Table Rock

With family in town for our son's graduation, we decided to take them on a few adventures.  First was a hike to Table Rock.

This steep climb takes the average hiker 5 hours to complete.  We did it in 5.5 hrs, not bad for our ages!  Eric and his brother, Bruce, pose at the start of the trail.

The weather had been raining a week prior, so the hike was gorgeous with lots of waterfalls.

It started out pretty flat, which gave us a good pace early on.  

Then after 30 minutes, it was step after step, increasing rapidly in elevation which gave us a good workout for the next few hours.

The two most energetic ones found extra adventure in climbing the large boulders.

Then waiting on the rest of us to catch up.

A local guy, Glen, caught up with us and decided to hang around with our group.  His knowledge of the area proved valuable and entertaining as we learned about the type of trees, leaves, flowers, where there's a hidden spring, what's poisonous, and even how to make a whistle if we're lost.  Friendly fellow, good Baptist (King James version), and a thick Pickens accent.

There used to be a covered lookout shelter halfway up, but it burned down about two years ago.  All that's left is the rock base.

Then further up the mountain about 80% of the way is Governor's Rock.  This is a glimpse of what the top is like and gives you motivation to keep going.

When we finally reached the top, the views were breathtaking!  Here's a panoramic..

The lunch we packed was perfect, and enough to share with Glen.  After a nice 30 min. rest, we refilled our water bottles and headed back down.

The two energetic ones leading the pack and waiting on us again at Governor's Rock.

As if this wasn't adventure enough, the family went white water rafting down Section IV of the Chatooga. 

Lynn and Angela decided to make use of a brief stop to hike to a nearby waterfall. Who said life has to slow down at 60?  

Last Day @ PVHS

This was our son's last day of high school.  As a senior, once they completed their last exam, they are done until graduation.  I asked him if he would do me a favor on this day and wear a red shirt and khaki shorts.  He kindly agreed.

His picture on the first day of kindergarten...

And now on the last day of his senior year....

So sweet!  😂  
He also said I could walk him into school if I agreed to take him to breakfast at Cracker Barrel.

We ran into his K-5 teacher the week prior and she was honored to have a picture with the graduating senior.

Then while going through his baby book, I found these cute pictures of his friend, Jonathon during our annual Gatti Town tradition.  

  And those same two handsome young men now as seniors a few weeks ago at prom.

How did the time pass so quickly?

Soccer Finale

Our son had an amazing season in soccer this year.  As a senior, he got a banner that hung from the field fence all spring.

He was the varsity goal keeper, a tough position that weighs heavily in determining the team's success.  Below is a picture of all the seniors from both the boys and girls teams.


Here, the team is lined up for our national anthem....

Then huddled in prayer to ask for a fair game with no injuries...

He was athlete of the week for March....


then after a few key plays were made....

he was Athlete of the Week again in April.

 We had the privilege of escorting him onto the field during his last home game.

At the end of season banquet, his coach had some incredible words for the team, the seniors, and especially Luke.

Here is that speech:    https://youtu.be/MGxVT6CxLnc 

Then, the seniors were presented with their jerseys in a frame to keep wherever they go.

For the spring awards ceremony, Luke was called on stage to receive his Varsity pin (he was the only player to be on varsity all 4 years).  

And while he was on stage, his coach gave him the Team MVP award as well as being named the top goal keeper in the region as voted on by other high school coaches.

We're so proud of him!!

Black Plague

Our little one studied the Black Plague during her Launch class this year (gifted & talented program).  Their research project included understanding the root cause of the disease, how it spread, what the culture was like during the middle ages, and learn the medicines available at the time.

They divided up into groups to present their semester-long projects.  Notice who wanted to dress the part... :)

After the projects were complete, the class took a field trip to Atlanta.  First stop, Medieval Times, a dinner show filled with jousting, knights, and chivalry.

Then the real highlight was spending the afternoon at the Center for Disease Control.  Fascinating, and super proud of what the US does to prevent or stop epidemics around the world.

Senior Signing

A new tradition that started last year at Powdersville is senior signing day.  On this day, each senior will be called to the stage to "sign" with the school, military branch, or vocation they will pursue after graduation.  

Afterwards, all the students from the elementary, middle, and high schools as well as parents line up from the school doors to the athletic field.  Seniors take their final walk as a class through the parade of cheers.  

Once they reach the football field, the band plays their school song and fight song while the seniors enjoy the celebration.  They spend the rest of their afternoon with a picnic lunch and play frisbee, soccer, football, and other games until 3pm.

 Here's a picture of all the students heading to USC-Columbia!

Scholarship

We were super proud of our senior for receiving a $3,000 scholarship to the school of his choice from SC Telco!  This is the bank where we've kept his college fund for ten years, so that account qualified him to apply.

The company invited us to their annual shareholder's meeting to present him the scholarship award.  There were three recipients, one from the lower part of the state, one from Greenville, and Luke.  They had a nice presentation and write-up of each recipient.

Here's a close-up of his...

The award was given by the chairman of the board.