Rising mist on a chilly morning
About 6 miles from our home is the Fort Loudoun Dam and lock. Built in the period from 1941-1943, it is a TVA structure built to provide electricity (largely for the Manhattan Project) and to provide flood control and maintain navigation on the Upper Tennessee River. Continue reading
Our Lunch View
… Is that redundant or what? Mary and I travelled to Fall Creek Falls State Park near Pikeville, Tennessee this past weekend to meet up with friends Bill and Phyllis for some golf on the mountain. We travelled seperately so that we could carry all the stuff (golf clubs take an inordinate amount of space in a mid-sized car) and because we had different destinations after Monday’s golf . Continue reading
The Storm Killer by Mike Jastrzebski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a fun read with many twists and surprises (all presented in a believable way). If you like a fast moving well written tale, this one is worth a look.
Strumming on the old banjo
I remember the blue elephant that ate pennies and the bubble gum baseball cards and penny candy I bought with them at Uncle Bob’s store. We lived on West Hendrickson in the housing project in a little house with a pot-bellied stove. Between that stove and the wall was the only warm place in the house on winter mornings. My cousins Elizabeth Ann and Kenny lived a couple of houses down from us and we played in the coal bins and had shingle fights.
It was a long time ago – 1949 or 1950 I believe. Before Jerry was born and before anything else I remember so, it was the beginning of time and it was good. Continue reading
John & Betsy
We arrived in Todd a few days before the family homecoming on October 1 to help Betsy & John get the home place ready for the anticipated crowd.
Mary & Betsy got started removing the summer’s dust and arranging the furnishings just so.
John and Richard went hiking up the hill to track down a water problem at the spring box. Continue reading
Too Warm For Trout
The last day of August was still very hot in the Tennessee River Valley. Temperature in the upper 90’s and no rain for the entire month so Mary and I were both ready to find a cooler pace with some water before the hoards of similar minded folks invaded it for the Labor Day weekend.
Tellico Lake is formed by the Little Tennessee River and the Tellico River flowing together at Vonore, Tennessee. The Tellico River is noted for its beauty, cold clear water and excellent trout fishing above the village of Tellico Plains. Continue reading
Killin' Poison Ivy
We have sort of adopted a local golf course that is long on potential but short on manpower. I will occasionally spend a day working with other volunteers to remove downed trees, tree limbs, and brush around the course. Then I feel content and play away.
Mary, on the other hand, has a personal vendetta for weeds of any kind and a serious hatred of poison ivy and oak. She never met a weed she didn’t want to pull. Continue reading
Friday was a day for going to downtown Knoxville for the afternoon. We venture down there every month or so to wander around Market Square, walk along Gay street and visit some of the unique places that make a downtown experience more than just a shopping trip.
UT Baja Bug
The “Official” reason yesterday was to find a pair of sandals for me that would last for more than 6 months – but then, any excuse would do. Market square is just a instantaneous collection of eateries, specialty shops and former head shops converted to disguised head shops. It is just a couple of blocks from the UT campus and is a hangout for the young student crowd (and those of us in our dottering old age). The real attraction for us on the square is the food!nbsp; At any given time, there are a dozen or so restaurants competing for the oldster’s money (I can’t imagine a college student eating a $15.00 lunch and washing it down with $4.00 draft beers but what do I know). Continue reading
Big John Daly the Fashion Maven!/
The Nationwide Golf Tour’s News Sentinel Open is held in the Knoxville area every year and Mary & I decided to get tickets for the week.
This year, the tournament is being held at the Fox Den Country Club in Farragut, Tennessee (only about 15 miles from our house) so it is easy for us to attend and watch how the up and coming stars of PGA golf play the game. It also allowed us to see some of the folks we have watched on TV over the years.
We arrived about an hour after the lead-off group hit the first tee and walked to the junction of the 7th green and 8th tee. Not much of a crowd and a great place to watch. Continue reading
The Skipper
We finally got a break from the incredibly hot & humid weather and an evening without too high a percentage of thunderstorms so the first mate and the skipper decided to dust off Silver Lining for a sunset cruise.
Just a few miles up the lake and then back to the dock. We enjoyed the cool evening breeze and a bit of wine and cheese just to keep us on an even keel.
There wasn’t much wind so we opted for a leisurely trip via the iron jib. Continue reading
