ENJOYING THE SNOW - A FAMILY TRADITION

The first photo I have of Corey (at right) enjoying the snow is from 1976.  Doesn't he look comfy in that fuzzy outfit!? He has always enjoyed the white stuff and so has the family.  Corey had his whole family out in it yesterday at his Papaw Harmon's, where the whole clan used to enjoy winter snows.

Even back in the early 70's, while Corey's mom and I were living at the Harmon's, and I was attending UT, I would come home from school (UT never closes) and hit the front yard slope!  My friend Bill and I would stay out late in the light of the porch light and run the hill until we were just too pooped to climb the hill one more time.  I would then go in and struggle to keep my eyes open long enough to study.

Those were good times, with a lawn chair bolted to a pair of water skis, we would slip into supersonic speeds, traveling well over a hundred yards at times.  Some snows back in those days would stay on the ground for days, giving us extra good times.  Today, you have to sled that morning or miss out!

However, this week's 4 or 5 inches has stuck to us like a Thanksgiving feast!  I've been out in it two days now and thinking about giving up today's nap and hitting the snowy trail again!

The snowmen photo is of Lily yesterday, enjoying her first real taste of outdoor fun in the snow, and of her dad back in 1978.  Lily pulled herself up the hill more than anyone thought, even though occasionally she would simply fall down and begin eating snow!  It was a refreshing pause, one that I too remember from days gone by.  

Back in my day (that's what old folks say) my parents would say, "Don't eat that snow...it's radioactive!"  It was probably true, but I would sneak and eat 3 or 4 snowballs every time it snowed.  Yesterday, all the advice offered to Lily was, "Don't eat yellow snow!"

Corey is a competitive sports nut and always goes until he drops.  His spinning "disk" sledding feats were a dizzying affair yesterday, one that would have had me puking!  He's loved the disk since '78.  It's a shame your kids can't grow up with you and enjoy all the old times with you.  He would have been impressed with his old man, almost as much as I am of him today!

Judy and I have always taken off work when it would snow...not because we couldn't get there, but because we wanted to "play in the snow"!  People our age are still amazed, for some reason, at how much we love the snow. 

We used to get out at night and walk in the woods while it was snowing.  It's a great adventure and great fun, and you'd be amazed at how well you can see at night in the snow.  All the light available is amplified by the snow with a glow all around you.  It's also wonderful how the sound of snow coming down through the dried leaves makes you feel.  It's so comforting and relaxing!  I miss that...have to try it again soon, but the snows lately have been coming down in the wee hours of morning.  Next time one begins late in the evening...we'll be out there!

Monday, Judy and I were out down by the creek behind the house.  The creek empties into the lake and at that junction Geese nest.  We tried to get close for photos, and we did get close enough for my 300mm lens to get a few good shots before they scattered.

Judy did her first snow angel, which I still don't believe it was her first, and she was so proud of it!

So, come on, let it snow...we've still got a few good times left in us!

DID YOU GET SNOW?

The better question is, "Did you get out and play in the snow?"This was our first "real" snow is several years, still not like it used to be, but it was measurable snow of from 4 to 6 inches.The Dragons (them) and Knights took the opportunity to do a little hiking and photo shooting at the nearby Frozen Head State Park, near Wartburg, Tennessee. I always get a few comments about the town's name when I post it, but it really is a nice community about 8 to 10 miles from my house.

Tennessee's Frozen Head State Park is a lovely wilderness pocket nestled between two mountains, and just past the Morgan County Correctional Complex on Flat Fork Road.

We just wanted a short distance walk, since we all getting hungry, so we took the Interpretive Loop, which is around .4 miles long. However, the loop offers many wildflowers (in season), a roaring creek, water falls, bridges, old foundations from the CCC era, and wildlife, such as the 4 deer we saw quietly watching us from across the creek.

Everyone got some great shots and enjoyed the walk in the winter wonderland, especially being with family and being ourselves! Of course, being ourselves usually means there will be no wildlife within a mile of us!

However, I think the meal at Ruby's later was the highlight of the Sunday afternoon. Once someone mentioned Fat Tire, every action then become a means to an end! The Lobster Carbonara was very tasty too!

There are more shots on my Flickr page!

