Posts Tagged ‘Betsy’

Our World: Bald River

January 27, 2014
Bald River Cascades, Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee.  July 25, 2013.

Bald River Cascades, Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee. July 25, 2013.

(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 late July Betsy and I took a day off from working in the yard and drove down to Tellico Plains and the Tellico River.  We drove along the  river until we came to Bald River Falls, where we hiked along Bald River above the falls.

When I experiment with trying to capture the motion of water in my photos, I usually take several shots at the same place with different exposures.  I often don’t know for sure what I get until I look at the pictures on my computer once I get home.

I took the photo above with a 5 second exposure, and the one below with an 8 second exposure.  While there is not much difference in the cascade itself, I was struck by the difference in the ripples below the large boulder on the right.

Bald River Cascades, Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee.  July 25, 2013.

Bald River Cascades, Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee. July 25, 2013.

I’m glad I decided to keep both versions.

Girl by the River

November 22, 2013
Betsy at the Emory River near Wartburg, Tennessee.  October 25, 2013.

Betsy at the Emory River near Wartburg, Tennessee. October 25, 2013.

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

Last month Betsy and I went to Pine Mountain, Kentucky, to meet up with blog friends Patti and Neal.  We didn’t see as much autumn color as we would have liked, but we did get in some hiking and had a great time.

On our way home we stopped by the Emory River.  We’ve often crossed the river at this point, but had never stopped at picnic grounds near the bridge.  This time we stopped.

After walking down to the river, which was very low, I went back to the car to get my tripod.  When I returned I found my Beautiful Bride deep in thought, as you can see in the photo above.

Betsy at the Emory River near Wartburg, Tennessee.  October 25, 2013.

Betsy at the Emory River near Wartburg, Tennessee. October 25, 2013.

Betsy heard me take the first picture, and turned to see what I was up to.

Early autumn color in Tennessee.  October 25, 2013.

Early autumn color in Tennessee. October 25, 2013.

A little later I got a picture of my Beautiful Bride with a hint of autumn color behind her.  Her smile was as bright as that blue sky above us.

Our World: Great Falls of the Potomac

November 18, 2013
Great Falls of the Potomac, Great Falls Park, Virginia.  September 24, 2013.

Great Falls of the Potomac, Great Falls Park, Virginia. September 24, 2013.

(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.

Betsy and I visited the Great Falls of the Potomac during our Virginia trip at the end of September.  We have long had this waterfall on our ‘to see’ list, but it hadn’t been possible for us to get there before this trip.

A closer look at part of the Great Falls of the Potomac.  September 24, 2013.

A closer look at part of the Great Falls of the Potomac. September 24, 2013.

We visited Great Falls Park on the Virginia side of the river on a beautiful sunny afternoon.  We didn’t have time to do a great deal of hiking, but we did get to a couple of overlooks from which these pictures were taken.

Betsy at Great Falls of the Potomac, Great Falls Park, Virginia.  September 24, 2013.

Betsy at Great Falls of the Potomac, Great Falls Park, Virginia. September 24, 2013.

The waterfall is every bit as grand as beautiful as we were told it would be, but quite frankly, in my opinion the beauty of the waterfall is nothing compared to that of my Beautiful Bride.

Staying Young at Heart

November 11, 2013
Betsy having fun in the leaves, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  November 9, 2013.

Betsy having fun in the leaves, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. November 9, 2013.

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

Betsy loves Autumn!  She loves the autumn colors and hearing the crunch of leaves beneath our boots when we are hiking.

Betsy having fun in the yard.  November 9, 2013.

Betsy having fun in the yard. November 9, 2013.

She even enjoys blowing the leaves that cover our lawn every year, which is good since we are surrounded by trees that dump lots of leaves on our yard.  We have a vacant lot on the downhill side of our house, and Betsy herds the leaves that direction.

Losing my Beautiful Bride in a pile of leaves.  November 9, 2013.

Losing my Beautiful Bride in a pile of leaves. November 9, 2013.

Saturday Betsy was blowing on one side of the house while I was working on another side.  After a while I noticed that it was suspiciously quiet on Betsy’s side of the house.  Going around to that side of the house I found the Inner Child of my Beautiful Bride enjoying one of the piles of leaves she had created.

Photographer At Work

September 16, 2013
Betsy in the Rose Garden, Biltmore House and Gardens, Asheville, North Carolina.  August 6, 2013.

Betsy in the Rose Garden, Biltmore House and Gardens, Asheville, North Carolina. August 6, 2013.

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

One of the nicest things about traveling with my Beautiful Bride is that I get to watch Betsy the Photographer at work.  That was the case when we visited the Rose Garden at Biltmore House and Gardens last month.

Betsy takes her photography very seriously — perhaps more seriously than I do.

Betsy in the Rose Garden, Biltmore House and Gardens, Asheville, North Carolina.  August 6, 2013.

Betsy in the Rose Garden, Biltmore House and Gardens, Asheville, North Carolina. August 6, 2013.

You could almost say that she throws herself into her work.

