Posts Tagged ‘Tennessee’

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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 »

The Golden Hour

December 19, 2013
Sunset in the mountains near Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. October 23, 2013.

Sunset in the mountains near Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. October 23, 2013.

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

I’ve read about the golden hour in photography.  The golden hour is the first and last hour of sunlight each day.  When we were with our friends Patti and Neal at the end of October, we spent much of one day enjoying the autumn colors and hiking in Kentucky.  Late in the day we drove through Betsy’s home town in Big Stone Gap, Virginia before heading back to the lodge in Kentucky.

The day had been dreary and overcast, but as the sun was going down, we saw a bright orange-pink sky in the west below the clouds.  Since Patti and Neal are as much into photography as Betsy and me, we of course had to stop for pictures.

Evening light in Virginia. October 23, 2013.

Evening light in Virginia. October 23, 2013.

Looking back to the east, the glow on the hills and the buildings were a perfect example of what the golden hour means.

A fiery mountain sunset. October 23, 2013.

A fiery mountain sunset. October 23, 2013.

But as beautiful as that was, our eyes kept going back to the bright light between the mountains and the clouds to the west.  What a gorgeous ending to a wonderful day.

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Posted in Travels | 19 Comments »

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.

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Posted in Betsy | 22 Comments »

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.

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Posted in Betsy | 27 Comments »

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.

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Posted in Garden | 15 Comments »

Gatlinburg Sunrise

November 1, 2013
Sunrise over the mountains around Gatlinburg, Tennessee. October 14, 2013.

Sunrise over the mountains around Gatlinburg, Tennessee. October 14, 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.

A couple of weeks ago Betsy and I got up very early in the morning to drive to the Smokies.  We knew that if we could get to the Gatlinburg Bypass, we might catch the sun coming up over the mountains, and if we were really lucky, we might capture some fog in the valley.  You can judge how well we did from the picture above.

Mist in the valley near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. October 14, 2013.

Mist in the valley near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. October 14, 2013.

We had to get up at 4 o’clock in the morning to make it to the bypass by sunrise.  At least the traffic through Knoxville was fairly light at that hour of the morning.

Early morning sunlight from the Gatlinburg Bypass, Gatlinburg, Tennessee. October 14, 2013.

Early morning sunlight from the Gatlinburg Bypass, Gatlinburg, Tennessee. October 14, 2013.

As we stood at the overlook getting these pictures we decided getting up that early was worthwhile, but I must admit that we slept in the next morning.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 25 Comments »

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.

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Posted in Garden | 21 Comments »

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.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 28 Comments »

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?

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Posted in Glade | 21 Comments »

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