SkyWatch Friday: After the Rains

July 12, 2013
Glade sky after the downpours, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  May 23, 2013.

Glade sky after the downpours, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. May 23, 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.

May was a very wet month here on the Cumberland Plateau.  We had over six inches of rain two different weeks in the month.

Glade sky after the downpours, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. May 23, 2013.

Glade sky after the downpours, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. May 23, 2013.

The day after our last big downpour I was working in the front yard and noticed this pretty blue cloud-filled skies.  I got these photos from the street in front of our house.

Down Memory Lane: Dating Betsy

July 8, 2013

2001 -- Dating

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

Betsy and I had our first date on March 29, 2001, and things got serious after our date to Fall Creek Falls State Park on April 21.  (If you missed that story, click HERE.)  It wasn’t long after that date that things started getting serious.

The picture in the top left corner of the collage was taken in late April at the Paris, Tennessee, Fish Fry.  Mom and Dad had gone for several years, but Dad felt he could no longer drive that long distance, so Betsy and I took them.  Betsy met my sister Janet and her husband Charlie for the first time at the Fish Fry.

The picture on the top right is a class portrait of the Experiencing God Bible Study that Betsy taught.  By that time Betsy knew she was getting a ring, but she didn’t know when.  She got it about 30 seconds after this picture was taken.  I was already down on my knees, so why not?  I knew she could teach that evening without any problems even after getting the ring.

Later that week celebrated our engagement by going to Nashville for dinner and a performance of “Fiddler on the Roof”.

The hardest part of getting engaged to Betsy was meeting two of her sons in Knoxville (picture at lower right).  I don’t mind telling you I was nervous, but Jeff and Bert must have approved, because Betsy and I were still engaged after that evening.

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

SkyWatch Friday: Fire in the Sky

July 5, 2013
Glade Community Club fireworks, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  July 4, 2010.

Glade Community Club fireworks, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 4, 2010.

(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.

Glade Community Club fireworks, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  July 4, 2010.

Glade Community Club fireworks, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 4, 2010.

The sky over Fairfield Glade was like the sky over many places last night — full of color and noise.  The annual fireworks display is popular with people of all ages, as many of our residents gather at Druid Hills club house to take in the show.

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These pictures were taken a couple of years ago.

Philippi Covered Bridge

July 1, 2013
Covered Bridge in Philippi, West Virginia.  September 15, 2011.

Covered Bridge in Philippi, West Virginia. September 15, 2011.

(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 September, 2011, Betsy and I drove from Hocking Hills, Ohio, to Blackwater Falls, West Virginia.  It was a dreary, overcast day, but we were driving back roads as we usually do and were enjoying the scenery.

As we neared Philippi, West Virginia, we suddenly came to a covered bridge.  Covered bridges are pretty unusual, and finding one in use is even more unusual.  After we got across the bridge, we just had to find a place to stop so we could get a picture.

You can learn more about the bridge from the photo of the historical marker below.

PhilippiBridgeSign11091501

SkyWatch Friday: Weather Front Coming Through

June 14, 2013
Panoramic view of Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, in the morning.  May 6, 2013.

Panoramic view of Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, in the morning. May 6, 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.

The weather was not good the day Betsy and I arrived at Ocean Isle Beach last month, but the weatherman promised that the next day would be better.  And the weatherman was right.  When I went out on the balcony of our room the next morning, I could see gray, threatening clouds to the left and bright blue sky to the right.  Fortunately the front was moving from right to left, and we had a beautiful day at the beach.

Our World: Roses in Our Yard

June 10, 2013
Our front yard as seen from the road in front of the house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  June 1, 2013.

Our front yard as seen from the road in front of the house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 1, 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.

Many of you know that Betsy and I grow roses.  We have 57 different variety of roses growing in our yard, most of which can be seen in the photo above.  This picture was taken from the road in font of our house.

Our 'big' rose bed, with the new wall flower bed in the background.  Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  June 1, 2013.

Our ‘big’ rose bed, with the new wall flower bed in the background. Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 1, 2013.

