Posts Tagged ‘Travels’

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Watery Wednesday #120: Stonewall Falls

December 29, 2010

Stonewall Falls, Tiger, Georgia. December 19, 2010.

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.

If  you know anything at all about Betsy and me, you know that if it is at all possible we will work at least one waterfall into any trip that we take.  When we went to the beach last week we stopped off at Tiger, Georgia, to visit Stonewall Falls.

Stonewall Falls has been on our ‘to visit’ list for a couple of years, but for various reasons we never made it.  But last week Mrs. P, our faithful Prius, took us along a Forest Service road in the Chattahoochee National Forest.  We then hiked the remaining distance to this pretty waterfall.

We both thought this was a perfect way to break up a long drive.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 17 Comments »

Watery Wednesday #118: Marigot Bay

December 15, 2010

Marigot Bay, St. Martin, taken from Fort Louis. September 11, 2001.

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.

Wintery weather has kept us close to home for the past couple of weeks, so I went to my archives to get this picture of Marigot Bay on the island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten.  This island is split into two parts — one French, the other Dutch.  The picture was taken at ruins Fort Louis above Marigot, the capital of the French St. Martin.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 13 Comments »

My World: Decked Out for Christmas

December 14, 2010

The front of our house in the early evening. December 10, 2010.

This is my post for the My World meme.  It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, and Fishing Guy.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Our house is now decked out for Christmas.  Not only on the inside but on the outside.  As night falls the lights come on.  The picture above is taken from the road in front of the house just after the sun went down.

Our house after dark, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. December 10, 2010.

Betsy is the designer of our decorations.  My job is to carry things and put them where she tells me to, and to reach the high places she can’t reach.  She’s added the wreaths in the front over the past three years.

Our Christmas tree from the back yard. December 9, 2010.

Our house opens to the back, where we have three sliding glass doors opening to a large deck.  Betsy has decorated the deck with lighted garlands (you can see some of them in the picture above).  We put the tree in front of one of the doors and keep the curtains open so that  the tree can be seen from the back yard.

Pictures don’t do justice to the way the house looks.  You’ll just have to stop by to see how it looks in person.

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Posted in My World | 18 Comments »

Skywatch Friday: Going . . . Gone

December 10, 2010

The setting sun from Bull Creek Valley Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina. November 22, 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.

Betsy and I really enjoy traveling along the Blue Ridge Parkway just about any time of the year.  Last month we went to Asheville, North Carolina, and drove on the Parkway  from Asheville to Mount Mitchell.  We then drove back to Asheville in the late afternoon.

We got to the Bull Creek Valley Overlook just as the sun started to drop below Swan Mountain in the distance.  Of course, we had to stop and grab our cameras.

The setting sun behind Swan Mountain, North Carolina. November 22, 2010.

It’s amazing how quickly the sun can disappear.  It’s also amazing how the beautiful sky can go through so many colors so quickly.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 22 Comments »

Down Memory Lane: Niagara Falls

December 9, 2010

Betsy and I got to Niagara Falls several months late.  Although we were married in June, 2001, we didn’t get to Niagara Falls until August, 2002.

Since we ‘collect’ waterfalls, it was almost certain that we would eventually get to Niagara Falls.  We drove up to Canada and stayed on the Canadian side of the border while we took in the sights along the Niagara River.  I had been to Niagara Falls twice before, but this trip was the first for Betsy.

I don’t think pictures (or words) can ever adequately describe the majesty and beauty of Niagara Falls.  That didn’t stop us from trying.

To see these pictures and others, click HERE.

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Posted in Waterfalls | 17 Comments »

Fun With Our Geotagger

December 2, 2010

Craggy Gardens, Craggy Pinnacle and Craggy Dome Overlook.

As many of you know, Betsy and I have a geotagger, which allows us to assign GPS coordinates to our photos.  Once the photos have been ‘tagged’, it’s possible to use Google Earth to show the location at which the picture was taken.

Craggy Pinnacle Tunnel on the Blue Ridge Parkway, November 22, 2010.

On our way up the Blue Ridge Parkway to Mount Mitchell, we stopped at Craggy Gardens Visitors Center to taken in the view.  The picture above of the Craggy Pinnacle Tunnel was taken from a small overlook across the parkway from the Visitors Center.

