Archive for the ‘Our World’ Category

Our World: Lake Sherwood in February

February 10, 2014

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  February 7, 2012.

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 7, 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.

My Beautiful Bride is unhappy because we haven’t gotten much snow this winter — only two measurable snowfalls so far.  I’ve been trying to tell her that things could be worse, but I’m not sure she believes me.

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  February 7, 2012.

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 7, 2012.

So I thought I would show her things could be worse.  These pictures were taken in February, 2012, on a walk on one of the trails here in the Glade.  As you can see, it was a beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky.

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  February 7, 2012.

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 7, 2012.

We walked around Lake Sherwood, and admired the reflections in the still water of the lake.  All-in-all it was a beautiful day.  And there wasn’t a snowflake in sight.

Our World: Middle Prong Little River

February 3, 2014
Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.  January 20, 2014.

Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

(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 January 20, Betsy and I drove and hiked along Middle Prong Little River in the Smokies.  It was a beautiful sunny day, and there was a good water flow along the river.  The water was so clear that we could easily see the stream bed.

Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.  January 20, 2014.

Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

We often stopped and walked along the river to enjoy the sight (and sound) of the water rushing over and around boulders in the stream.

Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.  January 20, 2014.

Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

As we worked our way up stream, the river just seemed to get more and more beautiful.

My Beautiful Bride along Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee.  January 20, 2014.

My Beautiful Bride along Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

But I know well that not all of the pretty views that day were of the river.

Our World: Bald River

January 27, 2014
Bald River Cascades, Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee.  July 25, 2013.

Bald River Cascades, Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee. July 25, 2013.

(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.

In late July Betsy and I took a day off from working in the yard and drove down to Tellico Plains and the Tellico River.  We drove along the  river until we came to Bald River Falls, where we hiked along Bald River above the falls.

When I experiment with trying to capture the motion of water in my photos, I usually take several shots at the same place with different exposures.  I often don’t know for sure what I get until I look at the pictures on my computer once I get home.

I took the photo above with a 5 second exposure, and the one below with an 8 second exposure.  While there is not much difference in the cascade itself, I was struck by the difference in the ripples below the large boulder on the right.

Bald River Cascades, Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee.  July 25, 2013.

Bald River Cascades, Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee. July 25, 2013.

I’m glad I decided to keep both versions.

Our World: Burrell Creek Falls

January 20, 2014
Burrell Creek Falls, Reliance, Tennessee.  October 23, 2013.

Burrell Creek Falls, Reliance, Tennessee. October 23, 2013.

(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.

In late October we met our blog friends Patti and Neal for a couple of days of hiking and sightseeing around Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.  Neal grew up in the area, and on our second day he took us to some of his old stomping grounds.  Along the way he told us that he knew of a little waterfall that we might like to see.  He didn’t know the name, but he thought it was pretty.

NealPattiBurrellCreekFalls13102401

Neal was right — it was a pretty little waterfall.  A little research showed that the waterfall was on Burrell Creek.  Betsy and I were happy to add it to our collection.

Our World: Tennessee’s Snow and Cold

January 13, 2014
New-fallen snow on the fairway behind our house,  Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  January 6, 2014.

New-fallen snow on the fairway behind our house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 6, 2014.

(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.

As most of you know, Betsy loves snow and never gets enough of it.  (She obviously never had to trudge through a foot of the stuff in early morning darkness to milk the cows!).  Well, she finally got some snow last week.

We didn’t get a lot of snow — maybe a couple of inches — but it did look pretty on the fairway behind our house.

Shadows and snow on the fairway, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  January 6, 2014.

Shadows and snow on the fairway, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 6, 2014.

The bare trees made intricate shadows on the fresh snow.

The view from our front porch, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  January 6, 2014.

The view from our front porch, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 6, 2014.

There was very little traffic along the road in front of our house.

The cold and lonely bench in our front yard, Fairfield Glade, January 6, 2014.

The cold and lonely bench in our front yard, Fairfield Glade, January 6, 2014.

Since the coldest temperatures in more than twenty years accompanied the snow, no one was sitting on the bench in our front yard.

Our World: Fried Turkey

December 16, 2013
Bob injecting Cajun marinade into turkey breasts, Palm Harbor, Florida.  November 28, 2013.

Bob injecting Cajun marinade into turkey breasts, Palm Harbor, Florida. November 28, 2013.

(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.

My son Robert and his family planned to come to Tennessee for Thanksgiving, but when their plans changed Betsy and I travelled down to Florida to have Thanksgiving with them.  One advantage of making the trip was that Robert agreed to make some of his fried turkey for us, a treat that neither Betsy nor I had had before.

The process started with Robert injecting some Cajun marinade into two turkey breasts and a whole turkey (he must have thought we were hungry!).

Robert and Darron putting turkey breasts into the fryer.  November 28, 2013.

Robert and Darron putting turkey breasts into the fryer. November 28, 2013.

The turkey breasts then went into the fryer with the help of a friend.  While these two played around fixing dinner, I worked hard as the official photographer.

Turkey as it came out of the fryer, Palm Harbor, Florida.  November 28, 2013.

