Archive for February, 2009

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Tennessee Weather

February 19, 2009
Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 18, 2009.

Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 18, 2009.

Mother Nature put on quite a show here in the Glade yesterday.  We had rain when Betsy and I made our weekly run to the grocery stores in the morning.  The rain was steady, but not too hard.  However, shortly after we got home, the sky got darker and the tornado-warning sirens went off.  A few minutes later it started to rain and hail.  That’s when I took the picture above from our small front porch.

I stayed on the porch for a few minutes to watch the rain and hail and to see if the water was washing away parts of the rose beds (it wasn’t).   The hail seemed to come in waves — lots of hail for a minute, no hail at all, and then lots of hail again.  As is usually the case, the hail was mostly small pieces of ice — less than about a quarter-inch in size.

A large piece of hail. February 18, 2009.

A large piece of hail. February 18, 2009.

I was about to go back into the house when I heard a ‘thud’ above my head and this large chunk of ice (right) bounced off the roof and landed on the driveway.  I was quite surprised by the size and by the fact that I only saw one piece ice that large.

I was also very glad that I had a roof over my head at that moment!

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Posted in Weather | 26 Comments »

Watery Wednesday # 23

February 17, 2009
Wetumpka Falls, Tullahoma, Tennessee. February 14, 2009.

Wetumpka Falls, Tullahoma, Tennessee. February 14, 2009.

This is my entry for Watery Wednesday, a weekly meme that features scenes from around our watery world.  To see more pictures, or to join and post pictures of your own, click HERE.

There isn’t a great deal of water in this picture (which can be enlarged), but I am posting it since it is the latest waterfall that Betsy and I have added to our waterfall ‘collection’.  Wetumpka Falls is the 301st waterfall in our collection.

Sunday I wrote about Pond Falls, which was 300th in our collection.  Wetumpka Falls was a footnote in our waterfall book and is located about half a mile from Ledford Mill.  We went right past it the first time we tried to find it, but spotted it the second time.  It can be seen from the road if you know where to look.  Wetumpka Falls might be small, but it’s a nice start to our second 300 waterfalls.

In trying to find more information on Tennessee’s Wetumpka Falls, I found two more waterfalls with the same name — one in Alabama and one in New Jersey.  So it looks like we have a couple of more waterfalling trips to make.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 29 Comments »

My World # 18

February 16, 2009
John Marshall High School, Cleveland, Ohio. May, 1964.

John Marshall High School, Cleveland, Ohio. May, 1964.

The building in the picture above was a big part of my world from 1963 – 1966.  The school is John Marshall High School in Cleveland, Ohio.  John Marshall was my first job after graduating from college.  The high school was on the western side of Cleveland, practically in the suburbs.  When I was there it contained approximately 1200 students in grades 9 – 12.

It was quite a change for this farm boy from Indiana.  Living in a large city was quite a change.  Looking back I’m amazed that I got along as well as I did, but there were about twelve new teachers my first year and we quickly gelled into what would now be called a support group.  We attended many school functions together.

During the summer my department chairman told me that I would be teaching mostly first-year algebra, with ‘one other course’.  I spent more than a moment or two during the summer wondering about that ‘one other course’.  On the first day of new teacher orientation Mr. Allen called me into his office to give me the bad news (his words).  John Marshall was going to be offering AP Calculus for the first time and since none of the teachers with more seniority wanted to teach it, I, as the new kid on the block, would have to do it.  I think I did a pretty good job of hiding my ‘disappointment’.

John Marshall remained part of my world until the summer of 1966, when I went to the University of Illinois to get my Master’s degree.

To see more of our wonderful world, or to join and share your part of the world with us, click HERE.

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Posted in My World | 20 Comments »

A Valentine Day Hike

February 16, 2009
Betsy and George at Short Springs State Natural Area. February 14, 2009.

Betsy and George at Short Springs State Natural Area. February 14, 2009.

As I mentioned yesterday, Betsy and I did  some hiking and waterfalling on Valentine’s Day.  It’s becoming something of a tradition for us.  In February there tends to be more water at some of the smaller waterfalls and the bare trees make it easier to find a waterfall when bushwhacking.

The longest hike we had on Saturday was at the Short Springs State Natural Area near Manchester, Tennessee.  Short Springs has a well-developed trail system which is both well-maintained and well-marked.  We hiked the Machine Falls Loop, which got us quite close to the base of Machine Falls.

Most of the time the trail was very moderate, although the descent into the canyon containing the waterfall was very steep.  There were several stone steps that would be difficult for my short-legged beautiful bride to climb on the way up.  To continue around the loop would be a longer hike, but what would the climb up out of the canyon be like?  We didn’t know.