Burnett Reservoir, Buncombe County, North Carolina. November 22, 2010.

While there, I also took this picture of the Burnett Reservoir down in the valley below.  (This is the same picture I posted yesterday).

A late afternoon view from the Craggy Dome Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina. November 22, 2010.

A late afternoon view from the Craggy Dome Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina. November 22, 2010.

On our way back from Mount Mitchell we stopped at Craggy Dome Overlook to get this picture.

Perhaps it’s just me, but I enjoy seeing both the picture and its location.

 

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Posted in Technology | 14 Comments »

Down Memory Lane: Two Room Schools

November 18, 2010

Beech Grove School, Cataloochee Valley, North Carolina. October 20, 2010.

When Betsy and I visited Cataloochee Valley with our friends Patti and Neal, we stopped by Beech Grove School.  Beech Grove School is a two room school built in 1901.  It is the only one of three schools in the valley that still remains.

Visiting this school brought back memories for me.  I attended two-room schools for the first eight grade.  Washington School was for grades 1 through 4, and Riley School was for grades 5 through 8.

In both schools had two teachers, each with her own room.  Each room had two classes.  One class worked while the teacher taught the other class, and then the classes switched roles.

As a child I liked that system.  I was always an avid reader, so when I was in the lower grade, I got to read with the class ahead of me.  When in the higher grade, I got to do free reading while the rest of my class studied reading.

The same situation applied to arithmetic.  I got to study arithmetic with the upper class when I was in the lower class and I tutored students in the lower class when I was in the upper class.

Desks in Beech Grove School, Cataloochee Valley, North Carolina. October 20, 2010.

The desks at Washington School were very similar to these in Beech Grove School shown in the picture above.  Riley School has been demolished, and Washington School has been converted into a private residence.  But I do have happy memories of both of those schools.

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Posted in American Life | 12 Comments »

Down Memory Lane: A Cabin in the Mountains

November 11, 2010

In May of last year our friends Judy and Charlie invited us to spend a couple of days with them at their cabin near Otto, North Carolina.  We’ve known Judy and Charlie for several years and enjoy their company.

Their cabin is a vacation hideaway in the mountains of western North Carolina.  The deck of the cabin is a perfect place for sitting and talking or just sitting and enjoying the mountain views.

One advantage of a May visit was that the mountain laurel was in bloom.  The cabin is one of only a few on the side of the mountain, so there are many mountain laurels along the road.  Walking along the road was a visual delight for more than the mountain views.

To see these pictures and others, click HERE.

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Posted in Travels | 13 Comments »

Scenic Sunday #121: Cataloochie Valley

November 7, 2010

Mist in the Cataloochee Valley, North Carolina. October 20, 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.

I posted about the elk we saw in the Cataloochee Valley of the Smoky Mountains a couple of weeks ago.  But our visit to the valley was scenic for more reasons than the elk.  The morning of our visit was foggy and misty, which showed one explanation for the name of the mountains surrounding the valley.

The picture above was taken at the meadow along Ranger Station Road where we saw the largest herd of elk.  The picture is looking east past the meadow.

This second photo is taken from another meadow on the same road.  This meadow is past the Caldwell House and this photo looks northeast.

The southwest view from the same meadow gave this picture of the mountains amid mist and clouds .

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 16 Comments »

Skywatch Friday: Autumn Skies

November 5, 2010

The view from Balsam Mountain, North Carolina. October 19, 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.

Last month Betsy and I went to the mountains to see the autumn colors, but the autumn skies were also pretty impressive.  Autumn skies are often a beautiful blue, and that was the case during the three days we were gone.  The picture above was taken on Balsam Mountain; it was a clear day and the mountains seemed to go on forever.

The view from the Blue Ridge Parkway near Mt. Pisgah, North Carolina. October 20, 2010.

This picture was taken the next day on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Mt. Pisgah, North Carolina.

Morning in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. October 21, 2010.

We had an early breakfast on our third morning.  When we came out of the restaurant it was still in shadows, but sunlight was touching the top of the ridge on the other side of the gap.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 20 Comments »

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