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Memories of Atlanta

September 21, 2009
Betsy at Stone Mountain, Georgia. June 2, 2009.

Betsy at Stone Mountain, Georgia. June 2, 2009.

One of the advantages of having so much rain over the last few days is that I’ve had the opportunity to work on some of my older pictures that had been copied to disk to be worked on ‘later’.  Well, ‘later’ came this past week, and I have enjoyed working with pictures that I had practically forgotten about.

One of the folders I found was of pictures taken in Atlanta, Georgia, in June, 2001, about three weeks before Betsy and I were married.  We had been invited to the wedding of the oldest son of one of Betsy’s childhood friends.  Since Betsy and Susan, the mother, were good friends, we were invited to come down early for the rehearsal dinner on Friday evening.  I got to meet another of Betsy’s childhood friends, Nita, and learn some things about my future bride that I didn’t know (all good, of course).

Saturday morning Betsy and I went to Stone Mountain Park outside of Atlanta to enjoy the day and see some of the scenic attractions of that beautiful area.  After an enjoyable few hours at the park we went back to the city for the wedding and reception.

If you would like to see more of our weekend in Atlanta click HERE.

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Eight Years Ago Today — Barbados

September 14, 2009
Barbados

The view from Gun Hill Station, Barbados. September 14, 2001.

Last week Betsy did a post about where we were on September 11, 2001.  We were on a cruise that week (a belated honeymoon) and that got me to thinking about that cruise.

Eight years ago today (September 14) we were on the island of Barbados, the last island on our cruise.  Barbados is the eastern-most island of the Caribbean islands.  Barbados was a British colony from 1625 – 1966, when it became an independent nation of the British Commonwealth.

While on Barbados we visited Gun Hill Signal Station, which was the largest and most important of the British military outposts on the island.  We also visited St. John Parish Church (Betsy was still a Methodist minister at that time and enjoyed checking out the Anglican church), and Sunbury Plantation, a 300-year old plantation on the island.

To see more of our visit to Barbados, click HERE.

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Historic Jamestowne

August 22, 2009
The statue of Captain John Smith at Historic Jamestowne, Virginia. June 20, 2007.

The statue of Captain John Smith at Historic Jamestowne, Virginia. June 20, 2007.

On our anniversary trip in 2007, Betsy and I went to Virginia.  After visiting Jamestown Settlement (a living history museum) we went  to Historic Jamestowne, the site of the first  English settlement in North America.

I assume that the story of Jamestown is still taught in our schools.  We were taught that the settlers were all ‘gentlemen’ who didn’t do anything but look for gold, that the Indian maiden Pocohantas saved Captain John Smith, and that Captain Smith saved Jamestown.  We also learned that later almost all the settlers died and the survivros decided to give up and return to England, only to be met by supply ships and new settlers at the mouth of the James River.

There was some truth in what we were taught, but there was also much more.  Jamestown survived and grew.  The first representative assembly in the New World convened in the Jamestown church on July 30, 1619.  In 1624 Virginia became a crown colony with Jamestown as the capital.  A “New Town” grew up east of the fort which contained wharfs, warehouses, taverns and merchant’s homes.  Jamestown remained the capital until the statehouse burned in 1698.  The capital was then moved to Williamsburg and the town of Jamestown began to slowly disappear.

I must admit that it was very interesting and exciting to be at the site of so much history.  If you would like to see more of Jamestown, click HERE.

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Battleship North Carolina

August 20, 2009
5-inch and AA guns on the North Carolina. May, 2007.

5-inch and AA guns on the North Carolina. May, 2007.

We got some much-needed rain here on the Plateau today, so I was able to get some work done on the computer.  One of the things I got done was working on some of the pictures we took while we were at the beach in 2007.

One day of our stay was rainy, so we drove to Wilmington, North Carolina, where we visited the battleship North Carolina.  The North Carolina was launched June 13, 1940 and commissioned April 9, 1941.  At the time of her commissioning she was considered to be most powerful ship afloat.