But one of the nice things about hiking is that you meet some of the nicest people on the trail.  While we were admiring the stream below the falls, we met a boy scout leader who was familiar with the area.  (He’s the one who took the picture above).  He recommended continuing around the loop.  The ascent up Jesus Hill — so called because he felt that would be where he would meet Jesus when climbing up — was steep but contained no rocks to climb over.  We made it up the hill (slowly)  and had a nice hike around the rest of the loop.

Most of the time when hiking we have the trail to ourselves, which we very much enjoy — it’s a great way to feel close to God’s beautiful creation.  But once in a while we meet another hiker who shows us another aspect of that beauty.

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Posted in Hiking | 23 Comments »

Scenic Sunday # 31

February 15, 2009
Pond Falls at Ledford Mill, Tullahoma, TN. February 14, 2009.

Pond Falls at Ledford Mill, Tullahoma, Tennessee.February 14, 2009.

This is my entry for this weeks’ Scenic Sunday.  To see more pictures from our beautiful world, or to join in the fun and contribute your own pictures, click HERE.

Betsy and I just got back this evening from our Valentine’s Day trip.  For the second year in a row we have gone waterfalling.  This year we managed to see six new waterfalls.  Saturday started out rainy in southern Tennessee, but it cleared up enough to make hiking very enjoyable.  We had one moderate-length hike and several short hikes in our search for these six waterfalls.

The waterfall in the picture above is the 300th waterfall in our ‘collection’.  It is Pond Falls, one of two that can be seen from the Ledford Mill near Tullahoma, Tennessee.  This falls is formed by overflow from the retention pond that supplied power for the mill.  The Ledford Mill is a gristmill built in 1884 and is listed on the National Historic Register and on the Tennessee Heritage Trail.  Restored in 1996, the mill is now both a museum and a bed and breakfast.

Betsy and I were delighted to add this pretty little waterfall to our collection.  We are also looking forward to adding more waterfalls to our collection in the weeks and months ahead.

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Posted in Waterfalls | 31 Comments »

Skywatch Friday # 31

February 12, 2009

Sunset off St. Maarten. September 11, 2001.

Sunset off St. Maarten. September 11, 2001.

Welcome to Sky Watch Friday if you would like to see more of the sky from all over the world click HERE.  Last week over 300 people shared their skies.

Cruises are very nice — there’s (too much) good food and beautiful scenery.  Betsy and I especially liked sunrises and sunsets at sea.  They were almost magical moments.

The picture above, which can be enlarged, is of a sunset off St. Maartens in the Caribbean.  We watched the sun sink toward the horizon, the ocean get darker and darker, and the sky fill with golds and reds.  It looked like a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Now look at the date — September 11, 2001.  We had heard about the World Trade Centers and had seen television footage.  There were many more questions than answers at that time.  How can such horror coexist with such beauty?

I don’t know the answer to that question — just as I don’t know the answer to many other questions.  But this I do know —

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
. . .
”Be still, and know that I am God; ‘”
— Psalm 46, 1 – 3, 10

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Betsy and I hope to celebrate Valentine’s Day by seeing some new waterfalls, so we will be away from the computers for a couple of days.  Hopefully we will be back Sunday.  Have a happy Valentine’s Day and a great weekend.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 37 Comments »

The Honest Scrap Award

February 12, 2009

hosnet_scrap

Several weeks ago my blogger friend Kathleen honored me with the Honest Scrap award.  It’s taken me longer than it should to respond to her kindness, but here goes:

The first rule is to “list 10 honest things about yourself — make it interesting, even if it means digging deep”.  I’m not sure how interesting this is, but here are my ten.

1)  I grew up on a small farm in northwestern Indiana.  I was in 4-H and one year exhibited a blue-ribbon Jersey heifer at the County Fair.

2) When I was in the third grade I asked Santa Claus to bring me a set of encyclopedias.  He did, and I found the World Book Encyclopedia under the Christmas tree.  I forget how many volumes there were in the set, but I read my way through them.

3) I was one of the first people to drive a Mustang.  When Ford introduced the Mustang I was the representative of the Indiana State High School Press Association representative at the roll-out.  I spent three days in Detroit and got to drive a Mustang on a test track.

4)  I’ve admired Robert E. Lee for about as long as I can remember.  My high school term paper on him was 52 pages long.  Some of my classmates complained about the 12-page length requirement in the assignment.

5) After my freshman year at Manchester College I couldn’t find a summer job, so I went to summer school instead.  I graduated in eleven quarters.

