Scraplog

Brett’s Visit

About a week and a half ago Kellie’s younger brother Brett came out to Tennessee for a visit. We’re halfway through his time with us and we’re having a blast. I thought I’d give you all a quick update and share some pictures from our various activities.

Before I get started on the update I need to mention one of the reasons for the abundance of pictures. For quite some time Kellie and I have been wanting to upgrade our digital camera and we were able to pick up a camera from our friends Rich and Heather. Since then Kellie has been on a photo blitz. She is determined to learn how to take better pictures and has been taking the camera with us just about everywhere we go. I’m proud of her resolve and I think she has really progressed in a short amount of time.

Downtown Cleveland

So, armed with our super duper camera we set off to record all the fun we were (are) having. One Sunday evening we stopped by Starbucks (mmm, so good) and then walked around downtown for a bit. Downtown Cleveland is so quiet on a Sunday evening and the weather was perfect for clowning around.

Kellie and her Starbucks; that’s true lurve!

I took this one and I love the sign over their heads. Cool colors, great shapes and some old school attitude.

One of the alleys downtown has a poem (song?) painted on a brick wall. None of us took the time to read it but we all thought it was pretty cool so, of course, we had to snap a few shots.

One of the churches downtown has a low stone wall with ivy growing over the top. The light, various colors and willing subjects made for a fun photo opportunity.

Chattanooga

We also took a trip down to Chattanooga. There was no agenda, just bumming around and seeing the sites. By sheer coincidence we found ourselves by Cold Stone Ice Cream and what with the slowing economy we decided we should do our part to support this fine establishment. They say consumer spending is two-thirds of our economy so we felt it was an investment in our country’s stability. (Wow, did you see how far I went to justify a cup of ice cream?!)

Not far from Cold Stone is a pier that extends over the Tennessee River. Brett and I paused in the shade to hog the ice cream while Kellie snapped this picture.

The Lake

The last photo for today only captures half of a good time. The weather has been getting warmer so we gladly accepted the Beechs’ invitation to take their boat out to the lake. Even though the weather has been warm the water has yet to catch up but that didn’t stop Brett, Clark and I from doing a bit of wakeboarding.

I have to give Brett some credit—he doesn’t have a whole lot of experience wakeboarding but he was game, cold water and all. He popped right out of the water and was gaining confidence but one of his trips over the wake didn’t end well. He got a little bit of air but when he landed, the front of his board went under. When that happens there is only one result: a painful, face first trip into the lake. Being the compassionate brother-in-law that I am I had the following reaction:

Well, that’s all for now. Maybe next time I’ll talk about the important stuff, like the killer job Brett has done leading worship for Calvary Cleveland. I guess you’ll have to check back later.