Posts Tagged ‘Betsy’

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Down Memory Lane: The Smokies in the Spring

August 26, 2010

My Beautiful Bride is a mountain girl at heart and is one reason she moved to Tennessee from Texas back in 2000.  (I’m glad she did!).  In May, 2001, we visited the Great Smoky Mountains for the first time.  Betsy had been there many times before, but I had only driven through it once.

We spent a weekend exploring Cades Cove, Little River Road and Newfound Gap.  We also added a waterfall — Meigs Falls — to the collection we had just started.  We were even able to experience some good mountain music at the lodge at which we stayed.

We’ve been back to the Smokies many times since then — it’s much more convenient to get there now that we live in the Glade.  But this first trip in May, 2001, was — and still is — very special.

To see these pictures and others, click HERE.

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Posted in Travels | 15 Comments »

Why We Need to Sweep the Deck

August 23, 2010

Our friendly helper. August 19, 2010.

Betsy has become a very enthusiastic birder over the last few years.  It all started with a Bluebird family in the box in our back yard, but she now has several feeders on and over our deck.  Most of the feeders are located so that she can see them from her chair in our Great Room.

There are now a dozen or so variety of birds that visit our feeders on a regular basis.  And although Betsy has gotten very good at recognizing the birds by sight or by their call, the birds are not very good about cleaning up after themselves.  I hate to say it, but those birds are some of the messiest eaters I’ve ever seen (and that includes two kids!).

Betsy does a pretty good job of sweeping the deck, but one rainy day last week she got distracted doing other things and didn’t sweep as often as she usually does.  So this ‘friend’ decided to climb up on the deck and help with the clean-up effort.  Fortunately it went away without gracing the deck with its ‘fragrance’.

We really do need to keep the deck swept!

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Posted in Glade | 20 Comments »

Down Memory Lane: Our 2006 Anniversary Trip

August 19, 2010

2006 was an interesting year for Betsy and me.  My job ended since I didn’t want to move to Memphis and so I retired instead.

Retirement made it possible for us to celebrate our anniversary by taking a trip, which we did for the first time.  Our friends Judy and Charlie invited us to their cabin near Franklin, North Carolina.  Since Franklin is in the heart of the mountains of western North Carolina and there are many waterfalls to visit, we quickly accepted their invitation.

During our visit to North Carolina we visited  waterfalls near Cherokee, North Carolina, at Deep Creek in the Smokies, in the Dupont State Forest in North Carolina.  We also stopped by a couple more waterfalls on our way home.

All in all it was a very successful trip.

To see these pictures and more of the waterfalls we visited, click HERE.

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Posted in Waterfalls | 10 Comments »

Down Memory Lane: Fall Creek Falls

August 12, 2010

Scenes from our visit to Fall Creek Falls, April 21, 2001.

If you’ve visited my blog for any length of time you know that Fall Creek Falls State Park here in Tennessee is a very special places for Betsy and me.  Fall Creek Falls was the site of our first kiss back on April 21, 2001, and it was the beginning of our waterfall collection.

Since I’ve been retired we try to get back there each April 21 to celebrate and remember that special day.  The collage above was made from pictures taken on April 21, 2009.

To see these pictures and others, click HERE.

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Posted in Betsy | 14 Comments »

It’s Someone’s Birthday

August 5, 2010

Betsy and I celebrating her birthday at a cabin near Tellico Plains, Tennessee. August 5, 2007.

Someone has a birthday today.  Can you guess who?  Hint:  It’s not me!

The picture above was taken on Betsy’s birthday in 2007.  We celebrated Betsy’s birthday at a cabin near Tellico Plains, Tennessee.

Plans for her birthday this year are top secret.  All I’m prepared to say is that we probably will not be making any new posts until Monday, although it is possible that we can do some visiting between now and then.

If you get the chance stop by Betsy’s site and wish her a happy birthday.  I can’t (won’t) tell you how old she is, but she can no longer tease me about being so much older than she is.

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Posted in Betsy | 19 Comments »

My World: Tennessee Vols

May 11, 2010

Tennessee Vol Iris, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. May 8, 2010.

This is my post for the My World meme.  It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, and Fishing Guy.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

When Betsy and I got home from the beach this past weekend, we found many of our iris in bloom.  We have several different varieties, but the iris pictured above is Betsy’s special iris.  As you probably know, Betsy is a die-hard fan of the University of Tennessee.  She does a pretty good job of keeping her emotions under control, except during football season.   During football season she bleeds orange.  So when I saw that there was an iris called Tennessee Vol, I knew I just had to get it for her.

