Truitt Family Getaway

What the heck am I doing! I've never done blogging before so I have no freakin' idea how this going to turn out.


Truitt Family getaway to Hidden Cove Resort.
We packed up the van with 6 people (Karen, Lynn & Ryan, Dan & Aimee and myself) and Guinness (Ryan's teacup poodle) and food and drinks and clothes and the rest of the house. We were packed like sardines. Hit a little traffic but all was well. I had worried because Miss Aimee had been sick but she got to feeling better. 5:30ish departure put us down there 10:45ish. Pulling in to Hidden Cove I know why I decided to become a platinum member. The trail lights to the exquisite polygonwrongonal were on enhancing the beautiful paw paw trees. Upon entering our spacious, clean and organized camper we find a beautiful welcoming note with a bottle of wine from our gracious hosts.Now I know what it's like to be treated like royalty. We unpack (ourselves and the van) and Dan & Lynn proceed to make a fire. A quick call to the proprietors and we find (as a platinum member) we have a fully stocked fridge (Aimee stating "and I mean stocked!") in the gazebo and all the vehicles are gassed and ready to go. It was my pleasure to show 3 newbies (Dan, Aimee and Ryan) around. With a trip down Hemlock Way we arrive at the pontoon boat (Forever Moore) Ryan exclaims about the stars and never seeing a sky with so many stars! Talking and enjoying a few around the fire leads to an early morning bedtime (3am).

A beautiful day awaited us as we start with bacon and eggs and mimosas (as my sister-in-law Jill would say, "you can't drink all day long if you don't start in the morning."

Dan & Aimee getting mimosas

A quick Gator trek around the resort, with a trip to Holly Falls, then my (potentially) A frame property then on to the upper estates.Enjoying the recently renovated roads.We then made our way back to one of my favorite local landmarks (the cave). Not having the headlamps we just made a quick gander and enjoyed the cool air from the cave before heading back. We readied the Forever Moore and get set to take the jet ski's to the ramp. I ride the jet ski back to Hidden Cove's private dock and Ryan & Dan take the trailer back. We decide a trip on the pontoon boat is in order and a trip to Jump Rock is first on the list.

Guinness's first time on a boat.

Seeing the beautiful Nolin Lake is awe inspiring for the first timers (as it still is to me).

Jump Rock was a huge hit with the crew.

Dan made his first climb on the Jump Rock wall. Dan and Aimee spend a lot of time jumping into the water not only here but off the boat and at Smiley Rock (more about that) later. After tiring ourselves out a little we decided to check out the dam .... You tell me what it looks like to you. We all had our opinion but I won't go into that here.
Over to pigeon cave for a look then ... out of gas ... not a problem our hosts had both tanks filled. Quick switch and we are on our way to the marina .... opps, no wallet. Looks like a trip back to Hidden Cove for money and a restock of beverages.
A little thunder holds us back a little, but no rain.

The crew of the Forever Moore

Soon we are off again but this time Dan wants to try the jet ski. Okay around Brier Creek ... not so quick, this guy is a natural. There was no stopping Dan once he got on. He fell off once and just effortlessly pulled himself back on.

..

Out to the main lake.Showing his balancing skills Dan is the master of the jet ski ...

Not so fast Dan, here comes Aimee!

Another natural jet skier. Dan and Aimee ride the jet sky all the way to WAX. Both of them pretty tired so we try to tow the jet ski ... nope not working, so I offer to ride the jet ski back I think everyone knew it would be a long trip back so Dan offers.
Ouch Ryan, looks like that burn might hurt. Dan (on the jet ski) leaves us behind.
Hidden Cove is a great place for romance

Not one fall for Dan all the way back. But right before Brier Creek Dan runs out of gas. So we figure a way, sort of, to tow it back with Dan on it. (It wasn't till the next morning as I woke up I remembered the reserve switch for the jet ski gas ... idiot.)

Dinner time Karen makes us kabobs, mmmmmm!

Afterward another blazing campfire (thanks Lynn) and listening to music ...

What song has Dan and Aimee up and dancing in the dark? None other than Boot Scoot Boogie! After jet skiing all day you would think they would be tired. Up in the morning to pancakes and bacon. then a little quiet time at one of the most popular sites on Hidden Cove Resort. The Mojo Lounge or is this the library? Still looks like lounging to me. Me, I take off to earn a couple platinum points :).

But this crew doesn't sit still for long, not with all the amenities at Hidden Cove. The lake is calling and so is the Forever Moore. Stock up the beverages and cruise back over to the always popular Jump Rock for a little more water fun. Dan and Aimee take a lover's leap.
Hey, us old folks like a little romance too!

Captain Brian and his first mate.

