Archive for the ‘American Life’ Category

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Down Memory Lane: Our Reception

January 23, 2013

2001 -- Reception I

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

Although we both lived in Hendersonville, Tennessee, at the time, we got married in Knoxville.  We did this so that we could have a small family wedding.  Betsy was the Associate Minister at a large Methodist church in Hendersonville and she didn’t want to have to make decisions about who in the congregation should be invited and who should not.

‘The Girls’, Betsy’s girlfriends from the Hendersonville church, gave us a reception in the church fellowship hall a few weeks after our wedding.  This allowed members of the Hendersonville church to share in our wedding.

I came across pictures from the reception when I was going through my archives and posting pictures on my photo website.  The collage above includes some of those pictures.  From left to right along the top:  Betsy and I when we arrived at the reception, sampling some of the goodies, and with ‘The Girls’.  On the bottom left we’re sharing some photos from our wedding and honeymoon.  On the bottom right I’m talking with Mom and Dad.

To see larger versions of these pictures and others, click HERE.

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Posted in American Life | 12 Comments »

Silly Time is Here

January 9, 2013

ChristmasCollagesIII

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

On our first Christmas after we got married, Betsy and I took some pictures which we used in Christmas cards the following Christmas.  That led to our habit of taking ‘formal’ pictures each Christmas morning.

Our routine is to set up the tripod, get dressed in nice clothes, and take many pictures, hoping that at least one is a ‘keeper’.

The whole process can take a fair amount of time, which can lead to some silly pictures as well as good ones.

Santa gave me a post-Christmas present of a neat collage maker.  The collage in this post is my first attempt to make a collage from scratch.

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Posted in American Life | 21 Comments »

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

December 21, 2012

2012 -- Christmas Outside

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

We’ve tried to be good all year,
and have decorated the outside of the house with symbols of Christmas cheer.

2012 -- Christmas Indoors

Inside the fire in the fireplace casts a warm glow.
The tree is up with room for presents below.

There’s only one thing for my Beautiful Bride and I to do —
That’s to wish a Merry Christmas to each and every one of you.

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Posted in American Life | 26 Comments »

Happy Birthday, USA

July 4, 2012

The room where the Declaration of Independence was signed, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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

It was 236 years ago that an amazing idea was put into words and a new experiment in governance was begun.

… We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The Declaration of Independence was signed in the room shown above in Independence Hall, Philadelphia.  If you look closely you can see Benjamin Franklin’s walking stick on the table on the right.

‘Militiamen’ firing a salvo, Williamsburg, Virginia. June 22, 2007.

In the war that followed American militiamen took on Europe’s strongest army.  For several years the Americans lost more battles than they won, but they persisted.

Fife and drum corp, Williamsburg, Virginia.

Finally, in 1781, a British army surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia.  For all practical purposes that ended the war.  ‘Yankee Doodle’ had won.

**********
The experiment continues to this day.  The nation hasn’t always lived up to the ideals expressed all those years ago, but it does keep striving toward the goal.

Fireworks, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 4, 2010.

Happy Birthday, USA!

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Posted in American Life | 15 Comments »

My Big Day

March 12, 2012

Betsy got this cake and candles so we could celebrate my birthday in our room at Blackwater State Park Lodge. March 9, 2012. (Photo by Betsy).

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

Last Friday was my 70th birthday.  I remember thinking that my Dad was old when he turned 70, but I really don’t feel that way about 70 anymore.

Betsy, however, managed to find a subtle way to remind me of my advancing years.

Blowing out the candles on my birthday cake. March 9, 2012. (Photo by Betsy).

The advantage of her subtleness was that it made it easier to blow out all the candles!

Cascade on Falls Run, Blackwater State Park, West Virginia. March 9, 2012. (Photo by Betsy).

But I’m happy to report that earlier in the day I still felt young enough to do some bushwhacking in  Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia.  Betsy went with me to this pretty cascade on Falls Run, and then she sat guard on a ‘sitting rock’ while I bushwhacked to two waterfalls further down the run.  Both were very pretty.

Upper Waterfall on Falls Run, Blackwater State Park, West Virginia. March 9, 2012.

Since there was no trail I had to work my way around and over rocks, boulders, fallen trees and rhododendron.  I was able to get fairly close to the Upper Waterfall on Falls Run, and captured this picture.  This waterfall is about 17 feet tall.

