Helping Dad

August 18, 2009
Dad at home, Hendersonville, Tennessee. February 27, 2009.

Dad at home, Hendersonville, Tennessee. February 27, 2009.

When I was growing up, Dad could fix or do just about anything.  Did we have an electrical problem?  No need to call an electrician — Dad fixed it.  Trouble with the plumbing?  No problem, Dad could get it fixed.  Do we need an addition to our house?  Dad could do it himself.

When they moved to Hendersonville in 1963, my parents bought a house with an unfinished basement.  Dad finished the basement himself, making a separate living unit with kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, utility room and living room.  Since it was much easier to heat and cool than the upstairs, they moved downstairs several years ago.  You can see part of the kitchen Dad built in the background of the picture above.

I never thought of Dad being unsure about what to do with any fix-it project.  I guess that’s what is so sad about the present situation.  My parents had a leak in the plumbing behind their washing machine.  Dad knew he couldn’t fix it (he’s now legally blind), but he didn’t want to call a plumber before I saw the situation.  That’s why Betsy and I went to Hendersonville yesterday (Monday).

We called a plumber who will go to my parent’s house this (Tuesday) morning.  Betsy and I will go back and hopefully get there before the plumber leaves.  Hopefully we can help Dad get the answer to any questions he might have and feel comfortable with the repairs that are made.  We’ll also help Mom and Dad with their weekly errands and chores.

I find it hard to get used to the idea of my Dad needing my help.  My Dad?  No Way!!

I’m glad we can help out.  It’s just sad that he so obviously needs our help.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Family | 14 Comments »

I Don’t Have Enough To Do

August 17, 2009
Our front yard. April 2, 2009.

Our front yard. April 2, 2009.

The picture above was obviously taken several months ago — in early April, to be exact.  I’m showing it because I want you to note the drop-off from the road.  I’ve noticed as I’ve gotten older that the slope is getting steeper and more difficult to mow.

Our new retaining wall. August 13, 2009.

Our new retaining wall. August 13, 2009.

This second picture was taken a few days ago.  As you can see I have been building a retaining wall (it’s not yet finished).  I’ll then fill in the area between the wall and the road.  Our first thought was to have a level strip of grass, which would certainly be easier to mow.  But then we realized that we could put a pretty good flower bed up there.  That area of the yard gets more sun than just about any other part.  If you look closely you can see that we’ve already planted some ground cover at the extreme left of this area.

********************

My parents are experiencing some plumbing problems and Dad won’t call a plumber until I look over the situation.  So Betsy and I will be making a trip to Hendersonville today (Monday).  Unfortunately we have to go to Knoxville (in the opposite direction!) first.  I have no idea how long we will be in Hendersonville or when we will get back home.

If I don’t post tomorrow (Tuesday) that will be the reason why.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Glade | 14 Comments »

Scenic Sunday # 57: Ormond Beach, Florida

August 16, 2009
Ormond Beach, Florida. August 5, 2009.

Ormond Beach, Florida. August 5, 2009.

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.

We spent Betsy’s birthday (August 5) at Ormond Beach, Florida.  Betsy likes the beach almost as much as she likes the mountains, so since we were going to Florida to see her brother Ray, we decided to celebrate her birthday at the beach.

The photo above was taken from our room looking north along the beach.  We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful beach, which was very clean and had surprisingly few people on the beach.

Betsy at Ormond Beach, Florida. August 5, 2009.

Betsy at Ormond Beach, Florida. August 5, 2009.

After enjoying the view from our room, we went down to the beach to get some sun and to get wet in the Atlantic.  Here you can see Betsy getting ready for her time in the sun.

Ormond Beach, Florida. August 5, 2009.

Ormond Beach, Florida. August 5, 2009.

This final picture was taken on the beach looking south toward Daytona Beach.  I’ll have to admit that I really enjoyed Betsy’s birthday at this scenic spot.  I hope Betsy enjoyed it as well.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Scenic Sunday | 10 Comments »

Falling Waters Falls, Florida

August 15, 2009
The top of Falling Waters Falls, Florida. August 6, 2009.

