Archive for November, 2012

Family Time

November 30, 2012

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

It’s always a special time for Betsy when her middle son from Texas visits east Tennessee with his wife and two daughters.  They have many people to see in a short time, but we were able to spend the afternoon of Friday following Thanksgiving with them at Fall Creek Falls State Park.  We had a delicious lunch and  visit in the park lodge and then went to the Fall Creek Falls overlook to see the waterfall and take some pictures.

Judging from the smiles, it’s safe to say that everyone enjoyed themselves.

 

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Posted in Family | 16 Comments »

Fall Creek Falls

November 28, 2012

Fall Creek Falls, Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee. November 23, 2012.

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Betsy and I went to one of our very favorites places — Fall Creek Falls State Park here in Tennessee — on the Friday after Thanksgiving to meet one of her Texas sons and family for lunch and a visit.

After a delicious lunch and much conversation we all went to the overlook to see Fall Creek Falls.  There wasn’t a great deal of water going over the falls, and the sun was in the worst possible position for pictures, but I tried to get one anyway.  I was shooting into the sun, so the falls and its bowl were in shadow.  But the iron in the water gave the rocks of the waterfall a neat color that I just had to try and capture.

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Posted in Waterfalls | 18 Comments »

Our World: Another Smokies Panorama

November 26, 2012

Looking toward the Smoky Mountains from the Foothills Parkway, Tennessee. October 23, 2012.

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This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

This is another panorama I put together after Betsy and I traveled the Foothills Parkway in late October.  We stopped at several overlooks along the way, and at several of them I took photos which I hoped I could merge into a single panorama image.  This picture was taken looking toward the Smokies.  I like both the autumn color in the foreground and the blue sky above the mountains.

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Posted in Our World | 16 Comments »

Our World: Ohio Autumn

November 19, 2012

Autumn scenes from Ohio, October 15-16, 2012.

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This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

In mid-October Betsy and I went up to Ohio to meet our friends Patti and Neal at Hocking Hills State Park.  We had two wonderful days of fellowship, hiking, and beautiful autumn colors.

Two of the pictures in the collage were taken at a rest area on our way to Hocking Hills (I even managed to get Betsy in one of the photos).  The whimsical sculpture was almost as colorful as the trees.  The other two pictures were taken during a hike to a natural bridge in Rockbridge State Nature Preserve near Logan, Ohio.

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Posted in Our World | 17 Comments »

Skywatch Friday: Betsy’s Sky Pictures (2)

November 16, 2012

Sunset on the Cumberland Plateau. October 23, 2012.    (Photo by Betsy)

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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.

Betsy and I drove the Foothills Parkway in October so we could enjoy some of the Smokies’ autumn color.  As we drove home in, Betsy was able to get some pictures of the evening sky as we drove up onto the Plateau.  As you can see from the photo above, the sunset was spectacular.

Evening sky on the Cumberland Plateau. October 23, 2012. (Photo by Betsy)

Even after the sun dropped below the Plateau on the west, the sky continued to put on a show.

Evening sky on the Cumberland Plateau. October 23, 2012. (Photo by Betsy)

The variety of cloud forms and colors was amazing.

Evening sky on the Cumberland Plateau. October 23, 2012. (Photo by Betsy)

Each passing moment seemed to bring new color and forms — even the trail of a passing jet.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 17 Comments »

Mother of the Groom

November 14, 2012

Betsy and son Jeff’s wedding, Dalton, Georgia. October 6, 2012.

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Betsy’s son Jeff got married last month, and while the bride was beautiful, there is no doubt in my mind that the prettiest woman at the church was the Mother of the Groom.

Betsy and son Jeff’s wedding, Dalton, Georgia. October 6, 2012.

In the past Betsy has been self-conscious about her weight, and I often had trouble getting her to let me take her picture.  But now that she’s close to what she weighed in high school, I think she rather enjoys having her picture taken.

