Wednesday, April 26, 2006

 

Day 65 - The Tagalong Kid

Greetings! How nice and bloggy you are looking this morning!

I am sitting at the computer desk, drinking my power-bloggy-juice (coffee), and thinking how easy this blogging stuff is when everything is working right.

Confession: I did Monday's and Tuesday's blogs from another location. I accompanied Charlie to an 'IT' related conference which was held in East Tennessee at Fall Creek Falls State Park Inn and Conference Center Sunday through Tuesday.
I've gone with him before, but not for quite a few years. It was a really nice time! If you look hard you can see people in this photo on the top floor of the Inn.

We were in a room on the ground floor and you could walk right out to the lake. Here's Charlie with his official conference badge on.

I didn't feel it would be a good idea to announce on the world wide web that our house is empty and we're away. Is that too paranoid?

Think back to Monday, when Blogger was down. Here I am at a conference where I have to compete for terminal time with 200 other attendees and guests on THREE computers, and the darn Blogger site won't publish anything! Grrrr... Monday was not my favorite day.

Anyway - we had a wonderful time, and I got a chance to proclaim to the world how much I am enjoying being unemployed. Nobody felt too sorry for me. ;-) I even bumped into some 'people who know people' that I know. One woman had been to a baby shower I attended. Small world.

The Fall Creek Falls waterfall is just BEE_YOU_TI_FUL.

With the spring rains there is more water coming over it at this time of year than later in the season.

The smaller falls to the right of Fall Creek Falls is named 'Coon Creek Falls'.

We did some sightseeing in the afternoon to various overlooks in the park and walked on some of the trails.

I took some pictures to share with YOU, my bloggership.

We drove along the scenic one-way road that winds through the park. There are many places with parking areas or pull-over spots to get a good view of the spectacular scenery. In the spring, there are wildflowers everywhere, and some of the trees are in bloom.

We stopped to take pictures of a tulip poplar tree in bloom. It flowers, but I rarely come across them.

See the orange blossoms? Awesome!

Supposedly you can pick the blossoms and float them in a bowl of water like candles for decoration.

The tulip poplar is a common tree here, but for some reason I almost never get to see it's flowers! I think I read that the tulip poplar isn't a poplar at all, it's a member of the magnolia family.

I happen to love trees. I can identify quite a few.

I also love how 'root structures' of trees look on hiking trails - it looks kind of spooky and 'rugged' somehow.
This is a photo looking back at the parking area from one of the overlook spots.

Aren't the roots cool?

By the way - Charlie saw a snake during this trip but didn't get a picture of it.


This view is particularly magnificent.

The name of it is 'Millikans Overlook'. (insert voices here saying 'Ooooh', 'Aaaah' in appreciation.)

Makes you want to go on vacation, doesn't it?

Contemplation of the day:

In spring, there is so much variety found just in the color green - with all the leaves and grasses being fresh and new. Imagine all the possibilities found in just one little thing.

Aaaaah... and if I had been WORKING, I guess I would have missed it all. *sigh*

Well, I'd better get this posted so you can experience the sights that I have enjoyed the last couple of days. TTFN!



Comments:
As a matter of fact, the tulip poplar, also known as the yellow polpar, is the state tree of Tennessee. More than you ever wanted to know can be found at:

http://www.50states.com/tree/tennessee.htm
 
Thanks, Charlie, for all that wonderful tree information! I'd like the state tree of Tennessee to be in MY yard, please.
:)

Beautiful pics, Mom. I do wish I was on vacation!!!
xoxoxo
 
Karen, how long have you been in Tennessee and didn't know the state tree? bad girl!
 
Mea culpa - Excuuuuuse Meeeee! ;-)
 
Whoa - did you say, "compete for terminal time"? What the heck's a "terminal"?
 
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