(Note: All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)
Twenty years ago tomorrow Betsy and I had our first ‘big’ date. We went to Fall Creek Falls State Park here in Tennessee and had a wonderful time on a beautiful Spring day. We saw all the waterfalls in the park, but the greatest thing about that day was that I got my first kiss while we were there.
That day was so special that we try to make it back to Fall Creek Falls every April 21. (Yes, we plan on being there tomorrow!). We’ve missed a year or two over the past twenty, but I think we’ve done well to keep the tradition alive.
But the best thing about our visits is that I can still get a kiss from MY Beautiful Bride!
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i had forgotten about taking these pictures until I saw them on my phone a couple of days ago. (I’m still getting accustomed to the idea of thinking of my phone as a camera). But since I found them, I thought I would share the story behind them.
January 2, 2021, was the first day people 75 and older were able to get the Covid vaccine in Cumberland County. Since both My Beautiful Bride and I qualified, we decided to try and get the vaccine that day.
The notice said the gate to the fairground would open at 8am. Since there was road work between our house and the fairgrounds we decided to leave early to make sure we got there in time.
We had no problems with road construction, but traffic came to a complete halt when we were little over a mile from the fairgrounds. Evidently many other people had the same idea.
It took a little over an hour to get into the fairgrounds where we directed to a parking lot and told to wait for further instructions. The parking lot is where these pictures were taken. Please remember that most of the people in these cars were 75+ years old. Oh, and another thing — there were no bathroom facilities open in the area where we were waiting.
So we waited … and waited … and WAITED. Finally, about 2 o’clock we were directed to the line leading to the vaccination station. For the most part this line kept moving (slowly), but it still took close to an hour to get to the stations where we received our shots. The shots were given while we were in our car, so that part worked out very well.
After waiting to make sure we didn’t have a bad reaction we were free to leave the fairgrounds and seek out a rest room as quickly as we could.
Clearly the county did not anticipate so many people turning out on that first day. We got shots 631 and 632, so there were a lot of people in front of us. We later learned that 981 doses of the vaccine were given out that day.
I’m happy to say that the county quickly got it’s act together and began scheduling times for shots. When we got our second shot, we were in and out in less than half an hour. The shots were still being given at the fairgrounds, but there were Port-a-Potties located all over the place.
All in all Betsy and I have to give Cumberland County high marks for the way they’ve handled the vaccinations. That being said, we hope we don’t have to go through anything like that again!
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We really didn’t have chestnuts roasting on this fire, but we did still have a wood-burning fireplace when this picture was taken. (We switched to propane when the Old Man got too old to keep cutting and splitting the firewood).
But even if these weren’t any chestnuts, I like the peaceful setting of this scene in our home on a cold December night.
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I realize that the holiday season is long gone, but I was so happy with these photos that I just had to share them with you.
Betsy and I went to the Candlelight Christmas event at Biltmore last December. We didn’t take our big cameras, but I used my iPhone to take pictures as we approached and then toured the house. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the outdoor night photos, but I think they came out pretty well. The picture above is of the big lighted tree on the lawn in from of the Biltmore house.
We were early for our entrance to the house, so when we got off the bus from the parking area we walked away from the house so we could see both the tree and the house. The lights gave a nice, warm glow to the scene.
There was some snow on the ground, but there had been a couple of days of warm weather so there was not much left. We walked on the lawn to get closer to the tree, but were happy to get back to the walkway as we got closer to the house.
We got a good look at the front of the house as we approached the line to get in. Our candlelight visit to Biltmore had gotten off to a very good start.
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I’m old enough to remember when the Fourth of July was more than just a weekend holiday, as wonderful as that can be. Way back then, the Fourth was a time of patriotic music (when is the last time you heard a John Philip Sousa march?), and stories of the founding of this nation.
So, in the spirit of the Fourth of July from yesteryear, I thought I would share some pictures taken at Colonial Williamsburg several years ago. We weren’t there on the Fourth of July, but it was still possible to catch the spirit of the ‘Revolutionary City’.
We’ve always enjoyed the Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corps, as seen in the photo above.
One evening we were able to see a muster of the colonial militia. They certainly didn’t march with the ‘spit and polish’ of British regulars.
Even their firing line left something to be desired.
But I would hate to be in front of them when they fired.
The ‘colonists’ even had a cannon they were able to fire.
I’ve always had a problem with the second day of our honeymoon cruise. Don’t get me wrong — my Bride was as sweet and beautiful as ever, and the weather was absolutely perfect. We were visiting the island of St. Maarten/St. Martin, which is part Dutch and part French. The island seemed like a tropical paradise, and the people were very friendly and helpful.
So what was the problem? The date — September 11, 2001. We knew very little about what was happening in New York until later in the day.
I guess I’ve always felt a little guilty about enjoying such a beautiful setting on such a tragic day. I wasn’t sure if I should post my pictures and make this video, but finally decided that since the pictures showed our experiences that day I would go ahead and post them. The music used in the slideshow is “The World Turned Upside Down,” which somehow seems appropriate for that day.
If you would like to see these and other images taken during our visit to St. Maarten, along with a caption for each image, click HERE.
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In mid-August Betsy and I took a day to visit with our friends Judy and Charlie at their campsite in the Cades Cove Campground. We always enjoy a visit to Cades Cove (or any other part of the Smokies as far as that is concerned!).
Camping at Cades Cove is an annual event for Judy and Charlie, and we try to visit with them each year. They are experienced campers and always make us feel welcome when we visit with them.
After our visit, Betsy and I drove to the beginning of the Cades Cove Loop Road. We didn’t have enough time to drive through the cove, but we could stop and get some pictures.
My Beautiful Bride is always happy whenever we are in the Smokies.
As we were heading home we stopped at the Townsend Visitor Center for one last look at our beautiful Tennessee sky and Mountains.
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“Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
I wonder if they still teach that saying from Old Richard’s Almanac? I’ve given up on the wealthy and wise part of the saying, but my Beautiful Bride and I are hoping the healthy benefits of early rising hold true.
It isn’t always easy to get out of bed (and out of the house) before the crack of dawn, but we try. Fortunately we are often greeted by a beautiful sight such as the one above.
Some days are cloudy, but there is still beauty to be found.
Clear skies have a spectacular predawn beauty of their own. The colors are amazing.
In addition to beautiful skies, we are usually treated to the songs of birds as we make our way around the golf course. The peace and serenity can be felt.
And we know we can count on the sun to rise over the mountains to the east and show us the way home.
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In July, 2009, Betsy and I met my son Robert and his family in the Pisgah National Forest near Brevard, North Carolina. We did some hiking in the Pink Beds and had a wonderful picnic lunch.
After lunch the young people (my son inclued) decided that they would like to check out Sliding Rock, a popular summer destination in the western North Carolina mountains. As the name implies, Sliding Rock is a water slide down a smooth rock face. Betsy and I volunteered to be the official photographers, so we had to miss out on the fun.
In the collage above, Sliding Rock is shown at the top left. Robert, Sean and Zack are waiting their turn to slide down the rock (Sean looks a little unsure about what he’s gotten himself into). The top right shows Robert and Sean going down the slide.
The bottom left photo was taken on the Blue Ridge Parkway later in the day, while another picture of Robert and Sean is on the bottom right.
To see larger versions of these pictures and others, click HERE.
Senior Moments 