Posts Tagged ‘Tennessee’

Our World: Roses in Our Yard

June 10, 2013
Our front yard as seen from the road in front of the house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  June 1, 2013.

Our front yard as seen from the road in front of the house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 1, 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.

Many of you know that Betsy and I grow roses.  We have 57 different variety of roses growing in our yard, most of which can be seen in the photo above.  This picture was taken from the road in font of our house.

Our 'big' rose bed, with the new wall flower bed in the background.  Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  June 1, 2013.

Our ‘big’ rose bed, with the new wall flower bed in the background. Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 1, 2013.

The picture above was taken standing at the house looking toward the road.  The rose bed in the foreground is our ‘big’ rose bed and contains 22 roses.  This is our oldest rose bed.  The rose bed in the background is along the road and contains 7 roses in addition tulips, iris, lilies and day lilies.  We put in this flower bed after building the retaining wall.

Our 'small' rose bed, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  June 1, 2013.

Our ‘small’ rose bed, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 1, 2013.

The rose bed on the opposite side of the driveway from our ‘big’ rose bed is the ‘small’ rose bed.  It contains 10 roses.

Container roses along the driveway, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  June 1, 2013.

Container roses along the driveway, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 1, 2013.

Finally, we have ten container roses on each side of the driveway.

Those of you who are mathematically inclined will note that the sum of the roses is 59, not 57.  That’s because we have duplicates of two roses.  I’m not sure how long that will continue.

Iris in Our Yard

May 30, 2013

IrisCollage

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

I won’t claim that Betsy and I have a grand master plan for our yard, but we do try to have color in the yard in each season.  Irises provide color between the Spring bulbs (daffodils and tulips) and our roses.

We have several different varieties in our yard — the collage above shows five of them.  In the top row I have Clarence iris on the left and Waltz Across Texas on the right.

The bottom row shows (from left to right) Cantina, Blatant and Tennessee Vol.  It should be no surprise that Tennessee Vol is Betsy’s favorite — she’s one of the most dedicated University of Tennessee Volunteers fans you will ever meet.

Tulips in our Yard

May 2, 2013

2013 -- Tulips

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

Old Man Winter kept hanging around so long this year that we were beginning to think that our tulips would never start blooming.  But fortunately they have bloomed and we’ve enjoyed their bright color in our yard.

The tulip in the upper left of this collage is Golden Oxford, while Guinevere is the tulip on the upper right.  The tulips on bottom (from left to right) are Red Dynasty, Purissima and World’s Favourite.

More Daffodils from our Yard

April 24, 2013

2013 -- Daffodils II

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

Once Spring decided to stay in the Glade, it didn’t take long for most of our daffodils to bloom.  Both Betsy and I have enjoyed finding new blossoms in the yard each morning.

Orange Progress is the daffodil on the upper left, and Pink Charm is the daffodil on the right.  The daffodils on the lower row are (from left to right) Chromacolor, Mount Hood, and Fortissimo.

We are now enjoying tulips in bloom.  The warmer weather makes it possible for Betsy and I to spend more time working in the yard.  That’s almost as good as going on a hike.

Down Memory Lane: Fall Creek Falls

April 22, 2013

2001 -- FCF I

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

April 21 is a special day for Betsy and me.  On April 21, 2001, we had our first ‘big’ date.  On that day we went to Fall Creek Falls State Park here in Tennessee.

Our first date was a dinner date on March 29.  We had a couple of other dates after that, but on April 21 we spent the entire date at Fall Creek Falls.  We did a lot of talking and some hiking.

Fall Creek Falls State Park has five major waterfalls — those were the first waterfalls we saw together.  As you might expect,  this was the beginning of our waterfall ‘collection’.

The collage above has some pictures from that first date.  The picture on the upper left is a picture I took of Betsy fairly early in the day along the lake near the park lodge.  On the upper right is a picture of the two of us taken at the base of Cane Creek Cascade.  The bottom row had Fall Creek Falls and Coon Creek falls on the left, and Piney Creek Falls on the right.  In the picture of Betsy showing some leg was taken on the trail to the base of Fall Creek Falls.

