Posts Tagged ‘Travels’

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My Big Day

March 12, 2012

Betsy got this cake and candles so we could celebrate my birthday in our room at Blackwater State Park Lodge. March 9, 2012. (Photo by Betsy).

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

Last Friday was my 70th birthday.  I remember thinking that my Dad was old when he turned 70, but I really don’t feel that way about 70 anymore.

Betsy, however, managed to find a subtle way to remind me of my advancing years.

Blowing out the candles on my birthday cake. March 9, 2012. (Photo by Betsy).

The advantage of her subtleness was that it made it easier to blow out all the candles!

Cascade on Falls Run, Blackwater State Park, West Virginia. March 9, 2012. (Photo by Betsy).

But I’m happy to report that earlier in the day I still felt young enough to do some bushwhacking in  Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia.  Betsy went with me to this pretty cascade on Falls Run, and then she sat guard on a ‘sitting rock’ while I bushwhacked to two waterfalls further down the run.  Both were very pretty.

Upper Waterfall on Falls Run, Blackwater State Park, West Virginia. March 9, 2012.

Since there was no trail I had to work my way around and over rocks, boulders, fallen trees and rhododendron.  I was able to get fairly close to the Upper Waterfall on Falls Run, and captured this picture.  This waterfall is about 17 feet tall.

Lower Waterfall on Falls Run, Blackwater State Park, West Virginia. March 9, 2012.

It was harder to get to the Lower Waterfall on Falls Run.  This waterfall is about 30 feet high, but I could never get a clear view of either the very top or the very bottom.  This was the best I could do by shooting through a narrow space between two boulders.

Well, that was my big day.  We saw more waterfalls that day and I did more bushwhacking, but those pictures and adventures will have to wait for another day.  Now I think I could use a nap!

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Posted in American Life | 26 Comments »

Watery Wednesday: Dierks Lake

March 7, 2012

Dierks Lake, Arkansas. February 27, 2012.

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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.

Betsy and I went searching for waterfalls on our first day in Arkansas, and while coming back from a bushwhack to see Panther Bluff Falls, we met the caretaker of a camping area nearby who recommend we visit  Dierks Lake, which was only a mile or so down the road.

Dierks Lake was formed when the Army Corps of Engineers built a dam on the Saline River in southwestern Arkansas.  The picture above was taken near the public boat ramp on the lake.  I’m glad we took the caretaker’s advice.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 14 Comments »

Our World: Arkansas Vacation

March 5, 2012

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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.

Last week Betsy and I were in Arkansas.  We try to go there about this time each year.  We have a favorite cabin on the top of Mt. Nebo which we think of as ‘our’ cabin.  The views from the cabin, especially the sunsets, are spectacular this time of the year.

If you know anything about us, you know that it is hard for us to travel anywhere without looking for waterfalls to visit.  This trip was no different.  We drove from our home to Arkadelphia in southwestern Arkansas, where we spent the night.  We then visited three waterfalls — Panther Bluff, Cossatot, and Shady Lake Cascade — before heading north to Mt. Nebo State Park.

Although we spent most of our time at Mt. Nebo, we did take day trips to Mount Magazine State Park and Petit Jean State Park.  We did some hiking in both parks, especially Petit Jean, where we hiked to visit beautiful Cedar Falls.

We had a wonderful visit in Arkansas, as we always do.  We had some concerns about the severe weather back here in Tennessee, as we heard of tornadoes near Crossville.  We also had some interesting moments heading home as we kept hearing tornado warnings along our route on Friday.  But fortunately we made it safe and sound and found everything in order at home, except for flashing digital clocks because the electricity had gone off.

Pictures will follow.

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Posted in Our World | 15 Comments »

The Women in My Life

February 20, 2012

Betsy and Mrs. P at Wetumpka Falls, Tullahoma, Tennessee. February 9, 2012.

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A couple of weeks ago Betsy and I took Dad for a ride with us as we checked out a couple of waterfalls in the Tullahoma, Tennessee, area.  One of the waterfalls we visited was Wetumpka Falls northwest of town.

This picture was taken at Wetumpka Falls, and shows the women in my life.  Betsy needs no introduction to readers of this blog.  Behind her is our Prius, affectionately known as Mrs. P.  If you look closely on the dash of Mrs. P, you can make out our GPS unit, Miss Barbeak.

It seems to me that at least one of these women is always telling me where to go!

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Posted in Betsy | 25 Comments »

SkyWatch Friday: Sunset Afterglow

February 17, 2012

The western sky shortly after sunset, Ormond Beach, Florida. August 4, 2009.

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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.