The picture above was taken standing at the house looking toward the road.  The rose bed in the foreground is our ‘big’ rose bed and contains 22 roses.  This is our oldest rose bed.  The rose bed in the background is along the road and contains 7 roses in addition tulips, iris, lilies and day lilies.  We put in this flower bed after building the retaining wall.

Our 'small' rose bed, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  June 1, 2013.

Our ‘small’ rose bed, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 1, 2013.

The rose bed on the opposite side of the driveway from our ‘big’ rose bed is the ‘small’ rose bed.  It contains 10 roses.

Container roses along the driveway, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  June 1, 2013.

Container roses along the driveway, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 1, 2013.

Finally, we have ten container roses on each side of the driveway.

Those of you who are mathematically inclined will note that the sum of the roses is 59, not 57.  That’s because we have duplicates of two roses.  I’m not sure how long that will continue.

Our World: Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon

June 3, 2013
The view from Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon.  June 21, 2011.

The view from Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon. June 21, 2011.

(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.

Bryce Canyon was one of the favorite places Betsy and I visited on our 2011 western trip.  The canyon was simply breathtaking.  One of the overlooks we visited was Sunset Point.  We weren’t there at sunset, but the view was spectacular just the same.

The view from Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon.  June 21, 2011.

The view from Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon. June 21, 2011.

The trailhead for Navajo Loop Trail is at Sunset Point.  If you look to the left of the pine in the picture above, you can see where the trail disappears down a narrow canyon.  Part of the trail was closed when we were there, but we did make it beyond this point before we had to turn back.

The view from Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon.  June 21, 2011.

The view from Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon. June 21, 2011.

The rock formations and hoodoos visible from Sunset Point are absolutely amazing.

Iris in Our Yard

May 30, 2013

IrisCollage

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

I won’t claim that Betsy and I have a grand master plan for our yard, but we do try to have color in the yard in each season.  Irises provide color between the Spring bulbs (daffodils and tulips) and our roses.

We have several different varieties in our yard — the collage above shows five of them.  In the top row I have Clarence iris on the left and Waltz Across Texas on the right.

The bottom row shows (from left to right) Cantina, Blatant and Tennessee Vol.  It should be no surprise that Tennessee Vol is Betsy’s favorite — she’s one of the most dedicated University of Tennessee Volunteers fans you will ever meet.

Our World: Park Avenue

May 20, 2013
Park Avenue, Arches National Park, Utah.  June 23, 2011.

Park Avenue, Arches National Park, Utah. June 23, 2011.

(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.

Park Avenue, Arches National Park, Utah.  June 23, 2011.

Park Avenue, Arches National Park, Utah. June 23, 2011.

Park Avenue.  No, not the one in New York — the one in Arches National Park in Utah.  Park Avenue is one of the trails in Arches that we hiked during our June, 2011, visit.  The trail got the name ‘Park Avenue’ because the rock formations resembled skyscrapers.

Park Avenue, Arches National Park, Utah.  June 23, 2011.

Park Avenue, Arches National Park, Utah. June 23, 2011.

We got to the trail head in the morning before too many others were around.  It was a nice hike through the canyon, which we finished before the day got too hot.

SkyWatch Friday: A Cloudy Day on the Blue Ridge Parkway

May 17, 2013
Waterrock Knob, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina.  August 4, 2011.

Waterrock Knob, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina.
August 4, 2011.

(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.

The view from Waterrock Knob.  August 4, 2011.

The view from Waterrock Knob. August 4, 2011.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is beautiful in any season and in any weather.  Cloudy weather may mean you can’t see as far into the distance as on a sunny day, but on a cloudy day it sometimes seems you can reach up and touch the clouds.

Mountains and clouds at Waterrock Knob, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina.  August 4, 2011.

Mountains and clouds at Waterrock Knob, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina. August 4, 2011.

These pictures, from my archives, were taken on a cloudy August day at Waterrock Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  These photos were taken while hiking from the parking area to an overlook higher on the knob.