Our World: Park Avenue

Park Avenue, Arches National Park, Utah. June 23, 2011.

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This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Park Avenue, Arches National Park, Utah. June 23, 2011.

Park Avenue.  No, not the one in New York — the one in Arches National Park in Utah.  Park Avenue is one of the trails in Arches that we hiked during our June, 2011, visit.  The trail got the name ‘Park Avenue’ because the rock formations resembled skyscrapers.

Park Avenue, Arches National Park, Utah. June 23, 2011.

We got to the trail head in the morning before too many others were around.  It was a nice hike through the canyon, which we finished before the day got too hot.

Our World: Calabash, North Carolina

Calabash, North Carolina, waterfront. May 7, 2013.

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This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Betsy and I just got back from a week at the beach.  We stay at a wonderful inn in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, but we head to Calabash, North Carolina, each evening for dinner.

Shrimp boat tied up in Calabash, North Carolina. May 9, 2013.

Calabash is a fishing village that calls itself the ‘Seafood Capital of the World’.  I’m not about to argue with that description.  Calabash seafood is delicious, and there are several restaurants right along the docks where the fishing boats come in.  You can buy fresh seafood right off the boat, or enjoy a meal at a restaurant as you watch the boats coming in.

Calabash scallops and shrimp at the Dockside restaurant, Calabash, North Carolina. May 5, 2013.

The photo above shows some Calabash shrimp and scallops.  It’s definitely worth the trip from Tennessee to enjoy these yummies.

Our World: Biltmore’s Walled Garden

Tulips in the Walled Garden of the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. April 16, 2013.

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This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Earlier this month Betsy and I visited the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.  We go several times a year, and this time we hoped to be able to see the tulips in bloom.

As you can see from the picture above, our timing was just about perfect.  There were tulips at the entrance to the estate, but we went on to the Conservatory and Walled Garden.

Tulips in the Walled Garden of the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. April 16, 2013.

The Walled Garden is a formal ornamental garden.  Part of the Walled Garden is a permanent rose garden, but plantings in the remainder of the garden are changed throughout the year.

Biltmore Estate’s Walled Garden, Asheville, North Carolina. April 16, 2013.

After walking through the tulips, Betsy and I walked to a hill where we could look down on the Walled Garden.  In this picture you can see the design of the garden.  The flower beds on the other side of the arbor are mirror images of the beds on this side.

Our World: Yaki Point, Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon from Yaki Point. June 16, 2011.

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This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

In June, 2011, Betsy and I visited the Grand Canyon.  It was everything we were told it would be and then some.  I don’t think any picture could do the scene justice, bt we took many anyway.  This picture of the canyon was taken from Yaki Point.

Our World: Little River Falls

Little River Falls, Fort Payne, Alabama. March 8, 2013.

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This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Earlier this month Betsy and I went to Fort Payne, Alabama, to celebrate my birthday.  One of the first places we visited was Little River Falls in Little River Canyon National Preserve.

Little River is unique in that it flows for almost its entire length along the top of Lookout Mountain.  As such it doesn’t have much depth, but there was a good water flow when we were there in March.

Betsy and I at Fall River Falls, Fort Payne, Alabama. March 8, 2013.

We have been to Little River Falls before, but this time we found a new boardwalk and observation deck.  The deck allowed us to have a wonderful view of the falls.

Little River Falls, Fort Payne, Alabama. March 8, 2013.

Little River Falls is a 45-foot waterfall that marks the beginning of Little River Canyon.  The canyon is approximately eleven miles long and is up to 700 feet deep.  Little River Canyon is sometimes called the “Grand Canyon of the East.”

Our World: Repulse Bay, Hong Kong

Repulse Bay, Hong Kong, June, 1987.

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This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

All of these pictures were scanned from slides.

When I went to China the first time (1987) our first stop in Asia was Hong Kong.  Hong Kong was still under British rule at that time, and the mixture of European and Oriental influences was fascinating.

Repulse Bay, Hong Kong, June, 1987.

Hong Kong was (and I believe still is) a crowded city.  But while there we visited Repulse Bay, a beautiful area which was largely unspoiled.

There are a couple of explanations for the name, Repulse Bay.  One story is that the name comes from a 19th century battle in which the British army repulsed attacking pirates.  Another story is that the bay got its name from HMS Repulse, which was stationed there in the 1840s.

Repulse Bay, Hong Kong, June, 1987.

Regardless of how the bay got its name, it was a beautiful, quiet spot in 1987.  My understanding is that it is now a luxurious residential area.

Our World: Cumberland Mountain

Byrd Lake, Cumberland Mountain State Park, Crossville, Tennessee. May 15, 2011

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This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Cumberland Mountain State Park is a relatively small state park near Crossville, Tennessee.  The main feature of the park is Byrd Lake (above).

The dam which forms Byrd Lake, built by the CCC. Cumberland Mountain State Park, Crossville, Tennessee. May 15, 2011.

The lake is formed by a dam capped by seven arches carrying a road.  The dam is the largest masonry project completed by the CCC.  It was substantially rebuilt in 2010-2011.

The restaurant at Cumberland Mountain State Park. May 15, 2011.

The park has camping sites, hiking trails, boating and a swimming pool.  One of the things we like best about Cumberland Mountain isa the restaurant overlooking the lake.  We enjoy their delicious buffets several times during the year.

Our World: King’s Bluff Trail

Betsy on the King’s Bluff Loop Trail in the Ozark National Forest of Arkansas. February 11, 2013.

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This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

A beautiful blue February Sky. February 11, 2013.

This past Monday Betsy and I hiked the King’s Bluff Loop Trail in the Ozark National Forest in Arkansas.  We had been there several years before, but it was good to go back, especially on a pretty February day under a beautiful blue sky.

King’s Bluff Falls, Ozark National Forest, Arkansas. February 11, 2013.

The trail led to King’s Bluff Falls which actually had a fairly good water flow.  It was only a trickle the last time we were there.

A pedestal at the Pedestal Rock Scenic Area of Arkansas. February 11, 2013.

After leaving the waterfall the trail looped around to rock outcroppings that over some spectacular views of rock pedestals formed by erosion over millions of years.  Many of the pedestals have varied-colored lichen growing on the rock faces.

The hike was a wonderful way to enjoy the marvelous beauty of God’s creation.

Our World: Betsy Got Some Snow!

Snow falling at our house. February 2, 2013.

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This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Betsy finally got some snow to enjoy!  It started snowing Saturday morning and came down at a pretty good clip.  We had three or more inches by the time it was over.

Our front yard. February 2, 2013.

We didn’t have much traffic on the road in front of the house for much of the day.  The road was snow covered, as were our roses and flower beds.  The snow looked nice on the blocks of the wall near the road.

Spring flowers that have come up poking through the blanket of snow. February 2, 2013.

Betsy was delighted with the snow, but I’m not sure our Spring flowers were as happy about it as Betsy was.

Our World: Little Pigeon River

Little Pigeon River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 23, 2013.

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This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Last week Betsy and I traveled to Gatlinburg to spend a couple of days in the Smokies.  Although our trip was cut short by an impending ice storm, we still were able to enjoy the beauty of ‘our’ Smoky Mountains without the distraction of lots of traffic or tourists.

Little Pigeon River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 23, 2013.

Winter is a marvelous time to visit the park because the rivers are relatively high, and the rocky stream beds provide wonderful photographic opportunities.

Little Pigeon River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 23, 2013.

On our second morning in the Smokies we drove up Greenbrier Road along the Little Pigeon River.  Although we stopped several times for pictures, these photos were taken at the bridge where the road to Ramsey Cascade meets Greenbrier Road.