Turkey as it came out of the fryer, Palm Harbor, Florida. November 28, 2013.

The turkey was fried after the breasts were done, and it came out of the fryer a beautiful golden brown.

Thanksgiving dinner, November 28, 2013.

Thanksgiving dinner, November 28, 2013.

While we were busy slaving away outside with the fryer, Melissa was busy in the kitchen.  The result of all this work was a feast fit for a king.

Robert's pumpkin cheesecake with caramel topping.  Palm Harbor, Florida.  November 28, 2013.

Robert’s pumpkin cheesecake with caramel topping. Palm Harbor, Florida. November 28, 2013.

Robert topped this delicious Thanksgiving dinner with a marvelous homemade pumpkin cheesecake and caramel topping.

Our World: Great Falls of the Potomac

November 18, 2013
Great Falls of the Potomac, Great Falls Park, Virginia.  September 24, 2013.

Great Falls of the Potomac, Great Falls Park, Virginia. September 24, 2013.

(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.

Betsy and I visited the Great Falls of the Potomac during our Virginia trip at the end of September.  We have long had this waterfall on our ‘to see’ list, but it hadn’t been possible for us to get there before this trip.

A closer look at part of the Great Falls of the Potomac.  September 24, 2013.

A closer look at part of the Great Falls of the Potomac. September 24, 2013.

We visited Great Falls Park on the Virginia side of the river on a beautiful sunny afternoon.  We didn’t have time to do a great deal of hiking, but we did get to a couple of overlooks from which these pictures were taken.

Betsy at Great Falls of the Potomac, Great Falls Park, Virginia.  September 24, 2013.

Betsy at Great Falls of the Potomac, Great Falls Park, Virginia. September 24, 2013.

The waterfall is every bit as grand as beautiful as we were told it would be, but quite frankly, in my opinion the beauty of the waterfall is nothing compared to that of my Beautiful Bride.

Our World: Bad Branch Falls

November 4, 2013
Bad Branch Falls, Jefferson National Forest, Kentucky.  October 23, 2013.

Bad Branch Falls, Jefferson National Forest, Kentucky. October 23, 2013.

(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.

Betsy and I met up with our blog friends Patti and Neal at Pine Mountain Resort State Park in Kentucky last month to enjoy the autumn color and do some hiking.  Patti and Neal like to hike as much as Betsy and I do, so Patti researched waterfalls in the area and found Bad Branch Falls.

Betsy at the trailhead to Bad Branch Falls.  October 23, 2013.

Betsy at the trailhead to Bad Branch Falls. October 23, 2013.

We drove to the trailhead after visiting Kingdom Come State Park.  The day was overcast and dreary, but that didn’t keep us from starting off up the trail.

Bad Branch Falls, Jefferson National Forest, Kentucky.  October 23, 2013.

Bad Branch Falls, Jefferson National Forest, Kentucky. October 23, 2013.

We eventually decided that the mile mentioned at the trailhead was measured by a crow in flight.  But we kept at it and were finally rewarded with our first glimpse of Bad Branch Falls.  There wasn’t a great deal of water going over the falls, but it was still pretty.

Patti and Neal at the base of Bad Branch Falls.  October 23, 2013.

Patti and Neal at the base of Bad Branch Falls. October 23, 2013.

I got this picture of Patti and Neal at the base of Bad Branch Falls before we started back.

Our World: Tallulah Gorge in October

October 28, 2013
Hurricane Falls, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia.  October 14, 2009.

Hurricane Falls, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia. October 14, 2009.

(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.

Tallulah Gorge State Park in Georgia is a favorite of ours.  The park contains five waterfalls, and you know how much Betsy and I love seeing waterfalls.

All of the waterfalls can be seen from the rim of the gorge, but there are advantages to walking down 568 steps to the river.  (The major disadvantage is having to go back up those steps!).  We braved those steps in October a few years ago and got the beautiful view of Hurricane Falls seen above.

Tallulah River, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia.  October 14, 2009.

Tallulah River, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia. October 14, 2009.

The floor of the gorge gave us a great view of the Tallulah River as well.

Tallulah River, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia.  October 14, 2009.

Tallulah River, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia. October 14, 2009.

The river, and those autumn colors, helped us make it back up those steps.

Our World: Autumn Colors in Harpers Ferry

October 14, 2013
Autumn color in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.  September 26, 2013.

Autumn color in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. September 26, 2013.

(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 our recent trip to the east, Betsy and I saw our first inklings of autumn color in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.  The beautiful yellows of these trees quickly caught our eyes.

Autumn color in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.  September 26, 2013.

Autumn color in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. September 26, 2013.

These trees were actually in the parking lot of the Visitors Center, but they were beautiful nevertheless.

Looking toward the Potomac River from Jefferson's Rock, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.  September 26, 2013.

Looking toward the Potomac River from Jefferson’s Rock, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. September 26, 2013.

This final picture was taken later at Jefferson’s Rock above the town of Harpers Ferry.  The red tree and church steeple attracted my attention.  That’s the Potomac River beyond the steeple.