Lower Waterfall on Falls Run, Blackwater State Park, West Virginia. March 9, 2012.

It was harder to get to the Lower Waterfall on Falls Run.  This waterfall is about 30 feet high, but I could never get a clear view of either the very top or the very bottom.  This was the best I could do by shooting through a narrow space between two boulders.

Well, that was my big day.  We saw more waterfalls that day and I did more bushwhacking, but those pictures and adventures will have to wait for another day.  Now I think I could use a nap!

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Posted in American Life | 26 Comments »

Remembering Happy Days

January 30, 2012

Dad, Virginia Smith and Mom, Boonville, Indiana. October 5, 2006.

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

One advantage of cold, wet winter days is that I have more time to work at my computer.

I recently came across some pictures that I took back in October, 2006.  Betsy and I had driven Mom and Dad up to Mom’s hometown of Winslow, Indiana.  On the way we stopped in Boonville, Indiana, to visit their friend, Virginia Smith.

Virginia was Mom’s best friend in school.  When they were seniors, Virginia started dating Leonard Smith, who was Dad’s best friend in the CCC.  Dad and Leonard were stationed at a CCC camp outside Winslow, working on what would become a state park.  Needless to say, it wasn’t long before Virginia and Leonard and Mom and Dad were double dating.

Virginia and Leonard got married shortly after Virginia graduated from high school, but my grandmother made Mom wait until she was twenty before she married.  Mom was a good daughter and didn’t get married until three days after she turned twenty.

Mom and Dad and the Smiths remained friends through the years.  Leonard died in the mid 1980s, but Mom, Dad and Virginia remained in touch and visited whenever possible.

Virginia died in 2010, and Mom died last year.  Now Dad — 99 years young — is the only one left.  But it was a blessing back in 2006 for Betsy and me to be there as these three remembered the happy days gone by.

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Posted in American Life | 20 Comments »

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

December 23, 2011

Our Christmas Tree, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. December 25, 2009.

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

Betsy and I would like to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Blessed New Year.  We hope that Santa is good to you, and all of your memories are happy ones.  We’ll see you in 2012.

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Posted in American Life | 15 Comments »

Our World: High School Football Preliminaries

October 18, 2011

Betsy's grandson Landon (middle drummer) at the high school game. October 6, 2011.

(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.

Earlier this month we went Knoxville to see a high school football game.  Betsy’s grandson, is a drummer in his high school band.  That’s Landon in the middle in the picture above.

Both of my children were in the band during their high school years, so it was interesting to see how the pre-game activities have changed since my kids were in school.

Bearden Bulldog banner at the game. October 6, 2011.

Things got started with a group of students bring a large banner out to midfield.

Cheerleaders leading the team out onto the field.

The cheerleaders burst through the banner . . .

The football team arrives on the field. October 6, 2011.

. . . followed by the football team.

Fireworks welcome the team onto the field. Bearden High School, Knoxville, Tennessee. October 6, 2011.

The fireworks reminded me of an NFL playoff game.  But everyone (except perhaps the visiting team) seemed to enjoy the excitement and soon it was time to play football.

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Posted in American Life | 17 Comments »

Memorial Day

May 30, 2011

The flag in our front yard, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 13, 2010.

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.  There are many stories about the beginnings of Memorial Day and it is hard to say where it actually began.  Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

The first state to officially recognize Memorial Day was New York in 1873.  By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states.  The South refused to acknowledge the holiday until after World War I (when the holiday was changed from honoring just those who died fighting the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war).  In 1971 the official date of Memorial Day was set by act of Congress as the last Monday in May.

For most Americans Memorial Day is celebrated as the unofficial start of summer.  The original meaning of the day has almost been forgotten.  But please, as you enjoy the holiday, take a moment to remember those who made it possible for us to enjoy it.

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Posted in American Life | 13 Comments »

Down Memory Lane: Fairfield Glade (2008)

February 10, 2011

Betsy and I think Fairfield Glade is a pretty special place.  We enjoy the beauty of the community as well as that of our own house and yard.  This collage is made up of pictures taken around Fairfield Glade during the latter part of 2008.

To see larger versions of these pictures and others, click HERE.

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Posted in American Life | 14 Comments »

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