Posts Tagged ‘American Life’

Hunting Waterfalls with Dad

February 13, 2012

Dad in our car visiting waterfalls, Tullahoma, Tennessee. February 9, 2012.

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

This past Thursday Betsy and I went down to Tullahoma to see Dad.  After helping him with some things around the house, we went out to lunch and then went for a ride.  Dad is legally blind, but he enjoys drives out into the countryside, so we took him along to visit a couple of waterfalls in the area.  He stayed in the car while Betsy and I were getting pictures of the waterfalls.  But since he was with us, I convinced him that I needed to get his picture as well.

Dad was more feeble when we saw him this time than he has been at other times, but since he’s going to be 100 in August that is to be expected.  He enjoyed being with us, just as we enjoyed being with him.

About the hat — one of Dad’s grandsons (my nephew) graduated from the Naval Academy in 2001 and gave Dad the hat, which he wears just about every time we go out.

Our World: Oops!

February 7, 2012

Mom at Winslow Christian Church, Winslow, Indiana. October 5, 2006.

(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.

In October, 2006, Betsy and I drove my parents to Winslow, Indiana, which was Mom’s hometown and the place where Mom and Dad met.  This picture was taken in front of the church in which Mom grew up.  If you look closely at the base of the sign you will see that it is ‘In Memory of Mr. & Mrs. James Cassidy’ — Mom’s parents and my grandparents.

There’s only one small problem — the family spelled their last name ‘CassidAy’!

Remembering Happy Days

January 30, 2012

Dad, Virginia Smith and Mom, Boonville, Indiana. October 5, 2006.

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

One advantage of cold, wet winter days is that I have more time to work at my computer.

I recently came across some pictures that I took back in October, 2006.  Betsy and I had driven Mom and Dad up to Mom’s hometown of Winslow, Indiana.  On the way we stopped in Boonville, Indiana, to visit their friend, Virginia Smith.

Virginia was Mom’s best friend in school.  When they were seniors, Virginia started dating Leonard Smith, who was Dad’s best friend in the CCC.  Dad and Leonard were stationed at a CCC camp outside Winslow, working on what would become a state park.  Needless to say, it wasn’t long before Virginia and Leonard and Mom and Dad were double dating.

Virginia and Leonard got married shortly after Virginia graduated from high school, but my grandmother made Mom wait until she was twenty before she married.  Mom was a good daughter and didn’t get married until three days after she turned twenty.

Mom and Dad and the Smiths remained friends through the years.  Leonard died in the mid 1980s, but Mom, Dad and Virginia remained in touch and visited whenever possible.

Virginia died in 2010, and Mom died last year.  Now Dad — 99 years young — is the only one left.  But it was a blessing back in 2006 for Betsy and me to be there as these three remembered the happy days gone by.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

December 23, 2011

Our Christmas Tree, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. December 25, 2009.

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

Betsy and I would like to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Blessed New Year.  We hope that Santa is good to you, and all of your memories are happy ones.  We’ll see you in 2012.

Our World: High School Football Game — Half-Time Show

November 1, 2011

Landon during the half-time show. Bearden High School, Knoxville, Tennessee. October 6, 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.

I’ve done two posts about the football game Betsy and I attended in early October.  The first post was about the pre-game festivities, the second was about the game itself.  This post is about the half-time show.  It’s really appropriate that I’m sharing the half-time show after every thing else, because we had to wait until after the game to see the show.  The visiting band’s program lasted too long for Bearden’s program to be completed during half-time, so it was postponed until after the game.

Betsy’s grandson, Landon, is the drummer in the middle of the picture above.

Half-time show, Bearden High School. October 6, 2011.

The band’s program was based on Clockworks.  I must admit that I’m not familiar with that work, but I enjoyed the band’s playing and marching.

Half-time show, Bearden High School. October 6, 2011.

Of course we tried to keep an eye on Landon during all the evolutions.

Flag-bearers during the half-time show. October 6, 2011.