The North Carolina participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific and earned 15 battle stars.  During the war she steamed over 300,000 miles.  Although the Japanese claimed to have sunk her six times, she survived the war with a loss of 10 men killed in action and 67 wounded.

In 1958 the announcement that the North Carolina was to be scrapped led to a statewide campaign by the citizens of North Carolina to save the ship and bring her to her namesake state.  The campaign was successful and the battleship arrived at her current berth in Wilmington on October 2, 1961.  She was dedicated as the State’s memorial to its World War II verterans on April 29, 1962.

It’s possible to tour almost all departments of this ship, from the engine room to the flag bridge.  We thoroughly enjoyed our visit — we were glad that we had a rainy day while we were at the beach.

If you would like to see more of the North Carolina click HERE.

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Castillo de San Marcos

August 13, 2009
The main gate of Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine, Florida. August 4, 2009.

The main gate of Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine, Florida. August 4, 2009.

After visiting Betsy’s brother, Ray, in Jacksonville, we headed south to Ormond Beach for Betsy’s birthday.  We travelled through Saint Augustine, and, since we had some extra time, decided to stop at Castillo de San Marcos.

The Spanish started construction on Castillo de San Marcos in 1672.  The detail and architecture of the fort are both distinctive and unique.  Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry and the only existing 17th century fort in North America.

The outer walls of the fort. August 4, 2009.

The outer walls of the fort. August 4, 2009.

The first 300 years of the existence of the fort were times of constant warfare as European countries vied for the economic wealth of the New World.  The Castillo was attacked many times (mostly by the British) but was never captured.

The reconstructed city of St. Augustine, Florida. August 4, 2009.

The reconstructed city of St. Augustine, Florida. August 4, 2009.

The present National Park Service Monument consists of over 20 acres and includes a reconstructed section of the St. Augustine city wall.

Both Betsy and I enjoyed our visit to this, one of the oldest structures in the U. S.  If you’re ever near St. Augustine visit the fort.  We think you’ll enjoy it.

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Our Prius — Definitely NOT a clunker

August 10, 2009
Mrs. P in the north Georgia Mountains. August 2, 2009.

Mrs. P in the north Georgia Mountains. August 2, 2009.

I’m sure Betsy and I will have quite a bit to say about our trip to Florida in the days ahead, but now I want to tell you about the unsung partner in all our travels.  There’s a lot of talk about clunkers nowadays, but our Prius — Mrs. P — is definitely not a clunker.

We got Mrs. P in February, 2005.  Since then we have traveled many miles — some of them on interstates and some on less-well maintained roads.  Mrs. P has successfully traveled along snow-covered forest service dirt roads in the mountains and successfully gotten over and through wash-outs that turned back jeeps.

Last Sunday we were in the mountains of north Georgia searching for some waterfalls.  We knew there was a stream with two waterfalls on them about two miles from a ranger station.  The sign in the photo above (enlarge the picture to read it more clearly) was on the opposite side of the road from the station.

Mrs. P handled the road with no problems.  I just could not resist taking this picture on our way back.  I wonder where Mrs. P will take us next?

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On the Road Again

August 1, 2009
The Arkansas River in a sunrise from Mount Nebo. December 2, 2008.

The Arkansas River in a sunrise from Mount Nebo. December 2, 2008.

I managed to finish a third set of photos and get them published.  This third set is of a sunrise on Mount Nebo in Arkansas taken last December.  This picture shows the Arkansas River in the valley below in the light of early dawn.  You can see other pictures of that sunrise by clicking HERE.

Actually it’s appropriate for me to post a travel picture today because Betsy and I are about to hit the road again.  Betsy’s brother is in a nursing home in Jacksonville, Florida, and we want to go see him.  My beautiful bride likes the beach, so we’re going to spend a couple of days on the beach near Daytona.  We’ll be at the beach on Betsy’s birthday (I’ve been sworn to secrecy on the number), so we’ll have an appropriate celebration.

