I Promised Her a Rose Garden (3)

June 6, 2012

Southern Belle rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 26, 2012.

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

This is my third post of roses in our yard.  You can see the previous posts by clicking on the ‘Roses’ tag below.

I’ve been growing roses for almost 40 years, long before I knew Betsy.  After we got married and bought this house, I did in fact promise Betsy a rose garden.  But little did I know how much she would influence the roses that went into that garden.

How, you ask?  Well, Betsy was born and raised in Virginia, so Southern Belle rose (above)  seemed a natural choice for a garden.

Bewitched rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 27, 2012.

Do you remember the song ‘Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered’?  Betsy had that effect on me, and so Bewitched is now in our garden.

Strike It Rich rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 29, 2012.

After meeting Betsy and getting to know her, I knew I had found a real gem.  Is it any surprise then, that Strike It Rich is now in our yard?

Love and Peace rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. May 1, 2012.

Betsy has brought a lot of Love and Peace into my life, as well as this rose into our garden.

Sheer Bliss rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 17, 2012.

What’s been like to be married to Betsy for these almost eleven years?  Sheer Bliss sums it up very nicely.

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Looking Up

June 4, 2012

Betsy getting a picture of our Pink Perfection lily, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. May 29, 2012.

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We knew lilies could grow to be tall, but we didn’t know how tall they could grow.  The picture above shows Betsy getting a picture of our Pink Perfection lily on the first day the flower buds opened.  The plant is a little over seven feet tall.

Pink Perfection Lily, May 29, 2012.

The blossoms are also huge.  Betsy says they are more purple than pink, but all I can say is that they are beautiful.

A closeup of a Pink Perfection lily blossom, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. May 29, 2012.

These lilies also have a delightful fragrance.  These lilies are in a bed try near the street in front of our house.  We’ve noticed people walking up and down the street often pause near these lilies for a few moments.  Why do you think they do this?

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I Promised Her a Rose Garden (2)

June 1, 2012

Rose About Face, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 28, 2012.

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

This is my second post about the roses in our yard.  You can see the first post by clicking on the tag ‘Roses’ at the bottom of this post.

About Face is one of our most unusual roses.  It gets its name from the fact that the outside of the petal is darker than the inside, which is the reverse of most roses.

Aromatherapy rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 27, 2012.

Aromatherapy Rose has a beautiful pink color and a delightful fragrance, which is probably the reason for the name.

Rose Chicago Peace, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 28, 2012.

Chicago Peace is one of several descendants of the Peace rose that we have in our yard.  Chicago Peace has more dark pink and orange than the original Peace rose contained.  Since I grew up near Chicago, it’s always nice to see this rose in bloom.

Double Delight rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. May 3, 2012.

If I had to pick only one rose as my all-time favorite, it would probably be Double Delight.  The blossoms of this rose have a beautiful form and wonderful color.  The fragrance is also wonderful.

Elle rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 27, 2012.

Elle is one of our newer roses.  It has beautiful pastel-colored blossoms.

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Hiking in the Rain

May 30, 2012

Little River near Elkmont in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. May 22, 2012.

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We had to take our car into Knoxville for servicing in late May, so we made an early morning appointment so we would have most of the day for a visit to the Smokies.  We decided to hike to the Little River Trail from the Elkmont Campground.  The trail follows the river and leads to Husky Branch Falls.

The day started well, and we enjoyed the drive to Elkmont as we always do.  We often left the trail to get pictures of the river, which was beautiful (above).

George in the rain on our hike along Little River. May 22, 2012.  (Photo by Betsy)

And then the rains came.  Fortunately we had rain jackets with us.  The jackets helped us, and our cameras, keep dry.  We kept going, even though it was raining hard at times.

Husky Branch Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. May 22, 2012.

The rain started to let up when we got to Husky Branch Falls, so we were able to enjoy this pretty waterfall.

Betsy taking pictures along Little River in the Smokies. May 22, 2012.

It was still raining as we headed back to the car.  At times it was only drizzling, so we continued to shoot the river as we walked back.

Our hike that day was about 4.3 miles, and it was raining for only four of those miles!  But it was a great day.

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I Promised Her a Rose Garden

May 25, 2012

Alec’s Red rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 14, 2012.

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

My Beautiful Bride and I make a perfect couple — she enjoys roses and I enjoy growing them.  Once our roses start blooming I can usually bring a rose into the house every day.

Our roses bloomed several weeks early this year and then came through several cold nights without damage.  The roses pictured above is Alec’s Red, one of our container roses.

Apricot Nectar rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 16, 2012.

We’ve had Apricot Nectar for several years now, and we always enjoy its soft pastel color.

