Back on the Road in Tennessee

Good morning,

After we took our side trip to a farm road in Tennessee (see yesterday's post) we got back on the main highway just in time to meet a thunder storm.

At least it wasn't cold enough to have ice on the roads.

We don't see so many of these Ruby Falls and Lookout Mountain barn paintings any  more.  We have visited both places.  That's a requirement for living in this part of the country.  ;)

 We were here in November when the weather was still quite warm.  These cute little characters were waiting for us outside our Dandridge, Tennessee, Hampton Inn.

Soon we'll be going the other way and back on the ship!

All the best,
Lois

Farm Road in Tennessee

Good morning,

Regular readers know we love road trips.  We often get off of the Interstate and take a few back roads to see what we can see.

We got off the highway this time because we saw some interesting clouds and changing weather coming. 

We ended up on a farm road rich with images trying to jump into our cameras.  My Honey was driving while I took pictures from the window of the car.

A little more barn/garage was needed for this truck. 

Cows and tractors are to be found here according to signage. 

 The people we saw in cars and working their farms were all very friendly.  They waved, we waved, they waved, we waved....  I figure that was a test to see if we were friendly.  ;)

 We managed to drive around the mountain and ended up on a private road. 

 We never did get any pictures of the unusual clouds we thought me might find over here, but we did exchange waves with some friendly people and get some fun pictures.

Road trips are so much fun, especially when we take the time to get off of the main highway once in awhile.  :)

All the very best,
Lois

Look Now! Watch us sail out of Port Canaveral on Web Cam! - Special Post!

Hi!

We are getting ready to sail out of Port Canaveral.  There is a web cam where you can watch us if you see this in the next few minutes:

http://www.portcanaveralwebcam.com/

We are the white ship on the left, Freedom of the Seas.  We are scheduled to sail at 4:30 PM, but sometimes are slightly delayed for late arriving guests.

All the best!

Lois

Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands at Viera, Florida

Good morning,


First, an Erik update (see yesterday's post):  The blood tests didn't give us any more information about what made Erik sick.  We are just happy now that he is back to his old happy self.  Just a little info since some folks have commented on Erik's trip to the friend's home in the country.  Erik and Penny were never out of Catherine's sight on that trip.  That's why it is so mysterious about Erik getting something that obviously hurt him so much.  :\

Second, a programming note:  We are back in Florida again.  We are going aboard Freedom of the Seas in Port Canaveral today.  While the ship is at sea and out of the USA, our only Internet connection is via satellite. I will only have an Internet connection with enough band width to upload pictures when we are in US ports so my blog posts will lag by a few days from real time.  I will also have to wait for a US port to have enough band width to be able to load your blog pages and comment to let you know I have been there.   I do have email 24/7 while we are at sea. 

Today's images were taken when we were at the Wetlands in Viera, Florida, last September.

The wetlands are adjacent to the Viera water treatment plant.

When we were here a few months earlier, we were able to drive through the property.  We were very disappointed to see this sign.

We did walk a short distance around the lakes.

 

There are signs suggesting visitors stay in their cars - the alligators live here, you know - but it is hard to stay in your car when there is a chain across the drive So, if you want to see the wetlands you walk.  Catch 22.  :\

Anyway, it was a beautiful day and we walked on the road and away from the edges of the lakes.

 As usual, I took some pictures of the handsome guy I see everywhere taking pictures. ;)

 We did not see a very big variety of birds this time, but we did enjoy the ones we saw.

 This was a very smart fellow. He waited as the water came through the pipe and plucked his lunch right out of his "fountain."

 It was a lovely visit.  Perhaps next time we will be able to drive further into the wetlands and will see more birds and other critters.

All the best,
Lois

3:00 AM Vet Visit

Good morning,

I took this image of daughter Catherine with Erik on her lap about 3:00 AM at the Emergency Vet about a week ago.

