Archive for December, 2008

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We Got Some Rain!

December 11, 2008
Water going over a falls down the hill from our house.

Water going over a falls down the hill from our house.

I’m happy to report that the front that brought all the wind I mentioned in my last post actually brought us some much-needed rain.  It started to rain about nightfall Tuesday, and as far as we can tell it rained all night.

When Betsy got up to put out her bird feeders Wednesday morning, she could see and hear water running down the edge of the fairway behind the house.  We also had water running down the roadside ditch in front of the house.  It’s been a while since we’ve seen either of those things happen.

We saw the  waterfall  in the picture above as we were on our way to the grocery store (Senior Discount Day at Kroger!).  This little waterfall is down the hill from our house and has been dry for months.  It sure looks a lot better with water!

All in all I have to admit that the rain makes all the aggrevations caused by the wind very worthwhile!

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Posted in Weather | 8 Comments »

A Windy Day on the Plateau

December 10, 2008
The flag at our house in the wind. December 9, 2008.

The flag at our house in the wind. December 9, 2008.

Yesterday was very windy up here on the Plateau.  We had been warned that an approaching front would bring wind and (hopefully) some rain.  We could definitely use the rain.

The wind arrived in the early morning, as you can tell from the photo above.  We could hear the wind chimes clanging and every once in a while there was a ‘thump’ as something hit the house.  But we were taking everything is stride until suddenly the power went out.

Fortunately it was light enough in the living room for us to do our daily devotions without any electricity.  Surely the power would be back on by the time we finished.  We finished our devotions, but the power was still off.  I don’t think we realize how much we depend on electricity until we lose it.  Fortunately I love to read and that doesn’t require electricity as long as it’s light enough.

After about an hour the power came back on, so we powered up the computers and printers and reset all the digital clocks, the coffee maker, microwave, etc.  Things went well for about 20 minutes when the power went out again!

This time it was off for only about a minute — just long enough for us to have to power up the computers and  printers and reset all the digital clocks, the coffee maker, microwave, etc.  Soon we were back in business  — and after about five minutes the power went out for a third time!  It was only out for about a minute — just long enough for us to have to power up the computers and  printers and reset all the digital clocks, the coffee maker, microwave, etc.

Fortunately the power remained on for the rest of the day and the wind has now died down.  Now if we would only get some of that rain!

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Posted in Frustration | 9 Comments »

Bushwhacking to Find Waterfalls

December 9, 2008
George bushwhacking in the Ozark National Forest, Arkansas. December 2, 2008.

George bushwhacking in the Ozark National Forest, Arkansas. December 2, 2008.

As most of you know, Betsy and I ‘collect’ waterfalls.  We’ve visited 287 different waterfalls and cascades since 2001.  (Our first ‘big’ date was to Fall Creek Falls State Park where we saw five waterfalls.)

Most of the waterfalls we’ve visited have been reached by maintained hiking trails or by roadside overlooks.  But we are aware of many more waterfalls that require bushwhacking — something like ‘leave the trail when it makes a sharp left and head straight down the hill’.  We’ve been reluctant to follow such directions.

But most of the waterfalls listed online or in the books we own now have GPS coordinates.  And since we think so highly of the GPS receiver we have for the car, we decided to get a hiking GPS unit to help us find those elusive waterfalls.

While we were in Arkansas last week we identified three waterfalls that involved some bushwhacking and set out to visit them.  We knew we wouldn’t find much water, but if we found the waterfalls we could go back at a time when there was more water.

The first thing we did at each site was mark the location of the car so we could find our way back.  We then followed the GPS and found the waterfall in all three instances.  Perhaps we’ll be able to add to our collection!

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Posted in Waterfalls | 7 Comments »

I CAN Enjoy Snow

December 8, 2008
George playing in the snow with his children. January, 1977.

George playing in the snow with his children. January, 1977.

I was going through some old pictures yesterday and came across the picture above.  I’ve taken so much grief from Betsy about not liking snow that I thought I would post it in my own defense.

The picture was taken in January, 1977.  (You can tell from the hair that it was taken many years ago!).  At that time I was living in Black Mountain, North Carolina.  Black Mountain is in the mountains of western North Carolina and is absolutely beautiful.  We didn’t get much snow at all, so when it did snow it was quite an occasion.

The two children are my daughter Kelly (age 5) and son Bob (age 8).  We had just finished making the snowman and were getting ready to welcome their mother when she came out to admire our work.  (Bob always has had a tendency to overdo things!!).

We had lots of fun after that snowstorm.  Perhaps my current dislike of snow has less to do with the snow and more to do with the increasing years.  NAH —  that’s not possible, is it?

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Posted in Weather | 9 Comments »

A Sunrise Photo

December 6, 2008

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Last week I posted a sunset picture.  This week I’ll prove that I can get up to see a sunrise by posting a sunrise picture.  To see more sunrise/sunset pictures click on the logo above to go to the Sunday Sunrise/Sunset website.
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This picture was also taken on Mount Nebo in Arkansas.  I got this picture by going to Sunrise Point on the mountain.  Although we got there just as it was beginning to get light, we had to wait some time to get this picture.  The sun has popped up above a layer of clouds.  The mountains on the other side of the valley can be seen below the sun and clouds.

I’ll have to admit that it takes a little more effort to get a sunrise picture,  especially on a cold, windy morning.  But I think the effort was worth it.

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Posted in Travels | 10 Comments »

Why Betsy Feels Jinxed

December 6, 2008
Betsy pointing out some snow on the roof of our cabin on Mount Nebo.

Betsy pointing out some snow on the roof of our cabin on Mount Nebo.

First of all let me say that Betsy and I got back last night from our trip to Arkansas.  We had a wonderful time, but it’s good to be back home.

Now, why does Betsy feel jinxed?  You have to remember how much Betsy loves snow.  She looks forward to it every winter and never feels she sees enough.  It snowed all day Sunday at Mount Nebo State Park in Arkansas — we arrived Monday, a clear, sunny day.  It did snow back here in the Glade on Monday, but of course we were in Arkansas.

It gets worse.  We went to Mount Nebo in February of this year and it snowed in the Glade while we were gone.  We didn’t have any snow while we were at Mount Nebo, but while reading the comment book in the cabin we rented Betsy discovered that they had 12 inches of snow three days after we left!  I thought Betsy was going to cry.

We’ll stick fairly close to the Glade for the winter, but if we don’t get at least one decent snowstorm I may need to take Betsy to northern Michigan so she can get her ‘snow fix’ for the year!

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Posted in Betsy | 8 Comments »

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