John Oliver's Cabin - 1820's This idyllic setting is John Oliver's cabin in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee. Following the one-way eleven-mile loop around Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains NP, one of the first points of interest is John Oliver's cabin. The log cabin was built without nails or wooden pegs. Notched corners in … Continue reading John Oliver’s Cabin
Hoover's Birthplace Just east of Iowa City on I-80 is a sign, "Herbert Hoover's Presidential Museum." Literally, just off the north side of the Interstate is the entrance to the 31st president's birthplace and museum. Born in 1874 in West Branch, Iowa, Hoover was the first president born west of the Mississippi River. Prior to … Continue reading Hoover’s Birthplace
Commercial Street Once you've been to Provincetown, MA, that wild and crazy town on the very tip of Cape Cod, you are allowed to call it "P" Town. You know, its chic when you abbreviate things that are sooo blase. Commercial Street is the main drag; it's less than a mile long, but everything happens … Continue reading “P” Town
Cape Cod Bright early morning sun and a soft wind promised a glorious spring day on Cape Cod. It was Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend. We had fought so much traffic in yesterday's rush to reach the Cape, I expected to see half of America getting their boats ready. Nobody. The dinghy looked tired, … Continue reading Dinghy
Great Smoky Mountains NP Great Smoky Mountains NP covers over 800 square miles with 11.4 mm visitors per year; very crowded along the major roads and popular sights. Even the popular trails are crowded. But, if you're motivated, you can still find a nice place for a nap. Thought for the Day: My wish is … Continue reading Nap Time
Slice & Dice I took my 6 year old granddaughter out to the garden to gather some spinach leaves. She is always eager to help. Her eyes lit up when I gave her the sharp paring knife to cut the stem while I held back the leaf; this was her first experience with a "sharp … Continue reading Slice & Dice
Wychmere Beach Club My best friends celebrated their 50th anniversary at Wychmere Beach Club on Cape Cod on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. The weather was perfect for the Harwich Chamber of Commerce ads and travel agency photos. The story goes back farther than 50 years. We all knew each other in high school, … Continue reading Wychmere Beach Club
Old Glory I couldn't pass this date up without showing the Stars & Stripes. Seventy-five years ago today, June 6, 1944, the largest amphibious invasion in world history took place on the French coast of Normandy. The Allied forces (U.S, Britain, Canada, Australia and French Resistance) invaded France to liberate them and all of Europe … Continue reading D-Day
Provincetown, MA is noted for its open, no-questions-asked, and anything-goes attitude. It reminded me of Key West ... but inhabited/visited only a few months a year. Pet owners display this attitude with their pets. The sign on this harness caught my eye; I thought it was hilarious. On second thought, I wondered if this dog … Continue reading 4-Legged Romeo
Monkey Bars YAY! School is OUT! Swimming, bike riding, picnics, fireworks, later bedtime, flip flops, cousins, the Lake, parades, campfires, bare feet, the zoo, smores, sleepovers, parks, ice cream cones, sun screen, chiggers, blowing soap bubbles, road trips, boat rides, Fourth of July, annual growth measurement, family vacation, popsicles, bug repellent ... AND, conquering the … Continue reading School’s Out!
Roaring Fork Grist Mill This is a small grist mill along the Little Roaring Fork River in Great Smoky Mountain NP. It's right on the road of a six mile motor trail that starts in Gatlinburg, TN. Easy to get to; you can visit this place in your flip flops. Thought for the Day: America's … Continue reading Grist Mill
Cades Cove - Great Smoky Mountains NP Cades Cove is the most popular spot for visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was nothing like I expected. Where I come from in the Mid West, a cove is a water feature; i.e. a protected or sheltered inlet of a waterway. But, according to Webster's … Continue reading Cades Cove
Missouri River Flooding - 2019 In mid-March, over two months ago, the Missouri River got out of its banks from Sioux City, NE down to Hamburg, IA, flooding towns and cropland. Hundreds of people lost their homes, thousands of acres of prime farmland was destroyed, and I-29 was closed for six weeks. This picture was … Continue reading Iowa Rice Paddy
Ngorongoro Crater A few gazillion years ago a volcano blew its top off. Given the size of the crater today, 11 miles across and 2,000' deep, the mountain was taller than Mount Kilimanjaro, the world's tallest free standing mountain and just a few miles away in Northern Tanzania. It is the most intact caldera in … Continue reading Crater
Looking East from Joslyn Museum A recent visit to Omaha's Joslyn Museum was delightful ... as is always the case. But, upon exiting the museum, I was blessed with this gorgeous early spring setting of Omaha's skyline. The sidewalk leads to Central High School, which was the original Nebraska State Capitol. There is a lot … Continue reading Omaha Skyline
Hidden Mouse Childhood memories drew me to this old barn; the old milk can gave me flash backs of my grandparent's farm and the "milk route" they had, supplied by five Holstein cows. Gunny sacks, hay bales and watering cans were commonly found on the farm; however, I don't recall them being stored so neatly. … Continue reading Hidden Mouse
AIDs and malaria are the primary cause of Tanzanian orphans. Orphaned children are typically taken in by other family members; the orphanage is a last resort. The orphanage keeps hair short for maintenance and hygienic reasons so the only way to tell girls from boys is the skirts they wear. Visitations from mission groups are … Continue reading Winning Smile
1930's Gate Latch Do you remember gates like this? The main frame was steel pipe that supported a wire mesh like the two strands shown above. The latch was simple, but effective. I don't know the origin of this kind of latch, but it was still being used on "modern" chain link fencing in the … Continue reading Old Gate Latch
Solitude A boy's version of a man cave is a tree house. When I was a kid, a neighbor and I used some scrap lumber and built a tree house in his elm tree. It was more like a platform spread across two sturdy limbs with no walls or any cover. Nothing fancy, but it … Continue reading Solitude
WW II Bomber This photo was taken at the SAC Air & Space Museum near Ashland, NE. I jazzed it up a bit, as the plane sits inside a huge hangar with busy backgrounds and low lighting. What caught my eye was the red warning sign, "Propeller". My first thought was "Duh", then I thought … Continue reading Propeller