THE SOUTH WILL RISE IN HEAT AGAIN

Yes, it has been a very cold winter thus far. After nine straight days of near record cold temperatures, rain is predicted by tomorrow evening. There was never much snow, but the temps dropped and stayed below freezing for longer than it has in several years, so what little fell stuck around and is still around in places. Oh, it's been as cold over the past winters, but it has been some time since it stayed that cold during the day for this long.

I really don't remember, at least in recent memory, seeing the Emory River freeze over. It wasn't thick enough to walk out on, but there was at least an inch of ice covering the lake areas from shore to shore. The rocks and debris, including one garage can I saw, that kids threw out onto the ice still await a warm enough day to allow them to settle to the bottom.

Even the water inside plants and at their roots was forced up and out into beautiful little ice flowers known as "Frost Flowers"! I thought the little white things along the roadside were pieces of paper, but after stopping and taking a closer look I saw their beauty frozen in time.

There is one fountain in our local Riverfront Park that completely froze up, while another in the little pond by "Wild Wings Cafe" in Knoxville still struggled to put out its spray.

As I wrote in my last post, the ice covering the river made weird noises, sounds I called "singing" as the wind above and the water moving below pushed at the surface causing strains that made audible sounds. I've heard the Indians talk about the singing waters, but I always assumed it was babbling springs, but it could have also been the friction of the ice as it gently moved on the waters. Follow this link to hear the "Chants of Frozen Lakes" by Marc Namblard! Click the audio start button to hear the recordings.

Nonetheless, spring shall be back in sixty days or so, and all will be forgotten, save these photos. I suppose that's true about everything though...it's here...then gone...unless we have a photograph to remind us.

More frozen photos HERE.

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!

I took Judy down to the river this morning to hear the ice sing, but alas the river and ice didn't feel up to it today. I mentioned this in my cooking post HERE yesterday, and she wanted to hear it for herself. Maybe tomorrow...after tonight's little bit of snow the ice will sing to us!

We had headed out to see Avatar, but debated on whether or not we should go. All the weather services were predicting snow and we hated to drive the 40+ miles to Knoxville and not be able to get back home. However, nothing ventured nothing gained, so we took off.

I'm so glad we did. James Cameron's movie "Avatar" is absolutely wonderful - candy for the eyes! Once you get immersed in the movie, you will wish you could live on Pandora too! A world so beautiful, so connected to everything on it and in it, so wonderful it even lights you path at night. Everything is beautiful and understands its place and contribution to every other living and non-living thing.

To me it was a European and Indian confrontation all over again, except this time the Na' vi (Indians with Afro-American characteristics) band together to force its adversaries to leave them and their land alone! How I wished that had happened then. Had the American Indian understood what was happening and united, the white Europeans would never have dared get off their tiny boats!

When the movie ended, which was, even though it was over 2 1/2 hours long, too soon, we came out to a white parking lot. The temperature was still around 28 degrees, but we had no problem getting home. The car slipped once when crossing a railroad track, but I may have punched it just a little too much...on purpose! Judy just smiles...she knows me!

Back at home, I pushed the heat back up to around 71, sipped a small glass of homemade wine, munched a few almonds, all in an attempt to pass the time until last night's stew was a decent eating temperature. We had an egg on an all-grain thin bread this morning, munched some nuts and a few apple slices during the movie, but now it was time for some real satisfying chow!

I can hardly wait for morning to see if the cold dry snow showers amount to more than an inch on the ground. It's so dry that it blows easily across the road or yard. Regardless, we plan to get out and find some winter beauty. If there's any beauty to be found, East Tennessee, any time of year, is the place to find it!

A LITTLE DAB’LL DO YA!

Got our first snow this year on December 5^th…hasn’t done that in several years; however the dab we got was about our usual. But, it gives us hope that we are returning to more normal winters in East Tennessee…in spite of Al Gore! (Hint: Global warming is a hoax!)

Judy saw to that we were warm and cozy with her prize winning chili in our stomachs. More on that HERE!

BREAKING BLOG SILENCE

Thought I would briefly break my silence and give you an update on what I’ve been doing.

First of all, it snowed…kind’a snowed…here today. However, it is no more than our usual dusting. The snow stuck briefly to surfaces that retain the required temperature. It is now about 2 hours later and a cold mist of rain, and higher temps, have wiped away all memory, except for a photo I took; of the temporary beauty snow brings to the brown of winter.

