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.

Our World: Calabash, North Carolina

May 13, 2013
Calabash, North Carolina, waterfront.  May 7, 2013.

Calabash, North Carolina, waterfront. May 7, 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.

Betsy and I just got back from a week at the beach.  We stay at a wonderful inn in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, but we head to Calabash, North Carolina, each evening for dinner.

Shrimp boat tied up in Calabash, North Carolina.  May 9, 2013.

Shrimp boat tied up in Calabash, North Carolina. May 9, 2013.

Calabash is a fishing village that calls itself the ‘Seafood Capital of the World’.  I’m not about to argue with that description.  Calabash seafood is delicious, and there are several restaurants right along the docks where the fishing boats come in.  You can buy fresh seafood right off the boat, or enjoy a meal at a restaurant as you watch the boats coming in.

Calabash scallops and shrimp at the Dockside restaurant, Calabash, North Carolina.  May 5, 2013.

Calabash scallops and shrimp at the Dockside restaurant, Calabash, North Carolina. May 5, 2013.

The photo above shows some Calabash shrimp and scallops.  It’s definitely worth the trip from Tennessee to enjoy these yummies.

Tulips in our Yard

May 2, 2013

2013 -- Tulips

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

Old Man Winter kept hanging around so long this year that we were beginning to think that our tulips would never start blooming.  But fortunately they have bloomed and we’ve enjoyed their bright color in our yard.

The tulip in the upper left of this collage is Golden Oxford, while Guinevere is the tulip on the upper right.  The tulips on bottom (from left to right) are Red Dynasty, Purissima and World’s Favourite.

Our World: Biltmore’s Walled Garden

April 29, 2013
Tulips in the Walled Garden of the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina.  April 16, 2013.

Tulips in the Walled Garden of the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. April 16, 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.

Earlier this month Betsy and I visited the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.  We go several times a year, and this time we hoped to be able to see the tulips in bloom.

As you can see from the picture above, our timing was just about perfect.  There were tulips at the entrance to the estate, but we went on to the Conservatory and Walled Garden.

Tulips in the Walled Garden of the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina.  April 16, 2013.

Tulips in the Walled Garden of the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. April 16, 2013.

The Walled Garden is a formal ornamental garden.  Part of the Walled Garden is a permanent rose garden, but plantings in the remainder of the garden are changed throughout the year.

Biltmore Estate's Walled Garden, Asheville, North Carolina.  April 16, 2013.

Biltmore Estate’s Walled Garden, Asheville, North Carolina. April 16, 2013.

After walking through the tulips, Betsy and I walked to a hill where we could look down on the Walled Garden.  In this picture you can see the design of the garden.  The flower beds on the other side of the arbor are mirror images of the beds on this side.

More Daffodils from our Yard

April 24, 2013

2013 -- Daffodils II

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

Once Spring decided to stay in the Glade, it didn’t take long for most of our daffodils to bloom.  Both Betsy and I have enjoyed finding new blossoms in the yard each morning.

Orange Progress is the daffodil on the upper left, and Pink Charm is the daffodil on the right.  The daffodils on the lower row are (from left to right) Chromacolor, Mount Hood, and Fortissimo.

We are now enjoying tulips in bloom.  The warmer weather makes it possible for Betsy and I to spend more time working in the yard.  That’s almost as good as going on a hike.