The top of Falling Waters Falls, Florida. August 6, 2009.

As many of you know, Betsy and I like to plan our trips so that we can visit new waterfalls.  Our recent trip to Florida was no exception and we visited waterfalls both on the way to Florida and on the way back.

Finding waterfalls to visit in north Georgia was no problem — there are many we haven’t seen.  But Florida or south Georgia proved to be more difficult.  But our research did find one natural waterfall in Florida.  It is located in Falling Waters State Park, south of Chipley, Florida, in the Florida panhandle.  So we arranged to visit the park on our way home.

Falling Waters State Park contains huge trees and fern-covered sinkholes.  Sink Hole Trail is a boardwalk that leads around several sinkholes and to the waterfall.  The waterfall is fed by seepage springs, so there wasn’t a great deal of  water, as you can see by the picture above, which shows the top of the falls.

But the waterfall is still fascinating, because it is contained in a 100-foot deep, 20-foot wide cylindrical pit.  The actual drop of the water is 73 feet.  The picture below shows some of the debris in the bottom of the pit.

The bottom of the sinkhole into which Falling Waters Falls flows. August 6, 2009.

The bottom of the sinkhole into which Falling Waters Falls flows. August 6, 2009.

The water’s final destination after dropping into the pit is not known.

We’ve visited waterfalls that have a higher volume of water, but Falling Waters Falls was still a fascinating addition to our collection.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Waterfalls | 7 Comments »

Skywatch Friday # 57: Sunset at Ormond Beach

August 14, 2009
Sunset at Ormond Beach, Florida. August 5, 2009.

Sunset at Ormond Beach, Florida. August 5, 2009.

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 at sunset on Betsy’s birthday.  We were in Ormond Beach, Florida, and had a room overlooking the Atlantic.

Now I know the sun doesn’t set over the Atlantic from Florida.  The sun was going down behind us on the other side of the building.  But I liked the color of the clouds over the ocean that I couldn’t resist snapping this photo.  And, of course, I had to share it on Skywatch Friday.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 14 Comments »

Castillo de San Marcos

August 13, 2009
The main gate of Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine, Florida. August 4, 2009.

The main gate of Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine, Florida. August 4, 2009.

After visiting Betsy’s brother, Ray, in Jacksonville, we headed south to Ormond Beach for Betsy’s birthday.  We travelled through Saint Augustine, and, since we had some extra time, decided to stop at Castillo de San Marcos.

The Spanish started construction on Castillo de San Marcos in 1672.  The detail and architecture of the fort are both distinctive and unique.  Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry and the only existing 17th century fort in North America.

The outer walls of the fort. August 4, 2009.

The outer walls of the fort. August 4, 2009.

The first 300 years of the existence of the fort were times of constant warfare as European countries vied for the economic wealth of the New World.  The Castillo was attacked many times (mostly by the British) but was never captured.

The reconstructed city of St. Augustine, Florida. August 4, 2009.

The reconstructed city of St. Augustine, Florida. August 4, 2009.

The present National Park Service Monument consists of over 20 acres and includes a reconstructed section of the St. Augustine city wall.

Both Betsy and I enjoyed our visit to this, one of the oldest structures in the U. S.  If you’re ever near St. Augustine visit the fort.  We think you’ll enjoy it.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Travels | 12 Comments »

Watery Wednesday # 48: Falls on Waters Creek

August 12, 2009
Falls on Waters Creek, Turners Corner, Georgia. August 2, 2009.

Falls on Waters Creek, Turners Corner, Georgia. August 2, 2009.

This is my post for Watery Wednesday, a weekly meme created and hosted by 2sweeetnsaxy of Eyes, Mind, Heart.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

On our way to Florida last week Betsy and I visited some new waterfalls in north Georgia.  One of the nicest we saw was Falls on Waters Creek, near Turners Corner, Georgia.  The picture above was taken along a Forest Service road, but we were able to get a closer view by hiking down to the large flat rock seen in the center-right of this picture, which can be enlarged by clicking on it.

