Looking for a cool place



Beautiful but 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. 

Telico Lake is formed by the Little Tennessee River and the Tellico River flowing together at Vonore, Tennessee.  The Telico River is noted for its beauty, cold clear water and excellent trout fishing above the vilage of Tellico Plains.  So, off we went!

Our first stop was just upriver from the Cherohala Skyway, a beautiful spot but dipping my hand in the water was a dissappointment - it was a warm 80 degrees or so!  No trout here.



Mary found a cooler spot.

 A few miles further upstream Mary tested the waters in this pool and called it nearer to 70 degrees - still too warm for trout but much more comfortable for people.

We continued up the river almost to the North Carolina State Line where we visited the Tellico Fish Hachery, a first for Mary.  When she asked if the water here was cool enough, I had her touch the inlet pipe which was in the 50's - perfect temperature but, no fishing allowed here. 

We ambled back down the river and got some lunch at "The Crab Shack" in Tellico Planes and wandered back to Vonore along Citico Creek (another tributary of Tellico Lake).

While we didn't get much relief from the heat, we did have a great daytrip.  For the hilight of the day, check out the bideo of the waterfall below.  We'l have to visit the falls again when the water level is higher.

Never met a weed she didn't like......

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.

Clip, Cut and Pull

It has gotten so that about the only way I can get her to to play golf with me is to promise to let her play in the weeds for an hour or so after we finish our round.  We had an acre in Winston-Salem and that kept her satisfied but here in Tennessee, we have only a postage stamp sized lot so she needs to go elsewhere for her weed gratification and Baily Links has become her target.  (At least I get to play more golf this way.)

Fish Burritos Baja Style

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 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!  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).

 Anyway, today's choice was a new place called the Blue Coast Burrito Grill (a regional chain) named for a section of coast just North of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  Nice clean place with a genuine beat up VW bug complete with attached boogie board and hung from the ceiling for atmosphere.  But the real attraction was the food!

Mary got to design her own lunch in the form of a spinich quesidilla with chipolte chicken and a half dozen other goodies - pretty good choice and it didn't take her long to decide on it, a rather unusual event in itself.

As usual, Richard ordered the absolute best item on the menu (in this case the waiter did recommend it).  Fish burrito, Baja Style in a Chipolte tortilla.  YUM!  I can't really say what was in it but I had never tasted a fish burrito that good before and I grew up eating the stuff.  Friendly people, great food and a pleasing atmosphere - drop in if you are ever in the area.

Yes, I did find my saldals and they were on sale!  They only cost me $200 - my sandals, Mary's sandals, lunch, beer, parking, Mary's blouse and 1/4 tank of gas.  Life is good.

Nationwide Tour Golf in Knoxville

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.

Sunghoon Kang's Birdie Putt on 7.

John Daly put in his appearance wearing his trademark LOUD pants and posted a respectable -2 but he'll need to do better today if he wants to play on the weekend.

Rookie Sunghoon Kang made this beautiful birdie at 7 on his way to a -9 round and a share of the day one lead.

After a couple of hours at our 7/8 station, we were getting too hot so we ambled back to the clubhouse and walked around to 18 where we actually found seats in the public grandstand in the shade!  Instead of heading home, we passed another couple of hours watching more golf.  Lunch was great cheesburgers and cold beer while watching the pros hit into the green surrounding lake (I can do that!)

Home in the mid afternoon and the end of another wonderful day in retirement.

Sunset Cruise



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.

The Mate

There wasn't much wind so we opted for a leisurely trip via the iron jib. 

Every time we take a short trip like this, we ask ourselves, "Why don't we do this more?"

Could be that golf, fishing, house maintenance, trips to Todd, kayaking and so on get in the way - but we really do need to do this more. 

Maybe this fall.........

Jammin' with Paul

As some of you know, I took up the banjo again this Spring after many years of inactivity. 

In early July, Paul joined us in Todd and he and I got to jam a bit - a first for us together.  Although Paul had to do the leading, I had a lot of fun and we eventually started getting together on a few songs.

It has been some time since Paul and I had some low key time together and it was his birthday too.

A Three hour tour, a three hour tour .................



Elizabeth



Saturday the second of July was hot and it was Paul's birthday so after much deliberation, we decided to set aside the golf game and go on a three hour tube float down the New River in Todd. 

The New River in this area is slow, sedate and the prefect place to let your troubles wash away.  Rarely more than a few feet deep, our lazy river's riffles and runs are more likely to bump your bottom than to test your white water prowess.  So, armed with sunscreen, water and our sense of adventure; we 4 (Elizabeth, Paul, Mary and I)  began our adventure.

Elizabeth and Paul

Our friend Kelly at River Girl Fishing took us up the river to a launch point a mile or so above the high water bridge at Big Hill and River Roads.  Lesson one - placing one's posterior in a tube and plopping into the river is a chilling experience - the air was in the 80's but the water was considerably cooler.  Refreshing and eye opening, we were off!

Taming the roaring river!

Shortly into the journey, we lashed all 4 tubes together for safety and convenience and began figuring out how to navigate the raging torrent!  As you can see from the photo above, we were barely able to keep from being washed overboard.

Working Hard.

Mary was particularly stressed in keeping our vessel on course and had to regularly drag bottom to keep us on course.  Along our journey were a family of wood ducks, a great blue heron and numerous other attractions to calm the mind and soul.

Nearly 4 hours after our adventure began, we landed in Todd tired and famished.  A visit to Emily's bakery on the way home cured the hunger and a quiet evening on the deck eased the tired.

What a wonderful way to pass a lazy July afternoon.