After another trip about the lake we head for Smiley Rock! Smiley Rock is (I think) a first for Hidden Cove goers. We were looking for a new place to swim and play and heading back to Brier Creek we found a nice little spot to set the anchor and play. With my crooners playing in the background this was just a great day for me to watch my family interact and truly enjoy one another. Dan & Aimee in the shallows at Smiley Rock

Here Dan and Aimee are the first to jump in. Then Lynn and Karen. I was just chilling with Ryan and Guinness. Ryan ,with a messed up hand and taking care of his Guinness, was a little reluctant to play in the water. After being called out by Dan (and me assuring him I would watch Guinness) he decided to take the plunge.

Now, Guinness (till the first day) has never been on a boat or tried to swim. No one knew what she would do if put in the water and Ryan was more than just a little apprehensive about the prospect of it. But with Ryan in the water it was time for Guinness's first swim lesson.

She's a natural and Ryan is as proud as punch!

Looks like it might be time to get an extra small doggie life vest. Guinness did a great job and everyone enjoyed watching her first time out. After Dan and Aimee watched 2 girls jump off the rock they decided to check it out. After a little scouting they decided to take the leap of faith. After a couple times it was my turn to be called out by Dan. So of course I am going to take on the challenge Dan shows me how...and I show Dan how...and Aimee shows us both how.

After another grat day on the lake we head back to the resort for dinner. After dinner we decide to partake in another Truitt pastime at the Mojo Lounge...

Tripoly.

A card game played with pennies. Soon (all too soon) it is time to call it a night. It will be a morning departure. No one was ready to go! A great time was had by all and now time to cram back into the van for the trip back to C-bus.
Thank you to Jack and Lei for being such gracious hosts and allowing my family to build memories that will last "Forever Moore".
Brian

My visit to Hidden Cove on Memorial Day Weekend 2010

My visit started when I arrived in Louisville Airport on Sunday morning. I happily delivered a Starbucks triple shot nonfat venti vanilla latte to Cathy for picking me up--and rode with my mother and Cathy through Kentucky to get to Nolin Lake.

We had to stop by Wal-Mart for some extra supplies—cheese, an onion and ping pong balls, and picked up some cute lightweight zip up hoodies along the way. It was during our discussion on our purchase of ping pong balls for Beer Pong that prompted my suggestion of the game of Flip Cup to Cathy and my mother. The size of our group was perfect for a drinking game that involved more than just four people. Intrigued by my enthusiasm for the game, my mother immediately became a strong advocate for the introduction of Flip Cup into our agenda of Sunday group activities. : )

Upon arrival, I took an individual tour of the property before enjoying a trek to the Summit with John in the new Gator.

After which, I took a leisurely boat ride with Cathy and John Phil and their crew of happy Hidden Cove weekend visitors.

When we got back, a wine reception with crackers, meats, cheeses and fresh fruit helped "Hidden Cove Platinum Club Members" pass the time while they waited for the rain to subside.

I CHERISH great times and great memories like these. We always have SO much fun together!

As this was the only day that the entire group of Memorial Day vacationers would be together, we collectively donned our commemorative 2010 hidden cove tee-shirts in preparation for a group photograph.

Visitors picked out Hidden Cove temporary tattoos while Mother and Cathy prepared a phenomenal rib and chicken dinner. After dinner was finished, Tabitha’s friend, Bree, took a picture of our entire Memorial Day group.

It was appropriate that our picture be taken in front of the Gazebo, the focus of our 2010 Hidden Cove Tee shirts. Post-photograph, the entire group headed back up to John and Cathy’s camper and participated in a Flip Cup tournament. A relay-race drinking game pairing beer chugging with plastic cup flipping agility, Flip Cup was the ideal activity to engage the entire group.

After the team of Chris, Maggie, Corry and Nick had dominated the entire community of flip-cup tournament participants, we headed up to the Summit for a bonfire of extraordinary magnitude. The bonfire was carefully constructed on Saturday by John and Chris, in preparation for Sunday. After John lit the incredible structure of sticks, logs, twigs and debris,

flames quickly lit up the sky.

Cathy provided ingredients for S’mores, but the intense heat of the flame made it difficult to toast marshmallows! Some crouched down to beat the heat while others attempted to toast over a baby bonfire. Regardless of the method for toasting them, the marshmallows made for fabulous fireside snacks.