Betsy and I have gotten back to Fall Creek Falls almost every April 21, and yesterday was no exception.  As I said, April 21 is a very special day for us.  What was the best part of the day?  I got my first kiss that day.

To see larger versions of these pictures and others from that day, click HERE.

Spring Is Busting Out All Over

April 15, 2013

2013 -- Daffodils

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

It took a while, but it looks as if Spring has finally arrived on the Cumberland Plateau.  We finally have daffodil blooming in our yard.  Five of our daffodil varieties are shown in the collage above.

The daffodil on the upper left is Pink Silk, while Spellbinder is on the upper right.  On the bottom I have Breck’s Colossal on the left, Las Vegas daffodil in the middle, and Wild Carnival.

It’s great to be able to work out in the yard and to see these beauties in blooming in the flower beds.

Down Memory Lane: Our New House

April 5, 2013

2002 -- New House

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

After Betsy and I got married, we lived in a townhouse she had in Hendersonville, Tennessee.  But we soon began thinking about a home of our own.

We considered many places before deciding on Fairfield Glade here in Tennessee.   Homes in the Glade were fairly affordable, and  the Glade was close enough to my parents in Hendersonville that we could get there if necessary.

Betsy did a great deal of research online, and then called a real estate company that worked in the Glade.  We met him on a Saturday in early August, 2002.  One of the first houses we saw was a ranch house on the golf course.  It had a wrap-around deck in back and three french doors leading from the great room to the deck.  We both fell in love with it almost as soon as we walked in.

We made an offer that very day.  We took possession in October, 2002, and have been happily living here ever since.

The picture of the back of the house on the top left was taken the day we first saw the house.  The picture on the top right shows the front of the house while it was under contract.  The picture on the bottom left is another view of the back taken from the golf course rough behind the house.  The great room in the house is shown on the lower right.  This picture was taken the day we first viewed the house.  Our name went on the mailbox after we moved in.

To see larger versions of these pictures and others, click HERE.

Little River in the Smokies

March 8, 2013

2010 -- March Smokies

(Note:  The collage may be enlarged by clicking on it once or twice.)

March is a wonderful time to visit the Smoky Mountains here in Tennessee.  There usually aren’t too many tourist, especially during the week, and it is possible to pull to the side of the road and enjoy the scenery.  The water levels are usually pretty good in March, so it’s possible to get some nice pictures of flowing water.

The waterfall in the upper left corner of this collage is Meigs Falls, which can be seen along Little River Road.  The other pictures are of Little River taken at pull-offs along the road.

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Betsy has a new photo blog, which I’m sure you will enjoy.  You can find it by clicking HERE

Our World: Cumberland Mountain

March 4, 2013
Byrd Lake, Cumberland Mountain State Park, Crossville, Tennessee.  May 15, 2011

Byrd Lake, Cumberland Mountain State Park, Crossville, Tennessee. May 15, 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 five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Cumberland Mountain State Park is a relatively small state park near Crossville, Tennessee.  The main feature of the park is Byrd Lake (above).

ByrdLakeDam11051501

The dam which forms Byrd Lake, built by the CCC. Cumberland Mountain State Park, Crossville, Tennessee. May 15, 2011.

The lake is formed by a dam capped by seven arches carrying a road.  The dam is the largest masonry project completed by the CCC.  It was substantially rebuilt in 2010-2011.

The restaurant at Cumberland Mountain State Park.  May 15, 2011.

The restaurant at Cumberland Mountain State Park. May 15, 2011.

The park has camping sites, hiking trails, boating and a swimming pool.  One of the things we like best about Cumberland Mountain isa the restaurant overlooking the lake.  We enjoy their delicious buffets several times during the year.

Playing with my Macro Lens

February 27, 2013

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

These pictures are from my archives, but crocus blossoms gave me a chance to play with my macro lens.

I don’t think any single picture is particularly special, but taken as a group they do give me a chance to enjoy the beauty of Spring.

Even the simplest of flowers have beautiful details.