Latest adventure of the “Hear no evil Chicks”

Just got back from a long weekend in the NC mountains with my deaf girlfriends. Quick side note about the name- we have an ongoing chat group and one friend wanted a name for us. Some of the suggestions were; Sassy Chicks, Hear no evil Chicks and Hot & Sassy. You can insert my eye roll on the last suggestion made by one of the girls Italian husband. Go figure! 😂 Since 2019 we have gone on one trip each year. This year it was hard to get everyone’s schedule together. We had talked about a day trip to pick apples but we ended up having a long weekend.

We rode up on the first day of Fall and came home on Sunday. We had perfect Fall weather. We stayed in a small place in Blowing Rock NC that said it slept 6 people but I don’t think it meant six women and a BIG sweet “Doodle-Dog”. There was just one bathroom, but it was fun and we made it work.

Our first day was gorgeous and clear skies. We took advantage of the perfect weather and went to Grandfather Mountain. Ome of my friends had never walked across the swinging bride so that’s the first thing we did. We all crossed the bridge, looked at the beautiful views, took pictures and sat on the rocks overlooking the mountainside. We also saw the animals. With my low vision I could not tell where they were but a friend took pictures and videos of the black bears, cougars, bald head eagles and river otters. It was such a perfect day.

The second day was overcast with a few showers. We decided to visit the old Mast General store in Boone. The scent of old-time fresh popcorn greeted us as we walked into the old store. One friend and I had a friendly game of checkers. The playing pieces were bottle caps. It was a bit hard for me to see but I managed and won! There were barrels full of various candies and a OLD tractor outside. I sat in the drivers seat and we took a group picture. Later on that day we went in some shops on Main Street in Blowing Rock.

Our last day we went to an apple orchard in Spruce Pine. This was my first time ever being in an apple orchard. It was amazing to me to be close enough to see all the MANY apples on the trees. We took a hayride and learned the history of the area. It was a neat experience. I think I will write a separate blog on that.

I don’t have any biological sisters but God has blessed me with some wonderful friends who are like sisters. This one particular group is a special bunch. We are all deaf. We all lost our hearing at different ages and stages in life. Three of us have cochlear implants. Two are incredible at lip reading. I’m not one of those. Low vision hinders that. We have the common connection of hearing loss and a special bond. I’m so thankful for these girls and making memories together.

When they dropped me off at home on Sunday I was exhausted physically, visually and mentally. I’m not used to watching sign language continuously for days. My husband was surprised at how tired I was. I unpacked my things, took an epson salt bath and went to sleep. So A vacations you need a vacation to recover from. That was one of those. It was an awesome time though. Fun memories made with special friends. Until next time….

To read more of my story you can find my autobiography on Amazon in hard cover, soft cover and e book formats. “Rooted by the Water” by Shannon Kenley Hinson.
Www.shannonkhinson.com