Something to Cheer Up Betsy

December 15, 2008

Yesterday was not a good day for Betsy.  Her Titans lost their football game by one point!  And to make matters worse, it is the middle of December, there’s precipitation coming, and the temperatures are in the 50’s.  Betsy wants snow!  How can it snow with temperatures like this?  It’s depressing!!!

I really want to cheer Betsy up, but I’m not sure how to go about doing so.  I certainly can’t change the outcome of the football game, and I don’t have the talent necessary to make it snow on demand.

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About the best I can do is post this picture to give Betsy hope.  This picture was taken on the deck of our house in February, 2006, and it shows that we actually can get a nice snowfall here in the Glade.  So don’t give up hope, Betsy!

One more thing.  Although I don’t know how to make it snow outside, I do know how to make it snow on this blog.  So if the weatherman won’t cooperate, Betsy can watch it snow here!

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Posted in Betsy | 15 Comments »

Another Sunset Photo

December 13, 2008

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I enjoy taking pictures of sunrises and sunsets and will take almost any opportunity to show them.  Sunday’s Sunrise/Sunset Photo Meme gives me such an opportunity.  To see other sunrise/sunset pictures from all over the world click on the logo or name above.

The picture below was taken in May, 2008, at Sunset Beach, North Carolina.  Betsy and I were spending a few days at the beach and had driven to Sunset Beach after an early dinner.  Sunset Beach is an island and we were on our way back to the mainland as the sun was going down.  There was no other traffic on the causeway at this moment, so I stopped to get this picture.  The Intracoastal Waterway is in the foreground.
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You can click on the picture to see a larger version.

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Posted in Travels | 8 Comments »

Many Acts of Kindness

December 13, 2008
Mom and Dad with Judy (center). December 3, 2008.

Mom and Dad with Judy (center). December 3, 2008.

My parents live in Hendersonville, Tennessee, not quite three hours from where we live here on the Plateau.  Mom, who is 88, has been legally blind for about 15 years.  Dad, who is 96, was diagnosed with macular degeneration this past summer and is now also legally blind.

Both Mom and Dad say they want to remain in their home.  Betsy and I try to get over to their house as often as possible to help them with their finances, shopping, and chores.  My sister, who lives in Tullahoma, also helps out as much as she can.

But Mom and Dad couldn’t remain in their home without the help of volunteers from their church, who see that Mom and Dad get to Sunday and church, doctor’s appointments, and other  places they need to go.  Two of these special volunteers are our friends Judy and Charlie.  Judy works at Mom and Dad’s church and helps coordinate the volunteers.

Last week the church had a luncheon to honor volunteers who work at the church.  Mom and Dad had prepared the sanctuary for Sunday services for over 20 years, so although they can no longer do that, Judy made sure they were invited to the luncheon.  The luncheon had a western theme, so Charlie made sure that both Mom and Dad had the appropriate headgear, as you can see in the picture above.

We (and Mom and Dad) are blessed to have such special friends who show so much kindness — not only during the holiday season, but throughout the year.

Thanks, Judy and Charlie!

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Posted in Family | 12 Comments »

SkyWatch Friday

December 11, 2008

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This is my first submission to SkyWatch.  Although I enjoy taking pictures I’m definitely an amateur and am never sure of how much interest my pictures would be to others.  I have, however, seen some beautiful photographs on Skywatch and have decided to give it a try.  To see some of these beautiful pictures click on the image above or click on SKYWATCH.

I took the picture below in February, 2006, as Betsy and I walked around the back nine of the golf course behind our  house.  I was struck by the light separating the clouds from the mountains.  We’ve had gray and rainy skies for two days now, but Betsy is really hoping for snow.  It’s getting colder by the minute, but I’m not sure it will get cold enough for snow before the precipitation ends.
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You can click on the photo to enlarge it.

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Posted in Glade | 17 Comments »

We Got Some Rain!

December 11, 2008
Water going over a falls down the hill from our house.

Water going over a falls down the hill from our house.

I’m happy to report that the front that brought all the wind I mentioned in my last post actually brought us some much-needed rain.  It started to rain about nightfall Tuesday, and as far as we can tell it rained all night.

When Betsy got up to put out her bird feeders Wednesday morning, she could see and hear water running down the edge of the fairway behind the house.  We also had water running down the roadside ditch in front of the house.  It’s been a while since we’ve seen either of those things happen.

We saw the  waterfall  in the picture above as we were on our way to the grocery store (Senior Discount Day at Kroger!).  This little waterfall is down the hill from our house and has been dry for months.  It sure looks a lot better with water!

All in all I have to admit that the rain makes all the aggrevations caused by the wind very worthwhile!

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Posted in Weather | 8 Comments »

A Windy Day on the Plateau

December 10, 2008
The flag at our house in the wind. December 9, 2008.

The flag at our house in the wind. December 9, 2008.

Yesterday was very windy up here on the Plateau.  We had been warned that an approaching front would bring wind and (hopefully) some rain.  We could definitely use the rain.

The wind arrived in the early morning, as you can tell from the photo above.  We could hear the wind chimes clanging and every once in a while there was a ‘thump’ as something hit the house.  But we were taking everything is stride until suddenly the power went out.

