More Drive Abouts

16 October 2007 - These are more scenes we shot as we wandered around northern Georgia. The barn was one we discovered not too far from Ellijay and I am using a sepia effect to see how it changes the appearance. What do you think? The sign was quite a surprise to me as I never thought of DeSoto coming to northern Georgia (in this case actually across the border in Murphy, North Carolina). The two graveyard photos are also from Murphy - we were told by one of the locals that Abe Lincoln's birth father was buried in the cemetary so I took photos of same. Upon checking the story on the internet, it seems this is one of several fables regarding Honest Abe. His birth father is unknown but it appears that this particular man can be ruled out due to time and distance constraints. I will take their word for it but it did make an interesting little story!!



 
 
 
 

Around Northern Georgia

16 October 2007 - We enjoyed driving around the area while we were helping with the llama and these are some of the scenes we found to enjoy. Many of the small towns in the area are becoming attractive to traffic out of Atlanta which is good in that it encourages the towns to keep the old area intact (and to restore more of the buildings) but is bad in that they will gradually lose the very character that makes them attractive. The water falls are located along the Appalachian Trail (or nearby) where it starts on the southern end. It would be great to enjoy the AT but I think it is probably a bit much for us at this time in our lives. We were also on the AT in the park in Virginia.


 
 
 
 

Cherry Log Georgia

16 October 2007 - We are out of Shenandoah National Park and on our way to Florida. Looks like we will have our very first grandchild today!!!! Mom is more than ready and dad sounds a bit nervous when he rang this morning to let us know the process had started. We await the news and pray all goes well. Since we cannot make it to Ft. Myers before another week, we will have to settle for photos and phone calls until then. In the meantime I will get a couple of postings made to the travel blog.
These photos were taken in the small town of Cherry Log just outside of Ellijay. They have a bluegrass night every Thursday during the summer and we were very fortunate to be able to attend a couple of them. These photos were my choice as it shows the family atmosphere of the whole affair. Note the young man beginning his singing/playing career in the first photo and then his 'independent' walk with mom later!! The young girl was more interested in visiting with her friends and family but also enjoyed the music. Cute isn't she?


 
 
 
 

Final War Memorial Photos

25 Sept 2007 - Although I have been to the Vietnam Wall numerous times I had never had the opportunity to listen to the volunteer make his speach about the wall. Perhaps I knew and had forgotten (happens more these days) but in case you didn't know (remember) the story of the design of the Wall it includes the following facts:

It was chosen from a competition of designs.
It was designed by a young (20ish) woman of Chinese descent (second generation).
She was an architectural student.
The only change to the original design (after much controversy) was to add the figures of 3 soldiers (depicted below) and much later the figures of the three women (nurses) tending to a soldier (also below).

The last photo is again of the WWII memorial and is looking through the Atlantic arch toward the Pacific arch with the fountains between the two. Farewell to Washington this morning with a stop at Dulles for the new Air & Space exhibit.

 
 
 

Korean War Memorial

24 Sept 2007 - Another new addition since our last visit is the memorial to the Korean War Veterans. Very dramatic!! This has always been the 'Forgotten' war for many people and was the first war I was really aware of so it has a special meaning for me and I was impressed. Standing looking at the memorial you could almost feel the soldiers moods and thoughts as they moved out. Although it was our least costly war in men and money it continues to effect the world today. Becky's Uncle Vernon has received a letter from the Korean government expressing their appreciation for what the US did for their country and it was very special for Becky and I to visit this new memorial.


 
 

Washington, D.C.

24 Sept 2007 - We have been looking in on my sister, Dot, and nieces Teresa and Alta on our days off so have not done much sightseeing so we treated ourselves to a 3 day trip to Washington. These photos are of the new WWII memorial which is a new addition since our last visit. We have really enjoyed the visit but had forgotten how much walking it takes to be a tourist!!!! Are my feet ever tired! Thank goodness for the Metro, however, as we are able to stay out in Arlington and take the Metro right onto the Mall at the Smithsonian. I can remember when I used to drive right there and manage to find a place to park but I would not want to try that now. We went down on Sunday, first, and then back on Monday and managed to see about 3 things each day. Tomorrow we plan to head back but stop at the new Air & Space Exhibit at Dulles Airport. It has the space to display those huge things the place on the Mall just cannot handle. More photos from that later.



 
 
 

Shenandoah National Park

24 Sept 2007 - We moved into our new home (for about 7 weeks) on 29 August so we could receive 3 days of training before the big weekend coming up. Sure enough, as you can see, the park reached 100% occupancy for only the second time this year!! Becky and I claim credit for the success (helped slightly by Labor Day weekend). The weather is beautiful and cool and the weeks are quiet and peaceful. We love it. We saw our first black bear within a few days (only a few sightings since) but we only managed a photo on one occasion. Deer, on the other hand, are very plentiful with many, many doe and at least 5 buck with at least 8 points. We believe at least one of them has 10 points and one has a huge spread on his rack. More photos to follow of them. The butterfly was Becky's first addition to the blog - pretty good pupil don't you think!