Go Vols!

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Posted in My World | 20 Comments »

Return to Fall Creek Falls

April 22, 2010

George Hole, Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee. April 21, 2010.

As I mentioned yesterday that we would do, Betsy and I went back to Fall Creek Falls State Park (about an hour from our home) to celebrate the ninth anniversary of our date there.  We essentially retraced the steps of that magical day in 2001.

One of the places we visited that day was the green area pictured above.  Back in 2001 it didn’t have a name, but a last year a sign appeared calling it ‘George Hole’.  I have no idea how that name came about, but who am I to argue?

In the afternoon of April 21, 2001, after a day of hiking and visiting waterfalls, Betsy and I spread out a blanket in about the middle of this picture and I proceeded to show her an album of photos from my year in China.  We looked at those pictures, talked about my experiences and some other things.  It was about then that I got that first kiss.

The best part of the day. April 21, 2010.

We didn’t have a blanket with us yesterday, but I did get that kiss!

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Posted in Betsy | 9 Comments »

Watery Wednesday #84: Fall Creek Falls

April 21, 2010

Fall Creek Falls, Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee. April 21, 2008.

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.

The picture above, of Fall Creek Falls here in Tennessee, was taken in 2008.  If you’ve visited here for any length of time,  you know that Fall Creek Falls State Park is the absolute favorite park for Betsy and me.

I’m posting this picture on Watery Wednesday because April 21 is the anniversary of our first ‘big’ date back in 2001.  We spent the day there talking, hiking, seeing waterfalls and getting to know each other.  That day was also memorable because that was when I got my first kiss from Betsy.

We’ve gone back to Fall Creek Falls every year to enjoy the magic and we’ll be going back again today.  Who knows, I might even get another kiss!

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 11 Comments »

What a Difference a Date Makes

March 29, 2010

The beautiful preacher in the picture above was the Associate Minister at my parent’s church near Nashville, Tennessee, in 2001.  I had started a new job with a company in Nashville in November, 2000.  The preacher started her new job in December.

Early in 2001 The Preacher started a Bible Study that my parents wanted to attend.  Since Dad didn’t like to drive after dark, I told them I would attend with them so they could go with me.  Everything went just fine for the first few weeks, but then my job started taking me out of town during the week.  I missed several sessions of the Bible Study, although I did exchange e-mails with The Preacher in an attempt to keep up.

When my job allowed me to stay in town again, I offered to take The Preacher out to dinner so she could catch me up on some of the things I missed.  The Iris Cafe had a pretty good reputation, so one evening, March 29, 2001, I picked up The Preacher and took her to dinner at the Iris Cafe.  The dinner was delicious, the conversation was delightful — and the Bible Study never came up.

As we were leaving The Preacher said we should do this again some time.  She doesn’t like for me to tell this, but the next two times I asked her out she said ‘No’!  Fortunately I inherited some Irish persistence from both my parents and asked her out for a third time.  I must have worn down her resistance, because she said ‘Yes’ that third time.

The Preacher is now my Beautiful Bride.  The Iris Cafe is no longer in existence, but we reminisce every time we go past where is was.

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

I’m very grateful for that wonderful dinner date nine years ago today.

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Posted in Betsy | 14 Comments »

Betsy Fibbed To Me — And To You

March 12, 2010
Betsy enjoying a snow bank in the Smokies. March 9, 2010.

Betsy enjoying a snow bank in the Smokies. March 9, 2010.

If you’re a regular reader of Betsy’s blog, you were very surprised when she said a couple of weeks ago that she was tired of snow and she was now ready for Spring. I was personally very shocked when she wrote that.  I’ve heard her complain bitterly about the lack of snow during some of our recent winters.

As you know, Betsy arranged a birthday trip for us to celebrate my 68th birthday.  We stayed at a wonderful cabin in the Smokies near Cosby, Tennessee.  Tuesday morning we decided to travel to Tallulah Gorge in Georgia to revisit the waterfalls there (remember that we both have new cameras!).

The drive was only a couple of hours, but it took us over the mountain at Newfound Gap.  As we headed up the mountain we started to see snow along the side of the road.  The higher we got, the more snow we saw.  The road was clear, but the piles along the side were quite high in places.  Of course, we stopped a few times to take pictures.  Guess who was grinning from ear-to-ear!

Betsy tired of snow?  Don’t believe it for a minute!

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Posted in Betsy | 17 Comments »

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