Fortunately it was light enough in the living room for us to do our daily devotions without any electricity.  Surely the power would be back on by the time we finished.  We finished our devotions, but the power was still off.  I don’t think we realize how much we depend on electricity until we lose it.  Fortunately I love to read and that doesn’t require electricity as long as it’s light enough.

After about an hour the power came back on, so we powered up the computers and printers and reset all the digital clocks, the coffee maker, microwave, etc.  Things went well for about 20 minutes when the power went out again!

This time it was off for only about a minute — just long enough for us to have to power up the computers and  printers and reset all the digital clocks, the coffee maker, microwave, etc.  Soon we were back in business  — and after about five minutes the power went out for a third time!  It was only out for about a minute — just long enough for us to have to power up the computers and  printers and reset all the digital clocks, the coffee maker, microwave, etc.

Fortunately the power remained on for the rest of the day and the wind has now died down.  Now if we would only get some of that rain!

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Posted in Frustration | 9 Comments »

Bushwhacking to Find Waterfalls

December 9, 2008
George bushwhacking in the Ozark National Forest, Arkansas. December 2, 2008.

George bushwhacking in the Ozark National Forest, Arkansas. December 2, 2008.

As most of you know, Betsy and I ‘collect’ waterfalls.  We’ve visited 287 different waterfalls and cascades since 2001.  (Our first ‘big’ date was to Fall Creek Falls State Park where we saw five waterfalls.)

Most of the waterfalls we’ve visited have been reached by maintained hiking trails or by roadside overlooks.  But we are aware of many more waterfalls that require bushwhacking — something like ‘leave the trail when it makes a sharp left and head straight down the hill’.  We’ve been reluctant to follow such directions.

But most of the waterfalls listed online or in the books we own now have GPS coordinates.  And since we think so highly of the GPS receiver we have for the car, we decided to get a hiking GPS unit to help us find those elusive waterfalls.

While we were in Arkansas last week we identified three waterfalls that involved some bushwhacking and set out to visit them.  We knew we wouldn’t find much water, but if we found the waterfalls we could go back at a time when there was more water.

The first thing we did at each site was mark the location of the car so we could find our way back.  We then followed the GPS and found the waterfall in all three instances.  Perhaps we’ll be able to add to our collection!

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Posted in Waterfalls | 7 Comments »

I CAN Enjoy Snow

December 8, 2008
George playing in the snow with his children. January, 1977.

George playing in the snow with his children. January, 1977.

I was going through some old pictures yesterday and came across the picture above.  I’ve taken so much grief from Betsy about not liking snow that I thought I would post it in my own defense.

The picture was taken in January, 1977.  (You can tell from the hair that it was taken many years ago!).  At that time I was living in Black Mountain, North Carolina.  Black Mountain is in the mountains of western North Carolina and is absolutely beautiful.  We didn’t get much snow at all, so when it did snow it was quite an occasion.

The two children are my daughter Kelly (age 5) and son Bob (age 8).  We had just finished making the snowman and were getting ready to welcome their mother when she came out to admire our work.  (Bob always has had a tendency to overdo things!!).

We had lots of fun after that snowstorm.  Perhaps my current dislike of snow has less to do with the snow and more to do with the increasing years.  NAH —  that’s not possible, is it?

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Posted in Weather | 9 Comments »

A Sunrise Photo

December 6, 2008

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Last week I posted a sunset picture.  This week I’ll prove that I can get up to see a sunrise by posting a sunrise picture.  To see more sunrise/sunset pictures click on the logo above to go to the Sunday Sunrise/Sunset website.
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This picture was also taken on Mount Nebo in Arkansas.  I got this picture by going to Sunrise Point on the mountain.  Although we got there just as it was beginning to get light, we had to wait some time to get this picture.  The sun has popped up above a layer of clouds.  The mountains on the other side of the valley can be seen below the sun and clouds.

I’ll have to admit that it takes a little more effort to get a sunrise picture,  especially on a cold, windy morning.  But I think the effort was worth it.

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Posted in Travels | 10 Comments »

Why Betsy Feels Jinxed

December 6, 2008
Betsy pointing out some snow on the roof of our cabin on Mount Nebo.

Betsy pointing out some snow on the roof of our cabin on Mount Nebo.

First of all let me say that Betsy and I got back last night from our trip to Arkansas.  We had a wonderful time, but it’s good to be back home.

Now, why does Betsy feel jinxed?  You have to remember how much Betsy loves snow.  She looks forward to it every winter and never feels she sees enough.  It snowed all day Sunday at Mount Nebo State Park in Arkansas — we arrived Monday, a clear, sunny day.  It did snow back here in the Glade on Monday, but of course we were in Arkansas.

It gets worse.  We went to Mount Nebo in February of this year and it snowed in the Glade while we were gone.  We didn’t have any snow while we were at Mount Nebo, but while reading the comment book in the cabin we rented Betsy discovered that they had 12 inches of snow three days after we left!  I thought Betsy was going to cry.

We’ll stick fairly close to the Glade for the winter, but if we don’t get at least one decent snowstorm I may need to take Betsy to northern Michigan so she can get her ‘snow fix’ for the year!

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Posted in Betsy | 8 Comments »

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