Autumn in the Glade

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Autumn has arrived in the Glade. We have clear, blue skies during the day and cold, crisp nights. So far the color has not been as vibrant as it has been in other years, but it is still very pretty now. The picture above was taken at Lake Canterbury here in the Glade on Sunday, October 18, 2009.

A Pleasant Surprise

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We arrived home Sunday afternoon to discover that the Glade is under a Freeze Warning for Sunday night - Monday morning. We heard that news while driving home. When we pulled into the driveway we noticed the rose in the picture above. One of the nurseries we buy from had a rose sale in late August and we purchased Touch of Class because the price was irresistible.

This bud is the first on this rose. I wonder if it will be there when the sun comes up this morning.

Stupid Camera

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The waterfall above is Hurricane Falls in Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia. The picture was taken October 14, 2009.

Betsy and I were home for about 12 hours Thursday evening and early this (Friday) morning. That gave us just enough time to repack for Ray's memorial service and to do a quick post to let you know we survived the first of our quick trips. By the time you read this we will be on the road to Jacksonville, Florida.

As you know, we went to Tallulah Gorge State Park in Georgia to see what the waterfalls looked like when water was released from the dam above the gorge. We hiked a new trail (for us) and the views were wonderful. There was a light rain most of the day, but that didn't stop us from our quest to enjoy the waterfalls.

Unfortunately about half way through our hike my camera decided to start acting up. For the rest of the hike I could only take wide-angle shots if I could get any at all. That was definitely a bummer, but as Betsy said that just gives us another excuse to go back.

Now that Betsy has her laptop, I'm hoping Santa will bring me a new camera. I've been wanting one with interchangeable lenses so I could get closer to waterfalls we can't reach on foot. I would also like to be able to get macros of our flowers.

I know many of you are great photographers. I would appreciate any advice you may be able to give me regarding a camera that will fit my needs. Thanks.

A Return to Tallulah Gorge and Other Travel

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The picture above was taken in June and shows Tallulah Gorge in Georgia. The gorge contains six waterfalls which we enjoyed seeing from the rim. There is a dam at the head of the gorge which restricts the flow of water.

This morning Betsy and I are leaving for a couple of days in northern Georgia. They are releasing water from the dam on Wednesday and we want to be there to see what the waterfalls looked like before the dam was built. We've had this trip planned for several weeks.

Then on Friday we are going to Jacksonville for Ray's (Betsy's brother) memorial service. We will get back home on Sunday and then on the following Tuesday I will take Betsy to Maggie Valley, North Carolina, for her getaway with her grade school girlfriends.

I can visit you using my iPod Touch, but unless I can pry Betsy's laptop from her, I don't think I'll be able to post for much of that time. But don't give up on me -- I'll be back as soon as possible.

Autumn Color

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Sunday we took Betsy's cousins to Fall Creek Falls State Park for a Sunday lunch and a tour of some of the waterfalls in the park.

After several days of cloudy, rainy weather we finally had sunshine and blue skies. Even more, we had some beautiful fall color as shown in the picture above.

Climbing the Great Wall

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This is a scan of a slide made in 1990 at the Great Wall. In 1987, on my first visit there, I climbed the wall from the gate at Badaling, hear the buildings in the foreground, to the watch tower on the ridge at the right of the picture. Our host told me that climb made me a Hero of the People's Republic.

Glenn Falls

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Glenn Falls was another unexpected find. Betsy and I were heading home on the Blue Ridge Parkway in June, 2007, and we decided to get off the parkway to find a place to grab a bite to eat. The nearest town was Vesuvius, Virginia, and as we rounded a curve on the outskirts of the town, we saw the waterfall pictured above.

We had no idea that the waterfall was there until we saw it. After we got home we had to do quite a bit of internet research to find the name.