We still don't know what happened to him, but Erik was very, very sick.  He couldn't keep anything inside (from either end) and was miserable.  We took him to the vet in the middle of the night and they couldn't figure out exactly what was wrong with him. He had swallowed no foreign objects and there was no blockage.

By the next morning he couldn't walk.  Erik will be three years old in April.  He's a canine athlete and competes in Agility Trials so is otherwise very, very healthy.

This all happened within hours of Catherine taking the dogs to visit friends in the country followed by having the whole family here for brunch.  The brunch could have nothing to do with it because our other dog, Penny, and all of us ate the food and we are all fine.

The emergency vet and our regular vet the next day were not able diagnose exactly what was wrong, but it appeared Erik had been poisoned.  We don't know if it was something he picked up out in the country, on a walk near home, something that someone threw over our fence....  If only he could talk.

After preliminary testing at his office, our regular vet sent out blood and urine samples, but we don't have the results yet at this writing.  He prescribed meds that seemed to do the trick.  

The good news is that Erik is back to his happy self now. 

This was tough....

Lois

William Henry Harrison's Tomb - North Bend, Ohio

Good morning,

On a cold, clear January day we visited William Henry Harrison's Tomb in North Bend, Ohio, just West of Cincinnati.

W. H. Harrison was the Ninth President of the United States.

I remember visiting this monument with my parents when I was a child.

 Today the monument was closed.

 But, looking through the gate we could see the guest book and flowers at the tomb.

President Harrison served the shortest amount of time of any US president.  He contracted pneumonia in the bitterly cold Washington DC January weather and died 32 days later.

More information about President William Henry Harrison can be found here.

 This is the view of Route US 52 and the Ohio River from the plaza in front of the tomb.

All the best,
Lois

Portrait of a Photographer Living on the Edge

Good morning,

I took these pictures of My Honey through the windshield of our car with my baby camera, my Canon PowerShot.  My big camera was at home.

We had stopped in Mt. Adams overlooking Cincinnati so he could take a few pictures. You just never know when you might see something that you want to put into your camera!

Needless to say, his images taken here are much better than my baby camera pictures.  His images are here.  He does such a good job, doesn't he.  :)

All the best,
Lois

Occupy Couch

Just taking some time out.  They do have jobs.  ;)

Nectar for the Birds

Good morning,

Today's image is of a man feeding one of the birds that is part of the display at the Newport Aquarium.  It's fun to be able to purchase the nectar, then experience feeding the birds. 

Yes, there was hand sanitizer at the end of this area. ;)

All the best,
Lois

Cincinnati Machine Tools

Good morning,

This machine is a working part of the display at the Cincinnati History Museum.  Demonstrations are given explaining the tools that helped to manufacture the things built America. 

The tools were shipped all over the world.  It is interesting to us, as we travel to different parts of the world, to see "Cincinnati Machine Tool Company" on equipment. 

The machine tools were used to manufacture the first items that make our lives so comfortable today.

This is so much fun taking a step back in history.

Enjoy,
Lois

Cincinnati Riverboats and Public Landing - Cincinnati History Museum

Good morning,

The riverboat model is at the History Museum in Cincinnati.

The Cincinnati Public Landing was the center of commerce for the city in its early days.

The museum has something so very special!  It's a life size riverboat inside the museum that visitors can explore. 

The riverboat is beside an area of dockside streets and buildings right out of the history of the city.  Even the streets are cobblestone replicas.

 You can stroll the streets and talk with actors who explain the different companies along the shore line.

 We walked aboard the riverboat.  At the left front of this image is a bale of cotton.  I remember seeing such bales in Mississippi when I traveled there with my parents when I was a child.

 The "working" mechanics of the riverboat were wonderful to see.  There was plenty of information about how it all made the riverboat move up and down the rivers.

 Important cargo.  ;)

 What beautiful riverboat china. 

 This beautiful wood inlay table was also a part of the riverboat display.  So may gorgeous hand made items!

We love museums.  Can you tell?  I hope you enjoyed your visit with us.

All the best,
Lois