Archive for May, 2011

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My World: I Promised Her a Rose Garden

May 17, 2011

Roses in front of our house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. May 13, 2011.

This is my post for the My World meme.  It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, and Fishing Guy.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

I promised Betsy a rose garden about five years ago, when my job ended and I retired.  That first year we planted some roses in a flower bed we had built at the side of the house.  It quickly became apparent that that location was too shady for roses, and so we built new flower beds in front of the house, which is the sunniest part of our yard.

The picture above, which Betsy took on Friday, shows how well I’ve kept my promise.  You can see three rose beds (one near the road in the foreground, and one on each side of the driveway near the house.  In addition we have roses in containers along the sides of the driveway.

We have a total of 57 rose bushes — 55 different varieties.  All are hybrid teas or grandifloras.  We have roses of just about every color imaginable, and many of are also fragrant.  A beautiful rose that has a delightful fragrance is about as perfect as anything can be.

Crescendo Rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. May 14, 2011.

The rose above, Crescendo, is one of our new roses for this year.  The light wasn’t very good (it had been raining) when I took this picture on Saturday, but I couldn’t resist the temptation to snap away.

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Posted in My World | 17 Comments »

Scenic Sunday: Chattooga River

May 15, 2011

The Chattooga River near Clayton, Georgia. April 30, 2011.

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

The Chattooga River is a National Wild and Scenic River which forms the boundary between South Carolina and Georgia.  There are national forests (Sumter and Chattahoochee) on both banks, which makes the river area attractive for hiking and wilderness activities.  The river is also one of the top whitewater destinations in the southeast.

The picture shows the Chattooga just above Bull Sluice, a Class V rapid on the river near Clayton, Georgia.

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 12 Comments »

Skywatch Friday: Beach Sunset

May 13, 2011

Evening sky at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 2, 2011.

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

The sun went down over land when we were at the beach last week, but the color of the sky at sunset was still gorgeous.  I missed the sun this evening, but the sky was still beautiful.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 21 Comments »

Close Enough

May 12, 2011

Black bear seen along Skyline Drive in Virginia. August 6, 2010.

As most of you know, Betsy and I do a fair amount of hiking in our search for waterfalls.  Many of the trails are in remote areas, but we’ve always enjoyed them.  We’re often the only people on a trail, and that’s fine with us.

We have a friend who is scared to death of bears.  Just the mention of the word can upset her.  Betsy and I have encountered bears on the trail only once.  We were hiking near the entrance to Cade’s Cove in the Smokies and saw a Mama Bear and two cubs cross the trail quite a way ahead of us.  We stopped and watched the three of scamper up the side of  the hill.

The picture above was taken at an overlook on Skyline Drive in Virginia back in 2010.  The bear was close enough to be easily seen, but this picture was taken with my long lens, so he really wasn’t that close.  But just between us, I’m glad he didn’t come any closer.

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Posted in Hiking | 20 Comments »

Watery Wednesday #139: Bull Sluice

May 11, 2011

"I wonder if it's too late to change my mind?" Bull Sluice on the Chattooga River. April 30, 2011.

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

On our way to the beach Betsy and I stopped by Bull Sluice on the Chattooga River.  Bull Sluice is a Class V whitewater rapid, and we saw several kayakers shoot the rapid while we were at the observation deck.

I was fortunate to be able to read the mind of this kayaker as he went through the rapids.

"So far, so good!"

"I think I'm going to get wet!!!"

"Oops!!"

What happened?  If you look at the tip of the arrow in the last picture, you can almost see the end of his paddle.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 16 Comments »

My World: Blossoms to Welcome Us Home

May 10, 2011

Our front yard, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. May 7, 2011.

This is my post for the My World meme.  It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, and Fishing Guy.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Betsy and I came home to a yard full of color, thanks to the wet Spring we had here on the Plateau.  The grass was green, the iris were still blooming (they had started before we left for the beach), the azaleas in the front yard were putting on a show, and the roses were full of buds and blossoms.  All in all it was a beautiful welcome home.

Both of these pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them, but if you do that please don’t look too closely.  The grass desperately needs to be mowed.  I guess that’s my welcome home.

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Posted in My World | 20 Comments »

Scenic Sunday: Ocean Isle Beach

May 8, 2011

The view from our room at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 2, 2011.

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

Betsy and I just got back from a wonderful week at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.  The view from our room was gorgeous, as you can see from the picture above.  The weather was nearly perfect, and the seafood was delicious.  Is it any wonder that we escape there whenever possible?

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 16 Comments »

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