Posts Tagged ‘Tennessee’

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Working in the Garden

March 20, 2010

Tulips in our garden in 2009.

We’ve had two days of sunshine and blue skies!  We were home yesterday (Friday) so I was able to work out in the yard.  It was wonderful to be able to get my hands dirty in the soil again.  The mail woman brought us some roses that needed to be planted and I was able to get four of them planted.  I have one more spot to fill, which hopefully I will do Saturday.

Our  crocus are now blooming very nicely now.  I took some pictures, but haven’t had a chance to do anything with them.  I’ll post some pictures in the next day or so.  In the meantime you can check out Betsy’s new header on her blog.

The daffodils and tulips are coming up although we don’t have any blooming yet.  For the time being we have to be content remembering our tulips from last year.

To see these pictures and others, click HERE.

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Today I’m grateful for the beauty of growing plants.

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Posted in Garden | 12 Comments »

Down Memory Lane: Hen Wallow Falls

March 18, 2010

Scenes from our hike to Hen Wallow Falls. March 27, 2009.

Betsy and I visited Serenity Falls for the first time in March, 2009.  In addition to the time we spent at the cabin enjoying the waterfall right there, we also got to enjoy the  Cosby, Tennessee, side of the Smokies.

The area around Cosby is often referred to as the ‘Quiet Side of the Smokies’ because most visitors head toward Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.  In many ways it seems possible to enjoy the beauty of nature more because there are fewer distractions.

Hen Wallow Falls is one of the taller waterfalls on the Cosby side of the Smokies and the hike to the waterfall is slightly over two miles.  Of course, once we got to the waterfall we had to get back to the car, but the trail through the forest was very pleasant.  We saw only one other couple on the trail during our entire hike.

Our hike to Hen Wallow Falls was a very wonderful way to spend part of a day.

To see these pictures and others, click HERE.

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We’re making a trip to Hendersonville today so I can take my Dad to the doctor.  It’s just a routine checkup, but it does mean I’ll be away from my computer most of the day.  I’ll try to catch up as quickly as I can after we get back up.

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Posted in Waterfalls | 14 Comments »

Skywatch Friday: Blue Skies, Icy Trees

February 12, 2010

The view from our front yard, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 31, 2010.

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.

There was a brightness in the sky behind the clouds and haze that’s been there all month.  After doing some research I believe that brightness is something called the ‘sun’.  I didn’t have my camera with me to get a picture, but I’ll continue to do research on this phenomenon.

I had to go back to the last day of January to get a decent picture for sky watch.  This picture was taken after our big snow and ice storm.  For one day we had gorgeous blue skies, which made a great background for all the icy branches on the trees.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 19 Comments »

Down Memory Lane: Middle Prong

February 6, 2010

Scenes from the Middle Prong of Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. January 25, 2008.

The most-visited of our national parks is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina.  The crowds can be overwhelming at times.

But it is possible to get away from the crowds even in the Smokies.  One of those lesser-visited places is the Middle Prong of Little River above Tremont.  An old logging road follows the stream for a couple  miles, offering some wonderful views of the cascades and rapids.

Betsy and I first explored Middle Prong in January, 2008.  We enjoyed it so much that we’ve been back several times since.

To see these pictures and others, click HERE.

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I’m grateful that a health scare involving my mother was a false alarm and that she is feeling much better.

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Posted in Travels | 11 Comments »

After Our Snow Storm

February 1, 2010

Around our house after our snow storm. January 30 - 31, 2010.

Since it is now February 1, I guess it’s safe to say that we survived the January storm.  It turned out to be quite an experience for this part of Tennessee.

As best I can tell we got about five inches of snow, followed by about an inch of ice, followed by another inch or so of snow.  The snow started late Friday morning and continued through Saturday, although it was mostly flurries at the end.

As many of you know, we live on a hill, and although there is usually a fair amount of up and down traffic, except for a snow plow we had no traffic at all until yesterday (Sunday) afternoon when a single car went down the hill.  It was the quietest we’ve seen that road in the six-plus years we’ve lived here.

Yesterday was a beautiful day with blue skies and temperatures near 30°.  I was able to get about  2/3 of the driveway cleared.  That, and another pass by the snow plow, makes me feel we could get out if we had to, although I’m not sure we could get back in.  We need a couple more good days for me to feel comfortable about getting up the hill.