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Posted in Betsy | 23 Comments »

Our World: Beggars on the Road

November 12, 2012

Burros begging for food on the Wilderness Loop, Custer State Park, South Dakota. September 25, 2012.

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This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Betsy and I live in a small Tennessee town, so we don’t have much experience with beggars.  But as we drove along the Wildlife Loop in South Dakota’s Custer State Park, we encountered a whole herd of them.  As you can see from the photo above, they were quite brazen about begging for food.

Burro in Custer State Park. September 25, 2012.

We tried to identify the ringleader, but we didn’t have much success.  This character was definitely one of the larger beggars, and the others showed him a great deal of deference.

A young burro along the road in Custer State Park, South Dakota. September 25, 2012.

We were surprised to see even children among the beggars.

A begging burro along the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park, South Dakota. September 25, 2012.

Could you refuse a face like this?  I hate to admit it, but we did.

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Posted in Our World | 21 Comments »

Our World: Historic Railroad Tunnel

November 5, 2012

The western entrance to the Western & Atlantic Railroad Tunnel in Tunnel Hill, Georgia. This is the way we entered. September 1, 2012.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them.)

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

On the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, Betsy attended another pre-wedding event for her future daughter-in-law in Dalton, Georgia.  While Betsy was partying, her son Jeff and I visited the historic Western & Atlantic Railroad Tunnel in nearby Tunnel Hill, Georgia.

The interior of the tunnel, showing the layers of rock the workers had to cut through. September 1, 2012.

The tunnel was built to connect the port of Augusta, Georgia, and the Tennessee River Valley.  The tunnel is 1,477 feet long through the base of Chetoogeta Mountain, and it was designed to be the first railroad across the Appalachian Mountains.

Another view of the rock inside the Western & Atlantic Railroad Tunnel. September 1, 2012.

Construction of the tunnel began in 1848, and the first Western & Atlantic train passed through the tunnel on May 9, 1850.  The town of Tunnel Hill sprang up during construction of the tunnel, and after the tunnel was completed Atlanta became one of the railway’s major hubs.

The railroad tunnel played a part in several Civil War events, including the Great Locomotive Chase and the 1864 Battle of Tunnel Hill.

After the Civil War larger train cars got stuck in the tunnel several times, which led to the building of a larger, parallel tunnel.  The railroad stopped using the historic tunnel in 1928.

The eastern entrance of the tunnel, 1477 feet from the western entrance. Tunnel Hill, Georgia. September 1, 2012.

The tunnel suffered neglect for about 70 years, but in 1992 steps were taken to preserve and rehabilitate the old tunnel.  It was opened to the public in 2000 in time to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first train passing through.

The ceiling of the tunnel. The black is soot from the wood- and coal-burning engines that traveled through the tunnel. September 1, 2012.

I couldn’t take my tripod into the tunnel, so most of the interior photos are not very good.  But it was fascinating to walk through the tunnel and remember that it was built with hand tools.

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Posted in Our World | 19 Comments »

Bighorn Sheep

November 2, 2012

Bighorn Sheep, Wildlife Loop, Custer State Park, South Dakota. September 25, 2012.

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Betsy and I were beginning to feel a little disappointed as we drove along the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park — we hadn’t seen any wildlife at all.  But then, as we approached a curve, we noticed several cars over on the side of the road.  We of course pulled over as well and spotted these guys on the side of a hill above the road.

Bighorn Sheep, Wildlife Loop, Custer State Park, South Dakota. September 25, 2012.

This was the first time on the trip that we were able to get a good close look at bighorn sheep.  Those horns are absolutely amazing.  I got these photos with my telephoto lens.

Bighorn Sheep, Wildlife Loop, Custer State Park, South Dakota. September 25, 2012.

We tried to get into a position where the sheep didn’t have their backs to us, but this is the best we could do.  I think these are magnificent animals.

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Posted in Travels | 17 Comments »