The Giant Summit Bonfire was a lovely grand finale for the Hidden Cove camp. When everybody retired to bed, I got to hang out with my cousin Nick and his girlfriend Maggie. I quite enjoyed catching up on what’s been going on in his life and updating him on what’s been going on in mine. I’m so grateful that I have such a strong friendship with my cousins, and I credit the existence of Hidden Cove for allowing our families to grow so close. Sharing in the experiences of exploring and developing the property into what it has become has really made Hidden Cove a fun family getaway. The millions of memories that I’ve made with my family at Hidden Cove are what I appreciate most. Virtually everybody left on Monday: Brian and Karen left before the sun came up, Chris, Tabitha, Corry, Maggie and Bree left around 1:00. Charles and Judy left with Cathy (Maizie) and Nick around 2:00. John, Mom, Dad and I collectively reduced the camp capacity to a more manageable level and tidied all of the campers for the next wave of vacationing visitors. After chairs were put away and trash was taken away, mother prepared a tasty teriyaki chicken dinner for the four of us. With the gazebo back in functioning order, we finished the evening off with wine, cigars and great conversation. My boyfriend, John, arrived around 11:30 Monday evening. Dad directed him into the camp and we all called it a night.

Tuesday morning we had a hearty bacon, egg and hashed brown breakfast.

While I gave John a tour of the property (John is pictured here on Holly Falls), Dad and John Phil worked on maintaining the grounds and deterring Summit trespassers. After a boat ride with my parents and some moderately enjoyable jet-skiing, John and I made it back up to camp while my mother prepared an incredible steak dinner. Per Cathy’s request, I used up the cilantro, tomatoes and peppers in her fridge to make salsa. Chips and salsa made a great appetizer before dinner! We all finished the evening in the gazebo again--smoking the cigars and drinking the wine that John brought with him. It was lovely.

The next morning flew by. Mother prepared waffles while John and I packed up the pop-up trailer we’d been staying in. We spent the next couple of hours chatting at the round table outside of John and Cathy’s camper in preparation of our departure. When my mother discovered that the Makers Mark Distillery tour we were planning taking ended sooner than we had expected, we rushed to leave Hidden Cove in a hurry. We had planned that day to plant the blue spruce “Love Pine” that John and I had purchased as our Christmas tree 6 months ago. Because we had to leave so quickly, John Phil volunteered to plant our love tree for us.

Fortunately we made it to Makers Mark in time to take the entire tour. We walked straight to the building where the bottles are filled, labeled and hand-dipped in signature Maker’s red wax.

The whole tour was quite impressive, especially the tasting room/gift shop. Not only were we able to finish the tour with a taste of the phenomenal Makers Mark whisky, we were also able to taste a Mint Julep, the signature drink of the Kentucky Derby! John and I both took the opportunity to dip Makers Mark bottles in wax and also invested in the refreshing and limited-time-offer Mint Julep bottle.

On our drive back to Indiana, we reflected on how ours really was the perfect visit to Hidden Cove. Although I’m covered in excruciatingly itchy bug bites, I cannot wait to go back. So many memories were made in the single weekend that our families were able to spend together. As this marks the beginning of the 2010 summer season, I’m hoping that mine is not the only Hidden Cove Blog entry for the year. Share your memories from Hidden Cove with the rest of us--Contact the webmaster to contribute to the Hidden Cove Blog!

Flip Cup Catch-Up

(A "Flip Cup Family Feud" Hidden Cove photo)

For those few who haven't witnessed Flip Cup tournaments at a local party and weren't able to participate in Memorial Day weekend's Flip Cup festivities, below is a definition and a video that should catch you up to the game's general concept.

Flip cup

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Players: 4+

Setup time: 2-3 minutes

Playing time: As long or short as teams choose

Random chance: Easy

Skills required: Cup-flipping, Beer-chugging

Flip cup is a team-based drinking game developed on college campuses. Two teams of an equal number of players stand on opposite sides of a table, facing one another.

The players directly facing are opponents. In front of each teammate is a Solo Cup filled with a set amount of beer. Generally, the first line inside a Solo cup is used as a marker for your competitive beverage pour.

For our Hidden Cove Games, the first leg of each relay team stood fist to fist across from one another.

A neutral party dropped an empty Solo cup to signify the start of the competition.

At the start, the first member of each team drinks their beverage.

When finished, the cup is placed face up at the edge of the table, and the player who drank it attempts to flip the cup, by flicking or lifting the bottom until it flips and lands face down on the table, sitting on its mouth.

The player may not use two hands to "guide" the cup to flip over. If player is unsuccessful on the first try, the cup is reset and re-flipped.

Only after the first teammate is done flipping successfully can the next person proceed. Whichever team finishes drinking and flipping all its cups first wins.

A cup-flipping video of Hidden Cove's Memorial Day 2010 Flip Cup tournament action:

May the Competitive Memorial Day Flip Cup tradition continue!

Cheers!

Hidden Cove is about Family.

Another reason that I enjoy Hidden Cove is because of the incredible opportunities to bond with family and friends.

...and to witness funny moments like this!

Can't wait for this year's Memorial Day!
Cheers!

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