(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
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.
(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
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.
(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
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!
(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
I first went to China in 1987 as part of an exchange program between my college and a Chinese university. As part of the agreement, our hosts arranged for our group to see the Terra Cotta Soldiers.
In order to see the soldiers we had to take an overnight train from Beijing to Xian, the old imperial capitol of China. We arrived in Xian in the late morning, so we were given a tour of the city before going to see the soldiers the ext day.
One of the landmarks of the city is the Big Wild Goose Pagoda (pictured above). We were able to go into the pagoda and get a bird’s-eye view of the city.
We also visited the Stone Forest, which is a museum of steele’s going back to the imperial era. We couldn’t read the inscriptions, but they were still very interesting to see.
Later in the afternoon we visited the old city wall of Xian and walked along it.
While walking along the wall we saw a drum that was used to sound an alarm when needed. The drum was in a watch tower along the wall.
Since we were in Xian on July 4, our hosts took us, after dark, to a hotel that served foreign tourists. That hotel had a sidewalk fireworks display in honor of the Fourth of July. I’ve never been so close to a fireworks display in my like.
If you would like to see more pictures of Xian, click HERE.
(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
One of the highlights of the imperial Summer Palace in Beijing is the ‘marble boat’. It’s not really made of marble, although the superstructure was decorated to look like marble. The original boat was built in 1755 by Emperor Qinglong, but was destroyed by British forces in 1860. The current boat was built in 1893 by the Dowager Empress Cixi Legend says she used funds allocated for the Chinese navy to build this boat at the Summer Palace, but that story has never been proven. The ‘marble boat’ is a pavilion that was used bu the empress for enjoying the beauty of the Summer Palace while she had her breakfast or dinner. I got this photo of the ‘marble boat’ when I visited the Summer Palace in 1987.
(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
I’ve been fortunate to be able to teach English as a second language in China on four different occasions. My first trip was in the summer of 1987 when I took part in an exchange program with other professors from the college at which I taught. During the summer the Chinese university took us and some of our students to the imperial Summer Palace near Beijing. Kunming Lake is the largest lake in the palace grounds. I captured this peaceful scene while walking along the shore.
(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
Several years ago, when both Betsy and I were younger and could get around better, we celebrated my birthday by traveling duo Fort Payne, Alabama. At that time we were tracking down waterfalls and there are several in the Fort Payne area. One of the waterfalls is Little River Falls, pictured above.
(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
Now that March has arrived I’m beginning to do some serious thinking about Spring. I know that Old Man Winter isn’t going to give up without a fight, and we will most likely have at least one more round of bad (cold) weather. But even so, I’m looking forward to green grass, flowers in bloom and blue skies. On a March day a few years ago I captured these redbud blossoms against a beautiful blue sky. What could be more beautiful?
(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
When Betsy and I visited the Grand Canyon in June, 2011, we reached the eastern end of the canyon in the early afternoon. We thus had the time to stop at a couple of overlooks as we drove to Grand Canyon Village, where we had our reservations for our stay. I got this photo at Lipan Point along our way.
(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
Betsy and I have been going to Mt. Nebo State Park in Arkansas for 20+ years. We always stay in the same cabin and almost go in February, since we can enjoy the sunsets from the back porch of the cabin. This picture, taken a few years ago, shows why we keep going back.
Senior Moments 