As a matter of fact, it will be a double celebration.  Betsy shares a birthday with one of her cousins and we will be having dinner with Bonnie and her husband.  We’ll celebrate by getting some fresh seafood.

It should come as no surprise that we’ve planned the trip to include some waterfalls.  We’ll check out a couple of waterfalls in northern Georgia on the way to Florida.  We’ve learned that Florida has one natural waterfall, so we’ve arranged our trip home to include that waterfall.  If we see it Florida will be the first state in which we’ve visited all the waterfalls!!!

So we’re going to be away from home and away from the computers for several days.  We plan to get back home on Saturday, August 8, so hopefully I’ll have a post on Sunday, August 9.

In the meantime, I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

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Jamestown Settlement

July 30, 2009
The gate at James Fort in Jamestown Settlement. June 20, 2007.

The gate at James Fort in Jamestown Settlement. June 20, 2007.

We’ve had rain off and on for the past couple of days, so I’ve been able to get more work done on some of my back-logged photos.  If we had enough rain for me to completely catch up, I think we would all need arks.

The picture above is the entrance to James Fort at Jamestown Settlement in Virginia.  Betsy and I went there in 2007 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the settling of Jamestown.  Jamestown Settlement is a living-history museum on the road leading to the National Park, so we stopped there first.

Jamestown Settlement includes a film about the first two decades of the Jamestown colony and several galleries of artifacts from both English settlers and Powhatan Indians.  The Settlement also includes a re-created Powhatan Indian Village, replicas of the three ships which brought the English settlers to Virginia, and a full-scale replica of the fort built by the settlers.

You can see more of our pictures from Jamestown Settlement HERE.

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Yorktown Victory Center

July 25, 2009
Yorktown Victory Center, Yorktown, Virginia. June 19, 2009.

Yorktown Victory Center, Yorktown, Virginia. June 19, 2007.

I’ve had a chance to work on photos over the past several days and came across pictures that were taken when Betsy and I visited Virginia in 2007.  We went to celebrate our anniversary and to visit Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown.

The first place we visited when we got to the Colonial National Historical Park was the Yorktown Victory Center.  The Victory Center is a living-history museum that helps bring the American Revolution to life.   In addition to a film about the Siege of Yorktown, there are re-enactors in a Continental Army encampment who help bring that period to life.

We enjoyed our time at the Victory Center and found it to be very interesting.  Afterwards we saw a little of the riverfront in the town of Yorktown.  It was a very nice beginning of our historical vacation.

If you would like to see more pictures from the Yorktown Victory Center, click HERE.

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How the Other Half Lives

July 18, 2009
The runway at Mountain Air, North Carolina. July 11, 2009.

The runway at Mountain Air, North Carolina. July 11, 2009.

When Betsy and I visited with my son last weekend, we stayed at a condo in Mountain Air, North Carolina, owned by the parents of my son’s girlfriend.  Mountain Air gets in name in part from the private air strip shown in the picture above.  The air strip is on top of the mountain and runs through the golf course.  Do you want to spend a weekend in the mountains?  Hop on your plane and fly in.  If you enlarge the picture your can see a few planes parked to the right of the runway near the ridge line.

The Mountain Air golf course.

The Mountain Air golf course. July 11, 2009.

Crossville calls itself the Golf Capital of Tennessee, and the Glade, where we live, has five golf courses.  But none of our courses have holes quite as dramatic as the course at Mountain Air.  Can you spot the two golfers on the tee to the left of center in this photo.  That’s the runway in the lower right-hand corner.

A home in Mountain Air, North Carolina. July 11, 2009.

A home in Mountain Air, North Carolina. July 11, 2009.

I will admit that the architecture of the homes we saw did a marvelous job of blending with the environment.  But some of the houses were huge.  I think several of the houses on our street would fit inside this one house.

But Mountain Air is a beautiful part of the country, and we were very happy to be able to visit there.

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