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.

Some time with Elizabeth

We hadn't seen Elizabeth in nearly 2 years so when her mother offered to meet us in Todd, we were overjoyed.

The hot July weekend was a perfect one for messing around in the creek in front of the farmhouse.  Elizabeth spent a lot of time checking out the river rock and selecting just the right ones for felting and for her personal collection.

Reading and games filled up the quiet times.  Mary and I can't get over how beautiful Elizabeth has become. She is tall and slim with just a hint of devilishness, smart as a whip and ready to jump into new adventures at a moments notice.

We can't let it be so long until we visit this precious child again! 

A Golf Milestone!

Strokin' it!

One of my retirement goals was to break out of my perpetual bad golfing posture and break 100. 

I got close last month with a 104 on our 6023 yard Kahiti course here in the village.  Then I got in a rut posting 4 116 scores in a row. 

My play has been improving for several months with a lot of practice but one day the long game is good, the next  time the short is great then putting is good.  Finally, all 3 were acceptable and while I am certainly not ready for the tour, my 5th round of the week was a winner.

Today at Kahiti, playing with Mary and Bill and Phyllis Adams, I finally not only hit my sub 100 goal, I shattered it with an unprecedented 92!  This included a par on the monster 586 yard 9th hole.  I have killed my handicap but it is worth it.

Colorado visit



Richard & Trish

 While in Aurora, CO for Zack's graduation, we got to enjoy some quality time with the Rocky Mountain crew.  It is always great seeing how much the children have grown and catching up on all their lives.  (Not to mention giving and receiving lots of hugs.)

When we last visited, it was as a part of Road Trip 2 last October and all we did was drop off a trailer full of goods and hit the road to get our of their way.  Now they have had 6 months to get their lives back together after the move and the whole crew seems to be thriving in the thin Colorado air.

Tristan

Tristan is looking more grown up every time we see him - smart, sensitive, handsome - we're not prejudiced at all.

Tia

Tia is still in love with everything Ferret and judging from the constant stream of neighborhood girls, she has still never met a stranger.

Hanging in the kitchen

Will is happy in his job teaching screen writing in the university film school and is planning to teach summer school as well.

Really Senior Citizens Now!



Zackary


You know you're getting old when your firstborn grandchild graduates from  High School.  Zackary took the walk May 27, 2011and with those steps, placed us firmly in the senior citizen group.

We flew out to Aurora, CO for the festivities and spent the weekend with Trish and her family as we all celebrated this milestone.  Congratulations Zack!


Proud Mama Trish, Daddy Will and siblings Tristan and Tia were also on hand for the festivities as were Grandmas Mary and Kimi.

A typical week in paradise.

Hwy 321 bridge

We decided to stick closer to home this year as our 16 weeks on the road last year was really taxing and we had little time to enjoy East Tennessee.  After all, we did move here to retire and enjoy life.

While many people consider "Retirement" to be sitting on the porch in a rocking chair and watching the world go bye, we have found it to be something very different for us.  I did sit in the red rocker on the porch for a few minutes but that was to recover from laying concrete blocks in our newly tamed area to the left of the driveway.  

 

Mary picking wildflowers

If you leave out the medical appointments (a more regular part of out lives since we retired), this past week is a fairly typical one.

The week began with our special Sunday breakfast of blueberry pancakes and watching Sunday Morning on CBS.  We have been fans for many years as we enjoy the upbeat news presented more than the depressing day-to-day world presented by the regular news media.

Then off to Bailey links for a round of golf in the afternoon - Mary has hooked up with a couple of new women friends and they are beginning to play regularly.  I get to play by myself on these excursions.  I don't mind as it gives me a chance to work on my game without the distractions of playing with a group.

Dinner at Key Largo

Then off to Key Largo Grill so Mary can sample the shrimp & grits and try to steal my flounder sandwich.

Monday found us on the spillway from Tellico Lake and Mary picked wildflowers while we walked along the shore.  Then in the afternoon, I played golf on out Toqua course with our neighbor Karl.

Tuesday through Thursday morning, we stayed close to home and worked on the yard, cleaned house, played the banjo, watched movies and did the laundry then Thursday night more golf for Mary & friends and more practice for me.  Friday found us grocery shopping and then taking a trip to Madisonvile just to check things out.  We bought a Keyboard for Mary (she has been hinting for some time) driving by the Kahiti course where we will be playing this coming Monday and just exploring.

Satur morning - golf, what else?  Then lunch at the Tanasi clubhouse, home to watch a bit of golf and then off to the yacht club for a late afternoon sail.

Life is good!  Now, if only we had more time......

The storm passes, the trouble stays South.

Thursday morning the storm had passed and the winds abated, an absolutely beautiful day arrived in East Tennessee. Wednesday’s storms had, thankfully, passed overhead leaving lots of rain, wind, a bit of hail and shredded leaves but not much damage here in Tellico Village.




On our morning walk around the neighborhood, Mary carried a trash bag and we began picking up bits of debris along the golf course – pieces of tarpaper, a shingle or two, some broken slats and some disturbing pieces of checks and newspapers with Alabama and Georgia addresses on them. Tuscaloosa and Birmingham were most common but we are over 200 miles from Birmingham and nearly 300 from Tuscaloosa. Our storm Wednesday night had dropped tornado debris about 6 hours after having sucked it up 300 miles away.



Imagine the power and the pain and the suffering of those who were hit by the full force of such a storm.



Send your thoughts, prayers and help, please.

Bluegrass in the park.