The two pictures on the left above were taken Saturday.  It was very cloudy, but Betsy and I got out to look around and take some pictures.  The other three pictures were taken yesterday when we had that beautiful bright blue sky.  The middle picture shows some of the ice-coated trees against that sky.

By the way, Betsy says she’s had enough snow for this winter — she’s ready for Spring!

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Posted in Glade | 18 Comments »

Scenic Sunday #81: Snow!

January 31, 2010

The golf course behind our house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 30, 2010.

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

Since Friday afternoon we’ve had about 5 inches of snow, topped by up to an inch of ice, followed by more snow.  It’s the biggest storm we’ve had in several years and one member of the family is definitely happy about it.

The picture above was taken on the golf course fairway behind our house (we’re definitely going nowhere by car for a while!).  Even I will admit that there is a stark beauty to the leafless trees.

Betsy enjoying the snow in front of our house. January 30, 2010.

But the most scenic part of the day was the smile on my Beautiful Bride’s face as she ventured out to enjoy the snow.  That smile is bright enough to lighten the whole day.

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I’m grateful for the opportunity to enjoy all kinds of weather with my beautiful bride.

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 13 Comments »

Down Memory Lane: Baker Falls

January 23, 2010

Baker Falls, Tullahoma, Tennessee. February 14, 2009.

On Valentine Day last year Betsy and I did some hiking and waterfalling around Tullahoma, Tennessee.  One of the waterfalls we visited was Baker Falls.

In the Spring of 2009 this part of Tennessee was still recovering from drought.  There wasn’t much water going over the falls, but Baker Falls, and a smaller waterfall above it, was still very beautiful.

The nicest thing about this waterfall is that it is on private property, but the owners have granted permission for people to visit the falls.

To see these pictures and others, click HERE.

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I’m grateful for the generosity of people who are willing to share the beauty of God’s world with others.

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Posted in Waterfalls | 13 Comments »

Machine Falls

January 7, 2010

Scenes from our hike to Machine Falls. February 14, 2009.

Since we’ve been having some cold weather, I’ve been able to spend more time indoors at the computer and am actually getting some things done that should have been done long ago.

One of the folders that I got cleared away contained pictures of a hike Betsy and I made last Valentine Day to Machine Falls.  Machine Falls is in the Short Springs State Natural Area between Manchester and Tullahoma, Tennessee.

The day was beautiful and the hike was very pleasant.  There wasn’t a great deal of water going over the falls, but the flow over the bluff was quite impressive.

To see these pictures and others click HERE.

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I’m grateful for the beauty of God’s creation and for the opportunities we have to enjoy it.

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Posted in Waterfalls | 10 Comments »

Watery Wednesday # 68: A Watery Mystery

December 30, 2009

The picture of Hogskin Branch Falls I posted on December 1.

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.

On December 1 of this year I made a posting about all the junk we found around Hogskin Branch, a pretty little waterfall near Flag Pond in northeast Tennessee.  The next day I heard from Bill, another waterfall collector, who said that he and his wife had visited the waterfall a couple of weeks before we did and there had been no junk around.  He wondered what had happened and sent along a picture that he had taken.

The picture Bill sent after reading about Hogskin Branch Falls on my blog.

It quickly became obvious to both of us that we had not seen the same waterfall, so the question became ‘What waterfall did Bill and his wife see?’.

When Betsy and I went to Brevard, NC, about three weeks ago we decided, since I-40 was still closed, to go through Flag Pond to see if we could find the mystery waterfall.

Lower Clear Branch Falls, Flag Pond, Tennessee. December 10, 2009.

I think we were successful.  The picture above is of Lower Clear Branch Falls.  There was much less water when we were there, but the shelving and the rocks are the same as Bill shows.  Further, the surroundings all matched what Bill reported.

Not only did we solve a mystery, we got another waterfall to add to our collection.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 12 Comments »

Watery Wednesday # 67: Bald River Falls

December 23, 2009

Bald River Falls, Tellico Plains, Tennessee. July 3, 2007.

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.

Tennessee is blessed with many waterfalls, and one of the most impressive in southeastern Tennessee is Bald River Falls.  Bald River drops 80 to 100 feet as it nears the Tellico River.  The falls can be seen from the bridge where Tellico River Road crosses Bald River, but there is a parking area nearby.  I got this picture by walking back to the bridge after parking the car.

Tellico River Road follows the Tellico River for about five miles from the Cherohala Skyway near Tellico Plains, Tennessee.  The river itself offers many wonderful views for future editions of Watery Wednesday.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 8 Comments »

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