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.

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Posted in Our World | 24 Comments »

Down Memory Lane: Mountain Air in 2009

February 7, 2014

2009 -- Mountain Air

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

In July, 2009, Betsy and I went to Mountain Air, near Burnsville, North Carolina, to visit my son Robert and his family.  Robert and Melissa were staying at a condo owned by Melissa’s parents, and they invited us to visit them there.

Mountain Air is a development built around a country club and get’s its name from the mountaintop airstrip that allows people to fly in to visit.  Robert and Mel  — as well as Betsy and I — didn’t fly in, but got there by car.

There are awesome views from many places in Mountain Air, as well as some beautiful homes.  We thoroughly enjoyed the tour given by Robert and Mel — as well as Zack and Sean.

The collage above shows views of the sky we enjoyed on our first evening in Mountain Air.  The picture on the left in the second row shows a view of the mountains on the morning of our second day.  The picture in the middle shows me with Robert.  The picture on the bottom right shows our hosts, Melissa, Robert, Zack and Sean.

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

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Posted in Travels | 15 Comments »

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.

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Posted in Our World | 20 Comments »

Photographer at Work (2)

January 30, 2014
Betsy getting a picture of Middle Prong Little River, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. January 20, 2013.

Betsy getting a picture of Middle Prong Little River, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

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

Last week Betsy and I went to the Smokies to do some hiking and get some pictures.  Unfortunately we didn’t get in much hiking, but we did get in a lot of photography.  We drove and walked along Middle Prong of Pigeon River, since I wanted to try out my new lens and filter.

But in addition to trying out my new equipment, I couldn’t resist getting some pictures of Betsy at work.  She didn’t have a new camera or lens, but she worked hard at getting good pictures herself.  The picture above shows her getting a picture of some rapids in the river.

Betsy photographing Stillhouse Hollow Falls. January 20, 2014.

Betsy photographing Stillhouse Hollow Falls. January 20, 2014.

There were a couple of small waterfalls on the side of the road across from the river.  Here Betsy is getting a picture of Stillhouse Hollow Falls.

Betsy along Tremont Road, Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

Betsy along Tremont Road, Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

I was lucky to get one or two pictures of Betsy without that camera in her face.  Just look at that smile.

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Posted in Betsy | 20 Comments »

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.

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Posted in Our World | 14 Comments »

Betsy Was a Happy Camper

January 23, 2014
Our back yard in the snowstorm, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 21, 2014.

Our back yard in the snowstorm, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 21, 2014.

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

My Beautiful Bride can be impatient at times, and she has been waiting for snow ever since Thanksgiving.  But she wasn’t waiting for just any snow — it had to be a perfect snowstorm:  The snowflakes had to be big and fluffy, they had to fall during daylight, and the snow had to cling to trees and branches.

I’m happy to say that Betsy was a happy camper on Tuesday.  It started  snowing in the morning and snowed off and on during most of the day.  It didn’t take long for the deck and the golf course to have a cover of white.

The Stars and Stripes in our front yard. January 21, 2014.

The Stars and Stripes in our front yard. January 21, 2014.

The flag in front of the house provided a little color on what was a fairly gray day.  The wind came  up and caused the flag to stand out from the pole.

The view in front of our house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 21, 2014.

The view in front of our house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 21, 2014.

But the best part was that the trees and bushes all wore a coat of white.

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Posted in Glade | 19 Comments »

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.

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Posted in Our World | 17 Comments »

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.

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Skywatch Friday: December’s Full Moon

January 10, 2014
A full moon over Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. December 16, 2013.

A full moon over Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. December 16, 2013.

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

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

While putting up the bird feeders one Monday evening in December, Betsy and I noticed the nearly-full moon rising through the trees.  I grabbed my camera and walked out onto the golf course to get a view without the trees blocking the view.

Full moon over Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. December 16, 2013.

Full moon over Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. December 16, 2013.

It was a beautiful moon on a crisp, chilly evening.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 22 Comments »

Our World: Opryland’s Nativity Scene

January 6, 2014
Scripture at the Opryland's Nativity Scene. December 19, 2013.

Scripture at the Opryland’s Nativity Scene. December 19, 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.

Yesterday was the last of the twelve days of Christmas, but today is the Day of Epiphany, commemorating the visit of the Wise Men to the Baby Jesus in Bethlehem.  So I think one more Christmas-themed  post is appropriate.

Mary and Joseph on the way to Bethlehem. Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. December 19, 2013.

Mary and Joseph on the way to Bethlehem. Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. December 19, 2013.

On December 19 Betsy and I visited the Opryland Hotel in Nashville with my daughter Kelly and her husband Chuck.  One of the attractions at the hotel this time of year is a Nativity Scene with life-sized figurines.

Wise men, angels and shepherds gathered around the manger. Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. December 19, 2013.

Wise men, angels and shepherds gathered around the manger. Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. December 19, 2013.

When we first saw this display many years ago, it was set up in a courtyard between two wings of the hotel.  Now it’s set up in front of the hotel.  While that gave more room for a large stable and manger, it definitely tied up traffic.  Fortunately there were officers to direct traffic.

Another look at the manger. Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. December 19, 2013.

Another look at the manger. Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. December 19, 2013.

If you’re ever in Nashville during the holiday season, I think you’ll enjoy seeing the Opryland Hotel, especially at night.

There are many other beautiful decorations at the hotel, but I’ll probably save those for another holiday season.

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Posted in American Life | 20 Comments »

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