude our trip with our traditional steak and baked potato dinner over the open fire.

In a NUTSHELL?

1. Exciting
2. Fun
3. Historical
4. Hot
5. Humid
6. Roasting Marshmallows
7. Swimming
8. Cave exploration as a family
9. Hiking
10. Great Food

I also keep a journal of our family camping trips. I always take it with us. It is fun to read at night around the campfire of our previous camping trips. Although, our entourage is smaller now. Our memories continue to grow and they are as big and fresh in our memories as the day and moments we lived them. I recommend keeping a journal of these kinds of family activities. It really is quite the entertainment around the campfire to read aloud.