Last Day At Tweetsie

This weekend is the last weekend Tweetsie Railroad is open this year. It has been a joy to watch Sam enjoy trains due to his exposure to Tweetsie. Anyone who knows him personally knows he is wild about trains.

I started our day by taking Sam down to the mechanic for a routine inspection (not for Sam, but for my car). For some strange reason when I bought my car earlier this year from Carmax, they put my property tax county as Caldwell. I've never lived in Caldwell County, so I am unsure of why this happened. But, it meant that I need an emissions check, on top of the safety check required here in Watauga County. So, I packed us up and went down to the tag office and presented them with my dilemma. The man there was equally confused and changed it with no problems.

Then we headed back to the mechanic and finally to Tweetsie.

It was bittersweet to spend our last day of the season there. Everything was perfectly decorated for Halloween and I got a lot of cute shots of Sam in front of pumpkins and bails of hay.

Bye bye Tweetsie!

He dressed up in his conductor's hat and 'kerchief and we rode Tweetsie one final time.

On the trip, we saw the cowboys and Indians have their normal fight. Gunfire prevailed and Sam kept my hands firmly on his ears. I love this little drama they do - it's so poorly done, but that's part of the charm.

The boats were frozen, so we couldn't ride them, but the airplanes were still working. He's such a big boy on these airplanes - doesn't even try to stand up. I'm still nervous about it though and I've talked with the technician several times. Apparently there's a red button that will stop the train in one second flat.

Let's not forget the merry-go-round. One of Sam's favorite things to do.

So, with sadness in our hearts, we bid Tweetsie farewell for the season. We'll dream of you fondly...

In the meantime, we'll eat yummy chili to keep us warm.

Chili (From Iva Crawford, my great grandmother - I assume I get my abilities to cook from her)

1 Tablespoon Butter

1 Lb Ground Meat

1 Number 2 Can Crushed Tomatoes (large can)

1 Number 2 Can Tomato Soup (also a large can; I don't prefer the taste of tomato soup, so I use one small can tomato paste and 1 cup water)

1/2 Teaspoon Paprika

1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1/2 Bay Leaf

1 1/2 Teaspoon Chili Powder

1 Can Kidney Beans

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Clove Garlic; Crushed (I omit this because I'm allergic to garlic)

Melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and meat. Cook, stirring constantly until brown.Add tomato soup, tomato, paprika, cayenne, bay leaf, and chili powder. Simmer 1 hour. Or put it in the crock pot in the morning and the tastes will mellow and be even more delicious that evening.