The Cox Family

What else does an aspiring banjo picker do on a Saturday but load up the car and head for the nearest music festival.  Today, it was the 3rd Annual Tri County Jamboree Family Fun Day Music and Craft Festival in Old Washington, Tennessee.

If you are looking for Old Washington on a map, it probably isn't there!  Just a few folks along highway 30 between Decatur and Dayton where the highway crosses the Tennessee River.

Roane Ramblers

 We listened to two very different bluegrass bands, the Cox Family from Dayton a group of 5 family members including a 12 year old boy on the banjo and an 11 year old on the mandolin.  (I am shamed in my ineptitude)  The second group was the Roane Ramblers from Roane State college, they are studying bluegrass music there and had a more formal style than the Cox's.  Both were fun and we couldn't decide which we preferred.

Looking for turtles

We strolled around the park and visited the crafts sale and travelled to distant (7 miles) Dayton for and excellent lunch at the Riverside Restaurant.  Overall, an excellent day.  Please excuse the quality of the video of the Ramblers - cell phone,windy, too far away and shaky cameraman but you'll get the idea.

Red Rocker

Mary has been looking for a wood rocking chair to compliment our red front door and the Japanese Maple tree on our porch.

After several unsuccessful trips to flea markets, furniture stores, junk shops and yard sales, we finally found one at an antique store next door to Sweetwater Flea Market.

Our new chair had obviously been neglected and left out in the weather but the wood was sound and the price was right so we chucked it in the back of the truck and brought it home.  Mary sanded the old peeling varnish and cleaned the dust off before we broke out the Fire Engine Red paint for the coup-de-gras!  Three coats of paint and the rocker was ready to assume its rightful place on the front porch along with the Red Door, Japanese Maple Tree and our Welcoming Loon. Ya'll come on in!


Welcome!



Voter confusion, ballot overcrowding, and frivolous candidacies?

In a decision frought with circular logic, the North Carolina Supreme Court has rendered a decision insuring that political minorities will continue to be discriminated against in North Carolina elections.

"Here, the avoidance of 'voter confusion, ballot overcrowding,' and 'frivolous candidacies' is an important regulatory interest," (Justice) Timmons-Goodson wrote in the first constitutional challenge to the ballot-access law the high court has considered.

Isn't it interesting that we live in a country where our governmental bodies supposedly applaud democratic elections in other countries that have dozens of parties and hundreds of candidates but here at home our courts make statements like the one in red above?

In North Carolina, nearly half of the congressional races have only one candidate because a "Major" party has chosen not to run in the race and write-in candidates are not counted without first having been vetted by the local boards of elections. 

That sure reduces "Voter confusion" - give them but a single choice and they will not be confused at all!  Oh, a ballot with only a single choice is certainly not overcrowded,  and, lest we forget, those evil "Frivolous candidates" that might actually bring a fresh idea or a new perspective to the process.

I say shame on the North Carolina Supreme Court and State Legislature for actively working to disenfranchise a very large percentage of voters.  Most of all, I say shame on the citizens of North Carolina who do not demand that their elected officials correct this wrong.

Jim Crow is alive and well in North Carolina, it just wears a better disguise than in years past.

Pirates, gold and mystery.

A Single Deadly Truth by John Urban

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I have a weak spot for independent authors because I have often found their works to be fresh and compelling. John Urban's debut novel was another pleasant discovery recommended by another Indy I like, Mike Jastrzebski. This tale has action, mystery, treasure, betrayal and all the gritty stuff that makes good story. Give this one a read, it is worth your time.



View all my reviews

Delta Queen in Chattanooga

Our cruising club scheduled a two night trip to Chattanooga in January and Mary & I decided to celebrate our 22nd anniversary a week early on the trip.

The Delta Queen is a real stern wheeler built in the 1920's for service on the Sacramento River between Sacramento and Oakland, California.  It was built in Scotland and then disassembled and shipped to Stockton, California where it was reassembled and placed in service.

The Queen served in WWII as a support vessel in San Francisco and eventually was refitted as a cruise ship carrying passengers to most ports on the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee Rivers through 2008 when her exemption from some safety regulations was not renewed .

The Delta Queen appeared headed to the scrapping yard when she was rescued and transported to Chattanooga, Tennessee to be used as a floating hotel.  The view from our main deck room was spectacular with Downtown Chattanooga directly across the river, sunsets to our right under the Market Street Bridge and sunrises to the left behind the pedestrian bridge.

If you find yourself planning a trip to Chattanooga, you might want to consider staying on the Delta Queen Hotel: it is a unique experience.  If you like Trains more than ships, try the Chattanooga Choo Choo at the southern end of the free trolley line - stay in a real sleeping car from the heydays of rail travel.  You'll have fun, we certainly did.

Touring the Delta Queen

Tennessee Snow



 

Snow on the roof

Significant snow is somewhat uncommon in our part of East Tennessee.  We are in the Little Tennessee River Valley at about 800 feet of elevation with a large lake to moderate the temperature.   A bit of sleet and a dusting of the white stuff is about normal for winter precipitation in Tellico Village so we were suprised this past weekend when the local weather folks quit hedging their bets and started talking in certainties and inches. 

By noon on Monday, we had over 6 inches on the ground with light snow still falling - a real blizzard by local standards and an opportunity to see our home from a different perspective.

Our driveway retaining wall displays  a beautiful pattern of triangles reaching into the distance as the snow hides the imperfections and every day patterns to present us with a new perspective.


The birdbath takes on the look of a well frosted cake.  All around me are sites and items presented in a beautiful new way and I am pleased to pause a few moments to reflect on my good fortune.