Ingrid Bergman rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 15, 2012.

Ingrid Bergman was a beautiful actress, and the rose named in her honor is just as beautiful.

Paradise Rose, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 16, 2012.

Paradise is one of our oldest roses, but it continues to  produce beautiful mauve blossoms.

Rose Rio Samba, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 17, 2012.

Rio Samba does not grow very tall, but it’s blossoms are bright and colorful.

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I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  Betsy and I will be celebrating Memorial Day and will not be posting on Monday.  We’ll be back on Wednesday.

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Fast Forwarding Through Spring (4)

May 23, 2012

Cable Car iris, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 20, 2012.

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

All of our iris have now bloomed, so this will be the last post about these beauties in our yard.  You can catch the earlier post HERE, HERE and HERE.

I love the color of Cable Car (above).  Cable Car is in a couple of our flower beds, including one along the border of our big rose bed.

Summer Olympics iris, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 15, 2012.

Summer Olympics is in a bed that gets more shade than some of the others.  This year’s blossom seems to be more gorgeous than usual, which is appropriate since the Olympics will be held this summer.

Orange Harvest iris, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 21, 2012.

Orange Harvest blooms along the front of  the house, greeting people who pass by.

Stellar Lights iris, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 16, 2012.

Stellar Lights is one of the oldest of our irises.  But it is also one of  the most vibrant blossom we have.

Tennessee Vol iris, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 21, 2012. (Photo by Betsy)

Finally we have Betsy’s favorite — Tennessee Vol.  I think she would like anything with that name, but this iris is beautiful.  It’s only appropriate that I use a photo that Betsy has taken.

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The Beauty of the Earth

May 21, 2012

The flowerbed near the road in front of our house. May 19, 2012.

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One of our newer flower beds is in front of the house near the road.  Betsy and I wanted color in the bed throughout the growing season, so we planted tulips, iris, roses, lilies and day lilies in the bed.

This year we’re getting a lot of color, often at the same time.  In the picture above you can see two varieties of lilies in bloom, and two varieties of roses.  What’s more amazing, if you look carefully you can see a purple iris that decided to bloom again of Friday.

I guess we’re going to have to stay home for a while so we can enjoy all this beauty around us.

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SkyWatch Friday: Ocean Isle Sky

May 18, 2012

The beach and sky at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 10, 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.

When we are at the beach Betsy and I enjoy the sand and the water — and the sky.  Sometimes the blue of the ocean comes close to matching the blue of the sky.  The white of the breakers in the ocean and the clouds in the sky only serve to emphasize the blue.

Reflections in the sand at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 10, 2012.

On this particular day the sky and the clouds were reflected in the wet sand left by the falling tide.

Clouds over the dunes at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 8, 2012.

We also enjoyed watching the clouds appear over the dunes on a lazy afternoon.

 

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I’m sorry for being behind in visiting your blogs, but Betsy and I went to visit Dad yesterday.  He was better than we’ve seen him in several weeks.  He still has trouble completing his thoughts at times, but he was walking better yesterday than he has in quite some time.  He enjoys being outside, so the nice weather is a blessing.  Dad will be 100 in August.

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An Almost-Super Moon

May 16, 2012

Moon off Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 6, 2012.

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

Betsy and I were in Simpsonville, South Carolina, on the Saturday night of the super moon.  Unfortunately there were heavy clouds and storms in Simpsonville that night, so we missed the super moon.

Fortunately Sunday night, at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, was beautiful and clear.  The not-quite-so-super moon put in an appearance over the ocean almost opposite our room.  I was able to get this picture from the balcony of our room.

Moonlight on the ocean off Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 6, 2012.

We watched the moon rise in the sky and lay a silver stream of light on the surface of the water.

Moon rise at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 6, 2012.

The sight was so incredibly beautiful that we both felt it made up for missing the super moon the night before.

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Our World: Ocean Isle Beach

May 14, 2012

Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 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.

Betsy and I returned home on Saturday from a week at the beach.  We went to one of our favorite places, Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.

One advantage of going in early May is that we often have the beach almost to ourselves, so we can lose ourselves in the beauty  of this wonderful spot.

The pier at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 8, 2012.

The weather was just about perfect.  We had some rain early one evening, but other than that we had blue skies and sunshine.  But even so, the ocean was never the same on any two days.  It seems to constantly change, but be constantly beautiful at the same time.

Dunes along the shore of Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 10, 2012.

Even glimpses of the water and beach through the dune grass was fascinating.

Satellite image of Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. Image taken from Google Maps.

We stayed at the Islander Inn, which is right on the beach as can be seen from this satellite image from Google Maps.  All in all it was a wonderful vacation.

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