Scenic Sunday: Autumn on the Skyway

October 23, 2011

Autumn color on the Cherohala Skyway between North Carolina and Tennessee. October 25, 2009.

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This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

Autumn in the mountains of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina can be absolutely beautiful.  This time of the year Betsy and I thoroughly enjoy driving the Blue Ridge Parkway or the Cherohala Skyway.  We don’t make great time on our drives because we stop at every opportunity to enjoy the color, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Red and gold leaves of autumn. October 25, 2009.

These pictures, taken from my archives, show what autumn looks like along the Cherohala Skyway.

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Posted in Autumn | 11 Comments »

It’s Football Time in Tennessee

October 20, 2011

Betsy at Blue Hole Falls, Elizabethton, Tennessee. February 14, 2008.

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Betsy bleeds orange every football season.  She’s a very dedicated Tennessee Vol fan.

This has been a difficult season for Betsy.  The Vols are a very young team playing a very hard schedule.  One of the bright spots for the team has been their talented young quarterback, but he got hurt and will be out for several weeks.

Hopefully Betsy will get through the rest of the season without too much heartburn.

This picture was taken on Valentine Day, 2008, while we were visiting waterfalls in northeastern Tennessee.

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Posted in Betsy | 22 Comments »

Watery Wednesday: Walker Camp Cascade

October 19, 2011

Walker Camp Cascade, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. May 10, 2009.

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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 pretty little streams and cascades in the Smoky Mountains, and Betsy and I enjoy finding them whenever we can.  Walker Camp Cascade comes down the mountain beside Newfound Gap Road.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 19 Comments »

Our World: High School Football Preliminaries

October 18, 2011

Betsy's grandson Landon (middle drummer) at the high school game. October 6, 2011.

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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.

Earlier this month we went Knoxville to see a high school football game.  Betsy’s grandson, is a drummer in his high school band.  That’s Landon in the middle in the picture above.

Both of my children were in the band during their high school years, so it was interesting to see how the pre-game activities have changed since my kids were in school.

Bearden Bulldog banner at the game. October 6, 2011.

Things got started with a group of students bring a large banner out to midfield.

Cheerleaders leading the team out onto the field.

The cheerleaders burst through the banner . . .

The football team arrives on the field. October 6, 2011.

. . . followed by the football team.

Fireworks welcome the team onto the field. Bearden High School, Knoxville, Tennessee. October 6, 2011.

The fireworks reminded me of an NFL playoff game.  But everyone (except perhaps the visiting team) seemed to enjoy the excitement and soon it was time to play football.

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Posted in American Life | 17 Comments »

Scenic Sunday: Autumn in the Smokies

October 16, 2011

Sun breaking through the clouds above Gatlinburg, Tennessee. October 14, 2011.

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

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

Last Friday Betsy and I got up before dawn so we could visit the Smoky Mountains in search of some color.  Although we had had some rain and many clouds on Thursday, the weatherman said Friday would be beautiful with clearing skies.  So we took the chance and decided to make the drive.

I’m glad we did.  It was cloudy at daylight, but we were treated to the sight of the sun breaking through the clouds over Gatlinburg while at an overlook above the city.  What a great way to start the day!

The Smoky Mountains on the North Carolina side of the park along Newfound Gap Road. October 14, 2011.

We drove up the mountain to Newfound Gap on the Tennessee-North Carolina border, and then down the mountain into North Carolina.  A few miles past the Gap we stopped at an overlook to enjoy this fantastic view.

Autumn color and blue skies in the Smoky mountains in Tennessee. October 14, 2011.

When I lived in North Carolina we would say that God must have been a Tarheel because He made the sky Carolina Blue.  But Tennessee has some beautiful blue skies as well.  I captured this picture on the Tennessee side of Newfound Gap as we were heading back home.

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 23 Comments »

The Women In My Life

October 13, 2011

Betsy and Kelly at Dale Hollow State Park, Kentucky. August 25, 2007.

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I was going through some old pictures recently and came upon this picture of Betsy and my daughter Kelly.  It was taken back in August, 2007, at Dale Hollow State Park in Kentucky.  Kelly and her husband, Chuck, were getting ready to move to Buffalo, so we met them at the Dale Hollow Lodge for a dinner and some time together.

All I wanted was a picture of these two women together.  I thought it was a simple request and could be easily done.  Obviously, I was wrong.

I just can’t take these two any where!

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Posted in Family | 22 Comments »

Our World: Signs of Autumn

October 11, 2011

The dogwood tree in our front yard, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. October 3, 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.

One of the first signs of Autumn in our yard is the red leaves on our dogwood tree after the season’s first cold spell.  As you can see, the trees behind the dogwood tree haven’t started to turn yet.

Red dogwood leaves against a blue sky, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. October 2, 2011.

I like the way the sunlight brings out the red of the leaves.  I think these leaves look especially beautiful against the blue sky.

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Posted in Our World | 21 Comments »

Scenic Sunday: Biltmore House

October 9, 2011

The back of Biltmore House as seen from a lagoon on the estate. October 4, 2011.

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

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

Last Tuesday Betsy and I drove to Asheville, North Carolina, to visit the Biltmore Estate (we have season passes).  Since we are beginning to see autumn colors here on the Plateau, we hoped we would see more color on the estate.

We were surprised to discover that there was even less color in Asheville than there was here.  It was not a wasted trip, however, because we found a place from which we could get a nice view of the back of the house.  The picture above was taken from that place.

It’s hard to get a good picture of the front of the house because of all the people and traffic.  But here we got a nice picture of the back of the house with the water of a lagoon in the foreground.

A closer view of the back of Biltmore House. October 4, 2011.

I was able to get a closer shot of the house by using my telephoto lens.

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 15 Comments »

SkyWatch Friday: Plateau Skies

October 7, 2011

Autumn skies in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. September 30, 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.

Autumn brings cooler temperatures and color to the trees.  Autumn might bring clouds, but here on the Plateau in Tennessee it also brings amazing blue skies.

Clouds in an autumn sky, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. September 30, 2011.

These pictures were taken in our front yard.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 15 Comments »

This Is As Close As We Got

October 6, 2011
The spray from the Canadian Falls at Niagara as seen from Three Sisters Island, New York. September 10, 2011.

The spray from the Canadian Falls at Niagara as seen from Three Sisters Island, New York. September 10, 2011.

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

When Betsy and I visited my daughter Kelly and her husband in Buffalo last month, this is as close to Niagara Falls as we got.  The spray in the picture above is from the Canadian (Horseshoe) Falls.  The picture itself was taken upriver from the falls on a footbridge on Three Sisters Island.

There were all kinds of activities going on around the main entrance to Niagara Falls State Park, so we did not attempt to get to the American falls.  Instead we drove onto Goat Island in the Niagara Rivers and walked to Three Sisters Islands.  Three Sisters is land donated to the state by a man who had three daughters.

We had not been to Three Sisters before this trip, and thoroughly enjoyed our walk to the islands and the up-close views we got of the river as it rushed toward the Canadian Falls.  I’m sure there will be more pictures in the days ahead.

The Niagara River, Niagara Falls and Three Sisters Island. (Image from Google Earth).

This picture, taken from Google Earth, shows the location of Three Sisters relative to both the American and the Canadian Falls.

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Posted in Travels | 10 Comments »

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