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I captured this picture of the setting sun back in April while visiting Mark and Robin in Maryville, Tennessee. Sometimes I just get lucky!
Maryville Sunset
May 30, 2023The Great Wall
May 9, 2023
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I captured this image as a slide when I visited the Great Wall for the first time in 1987. I had climbed along the wall above the gate at Badaling (near Beijing), and was rewarded with the sight of the wall winding along the ridges and mountain tops. It was truly an amazing sight!
The Sinks
April 4, 2023
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There are many beautiful scenic spots to enjoy in the Smokies, especially if you can be there before the tourist season begins in earnest. One place we enjoy visiting is The Sinks, which is along Little River Road in the park. I got this picture in March, when we went to Cades Cove to celebrate my birthday. March 9, 2023.
Down Memory Lane: Leeds Castle
January 31, 2023
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Back in 1993 I visited my daughter who was studying in London for a semester and took advantage of the opportunity to do some sight-seeing.
One of the places I visited was Leeds Castle in Kent between London and Dover. Leeds Castle has been called “the loveliest castle in the world” and is situated on two islands on a lake.
It is definitely beautiful.
Sunrise
December 20, 2022
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Betsy and I enjoy the beach at Ocean Isle, North Carolina, for many reasons, but the sunrises we can enjoy from our room definitely ranks high on the list. I captured this image on our most recent trip to Ocean Isle Beach in early December. Upon seeing sights like this the most appropriate response is “The heavens declare the glory of God”.
A Canterbury Cathedral Tale
October 18, 2022
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I’m of a generation that had to read Canterbury Tales in high school, and I must confess that it was not my favorite reading assignment. But I had a chance to visit Canterbury Cathedral many years ago while visiting London. I recently came across this picture that I took of the cathedral interior and was once again impressed with the beauty of the place. The original image was a slide taken in 1993.
Mt. Nebo Sunset
September 6, 2022
There are many reasons we keep going back to Mt. Nebo State Park in Arkansas, but one of main reasons is the magnificent sunsets we can enjoy from ‘our’ cabin on top of the mountain. Although this picture was taken several years ago, I hope you’ll agree it makes going back very worthwhile.
We Have Roses in Bloom in Our Yard!
August 16, 2022
This is probably the most frustrating year we’ve had for growing roses since we moved here 20 years ago. In addition to the weather — extremely high temperatures, too little rain, too much rain — we’ve had continuing problems with the deer that live in our area (where they are protected).
Deer seem to think that roses make delicious meals and they wiped out every bud on the plants in our yard twice this Spring. The things we used to keep them away in the past (Liquid Fence and other repellents) didn’t phase the hungry critters at all. We were able to move some container roses onto the deck where the deer didn’t bother them, but the roses in the yard were one big buffet table.
In desperation we connected a garden hose to a motion detector and turned it on each evening, leaving it on until morning. Once we saw a young deer walk into a flower bed; the detector picked him up, the water came on, and the deer beat a hasty retreat. We’ve also seen deer making a wide detour away from our yard, which is fine with us.
We finally have some roses in the yard in bloom! An added bonus to this method of deterrence is that the roses often have water droplets on them, like the droplets on Wildfire in the picture above.
It’s so nice to have roses in bloom!
Fragrant Cloud
July 7, 2022
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We’ve had a big problem with deer this year — they’ve eaten all the buds and new growth from the roses in the front yard twice so far this year. We’re just hoping they don’t come back for a third helping!
Fortunately we had some of our roses in containers on the deck and so far they have avoided becoming meals for our resident deer. The first rose to bloom this year was Fragrant Cloud, has a fragrance as wonderful as her looks.
By the way, all of our container roses are now on the deck. We don’t have much room to move around, but we’re beginning to have several roses in bloom, which we are enjoying.
Periwinkle — A sign of Spring
March 22, 2022
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When the periwinkle in our yard starts to put on a show, we can be fairly confident that Spring has arrived. We may still have a few days of cold weather ahead, but these beautiful flowers mean better days are coming.
Senior Moments 