It was August 2004, Eva and I had talked Maurice and Charlotte into taking a trip with us again. They were still living in Kerrville at the time and we would go to visit them when we had a long weekend or during vacation. Our first plan was to go to The Big Ben National Park with idea that we would be part of the way when we got to their house. However, when I asked Charlotte if she would rather go someplace that would be cooler like Tennessee or The Smokey Mountains, her response was quick – “Can we go there, I’ve always wanted to go there.” It had been several years since our family had been there, so it was decided. So the new plan was for them to drive to Houston and spend the night at our house and we would leave early the next morning.
Charlotte and Eva had become good friends over the years and they could always find a lot to talk about. Charlotte had not given up smoking at that point, so we had plans for how often we would stop for smoke breaks and which sections we would sit in during our meals. I was still working at that time and they were retired so I would try to pay for some things without Charlotte knowing in time, but she would glare at me and insist on paying the next time. That went on for the entire trip. Charlotte was always fun to be around, never quite knowing what she would say next. I remember she was probably the best at getting my Dad to laugh about something no matter how he was feeling.
We went to several places in Gatlinburg like the Christus Gardens, some of the walks along the river, and of course the many stores. When we started the drive through the park, Charlotte would ask to stop at most of the pull-out points so she could take pictures. After several of those, I finally convinced her that the drive was much longer than she thought it was so we could drive past of few of those. Maurice would just go with the flow and not say much but as the day wore on, he would walk just far enough where Charlotte could still see him and then wait there. I did like watching her enjoy those walks down to the stream, then listening to Charlotte and Eva laughing about something.
We went to Lookout Mountain and went in the cave to see all of the sights in there and to the spot where you can see seven different states from that one spot, Rock City, and Ruby Falls. After the long ride back to Houston, we were all very tired and ready for a night’s sleep not in a motel room. I am so glad we made that trip before Charlotte got too ill to travel, but I have fond memories of that trip and the time we shared together.
