Posts Tagged ‘Tennessee’

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Our World: Narrows of the Harpeth

May 5, 2014
Harpeth River, Narrows of the Harpeth State Park, Kingston Springs, Tennessee. April 20, 2014.

Harpeth River, Narrows of the Harpeth State Park, Kingston Springs, Tennessee. April 20, 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.

My daughter, Kelly, and her husband, Chuck, have an Easter tradition of a picnic lunch.  This year Betsy and I drove to their home in Ashland City where we were able to join them for a very enjoyable day.

After an enjoyable lunch at one of the Metroparks, Kelly and Chuck took us to Narrows of the Harpeth State Park.  Betsy and I had never been there, so it was a wonderful treat.

Map of Bells Bend and Narrows of the Harpeth. (Image from Google Maps).

Map of Bells Bend and Narrows of the Harpeth. (Image from Google Maps).

Narrows of the Harpeth gets its name from the fact that the beginning and end of a seven-mile loop of the river around Bells Bend are within a couple of hundred feet of each other, separated by a high bluff.

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In 1818 Montgomery Bell, a businessman, cut a tunnel through the bluff that separates the two sides of the Narrows of the Harpeth.  This tunnel allowed him to create enough moving water to power a forge which he established on the site.

Kelly and Chuck at the pool where the tunnel empties on the downriver side of the narrows. Narrows of the Harpeth State Park, Kingston Springs, Tennessee. April 20, 2014.

Kelly and Chuck at the pool where the tunnel empties on the downriver side of the narrows. Narrows of the Harpeth State Park, Kingston Springs, Tennessee. April 20, 2014.

The four of us hiked to the downriver side of the tunnel.  There is nothing left of the forge, but a pool into which the water from the tunnel empties provided a wonderful place to sit and enjoy a beautiful day.

 

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Posted in Our World | 22 Comments »

Our World: Fall Creek Falls

April 21, 2014
Cane Creek Cascade, Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee. April 21, 2014.

Cane Creek Cascade, Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee. April 21, 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 three wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

April 21 is a special day that Betsy and I celebrate each year.  It was on April 21, 2001, that I had my first ‘big’ date with Betsy.  We spent the day at Fall Creek Falls State Park here in Tennessee.  We did some hiking and checked out the waterfalls in the park.  That was the beginning of our waterfall ‘collection’.

Fall Creek Falls, Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee. April 21, 2014.

Fall Creek Falls, Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee. April 21, 2011.

But what really made the day special was that on that day I got my first kiss from Betsy.

We go back to Fall Creek Falls every April 21 to re-live the magic.  So if you don’t hear from me today, you’ll know where I am.

Piney Falls, Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee. April 21, 2014.

Piney Falls, Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee. April 21, 2011.

The pictures in this post were taken on a visit to Fall Creek Falls on April 21, 2011.

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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.

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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.

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Our World: Middle Prong Little River

February 3, 2014
Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 20, 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.

On January 20, Betsy and I drove and hiked along Middle Prong Little River in the Smokies.  It was a beautiful sunny day, and there was a good water flow along the river.  The water was so clear that we could easily see the stream bed.

Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

We often stopped and walked along the river to enjoy the sight (and sound) of the water rushing over and around boulders in the stream.

Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

As we worked our way up stream, the river just seemed to get more and more beautiful.

My Beautiful Bride along Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

My Beautiful Bride along Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

But I know well that not all of the pretty views that day were of the river.

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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.

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Posted in Glade | 19 Comments »

Our World: Burrell Creek Falls

January 20, 2014
Burrell Creek Falls, Reliance, Tennessee. October 23, 2013.

Burrell Creek Falls, Reliance, Tennessee. October 23, 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 October we met our blog friends Patti and Neal for a couple of days of hiking and sightseeing around Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.  Neal grew up in the area, and on our second day he took us to some of his old stomping grounds.  Along the way he told us that he knew of a little waterfall that we might like to see.  He didn’t know the name, but he thought it was pretty.

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Neal was right — it was a pretty little waterfall.  A little research showed that the waterfall was on Burrell Creek.  Betsy and I were happy to add it to our collection.

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Posted in Our World | 17 Comments »

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.

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Posted in Our World | 22 Comments »

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.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 22 Comments »

Our World: Opryland’s Nativity Scene

January 6, 2014
Scripture at the Opryland's Nativity Scene. December 19, 2013.

Scripture at the Opryland’s Nativity Scene. December 19, 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.

Yesterday was the last of the twelve days of Christmas, but today is the Day of Epiphany, commemorating the visit of the Wise Men to the Baby Jesus in Bethlehem.  So I think one more Christmas-themed  post is appropriate.

Mary and Joseph on the way to Bethlehem. Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. December 19, 2013.

Mary and Joseph on the way to Bethlehem. Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. December 19, 2013.

On December 19 Betsy and I visited the Opryland Hotel in Nashville with my daughter Kelly and her husband Chuck.  One of the attractions at the hotel this time of year is a Nativity Scene with life-sized figurines.

Wise men, angels and shepherds gathered around the manger. Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. December 19, 2013.

Wise men, angels and shepherds gathered around the manger. Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. December 19, 2013.

When we first saw this display many years ago, it was set up in a courtyard between two wings of the hotel.  Now it’s set up in front of the hotel.  While that gave more room for a large stable and manger, it definitely tied up traffic.  Fortunately there were officers to direct traffic.

Another look at the manger. Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. December 19, 2013.

Another look at the manger. Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. December 19, 2013.

If you’re ever in Nashville during the holiday season, I think you’ll enjoy seeing the Opryland Hotel, especially at night.

There are many other beautiful decorations at the hotel, but I’ll probably save those for another holiday season.

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Posted in American Life | 20 Comments »

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