We celebrated Betsy’s birthday in 2009 at Ormond Beach, Florida.  We had a room that looked out over the ocean, but I captured this beautiful sky photo by going to the other side of the building and shooting the western sky shortly after sunset.  The landscape may not be as pretty as the ocean, but the sky couldn’t be any more glorious.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 29 Comments »

Watery Wednesday: Falls on Reems Creek

February 15, 2012

Falls on Reems Creek, Lake Louise Park, Weaverville, North Carolina. January 31, 2012.

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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.

When we travel, Betsy and I usually check to see if there are any waterfalls in the area to which we are travelling.  We went to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville at the end of January, and searching the internet told us a waterfall in nearby Weaverville, North Carolina.  So the morning after visiting Biltmore we travelled to Weaverville before heading home.

The Falls on Reems Creek are actually caused by a dam at the site of an old mill.  But it is still a pretty sight, and we were very happy to add this to our collection.

We were planning on seeing another new waterfall on the way home, but a rockslide on Interstate 40 closed the highway, so we had to go home by a different route.  That second waterfall will have to wait until we make another trip to Asheville.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 21 Comments »

SkyWatch Friday: Smoky Mountains Sky

February 10, 2012

Afternoon sky in the Smoky Mountains, North Carolina. January 31, 2012.

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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 rock slide closed the interstate on the morning Betsy and I were coming home from Asheville, North Carolina.  Our choices for alternate routes were a very long detour on the interstates or a drive through the Smoky Mountains.  We considered our choices for about two seconds and headed for the Smokies.

The day started out with clear blue skies, but clouds developed in the afternoon.  I snapped this picture of the sky and mountains at an overlook on Newfound Gap road in North Carolina.  You have to look closely, but you can see the sunbeams that attracted my attention.  It took us longer to get home than it would have if we had taken the interstate, but the scenery certainly couldn’t be beat.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 18 Comments »

Our World: Oops!

February 7, 2012

Mom at Winslow Christian Church, Winslow, Indiana. October 5, 2006.

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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 October, 2006, Betsy and I drove my parents to Winslow, Indiana, which was Mom’s hometown and the place where Mom and Dad met.  This picture was taken in front of the church in which Mom grew up.  If you look closely at the base of the sign you will see that it is ‘In Memory of Mr. & Mrs. James Cassidy’ — Mom’s parents and my grandparents.

There’s only one small problem — the family spelled their last name ‘CassidAy’!

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Posted in Our World | 18 Comments »

Remembering Happy Days

January 30, 2012

Dad, Virginia Smith and Mom, Boonville, Indiana. October 5, 2006.

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One advantage of cold, wet winter days is that I have more time to work at my computer.

I recently came across some pictures that I took back in October, 2006.  Betsy and I had driven Mom and Dad up to Mom’s hometown of Winslow, Indiana.  On the way we stopped in Boonville, Indiana, to visit their friend, Virginia Smith.

Virginia was Mom’s best friend in school.  When they were seniors, Virginia started dating Leonard Smith, who was Dad’s best friend in the CCC.  Dad and Leonard were stationed at a CCC camp outside Winslow, working on what would become a state park.  Needless to say, it wasn’t long before Virginia and Leonard and Mom and Dad were double dating.

Virginia and Leonard got married shortly after Virginia graduated from high school, but my grandmother made Mom wait until she was twenty before she married.  Mom was a good daughter and didn’t get married until three days after she turned twenty.

Mom and Dad and the Smiths remained friends through the years.  Leonard died in the mid 1980s, but Mom, Dad and Virginia remained in touch and visited whenever possible.

Virginia died in 2010, and Mom died last year.  Now Dad — 99 years young — is the only one left.  But it was a blessing back in 2006 for Betsy and me to be there as these three remembered the happy days gone by.

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Posted in American Life | 20 Comments »

SkyWatch Friday: Morning in the Mountains

December 16, 2011

Early morning view from Hemlock Springs Overlook, Skyline Drive, Virginia. November 23, 2011.

(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.

There are advantages to driving in the mountains early on a foggy, misty mountains.  We left Skyland Resort on such a morning to make our way home on our Thanksgiving trip.  We had to drive north along Skyline Drive to get to an exit from the Shenandoah National Forest.

We came upon this scene at the Hemlock Springs Overlook.  The fog had lifted in our immediate vicinity, but much of the valley below was still cloud-covered.  A few peaks were just beginning to show themselves above the clouds.

Early morning view from Hemlock Springs Overlook, Skyline Drive, Virginia. November 23, 2011.

I liked this picture so much that I wanted to see what it looked like as a black and white photo.  I like this version just as much and decided to share it with you as well.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 14 Comments »

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