The flag bearers  put on quite a display as well.

Majorette, Bearden High School. October 6, 2011.

During the show one of the majorettes did her thing with three flaming batons.

Majorette, Bearden High School, Knoxville, Tennessee. October 6, 2011.

I was frankly amazed that she didn’t get burned.

Our World: High School Football Game

October 25, 2011

Bearden High School football game. Knoxville, Tennessee. October 6, 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.

As I mentioned in last week’s post for this meme, Betsy and I attended a high school football game earlier this month so that we could see Landon, Betsy’s grandson, perform as a member of his school’s marching band.

Bearden High School football game, Knoxville, Tennessee. October 6, 2011.

My children were in their high school band, so I know all to well, that you need to sit through a football game if you want to see the band.  Some things never change.  The boys for Bearden, Landon’s school, played hard.  They’re the team in the dark jerseys.  Unfortunately, the other team was much better.

Fireworks celebrating a Bearden touchdown. October 6, 2011.

Still, the Bearden boys didn’t give up, and we had to admire the school spirit.  A Bearden touchdown was celebrated with fireworks.

Bearden High School cheerleaders, Knoxville, Tennessee. October 6, 2011.

But I have a confession to make.  After sitting through the entire game I came to the conclusion that some of the best athletes on the field were the Bearden cheerleaders.

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.

Our World: High School Football Preliminaries

October 18, 2011

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

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.

Our World: Along the Midway

October 4, 2011

A ride for dare-devils at the Lewiston, New York, Peach Festival. September 10, 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 main attractions at many festivals is the midway, which contains rides of many types for people of all ages.  The Lewiston, New York, Peach Festival, was no exception.  The midway had several interesting rides.  I don’t know the name of the ride above, but I do know that I wasn’t interested in checking it out.

A modern version of the Octopus. Lewiston Peach Festival. September 10, 2011.

I remember the Octopus from the County Fair when I was growing up.  The Peach Festival had a modern version of the ride I enjoyed as a boy.

The China Dragon at the Peach Festival. September 10, 2011.

The China Dragon was fairly tame, but still very colorful.

Riding a bumble bee at the Peach Festival. September 10, 2011.

This young lady looks as if she has some doubts about the Bumble Bee giving her a ride.  Perhaps she had seen the scratches and dents on the bottom of the bee.

A young boy at the Peach Festival. September 10, 2011.

This young man had the best ride at the festival.  He was safely tucked into a stroller guided by his parents.

Our World: Lewiston Peach Festival

September 27, 2011

The Sweet Spot, Peach Festival, Lewiston, New York. September 10, 2011. (Photo by Betsy).

(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.

When we visited my daughter and her husband a couple of weeks ago, they took us to the Peach Festival in Lewiston, New York.  The Peach Festival was interesting, and is fairly typical of small-town American festivals.

One thing Americans like to do is eat, and the Peach Festival had a wide variety of different foods for just about every conceivable taste.  The Sweet Spot (above) had things for those with a sweet tooth.

This booth would have been as much at home in Louisiana as it was in New York. Peach Festival, Lewiston, New York. September 10, 2011.

Some places offered a wide variety of different foods.

I didn't see anyone ordering the Garlic Meatloaf Sandwich. Peach Festival, Lewiston, New York. September 10, 2011.

I’m not sure I want to try that Garlic Meatloaf Sandwich!

Barbecued turkey legs and corn on the cob. Peach Festival, Lewiston, New York. September 10, 2011.

Barbecued turkey legs and grilled corn on the cob are uniquely American treats.

Preparing Italian sausages. September 10, 2011.

The booth selling Italian sausages was busy preparing for a lot of customers.  The aroma started to make me hungry.

Peppers and onions. Peach Festival, Lewiston, New York. September 10, 2011.

Stir-fried onions and peppers were available as garnishes for the sausages.

Did you note anything strange about this visit to the Peach Festival?  There are no pictures of peaches.  I saw only one booth with peaches, and I didn’t get a picture!