Some pictures and comments from the 4th spent in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina...Another overnight flight on the way out, this time in the middle seat. Thank God for the little flaps that came out of the head rest. At 4 in the morning the body gets desperate and is willing to do anything and at that point it was going to be my neighbor's shoulder if not for the head rest.
The river was really low so no tubing this time, but fishin and chillin was good enough. The
highlight was Ira, the 7 year old girl who was staying with my sister Beth for 6 weeks. She didn't speak English but more than learned to get by on non-verbal communication and laughing. A great fiery spirit can be translated from any human being to another and that is what she brought us.
Every glance her way brought perspective, of life in america, of what life is like in Belarus, of a spirit that knew what it meant to have 6 abscessed teeth (and to have that no longer!), of a spirit that would eat a whole watermelon if we let her, of a spirit that would turn keep-away into tackle football, of a spirit so excited about a digital camera she would capture every angle of every one of our faces (along with the closet, stove, fan...). It was blessed, holy foolishness. 
I love the Smoky Mountains. While it's pretty cool to come back home to mountains here in Seattle, I miss the soft, misty fullness the Smokies offer. Like the humidity, they hug you, keep you close. They got me a long time ago, the West didn't have a chance.