6) I majored in mathematics and taught college-level mathematics for 15 years.  During the summer of 1982 the Dean of the College where I taught asked me to teach a computer science course.  My qualifications?  The junior high school  my son attended had a computer.

7) I resigned my teaching position at Heidelberg College on the day my daughter graduated in order to take a job teaching in China.  I spent a year teaching in Tianjin.

8) During the 30 years I taught in colleges, I commuted to campus by bicycle.

9) Many of my Chinese students collected stamps and they got me started as a stamp collector.  I collect the stamps of China, Hong Kong (several of my students moved there), Great Britain (my daughter studied in London for a semester), and the U.S.

10)  I first saw my beautiful bride because of a snow ‘storm’.  The services at the Episcopal Church in Hendersonville were cancelled on the first Sunday I was in Tennessee with my new job because of a quarter-inch of snow.  So I went to the Methodist Church with my parents, where their new associate pastor, Rev. Betsy, was introduced.  The rest, as they say, is history.

The rules say that I am to select 7 bloggers who I feel embody the spirit of Honest Scrap.  But I’ve gotten to know many more of you than that who are deserving of the award.  So if you would like to be an Honest Scrap honoree, please consider yourself selected.

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Posted in American Life | 16 Comments »

Watery Wednesday # 22

February 10, 2009
Rain moving off shore, St. Lucia. September 13, 2001.

Rain moving off shore, St. Lucia. September 13, 2001.

At the risk of boring you, I’m going to post another picture from St. Lucia.  I think it is especially appropriate for Watery Wednesday, although you may need to enlarge it to see all the details.

This picture was taken on our catamaran cruise down the west coast of St. Lucia.  In the distance, behind the catamaran, there is a sailing ship — a replica of a pirate ship.  To the left of the photo you can see the coast of the island, blue skies and fluffy white clouds.  To the right of the sailing ship the coast is almost completely obscured by a rain storm that is moving off shore.  A few moments later the ‘pirate’ ship completely disappeared in the rain.  Fortunately our catamaran avoided the rain, except for a few stray drops.

To see more of our watery world, or to post your own pictures, click HERE for Watery Wednesday.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 32 Comments »

My World # 17

February 9, 2009
Bicycles at Tianjin zoo. Summer, 1987.

Bicycles at Tianjin zoo. Summer, 1987.

The picture above was an important part of my world in the summer of 1987.  To see more of our world, or to join the fun and post your own pictures of your world, click HERE.

As many of you know, I have been to China four times to teach English.  In 1987 I was part of a group of professors from Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio, who went to Tianjin, Peoples Republic of China, to teach English to Chinese professors at Tianjin Normal University.

China was a pretty drab place in 1987.  Many people, men and women, wore dark Mao suits.  There were almost no automobiles on the road even though Tianjin was a city of 7 million people.  Almost every one rode black bicycles.

We found that our Chinese students were quite good at reading English, fairly good at writing English, but very poor at speaking and understanding spoken English.  So much of our teaching involved talking with our students and getting our students to talk to us.

I quickly discovered that my students were much more likely to talk outside the classroom than in.  One of my students got a bicycle for me and we went riding around the city just about every day after class and on weekends.  The picture above was taken at the parking area for the Tianjin zoo.

I know my bicycle is on that lot — it’s a black one.

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Posted in China | 27 Comments »

St. Lucia’s Drive-In Volacano

February 9, 2009
Volcano on St. Lucia. September 13, 2001.

Volcano on St. Lucia. September 13, 2001.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned in a post that Betsy and I had taken a catamaran to Soufriere, St. Lucia, and had seen a drive-in volcano.  Several people commented on that, so I thought I would share some more information about the volcano.  The picture above is one I took of the volcano when we were there.

The St. Lucia volcano, also called the St. Lucia sulphur springs, last erupted in the late 1700s.  That eruption was only a steam eruption and did not involve magma and ash.  Although there are signs of activity, such as boiling mud, and water and steam emerging from the crater, the volcano is dormant.

The caldera of the volcano is believed to be connected to the ocean because there tends to be an increase in activity during a full moon, which causes high tides.

Walking in the crater is now prohibited after a guide fell into a pool of boiling water when he was jumping up and down on the surface crust.  Fortunately the pool was only waist deep, so he was rescued, although he did suffer severe burns.  Visitors are now confined to a boardwalk behind a guardrail.  You can still smell the sulphur from the boardwalk, however.

St. Lucia’s volcano is just one more attraction on an island that is full of them.  I would certainly like to go back there.  If Betsy needs an additional reason to go back, I’ve even found a waterfall we could visit!

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Posted in Travels | 25 Comments »

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