Paul Neyron Rose, Biltmore House and Gardens, Asheville, North Carolina.  August 6, 2013.

Paul Neyron Rose, Biltmore House and Gardens, Asheville, North Carolina. August 6, 2013.

But then the results of her dedication are absolutely beautiful.

Down Memory Lane: Mammoth Cave

September 13, 2013

2001 -- Mammoth Cave

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

In late April, 2001, Betsy and I spent the day at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky.  I had been there many years before, but it was a special treat to go back with My Beautiful-Bride-To-Be.

We took the Historical Tour of the cave, and later walked through some of the woodland in the park.  We took a cruise on the Green River later in the day.

In the collage above, my Beautiful Betsy is on the upper left, and the Grand Avenue in Mammoth Cave is on the right.  At the bottom, from left to right, is the site of saltpeter mining in the cave, the stairway in Mammoth Dome, and a cable ferry across the Green River.

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

Reach for the Sky

August 26, 2013
George getting a picture of our About Face rose.  July 21, 2013.  (Photo by Betsy)

George getting a picture of our About Face rose. July 21, 2013. (Photo by Betsy)

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

Most of our roses are average-sized bushes — three or four feet high.  But we have one rose that likes to show off every couple of years and see how high it can grow.

Betsy got the picture of me (above) trying to capture the top blossom on our About Face rose.  To put this image into proper perspective, I’m 6-feet, 4-inches tall, and I’m shooting up to shoot the rose.

The picture below is the photo I was shooting while Betsy was getting her picture of me.  I rather like it, even if the flag in the background is blurry.  The morning light was bowing through the petals of the rose when I got this picture.

About Face blossom with the flag in the background.  July 21, 2013.

About Face blossom with the flag in the background. July 21, 2013.

Someone Has a Birthday Today

August 5, 2013

Scanned-Image-4R

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

No, it’s not Shirley Temple, although our Birthday Girl could easily pass for Shirley.

BetsySwing

Our Birthday Girl never could pass  up a good swing.

Bandpse

Besides looking like the talented Miss Temple, Birthday Girl was also very musically talented.  She played in her school band, . . .

PianoRecital2

. . . studied piano, and gave several recitals.

RomanClub

She also studied Latin in school, although I’m not sure how completely thrilled she was about that class.

BetsyCraggyGardens13062602

I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that the Birthday Girl is my Beautiful Bride.  The thing I like most about her is her smile, even if the wind is messing up her hair while we’re hiking.

I try to be a gentleman, so I won’t tell you how old she is today.  But I do invite you to pop over to her blog or her Facebook page and wish her a Happy Birthday.

Down Memory Lane: Dating Betsy

July 8, 2013

2001 -- Dating

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

Betsy and I had our first date on March 29, 2001, and things got serious after our date to Fall Creek Falls State Park on April 21.  (If you missed that story, click HERE.)  It wasn’t long after that date that things started getting serious.

The picture in the top left corner of the collage was taken in late April at the Paris, Tennessee, Fish Fry.  Mom and Dad had gone for several years, but Dad felt he could no longer drive that long distance, so Betsy and I took them.  Betsy met my sister Janet and her husband Charlie for the first time at the Fish Fry.

The picture on the top right is a class portrait of the Experiencing God Bible Study that Betsy taught.  By that time Betsy knew she was getting a ring, but she didn’t know when.  She got it about 30 seconds after this picture was taken.  I was already down on my knees, so why not?  I knew she could teach that evening without any problems even after getting the ring.

Later that week celebrated our engagement by going to Nashville for dinner and a performance of “Fiddler on the Roof”.

The hardest part of getting engaged to Betsy was meeting two of her sons in Knoxville (picture at lower right).  I don’t mind telling you I was nervous, but Jeff and Bert must have approved, because Betsy and I were still engaged after that evening.

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

Down Memory Lane: Fall Creek Falls

April 22, 2013

2001 -- FCF I

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

April 21 is a special day for Betsy and me.  On April 21, 2001, we had our first ‘big’ date.  On that day we went to Fall Creek Falls State Park here in Tennessee.

Our first date was a dinner date on March 29.  We had a couple of other dates after that, but on April 21 we spent the entire date at Fall Creek Falls.  We did a lot of talking and some hiking.

Fall Creek Falls State Park has five major waterfalls — those were the first waterfalls we saw together.  As you might expect,  this was the beginning of our waterfall ‘collection’.

The collage above has some pictures from that first date.  The picture on the upper left is a picture I took of Betsy fairly early in the day along the lake near the park lodge.  On the upper right is a picture of the two of us taken at the base of Cane Creek Cascade.  The bottom row had Fall Creek Falls and Coon Creek falls on the left, and Piney Creek Falls on the right.  In the picture of Betsy showing some leg was taken on the trail to the base of Fall Creek Falls.

Betsy and I have gotten back to Fall Creek Falls almost every April 21, and yesterday was no exception.  As I said, April 21 is a very special day for us.  What was the best part of the day?  I got my first kiss that day.

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