Our World: Lake Sherwood

March 19, 2012

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 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.

Fairfield Glade has several small lakes and Betsy and I enjoy walking around them whenever possible.  We walked around Lake Sherwood a couple of weeks ago.  It was a beautiful afternoon and the reflections in the lake were gorgeous.  The surface of the lake was smooth as glass.

Time-share units on Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade. February 7, 2012.

Wyndham Resorts has time-share units in the Glade, some of which overlook Lake Sherwood.

Betsy at Lake Sherwood. February 7, 2012.

I got this picture of Betsy on the footbridge over the Lake Sherwood spillway.

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 7, 2012.

We had a great day for our walk, and we got to enjoy some of the beauty of Fairfield Glade.

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Spring Is Busting Out All Over

March 16, 2012

Wild Carnival Daffodil, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 24, 2012.

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Spring is busting out all over here in the Glade, including in our own yard.  We have many daffodils in bloom in our yard, and now even the tulips are blooming.  The daffodil above, Wild Carnival, was new last year.  We both like the orange trumpet with the yellow petals.

Spellbinder Daffodil, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. March 13, 2012.

We’ve had Spellbinder for several years.  The trumpet is quite large and gets lighter as the blossom ages.

Fortissimo Daffodil, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. March 11, 2012.

Fortissimo is another daffodil that we’ve had for quite some time.  The trumpet is absolutely spectacular.

Dinner Plate is a new daffodil for us this year.It has a big, bright, beautiful blossom which we are really enjoying.

I don’t think any of these pictures do justice to these beautiful blossoms.  I think you’ll just have to stop by and see them for yourself.

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Posted in Glade | 19 Comments »

Watery Wednesday: Collins Creek Falls

March 14, 2012

Collins Creek Falls, Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina. January 31, 2012.

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This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

There are many small waterfalls in the Smoky Mountains.  Many are in the back country and can only be reached by hiking.  But others can be seen from the road, if you know where to look.

Collins Creek Falls is right alongside the Newfound Gap Road between Cherokee, North Carolina, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  It’s small, but pretty, especially in the Winter and Spring.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 14 Comments »

My Big Day

March 12, 2012

Betsy got this cake and candles so we could celebrate my birthday in our room at Blackwater State Park Lodge. March 9, 2012. (Photo by Betsy).

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Last Friday was my 70th birthday.  I remember thinking that my Dad was old when he turned 70, but I really don’t feel that way about 70 anymore.

Betsy, however, managed to find a subtle way to remind me of my advancing years.

Blowing out the candles on my birthday cake. March 9, 2012. (Photo by Betsy).

The advantage of her subtleness was that it made it easier to blow out all the candles!

Cascade on Falls Run, Blackwater State Park, West Virginia. March 9, 2012. (Photo by Betsy).

But I’m happy to report that earlier in the day I still felt young enough to do some bushwhacking in  Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia.  Betsy went with me to this pretty cascade on Falls Run, and then she sat guard on a ‘sitting rock’ while I bushwhacked to two waterfalls further down the run.  Both were very pretty.

Upper Waterfall on Falls Run, Blackwater State Park, West Virginia. March 9, 2012.

Since there was no trail I had to work my way around and over rocks, boulders, fallen trees and rhododendron.  I was able to get fairly close to the Upper Waterfall on Falls Run, and captured this picture.  This waterfall is about 17 feet tall.

Lower Waterfall on Falls Run, Blackwater State Park, West Virginia. March 9, 2012.

It was harder to get to the Lower Waterfall on Falls Run.  This waterfall is about 30 feet high, but I could never get a clear view of either the very top or the very bottom.  This was the best I could do by shooting through a narrow space between two boulders.

Well, that was my big day.  We saw more waterfalls that day and I did more bushwhacking, but those pictures and adventures will have to wait for another day.  Now I think I could use a nap!

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Posted in American Life | 26 Comments »

SkyWatch Friday: Arkansas Sunset

March 9, 2012

Sunset from Mt. Nebo, Arkansas. February 27, 2012.

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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.

This is the scene Betsy and I enjoyed on our first evening on Mt. Nebo in Arkansas.  We were on the back porch of ‘our’ cabin as we were treated to a spectacular sunset.  The color in the sky was simply amazing.

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Watery Wednesday: Dierks Lake

March 7, 2012

Dierks Lake, Arkansas. February 27, 2012.

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

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

Betsy and I went searching for waterfalls on our first day in Arkansas, and while coming back from a bushwhack to see Panther Bluff Falls, we met the caretaker of a camping area nearby who recommend we visit  Dierks Lake, which was only a mile or so down the road.

Dierks Lake was formed when the Army Corps of Engineers built a dam on the Saline River in southwestern Arkansas.  The picture above was taken near the public boat ramp on the lake.  I’m glad we took the caretaker’s advice.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 14 Comments »

Our World: Arkansas Vacation

March 5, 2012

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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.

Last week Betsy and I were in Arkansas.  We try to go there about this time each year.  We have a favorite cabin on the top of Mt. Nebo which we think of as ‘our’ cabin.  The views from the cabin, especially the sunsets, are spectacular this time of the year.

If you know anything about us, you know that it is hard for us to travel anywhere without looking for waterfalls to visit.  This trip was no different.  We drove from our home to Arkadelphia in southwestern Arkansas, where we spent the night.  We then visited three waterfalls — Panther Bluff, Cossatot, and Shady Lake Cascade — before heading north to Mt. Nebo State Park.

Although we spent most of our time at Mt. Nebo, we did take day trips to Mount Magazine State Park and Petit Jean State Park.  We did some hiking in both parks, especially Petit Jean, where we hiked to visit beautiful Cedar Falls.

We had a wonderful visit in Arkansas, as we always do.  We had some concerns about the severe weather back here in Tennessee, as we heard of tornadoes near Crossville.  We also had some interesting moments heading home as we kept hearing tornado warnings along our route on Friday.  But fortunately we made it safe and sound and found everything in order at home, except for flashing digital clocks because the electricity had gone off.

Pictures will follow.

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Posted in Our World | 15 Comments »

SkyWatch Friday: Morning in the Mountains

March 2, 2012

Morning sky above Gatlinberg, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. October 14, 2011.

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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 picture above was taken this past October on the Gatlinberg Bypass.  Betsy and I had gotten up early in the morning to see the autumn color in the Smokies.  The morning was cloudy and murky, and it looked as if we had picked a poor day for our trip.  But as we were taking the bypass around Gatlinberg, the sun broke through the clouds and blue skies started to appear.  I like the streaks of light on the mountain in the background and the sunny highlights in the foreground.

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Watery Wednesday: Mingo Falls

February 29, 2012

Mingo Falls, Cherokee, North Carolina. January 31, 2012.

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

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

Mingo Falls is a 150-foot beauty near Cherokee, North Carolina.  It is easy to get to Fa, and the hike from the trailhead is steep, but short.  There are stairs for much of the way.  We visited Mingo Falls on January 31 of this year when a rock slide on the interstate caused us to take a detour through the Smoky Mountains.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 16 Comments »

Down Memory Lane: Iris (2008)

February 27, 2012

One way to make winter days more bearable is to look through pictures taken on sunny summer days.  These are some of the iris that bloomed in our yard during the late spring of 2008.  We have more roses than iris, but we do enjoy the iris which bloom earlier than the roses.

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

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Posted in Glade | 13 Comments »

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