SibSabs – 2024 – Prelude

This blog title should be a clue that this year, we got to have more than one SibSab (Sibling Sabbatical).  To be exact, we had two.  But the first one came up serendipitously.

My eldest sister had been planning to come over for a visit this year, but we kept having date conflicts with other activities.  By the time we could finally set a date, it was time for my other sister to also come over so we could work on some doll house activities together.  So, they both planned to drive over together from Northwest Arkansas on the weekend after the 4^th of July.  One morning in our Wordle text stream (all four of us play each morning and share our score along with our thoughts), our brother asked when the SbSab was with the “I” missing since he would not be here.  Well, I told him he was welcome to fly down as well and doing some research, he found a flight arriving on the 4^th of July.  This way, it would be an extended holiday weekend for all of us over four full days.

That night after my siblings had arrived, I treated everyone, including our youngest son with my special grilled-out steaks.

At the time, we were having extreme heat in Memphis so one popular activity that took place most days, mornings and afternoons, was a swim in our newly renovated pool.

To beat the heat one day, we went to a local museum.  Their special exhibit was a display of unique gowns designed by Christian Siriano.

What was so impressive to me was that next to each dress, there was a small sign that described the dress, who it was designed for, and what event it was worn to along with a photo of that famous person wearing the actual dress at that event.

Two in particular stuck out for me.  This one described that you could be your own date to a prom…

… while this one was inspired by Picasso paintings.  It even included a mechanism to allow the eye to wink.

On our last day together, after enjoying a great breakfast out, we went downtown to explore the now abandoned Mud Island River Park.

While the museum, restaurants, and monorail are closed, you can access the park by walking across the Skybridge for free.  Once there, you can still stroll down the scale model of the Mississippi River from its headwaters in Minnesota all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.  The morning we went was particularly hot and while our brother walked the entire trek, the three of us chose to take in just a portion of the river.

As we always do on SibSabs, each morning we would sit around the kitchen table, drinking coffee, and enjoying conversations together while playing our varied games.  We had many lively discussions and began making our plans for SibSabs in 2025.  Our brother had booked his flight to depart on Wednesday, but our two sisters had to drive back on Tuesday.  So, it was sad to say goodbye to them that last morning.

But with an extra day in town for my brother, it gave the two of us a chance to have a mini-BroGo that night, which we celebrated in typical fashion by enjoying a flight of one of our favorite adult beverages.

While it was an unexpected treat for us to get together in the summer in Memphis, it served as a prelude for our previously planned fall SibSab.  Not having been to Montreat, NC since 2022, we were all looking forward to going to our favorite place.  That is until Helene came through western North Carolina less than three weeks before our scheduled trip.

After first making landfall in the northern part of Florida as a category 4 hurricane, she made her way up through Georgia, Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina.  Eventually being downgraded to a tropical depression, she was still heavily packed with moisture sucked up from the warm Gulf waters.  The track Helene took produced devastating flooding, dumping almost 30 inches of rain on top of Mt. Mitchell, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway and about 35 miles northeast of Asheville.

As always, our plan was to drive through this welcoming Montreat gate on our way to our final destination, just 30 miles due east of Asheville so you can imagine our shock to see a photo of the overflowing creek passing through the gate.

The town of Black Mountain, five miles south of Montreat, which you must pass through on your way recorded 22 inches of rain in 24 hours overwhelming Lake Susan which normally looks like this…

… into this…

With that gate being the only way into and out of Montreat, washed out roads on either side of the raging creek literally cut the town of Montreat in half with the only access being by helicopter.

Even on the way to Montreat, parts of Interstates 40 and 26 were washed out closing them to traffic.  I later learned that 48 hours after the storm hit, all roads leading into and out of Asheville were either washed out or flooded.  And Asheville was severely impacted by the storm with flood waters in Biltmore Village reaching as high as 20 feet.

With the devastation there, we knew there was no way we would be going to Montreat.  So, two days after the storm, we had a FaceTime call to explore other options.  We talked about several alternatives and decided on a trip that would serve dual purposes.

     To be continued…