DaveInTN 3,247 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 There have been a rash of non-Fort trip reports lately, and I've personally enjoyed the heck out of them. So, I figured, it was time for me to jump into the fray. I haven't written a trip report since last October, over at Voldemort. And I've been getting the trip report itch. So, if y'all will bear with me, I'm fixing to write a short one here, about how my wife left me and I ended up defeated. Yes folks, my wife left me. It's Not Cindy flew up to Pittsburgh this week for a slipcovering summit, an opportunity for her to take some classes in slipcovering techniques and to network with other people in the business. I should say that I did encourage her to go. I travel for work a bit, but she never goes away without all of us. She had considered attending this before, but the cost kept her away. But this year, she applied for and won a scholarship which covered all but her actual travel expenses. So off to PA she went. She loves slipcovering, and she's good at it. Check out some of her work. I'm proud of her!So for three days this week, she left me. Left me to play Mr. Mom to my five DD's. DD15 and DD13 are easy. They take care of themselves, and they help a lot with the others. DD11 is getting easier all the time, although she has her challenges. DD3...little Anna, is about as exhausting as any toddler. Yes, that exhausting. And then there is DD5. Our Challenge du Jour. She has been tough lately. And this week was no exception. So, what would we do?? We could just stay home and "get through it". That seemed to make the most sense. But, I figured, as long as I gotta take three days off work to watch the kids, there's no sense just sitting around the house. Right? Not when we've got an almost new trailer sitting there, just aching to get out. So I did what any sensible...or should I say, any crazy Dad would do in this situation. I took them camping!!Where would we go? That didn't take much thought. We went to our favorite spot in Tennessee to camp...a place that we typically get to two or three times per season. A little COE park on Cordell Hull Lake called:Yes, Defeated Creek Park. A gem of a park that sits on a peninsula in Cordell Hull Lake, just outside Carthage, TN. For those major Al Gore fans in the crowd, Carthage is his hometown. You might expect Carthage to be an intensely hot place, but the weather here is pretty much the same as anywhere in middle TN. Go figure. Now why is Defeated Creek a favorite of ours? It could be that it features full hookup sites, including sewer, for $24/night. And many of those sites sit right on the lakeshore, where you can drop a line in or even anchor your boat right at your site. It could be the nice beach for swimming, the marina, or the great restaurant right on the lake. Could be, but not quite. The real reason I love this place is the views from my comfortable chair under my awning.I could sit and stare at that lake all day. And there have been trips in the past when I did. But that's not possible when you are playing Mr. Mom. And Mr. Dad. All at the same time. I was a bit too busy to sit for extended periods of time. But don't worry about me. I did sit a little. And I thoroughly enjoyed myself. We did a lot in just two days. Which I will proceed to tell you about coming up.This post has been promoted to an article Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doodlebug....Cherie 461 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 What a great Dad you are :banana: When are we going to do a GG at Defeated Creek. This place looks awesome. I could sit and look at that view all day too. :heart: It's not Cindy does beautiful work by the way. You have every right to be proud :banana: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PureTcrazy...rita 380 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 This sounds like it is gonna be lots of fun! I'm waiting for the next installment! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Total Joker ... TJ 203 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 :popcorn: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SCTigerCock 171 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 :suspense: Somehow I think you better watch out with this title. :rofl2: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BouncingTiggers 98 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 Dave that is a beautiful view. Oh & by the way. Going out camping with your 5 kids all alone you deserve an award. Dang man you are a crazy man. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kampfirekim 260 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 What a beautiful view! We love COE CG's! Looking forward to the next installment. :)ETA: It's not Cindy does fantastic work. The slipcovers look great! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lklasing 16 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 Awesome start to a non-Fort report! Can't wait to hear all about it and, more importantly, see more pictures! The views you showed us so far are great (as are It's Not Cindy's slip covering skills).Looking forward to more! :popcorn: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NoRegrets…BucketListTour 11 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 I love the views…TN does have some beautiful spots…I might have a chair that needs a covering….. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
momof3kids-Yvonne 594 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 It's not Cindy's work is beautiful. Looking forward to hearing more about this adventure you had with your girls and seeing more pictures. :popcorn: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
okgirlie...Brandy 6 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 You are awesome for taking 5 girls camping. Tennessee is beautiful. I'd love to live there but my family is here in Oklahoma and I won't leave them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BRDof3...Rob 40 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 Yeah well, I got to spend my week in the office and the car, covering other people's butts while getting nothing but criticism for it. So there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
polkadotsuitcase 12 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 Wow, beautiful view! Looking forward to the TR!And love the slipcover work -- wonderful. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stefa70 205 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 :suspense: I'm in Dave! Good for you, playing Mr. Dad & Mr. Mom! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Roller ... aka Ed 351 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 :suspense: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anolefan 8 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 Could be, but not quite. The real reason I love this place is the views from my comfortable chair under my awning.Wow! That view for that price is outstanding. And is that a walking path down by the lake? Even better if so.I can't wait to hear more of this report. I have a tradition we just started where I take one of our children with me a day early to set up and have some time together before the rest of the gang arrives. I'm interested to see how you handle 5!This is going to be a great report! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted June 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 What a great Dad you are :banana: When are we going to do a GG at Defeated Creek. This place looks awesome. I could sit and look at that view all day too. :heart: It's not Cindy does beautiful work by the way. You have every right to be proud :banana:Defeated Creek GG sounds great! This sounds like it is gonna be lots of fun! I'm waiting for the next installment!Coming up soon Rita...I hope.:popcorn:Hold your popcorn there TJ. :suspense: Somehow I think you better watch out with this title. :rofl2:I know Genia. Hope I don't scare anyone into thinking she left me forever with 5 kids. :rofl2: Dave that is a beautiful view. Oh & by the way. Going out camping with your 5 kids all alone you deserve an award. Dang man you are a crazy man.I can never get enough of that view. And yes, I'm a bit crazed. What a beautiful view! We love COE CG's! Looking forward to the next installment. :)ETA: It's not Cindy does fantastic work. The slipcovers look great!Thanks Kim! Yeah, those COE campgrounds are an awesome value for what you get. Big, beautiful sites in fantastic locations. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ftwildernessguy 778 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 I was briefly in the Corps of Engineers, but we didn't build any campgrounds. We just blew things up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted June 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 Awesome start to a non-Fort report! Can't wait to hear all about it and, more importantly, see more pictures! The views you showed us so far are great (as are It's Not Cindy's slip covering skills).Looking forward to more! :popcorn:Thanks Leslie. Your incredible BLT report was one of the motivating factors that got me to jump back into writing this. I love the views…TN does have some beautiful spots…I might have a chair that needs a covering…..We sure do live in a beautiful state. It's not Cindy's work is beautiful. Looking forward to hearing more about this adventure you had with your girls and seeing more pictures. :popcorn:Thanks...and more pics coming up today. You are awesome for taking 5 girls camping. Tennessee is beautiful. I'd love to live there but my family is here in Oklahoma and I won't leave them.Do what we did when we moved from NY to TN 8 years ago. Get all the family to follow! Yeah well, I got to spend my week in the office and the car, covering other people's butts while getting nothing but criticism for it. So there.Got any of those butt pics Rob?? :rofl2: Wow, beautiful view! Looking forward to the TR!And love the slipcover work -- wonderful.Thanks Kate!! :suspense: I'm in Dave! Good for you, playing Mr. Dad & Mr. Mom!It was tiring but we had a great trip. More coming up...:suspense:I'm working on it, Ed! :popo: Wow! That view for that price is outstanding. And is that a walking path down by the lake? Even better if so.I can't wait to hear more of this report. I have a tradition we just started where I take one of our children with me a day early to set up and have some time together before the rest of the gang arrives. I'm interested to see how you handle 5!This is going to be a great report!Yes Tom, that is a patch that goes down to the beach. There are several internal trails in the woods, but not too many along the shore itself. That is one of them though. And BTW, your Charleston report was another TR that inspired me to do a non-Fort one. So...I better get back at it! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted June 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 Ok, so It's Not Cindy had a 6am flight on Wednesday, so it was a very early day. I took her to the airport, then came home to finish packing up the trailer. Defeated Creek has a check in time of 3:30, and it is about an hour and a half away. But I didn't want to wait that long, and figured that on a Wednesday our site might be available earlier. So I called the campground, and sure enough the site was empty and available for early check in. :dance: So at around 10:30 we loaded up the van and hit the road. The drive was uneventful, and we pulled into the campground a bit past noon. Checked in and headed straight to site 96. At Defeated Creek (and I assume most COE campgrounds) you actually reserve a specific site, so I had picked site 96 when I made the reservation. If we go during the summer months, I try to get one of the handful of full hookup sites that are adjacent to the beach area. We like to play on the beach and swim in the lake, and with these sites you get a beautiful view, full hookups and easy beach access. But they are hard to get for weekends. They come available 6 months in advance and are booked the first day. If you want to camp here, plan ahead!The older girls went to play on the beach while I set up the site, and then I called them back for lunch. Just sandwiches and chips for the first meal. And I know that you would expect some food pics from me...especially since I've scolded several of you in the past for not taking any. :popo: But somehow I didn't take a single food pic on this trip. :argh: I think I was too busy feeding everyone and taking care of Anna. At least that's my excuse. So after lunch, we hung out a bit and took a walk around the campground. I wanted to get Anna some exercise. She just got her new orthopedic shoes this week to help correct her flat footedness and improve her gait, so I needed to get her some walking time. And I just love to walk around the campground anyways. C'mon Dad, let's go!Built Ford tough. :rofl2: The skies were looking a bit threatening, so we took the opportunity to hop in the van and head to Walmart for supplies. And just when we were done at Walmart and ready to head to the parking lot, the skies opened up! And man, did it ever pour. Waited a bit in the store, but eventually we had to leave so I ran to get the van and ended up drenched. But we were all hungry and couldn't wait anymore. The sacrifices a Dad makes, right? :parrot: We headed back to the campground for dinner. Had planned to grill, but since everything was soaked, we decided to hit the Marina restaurant instead. They have great burgers, catfish, chicken and such. And it was as good as always. They even had pecan cobbler for dessert! :banana: Again, sorry no pics. :'( By this point, the weather was BEAUTIFUL, so we walked out on the dock to feed the catfish. This is one my kids' favorite things here. These fish are HUGE from all the feedings they get. They congregate in this area for just this reason. All the kids enjoy this. We fed them our leftover french fries and bread from dinner. Nobody said these fish were selective eaters. And then our food was gone and it was time to leave. Coming up...where the heck is that weather radio??? :siren: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Just Whipperwhirl 24 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 I have never seen a slip cover as beautiful as that one - does your wife sell them? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PureTcrazy...rita 380 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 Those sites are really nice! Pecan cobbler sounds delicious, would have loved a picture! :popo: Those fish look like they must just lie around waiting for someone to drop food, they are huge! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted June 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 I was briefly in the Corps of Engineers, but we didn't build any campgrounds. We just blew things up.There is value in that too, Jim. I have never seen a slip cover as beautiful as that one - does your wife sell them?Hey Whip! Yes, she is building a business locally covering people's furniture. All her work is custom, so she actually takes in the furniture and does the cover to form fit. She also has purchased used furniture from time to time, recovers it and sells it. Those sites are really nice! Pecan cobbler sounds delicious, would have loved a picture! :popo: Those fish look like they must just lie around waiting for someone to drop food, they are huge!I know Rita...I feel stupid not getting food pics. Next time!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
We4mickey 6 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 Great trip report, Dave. Those sites look beautiful. You are a brave man to take the girls camping. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anolefan 8 Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 And I know that you would expect some food pics from me...especially since I've scolded several of you in the past for not taking any. :popo: But somehow I didn't take a single food pic on this trip. :argh: I think I was too busy feeding everyone and taking care of Anna. At least that's my excuse. This is unacceptable.No food pictures from you Dave?Ok, now I forgive you :)Can't wait for more! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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