Posts Tagged ‘Glade’

Our World: Spring Puts In An Appearance

April 14, 2014

 

Crocus in our yard, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  March 15, 2014.

Crocus in our yard, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. March 15, 2014.

(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 three wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Purple crocus 'volunteers' in front of our house.  March 15, 2014.

Purple crocus ‘volunteers’ in front of our house. March 15, 2014.

I was beginning to think that Spring would never make it up on the Cumberland Plateau here in Tennessee. It seemed that every time we had a nice day in March, we would have freezing rain or snow tow days later.

Crocus in bloom.  Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  March 15, 2014.

Crocus in bloom. Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. March 15, 2014.

But in spite of the reluctance of Old Man Winter to leave, we finally had some crocus pop up in the yard. The critters seem to think that crocus bulbs make a delicious treat, so we had mostly single flowers or small clumps of blossoms.

Crocus blossoms, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  March 15, 2014.

Crocus blossoms, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. March 15, 2014.

But be that as it may, at least they brought some color to the yard and a promise of more blossoms to come.

Our World: Lake Sherwood in February

February 10, 2014

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  February 7, 2012.

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 7, 2012.

(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.

My Beautiful Bride is unhappy because we haven’t gotten much snow this winter — only two measurable snowfalls so far.  I’ve been trying to tell her that things could be worse, but I’m not sure she believes me.

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  February 7, 2012.

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 7, 2012.

So I thought I would show her things could be worse.  These pictures were taken in February, 2012, on a walk on one of the trails here in the Glade.  As you can see, it was a beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky.

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  February 7, 2012.

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 7, 2012.

We walked around Lake Sherwood, and admired the reflections in the still water of the lake.  All-in-all it was a beautiful day.  And there wasn’t a snowflake in sight.

Betsy Was a Happy Camper

January 23, 2014
Our back yard in the snowstorm, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  January 21, 2014.

Our back yard in the snowstorm, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 21, 2014.

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

My Beautiful Bride can be impatient at times, and she has been waiting for snow ever since Thanksgiving.  But she wasn’t waiting for just any snow — it had to be a perfect snowstorm:  The snowflakes had to be big and fluffy, they had to fall during daylight, and the snow had to cling to trees and branches.

I’m happy to say that Betsy was a happy camper on Tuesday.  It started  snowing in the morning and snowed off and on during most of the day.  It didn’t take long for the deck and the golf course to have a cover of white.

The Stars and Stripes in our front yard.  January 21, 2014.

The Stars and Stripes in our front yard. January 21, 2014.

The flag in front of the house provided a little color on what was a fairly gray day.  The wind came  up and caused the flag to stand out from the pole.

The view in front of our house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  January 21, 2014.

The view in front of our house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 21, 2014.

But the best part was that the trees and bushes all wore a coat of white.

Our World: Tennessee’s Snow and Cold

January 13, 2014
New-fallen snow on the fairway behind our house,  Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  January 6, 2014.

New-fallen snow on the fairway behind our house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 6, 2014.

(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 most of you know, Betsy loves snow and never gets enough of it.  (She obviously never had to trudge through a foot of the stuff in early morning darkness to milk the cows!).  Well, she finally got some snow last week.

We didn’t get a lot of snow — maybe a couple of inches — but it did look pretty on the fairway behind our house.

Shadows and snow on the fairway, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  January 6, 2014.

Shadows and snow on the fairway, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 6, 2014.

The bare trees made intricate shadows on the fresh snow.

The view from our front porch, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  January 6, 2014.

The view from our front porch, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 6, 2014.

There was very little traffic along the road in front of our house.

The cold and lonely bench in our front yard, Fairfield Glade, January 6, 2014.

The cold and lonely bench in our front yard, Fairfield Glade, January 6, 2014.

Since the coldest temperatures in more than twenty years accompanied the snow, no one was sitting on the bench in our front yard.

Skywatch Friday: December’s Full Moon

January 10, 2014
A full moon over Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  December 16, 2013.

A full moon over Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. December 16, 2013.

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

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.

While putting up the bird feeders one Monday evening in December, Betsy and I noticed the nearly-full moon rising through the trees.  I grabbed my camera and walked out onto the golf course to get a view without the trees blocking the view.

Full moon over Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  December 16, 2013.

Full moon over Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. December 16, 2013.

It was a beautiful moon on a crisp, chilly evening.

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.

Our New Roses This Year

November 8, 2013

2013 -- New Roses

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

I’m sure it comes as now surprise that Betsy and I grow and love roses.  We have 57 varieties of roses in our yard.  I think our rose garden has stopped growing, but we still need to replace roses once in a while.

This year we had three new roses in our yard.  The rose on the left in the collage above, Milestone, is a rose we first saw at Biltmore House and Gardens in Asheville, North Carolina, last year.  I found it offered this Spring and ordered it.

The other two roses both came from Heirloom Roses.  Helen Traubel, the rose in the middle, is an ‘old’ rose.  It was introduced in 1951, but it has a beautiful color and very nice fragrance.  The rose on the right is Something Special.  It is a fairly new rose.  I like the way the white outer petals frame the yellow center.

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.

SkyWatch Friday: Evening Sky in the Glade

August 21, 2013
Evening Sky in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  July 17, 2013.

Evening Sky in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 17, 2013.

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

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.

One evening last month, as the sun was setting, I noticed an unusual pink-purple cast to the sky.  The sun had dropped below the Plateau, but the sky above our house seemed to be getting brighter and more vibrant.

Evening Sky in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  July 17, 2013.

Evening Sky in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 17, 2013.

Of course I grabbed my camera and headed outside.  There were clouds overhead, and I tried to capture the light and shadows in that pink-purple sky.

Evening Sky in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  July 17, 2013.

Evening Sky in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 17, 2013.

I really don’t think these photos do justice to that amazing sky, but I like them well enough that I wanted to share them with you.

Here’s Looking At You

August 15, 2013
Google Earth image of our home.  September, 2010.

Google Earth image of our home. September, 2010.

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

When Betsy and I travel, I use a geo-tracker to record the GPS coordinates of the pictures I take.  I can then use Google Earth to map the location and get satellite or terrain views of the area.

Shortly after starting to use Google Earth, I entered our address and got the image above.  I was able to find our house, but I wasn’t all that impressed.

When we got back from a trip to North Carolina a few weeks ago, I took some pictures in the yard before turning off the geo-tracker.  While looking at the track of our trip on Google Earth, I zoomed in at the end of the track and found a new image of our house.  I’ll have to admit I was impressed — and a little shocked.

Google Earth image of our house.  April 2013.

Google Earth image of our house. April 2013.

This new image makes it possible to see the house and the deck, including the table on the deck.  The rose beds on each side of the driveway can be clearly seen, including the terracing we put in for the roses.  I can see the round flowerbed around the yard lamppost, as well as the flower bed along the road.

The black dots on each side of the driveway are our container roses.  There’s a black blob in the driveway near the road (indicated by ‘??’).  I can’t be sure, but I think that might be me.

So who’s watching you?