eWe celebrated Betsy’s birthday this year by going to Maggie Valley, North Carolina. We traveled part of the way along the Blue Ridge Parkway, also a favorite drive for us. I got this picture of My Beautiful Bride at the Raven Fork Overlook. August 5, 2025..
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On our way back home from Asheville, North Carolina, in June, Betsy and I drove through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Along the way we stopped at the Charles A. Webb Overlook on Newfound Gap Road where I got this picture. The clouds were as beautiful as the mountains. June 24, 2025.
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I got this photo of the Grand Canyon from the Rim Trail on a June morning in 2011. The Grand Canyon is awesome from any observation point. We never got tired of the view.
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One of the high points of my first trip to China in 1987 was a visit to Xian, China, to see the terra cotta soldiers.
Xian was an ancient capital of China, and was the home of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. The terra cotta soldiers made up an army that was buried with the emperor and was to guard him in his afternoon. The terra cotta army consisted of at least 8,000 soldiers of all ranks plus horses and chariots.
The soldiers were still being excavated when we were there, but we could see column upon column of soldiers
The facial characteristics of the soldiers were amazing in their detail and variety. It almost seemed as if soldier represented a unique individual.
The attention to detail also included the uniforms of the soldiers, as can be seen in the archer shown above.
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When Betsy and I were younger and more mobile we enjoyed visiting waterfalls. An added bonus to that hobby was that we could often explore along the banks of streams, especially in state or national forest areas. I captured this photo of the Tellico River here in Tennessee a few years ago. We were on our way to Bald River Fa;;s. and stopped to explore the bank of the Tellico River.
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Although neither Betsy nor I play golf, we do live on a golf course. And we have found the golf course to be perfect for early morning walks (before the golfers hit the course) or for early evening walks (after the golfers have quit for the day). I got this picture on one of our early morning walks around the back nine/
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Often clouds in the sky mean that some nasty weather is on the way. But sometimes clouds in the sky are brimming with joy and are saying “Look up! Enjoy this beautiful world that we have!”
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Back in the good old days when my Beautiful Bride and I could hike, we visited Yahoo Falls in the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky, Yahoo Falls isn’t very big, although it is tall and very pretty. I got this picture from a bridge on the trail to the falls.
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Betsy and I visited the Grand Canyon in 2011, during our first trip to the West. The canyon was indeed grand, and each view seemed more spectacular than the last. I got this picture at Pine Creek Vista.
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On April 21, 2001, Betsy and I spent the day at Fall Creek Falls State Park here in Tennessee. This wasn’t our first date, but it was still very special. For one thing, that was where I got my first kiss. Another thing was that it began our twenty-year quest to find waterfalls.
We’ve managed to get back to Fall Creek Falls on April 21 almost every year since then. We visit the waterfalls — the picture above was taken this year on April 21. (Fall Creek Falls is on the left and Coon Creek Falls is on the right,) We were happy to see that in spite of the drought that hit this part of the state last year and earlier this year there was water going over both falls. We’ve seen less water on other visits.
That first year we hiked to the base of the falls, which is something we are no longer able to do. I do, however, still try to get a kiss when we visit there!
Senior Moments 