I have also been busy working on developing a blog for a “non-profit” cause to which I recently started devoting some time. I’ve joined a local partnership and committee group determined to restore and bring back the entertainment value of the old Princess Theater here in Harriman. CLICK HERE TO SEETHE PRINCESS!

Several years ago, Gary Baker, an old friend of mine, and Muse Watson, a 30year veteran movie and television actor, joined together to buy the Princess Theater after the theater company decided to close it. They then leased the facility back to Cecil Johnson, an uncle and friend of mine through my first marriage, who ran the theater until 2001.

About that time Muse got busy in Hollywood and decided he needed to live in LA full-time. So, Muse sold his interest to Gary, and Gary gave the building to the City of Harriman, who turned around and leased it back to the “Princess Theater Partnership”. The Partnership, in conjunction with “The Princess Theater Restoration Committee Board of Directors” (a group of business and political folks, and educators), is now working to restore the Princess to her former beauty and value to the community.

Long story short, I am supporting the effort with my meager knowledge of blogging, web hosting and design, and photography. It is very enjoyable and gets me out of the house more often. The pay is a good feeling down deep in my soul!

You can keep up with our progress on The Princess Theater blog, which may one day become a true web page.

IS THAT ALL THERE IS?

Is that all there is,
is that all there is If that's all there is my friends,
then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is

(Written by Stoller & Leiber)

It never fails that my friend Bruno will send me an email and tell me to get ready…batten down the hatches…there’s a snow of the way!

However, I live in a valley that runs along Walden Ridge from Chattanooga to Knoxville. The ridge drops off from the Cumberland Plateau west of Harriman. Once weather systems hit that ridge they usually go north of here, on through Morgan County, through Anderson County, and then sweeps northeast of the city of Knoxville in Knox County.

Therefore, when I looked out my garage door one morning last week after Bruno gave me the heads-up, all I saw was a little frozen percept on the hood of my truck! Ten miles north there was 10 to 11 inches on the ground, parts of Knoxville got 4 to 6 inches, and Mt. LeConte in the Smoky Mountains got 22 inches. Mushy got zip!

To illustrate how much the ridge affects our weather, there have been two tornadoes just 4 miles up the road toward Wartburg over the past three years. The storms are funneled their direction, leaving our area protected. Now that I don’t mind…but couldn’t it just push the snows over our way and let me enjoy snows like we used to! What happened…did the mountains push up higher over the last 20 years?

The last big snow here was in 1993…a doosey of a blizzard…yes, an actual blizzard with sub-zero temps and chill factors, high winds blowing 3 and 4 foot drifts, and about 10 inches of actually snow fall.

In our old house, I slept upstairs with no heat except from the waterbed used. I remember our little house shuttered but stood up against the 50 and 60 MPH gusts, but it made a terrible howling sound as it rounded the corner of the house where I lay wide-eyed with the cover up under my neck!

There was a time when this area enjoyed several “deep” snows each season, some lasting over two weeks before slowly melting. Once, while I was going to UT, there was a deep snow and a hard freeze that lasted a couple of weeks. Bill, you remember Bill from my UT tales, and I “played” outside like kids under the street and security lights almost every night for over a week. We even nailed an aluminum lawn chair to a pair of water skis, minus the little fin on the bottom, and slide down a hill between our houses until we could hardly walk back inside!

But today it seems these little dustings are all we are going to get. So, it appears that that’s all there is!

It appears even the Crocus know it's over for this season...these popped up just after the little snow appeared!

WINTER STORM – HA!

This is what the local news is calling a “WINTER STORM,” can you believe it? There is maybe an inch, possibly two, but even last night before anything happened, all the area school systems closed for today. You can put good money on the fact that school will be closed tomorrow as well. They always say, “There are shaded areas on country roads that will remain slick,” so another “Snow Day” for all the kids!

It was evident something was going to happen, because there was a “ring around the moon” night before last. I tried to capture it, but my “point and shoot” camera’s lens was just not wide angle enough. I only caught one edge.

Hope you got out of school or work today and are lounging around the house in your PJs. Me, well, I got to take my wife to the doctor, but the roads look as good as my driving, so we will not have any trouble.

See ya.