Looking For Waterfalls in a Drought

August 22, 2012

Tomahawk Creek near Mountain View, Arkansas. August 5, 2012.

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

Don’t get me wrong — Betsy and I had a wonderful time in Arkansas as we celebrated her birthday.  But I have to admit that our timing wasn’t the greatest.  We enjoy ‘collecting’ waterfalls, and we planned our trip — several months ago — in order to see some waterfalls in a part of Arkansas we hadn’t visited before.

But Arkansas is in the midst of a terrible drought.  We thought things were dry here in eastern Tennessee, but the situation is much worse in Arkansas.  We were amazed at how dry and brown the pastures and lawns appeared.

Tomahawk Creek, Mountain View, Arkansas. August 5, 2012.

All of the rivers we saw were low, and many of the creeks were bone dry.  The two above pictures show Tomahawk Creek near Mountain View, Arkansas.

We hiked the Lost Valley Trail of the Buffalo National River.  Although there was no water in Clark Creek which paralleled the trail, we enjoyed the hike.  Since there was no water in the creek, we were able to explore a natural bridge carved by the creek in greater detail than we could if water had been flowing (more about that in a later post).

Clark Creek, Lost Valley Trail, Buffalo National River, Arkansas. August 6, 2012.

We didn’t see the waterfalls we had hoped to see, but we did enjoy our trip very much.

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Posted in Travels | 24 Comments »

Our World: Rotier’s Restaurant

August 20, 2012

Betsy at Rotier’s Restaurant, Nashville, Tennessee. June 23, 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.

After celebrating our anniversary by walking around Centennial Park in June, Betsy and I had lunch at Rotier’s restaurant.  Rotier’s is near the park, and serves some of the most delicious burgers I’ve ever had.  It’s not a fancy place, but it is a local favorite and is often crowded.

The front dining area of Rotier’s has many autographed photos on the wall. Nashville, Tennessee, June 23, 2012.

We wanted to have lunch at Rotier’s because it’s a special place for us.  We had lunch there on our second date back in 2001.  I don’t remember what I had to eat at that time, but our visit was memorable.

On that April date Betsy and I visited the interior of the Parthenon and the art museum.  Betsy, self-sufficient woman that she is, wanted to pay for her own admission, but I pointed out that going inside was my idea and I should pay.  It took some doing, but she finally agreed to let me pay for our admission.  However, Betsy absolutely insisted on buying our lunch.  So after leaving the Parthenon we headed to Rotier’s, which had been recommended to both of us.

After a delightful lunch, Betsy pulled out her credit card and went up to the cashier to pay.  She was politely informed that Rotier’s didn’t accept credit cards.  My Sweet Date put her credit card away and pulled out her checkbook — Rotier’s didn’t accept checks.

The interior of Rotier’s Restaurant, Nashville, Tennessee. June 23, 2012.

By this time I was having trouble keeping a straight face.  But we fortunately were able to come up with enough cash to pay for lunch.

We had no problems paying for our lunch on our anniversary.  Rotier’s now accepts credit cards.

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Posted in Our World | 17 Comments »

Down Memory Lane: The Great Wall

August 17, 2012

Scenes from a visit to the Great Wall of China in 1987.

I first saw the Great Wall of China in 1987.  I was in China with a group of other professors from our college on an exchange program.  In some ways it’s hard to believe that so many years have passed since then, but the memories are still fresh.  These are just some of the pictures I took on that memorable day.

To see other pictures from the Great Wall, click HERE.

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Posted in China | 13 Comments »

I Promised Her a Rose Garden (11)

August 15, 2012

Crescendo rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 11, 2012.

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

This is the eleventh and final post on the roses in our yard.  With this post I have shared all 55 rose varieties in our yard.  The previous posts can be found by clicking on the tag ‘Roses’ below.

Crescendo (above) is one of our newer roses.  It was Jackson & Perkins’ Rose of the Year a couple of years ago.

Memorial Day, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 20, 2012.

Memorial Day did actually begin blooming on Memorial Day a few years ago.  It’s a beautiful, stately bush many wonderful blossoms.

Moonstone, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 13, 2012.

Moonstone is one of our container roses.  The blossoms seem to get more beautiful as the rose bush ages.

Peace, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 20, 2012.

Peace is said to be the world’s favorite rose.  It that’s true, I can understand why.  Peace was one of the first roses we got when we started our rose garden.

Sedona rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 16, 2012.  (Photo by Betsy)

Sedona is another relatively new rose for us.  The blossoms are a beautiful red/orange at the beginning, although the color changes as the blossom ages.  This rose got its name from the colors of the Arizona desert.

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Posted in Garden | 19 Comments »

Is She Trying to Tell Me Something?

August 13, 2012

Betsy’s ‘dream house’ in Fairfield Bay, Arkansas.  August 5, 2012.

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

When Betsy lived and worked in Houston, Texas, she often spent the week after Christmas on vacation in Fairfield Bay, Arkansas.  Since we were in the area while celebrating Betsy’s birthday, she decided to show me around.

After finding the timeshare she used to own, Betsy decided she wanted to drive down to the lake.  She said this is something she did on every visit.  On our way to the lake she told me about a beautiful house that she liked very much.  She always told her friends (and her sons) that the house was her ‘dream house’ and that she would own it some day.

Another view of Betsy’s ‘dream house’, Fairfield Bay, Arkansas. August 5, 2012.

We drove by the house, and I must admit that it is very pretty.  We only saw the front yard, but I liked the wooded setting.  The house has a nice long deck along the front.  I must admit that I liked it as well.

Before you read any further, I need to remind you that the first time I ever went to Fairfield Glade is when Betsy wanted to show me where she stayed during a vacation in Tennessee several years ago.  You’ll see the relevance of this statement when you scroll down.

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Betsy has that mischievous look on her face. I wonder why?

Do you think Betsy is trying to tell me something?

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Posted in Betsy | 25 Comments »

Skywatch Friday: Moon Over the Glade

August 3, 2012

Moon over Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 27, 2012.

(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.

I must admit that I’m a sucker when it comes to seeing the moon in a blue sky.  I can’t resist taking a picture (or several).  Last Friday the moon was almost overhead as the sun was setting.  The clouds to the east had a pretty peach glow from the setting sun.

Moon over Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 27, 2012.

Sometimes the clouds got in the way, but even then the scene was pretty enough that I kept snapping away.

Moon over Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 27, 2012.

A few minutes later the clouds and sun were both gone and I concentrated on the moon itself.  I must admit I like the craters I captured at the boundary between the dark and light sides of the moon.

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Betsy enjoying snow in the mountains of Virginia. She was as beautiful then as she is now.

Someone is having a birthday on Sunday.  I can’t tell you who it is, but I will give you a couple of hints —

Hint #1: She still likes snow.
Hint #2:  She’s my Beautiful Bride.

I know it would make her very happy if you would pop over to her blog, Joyful Reflections, and wish her a Happy Birthday.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 20 Comments »

I Promised Her a Rose Garden (10)

August 1, 2012

Perfume Delight, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 30, 2012.

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

This is the tenth post on the roses in our yard.  The previous posts can be found by clicking on the tag ‘Roses’ below.

As the name implies, Perfume Delight (above) has a delightful fragrance.  It also has a pretty pink color.

Pink Peace, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 30, 2012.

Another pink rose (this one’s a little darker pink) with a nice fragrance is Pink Peace.  It’s one of several descendants of the Peace rose that we have in our yard.

Ronald Reagan rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 6, 2012.

Ronald Reagan doesn’t have much of a fragrance, but it is a beautiful bicolor rose along the front of our yard.

Sonia, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 12, 2012.

Sonia is a salmon pink rose that is a favorite with florists.  We enjoy it’s fruity fragrance and classic form in our yard.

Summer Nights rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 9, 2012.

Summer Nights is the newest rose in our yard.  I have no idea how it got its name, but we like its beautiful colors.

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Posted in Garden | 13 Comments »

Our World: Lake Wautauga

July 30, 2012

Centennial Park in Nashville, Tennessee. Picture from Google Earth.

(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.

Lake Wautauga, Centennial Park, Nashville, Tennessee. June 23, 2012.

I’ve mentioned a couple of times that Betsy and I celebrated our anniversary back in June by going to Nashville to visit some of our old haunts.  One of the places we visited was Centennial Park.  We had often walked around the lake in the park while we were dating and after we were first married, but it wasn’t until this year that I learned that the lake had a name — Lake Wautauga.

The fountain in Lake Watauga, Centennial Park, Nashville, Tennessee. June 23, 2012.

The path around the lake leads past a fountain and under some beautiful shade and willow trees.

Betsy getting a picture at Centennial Park, Nashville, Tennessee. June 23, 2012.

I managed to catch Betsy hard at work with her camera under one of the willow trees.

A view of Lake Wautauga through the branches of a willow tree, Centennial Park, Nashville, Tennessee. June 23, 2012.

She inspired me to try my luck at getting a picture through the willow branches.

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Posted in Our World | 20 Comments »

Skywatch Friday: Plateau Evening Sky

July 27, 2012

Evening sky over Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 25, 2012.

(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.

Betsy was on the back deck Wednesday evening and said that I should come out to see the sky from the fairway out back.  I went out back with my camera and found that Betsy was right — the sky was beautiful.

Evening western sky over Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 25, 2012.

The sun had dropped below the Plateau, but the sky was still blue.  The clouds and contrails to the west were a beautiful pink.  The sky wasn’t exactly red, but I was reminded of the saying, “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight”.

Eastern evening sky over Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 25, 2012.

When I turned around and looked to the east, the clouds were a beautiful orange-gold.  It truly was a gorgeous evening.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 15 Comments »

I Promised Her a Rose Garden (9)

July 25, 2012

Peppermint Splash rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. May 23, 2012.

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

This is the ninth post on the roses in our yard.  The previous posts can be found by clicking on the tag ‘Roses’ below.

Peppermint Splash is one of Betsy’s favorite roses.  It definitely has one of our more unusual blossoms.  Betsy says it reminds her of peppermint stick candy, which probably accounts for its name.

Perfect Moment rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. May 3, 2012.

There probably isn’t such a thing as a perfect rose, but it’s hard to beat the colors of Perfect Moment.

Pink Promise rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 30, 2012.

Pink Promise does a good job of living up to its name.  It produces many of these beautiful pink blossoms throughout the season.

Radiant Perfume rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 30, 2012.

Radiant Perfume has both a delightful fragrance and a brilliant color.  It’s a bright spot in our garden each time it blooms.

Sheer Magic rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. May 28, 2012.

Sheer Magic is a beautiful bicolor with a very pleasant fragrance.  We enjoy the soft pastel colors as much as we do the fragrance.

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Posted in Garden | 13 Comments »

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