I really like the way the trees frame the waterfall in this Watery Wednesday view.

Tags: ,
Posted in Watery Wednesday | 13 Comments »

Betsy Has a New Toy

August 11, 2009
Betsy using her new MacBook. August 9, 2009.

Betsy using her new MacBook. August 9, 2009.

Betsy has a new toy!  It is somewhat of a belated birthday present — we picked it up after we got back home.  That was a couple of days after her birthday, but I don’t think she minds too much.

Our computer room is in the front of our house, but most of Betsy’s bird feeders are on the deck in the back.  So Betsy was always jumping up from her computer to see her birds (or to make sure squirrels weren’t eating everything in the feeders) or else she was reluctantly leaving her ‘throne’ — her side of our reclining sofa — to come into the computer room.  I won’t say Betsy did this a lot, but there is a well-worn path between her iMac and her throne (I’m kidding!!).

This past weekend was a tax-free weekend in Tennessee, so we got Betsy a new MacBook.  We saved almost enough on the tax to pay for the wireless router.  Since our iMacs have wireless capability we got rid of our old router and discovered that the wireless connection is faster than the old wired connection.  And more importantly Betsy can sit on her throne and watch her birds (and the TV) and work on her new computer at the same time.  And she says she can’t multi-task!

Right now our iMacs are still wired to printers and external hard drives, but we’ll probably go wireless with them in the future.  It will be nice to get rid of some of the cables under our desks.

Come to think of it, Betsy got the new toy, but I’ve enjoyed the benefits of going wireless.  Now if I could only get Betsy to let me play with her new toy!

Tags: , ,
Posted in Betsy | 20 Comments »

Our Prius — Definitely NOT a clunker

August 10, 2009
Mrs. P in the north Georgia Mountains. August 2, 2009.

Mrs. P in the north Georgia Mountains. August 2, 2009.

I’m sure Betsy and I will have quite a bit to say about our trip to Florida in the days ahead, but now I want to tell you about the unsung partner in all our travels.  There’s a lot of talk about clunkers nowadays, but our Prius — Mrs. P — is definitely not a clunker.

We got Mrs. P in February, 2005.  Since then we have traveled many miles — some of them on interstates and some on less-well maintained roads.  Mrs. P has successfully traveled along snow-covered forest service dirt roads in the mountains and successfully gotten over and through wash-outs that turned back jeeps.

Last Sunday we were in the mountains of north Georgia searching for some waterfalls.  We knew there was a stream with two waterfalls on them about two miles from a ranger station.  The sign in the photo above (enlarge the picture to read it more clearly) was on the opposite side of the road from the station.

Mrs. P handled the road with no problems.  I just could not resist taking this picture on our way back.  I wonder where Mrs. P will take us next?

Tags: , ,
Posted in Travels | 16 Comments »

Scenic Sunday #56: Ormond Beach

August 9, 2009
Ormond Beach, Florida. August 5, 2009.

Ormond Beach, Florida. August 5, 2009.

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.

We were in Ormond Beach, Florida, this past Wednesday to celebrate Betsy’s birthday.  We had an ocean view room on the fifth floor of the hotel and had a wonderful view of the beach and the ocean, as you can see from the picture above.

We woke up in time to see the sunrise over the Atlantic.  It was almost as good as seeing the sunrise from a ship at sea.

Sunrise at Ormond Beach, Florida. August 5, 2009.

Sunrise at Ormond Beach, Florida. August 5, 2009.

We were treated to a beautiful start of the day.  Later in the day we spent some time on the beach and even got wet in the ocean.  We had dinner with Betsy’s cousin Bonnie, who shares a birthday with Betsy.  Bonnie and her husband, Dave, met us at a seafood restaurant where we were able to enjoy the fresh seafood.

Moonrise at Ormond Beach, Florida. August 5, 2009.

Moonrise at Ormond Beach, Florida. August 5, 2009.

The day ended as beautifully as it began with a beautiful moonrise opposite the balcony of our room.  All in all, I hope Betsy had a nice birthday.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Betsy | 14 Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »