First snow of the season

We had a dusting of one to two inches of snow overnight and into this morning around East Tennessee. When I woke up, flakes were flying, so I grabbed the camera.

 

Cash was extremely curious about the snow and didn't want to come inside from our back porch. He loved eating it even though it was falling on his nose, and he kept shaking it off.

 

 

Cash asked to go outside again later in the day, and I think he could have stayed out there a long time even though temps were in the 30s.

 

The snow built up quickly, but started to melt this afternoon once the sun came out. It was a nice dusting, especially since it's Christmas time!

 Here's our deflated snowman who became a snowman overnight.

The Christmas flag

I think our fall mum plant and hay bale have seen their day.

No birds in this photo at the feeders, but we saw several cardinals perching throughout the day.

Libby and a lot of other cars didn't move much this morning since it was a Saturday.

 

The only proof Sammie was outside...her paw prints as she ran back inside.

 

 

She preferred the comfort and warmth of her new bed.

A thankful Thanksgiving visit

We had a historical Thanksgiving since it was the first time we hosted someone for any holiday in our home. When we lived in Florida, we were always guests in a family member's home, and since we moved to Knoxville, we've celebrated with just the two of us and our two cats.

David's dad made the visit from Florida to Tennessee, stopping in Georgia to visit family members on his mom's side. He arrived in Knoxville Wednesday afternoon in time for lunch at a Knoxville favorite, Sam and Andy's. We made homemade pizza and salad for dinner. 

Sammie welcomed Grandpa Sam just as she welcomed my parents. She loves a good lap!

On Thursday, we prepared a relish tray with cheeses, pickles, olives and marinated mushrooms for lunch. It was chilly (or bone-chilling cold according to Grandpa Sam), but we took a walk around All Saints Catholic Church.

I took a photo of our table before we had eaten, but I forgot to take photos of the actual food. 

For Thanksgiving dinner, we had ham, turkey, green bean and corn casserole, yams, macaroni and cheese, sausage dressing and homemade rolls. There was also pecan pie, but we were too full to consume any that night, so it became Friday night's dessert.

Friday was a busy day since we wanted to show him some places around the area. We ate lunch at The Tomato Head in downtown Knoxville's Market Square and also visited Mast General Store, where I purchased a homemade wreath from the Boy Scouts who were selling them out front. 

Then we stopped by the Alex Haley statue near downtown for a quick photo. I still can't believe how large this statue is compared to all of us!

We were rushing to make it in time to Governor John Sevier's home since the web site stated it closed at 4 p.m. We arrived shortly before 4 p.m. and the folks there told us they'd be there until 5 p.m. He enjoyed seeing the history come alive. 

Dad treated us to dinner Friday night at Connors Steak and Seafood in Turkey Creek for David's upcoming birthday. It was a great visit, and we were sad to see him leave early Saturday morning. He had a safe trip home and beat the Sunday traffic. Thanks for visiting!

We're looking forward to seeing David's mom, grandma, sister and step-dad next weekend! Happy Holidays!

Fall Colors and Smells

I promised there would be a part two to my post earlier this week about the fall colors. There is a gorgeous tree we've found in Knoxville, known as the Ginkgo tree. It has gorgeous yellow leaves that bloom during the fall and make wonderful photos. When the leaves fall softly to the ground, they illuminate the path, and make it seem as if Dorothy will suddenly appear and starting following the yellow brick road.

The Ginkgo tree is dioecious, which means there are male and female trees. The female tress produce a fruit, which UT's Forest Resources Research and Education Center describes as having "a strong, malodorous odor." Malodorous is putting it mildly.  Because of this atrocious smell, males trees are normally planted, however there are several female trees on UT's campus and Pellissippi State Community College's campus, where David and I both have held our noses.

I didn't make the connection between the tree and the smell until this year. Every summer, I've noticed the fruits blooming and wondered what type of tree produces these round green balls. Every fall, I've noticed a strong smell near the parking garage on campus, but I always thought it was from a dumpster with rotting trash after a football game or some other event. I never realized it was from the trees growing near the garage.

Finally, I discovered these fruits that fall to the ground are causing the odor, especially when they are crushed by people's feet and cars driving on them. We were actually at a friend's house a month ago and when we got back in our car, which was parked under a tree with yellow leaves, we noticed the strong smell. It stayed with us in the car until we got home, and then we noticed our shoes carried some of the crushed fruit on the bottom. I started researching what type of tree and found the Ginkgo, which is seen and smelled in many states.

The fruits are gone now, and all that's left are the yellow leaves on the trees and the ground. I guess the strong odor is a small price to pay for the brilliant color they produce. (Thanks to David for snapping some of these photos during his visit to Pellissippi's campus yesterday. You can tell which ones are his since they look a lot better than mine! :))

Fall Colors Part 1

The leaves have fallen from most trees in East Tennessee, thanks in part to all the rain. I did snap a couple of shots recently near where we live, and there's a smelly (yes, smelly) tree on campus with beautiful yellow leaves that I'll write more about once I take a photo of them. I have my camera with me, but I keep forgetting to use it!

I haven't written about Sammie and Cash in a while, so here's an example of how we found them one evening when we came home from the grocery store. Sammie was sitting in the chair when we left, so Cash decided to join her. She's trying to teach him how to use my computer. In fact, she's been using it to write the annual holiday letter, a tradition Dolly started. One problem she's encountered so far is accidentally hitting the caps lock button...she must get that from her Grandpa Amos! :)

A Happy Halloween

Halloween is David's favorite holiday, and we have a tradition of decorating the weekend of the Florida/Tennessee football game in September, so our decorations have been up a while. Our "kids" are above...Pumkin, Telly and Willow. Don't you love Telly's lab glasses, courtesy of David.

The scary skeleton hangs on our front door, and when the wind blows, he knocks rather loudly.

A jack-o-lantern gourd one of my aunts made.

 

 

Our scarecrow couple out front with their hay bale, pumpkin and mum—an East Tennessee fall must-have decoration. 

We had a happy Halloween with more than 50 trick or treaters visiting us. The little kids were cute and still say "trick or treat," but some of the older ones just ring the bell and don't say anything, including a thank you. Some of their "costumes" are a bit different than the ones I remember wearing. As my dad would say, "Put some clothes on!"

It rained off an on all day, and I think the mist combined with the UT game last night kept some kids away, but it was still fun handing out candy. There were some families who drove their kids up and down the hill, but none like the first year we were here. It was past 9:30 p.m. on a weeknight, and our light was still on, but we hadn't had any kids visit us for at least an hour. The door bell rang, and when I opened the door, I saw about five kids with various costumes and pillow cases for treat bags. I loaded them up on candy since I knew this was probably the last group of the night. I realized a man was standing behind them, and I assumed it was their dad. He was dressed in a jail bird costume. I finished giving the kids candy, and was about to close the door, when he stepped up and demanded his candy. He smelled of alcohol and had only a few front teeth. I just put some candy in his bag and then noticed the mother of the children driving a beat up mini-van and smoking. It was a stereotypical Hillbilly Halloween to say the least.

We bought a jester hat for Cash, and he kept it on for about 5 minutes before figuring a way to get it off his head.

We ate lunch on Halloween at Vernon's Grill again, and it was another wonderful meal. They had some decorations, and I had to take a photo of this one with the Burger King being grilled. 

Hope you had a safe and Happy Halloween! Let's get out those Thanksgiving, I mean Christmas decorations now! :)

A visit from the folks

My parents visited us last weekend and enjoyed some cooler weather, which translates into very cold weather for them. We had highs in the upper 40s and low 50s and lows in the 30s. They traveled to Gatlinburg for a few days after visiting us and saw snow and ice on the road from Gatlinburg to Cherokee.

Sammie and Cash warmed up to their grandparents quickly, and Sammie enjoyed Mom's lap a few minutes after they arrived.

Sammie also had to investigate their suitcase.

Cash was a little shy at first but was soon running around and rubbing up against their legs. In this rare photo, he's actually sitting still.

It was a relaxing visit, and we drove around and showed them some sites, including a 12-foot statue of writer Alex Haley. I had never seen the 4,200-pound statue in Knoxville but have heard about it, so we found it with the help of some people who live near Morningside Park. Haley wrote the book Roots that traces his origins back to Africa.

It was a great visit, and we're already looking forward to their next trip!

Happy Birthday TNJN!

Wow, two birthday posts in one week! I guess Columbus Day is a popular time for celebrations.

The Tennessee Journalist, the School of Journalism and Electronic Media's official news site, celebrated its third birthday earlier this week. The site is a great way for University of Tennessee students to gain experience as writers, reporters and photographers. They upload articles about a variety of campus and Knoxville events and topics and also take photos and provide audio and video clips.

Journalism is changing and so is the way we teach journalism. We encourage our students to learn a variety of skills so they will be prepared to enter the job market. Convergence is a concept we stress since many media organizations are hiring what they call multi-media journalists.

Dr. Jim Stovall, the faculty adviser to TNJN, has some great resources at jprof.com about many topics related to journalism and journalism education.

As part of the site, TNJN Radio has weekly shows and newscasts that students produce. Using talkshoe.com, the shows are archived so anyone can listen live but also listen to previous shows if they miss any. A list of weekly shows is updated on Mondays, and one of the student producers, Mark McNabb, had a live show during the birthday celebration and interviewed editor Ben Moser, Dr. Stovall and me.

Happy Birthday Bubba!

My one and only sibling is celebrating his 24th birthday today! He was born on a Saturday evening in 1985, and I remember seeing him just a few minutes after our mom had delivered him. He had big brown eyes that greeted us as we entered the room.

I remember the day well since I was eight at the time and old enough to realize what was happening. I had wanted a little brother or sister for a long time. My dad was mowing the lawn, and my mom was starting to feel labor pains, so she called my grandmother to come and get me while my parents headed to Alachua General Hospital. 

When my mom arrived at the hospital that afternoon, they told her she wasn't far along yet, and she should go to the mall and walk around for a while. My mother, being the smart woman that she is, said no, and she said no because of a football game. While she enjoys watching the games on television, this was not her logic.

On the road from the hospital to the Oaks Mall in Gainesville is a rather large structure known as Ben Hill Griffin Stadium where close to 80,000 people had gathered to watch a football game between the University of Florida and the University of Tennessee. My mother knew that if she made it to the mall, she might not make it back to the hospital in time due to all the post-game traffic. She made the right decision since Jason was born only a few hours later.

My nickname for my brother when we were younger was Bubba Lee. It was actually meant as a joke, but it has stuck, so in honor of his birthday, I'm posting some entertaining and slightly embarassing photos of us.

One Halloween when I was a gypsy and Jason was Mickey Mouse. He's actually wearing his pajamas.

We're watching television in my bright yellow bedroom!

This is one of my favorites since it looks like we're joining the circus, but we're actually going to church and showing off our Bibles. Notice how the 1970s yellow theme carries into the kitchen. 

Happy Birthday Bubba Lee! Thanks for being a great younger brother. Thanks also to our mom for delivering us and to our dad who took all the photos above!

Tennessee BBQ and Fresh Florida Seafood

Whenever I visit a new restaurant and enjoy it, I like to tell others about it, especially when it's a local place. Last weekend we tried a new BBQ restaurant near our house that is locally owned, and it has the added benefit of selling fresh Florida seafood.

Vernon's Grill (closed on Sundays and Mondays) serves BBQ sandwiches and ribs, hamburgers, bratwurst, potato salad, home style fries, etc. They also only charge $1.25 for a soft drink, which is about half of what most places are charging these days.

The man who owns the restaurant has a best friend who operates Coastal Connections next to Vernon's. It's only open Thursday-Saturday because he drives down to the Florida-Alabama line on Sundays and spends two days gathering fresh fish and seafood from the Gulf.

We bought sea scallops for $12.99 per pound, and they were delicious. We pay at least this much or more in grocery stores, and the scallops have been frozen. In addition to selling seafood, they serve lunch items, including fish sandwiches and seafood salad.

Both places are located at the corner of Middlebrook Pike and Bob Kirby Road in West Knoxville between Cedar Bluff and Lovell Road. There's an outside area where customers can sit on picnic tables, and there's live music on the weekends. We'll definitely make a return visit!

In case zombies attack

The University of Florida, my alma mater, has an emergency plan for hurricanes, flu pandemics and a zombie attack. Yes, in case zombies attack, UF is prepared.

The plan made news last week since it was a document on one of UF's web pages. It was crafted by a staff member one night when he couldn't sleep. He told The Gainesville Sun it was obviously a joke and was meant to reduce stress.

Here are a few of my favorite excerpts:

"It is clear that international media have begun paying increasing attention to the possibility of an outbreak of zombie behavior spectrum disorder. Likewise, major metropolitan police agencies are starting to pay attention to the possibility of zombie attacks and are addressing citizen notification concerns."

"Dispelling myths. For example, contrary to Lawrence (2007), garlic will not stop true zombies, only vampires; and zombies do come out during the day, though they are most active a night because they typically do not like sunlight."

"Equip all staff with long range (e.g. rifles) and short range (e.g. hand guns) firearms or other weaponry (e.g. chain saws, baseball bats, LPs11) for defense against the infected and to dispatch possibly infected co-workers."

There's also an infected co-worker dispatch form, where employees can list the symptoms of co-workers and provide the name of the person they killed and how they killed them.

UF has said the employee who wrote the guidelines will not be punished, and I'm glad. We all need to laugh a little more. Besides, if there was a zombie attack on campus, I'm sure UF quarterback Tim Tebow would save the day.

Meeting Baby Joanna and Big Brother Jesse

I had the chance to meet the newest addition to a friend's family yesterday. My colleague Carol delivered Joanna on August 24, several weeks before her scheduled due date. She now weighs more than eight pounds and is so adorable, just like her older brother Jesse was when he was born.

I forgot to take my camera, but here's one of Jesse from the spring of 2008, and they look a lot alike.

Jesse is 18 months now and so cute. He follows his father, Patrick, around and he still has that cute smile. He calls his little sister "Bamb," his word for baby.

Carol and I also had the chance to catch up about many things, including our favorite soap opera, The Young and the Restless.  It's funny to me since Carol is from Uganda, and she's one of the only friends I have who's watched the show for a long time. My American friends probably think I'm crazy for watching it all these years, but not Carol! :)

It was great seeing the whole family together again!

A few more Florida photos

We flew from Knoxville to the Orlando/Sanford Airport this past weekend. Can you tell which photos were taken where?

During our visit, we had a chance to see my nephew and niece, Daniel and Cameron. Daniel turns three in October, and Cameron was born in January. Cameron let everyone hold her and is a very happy baby.

They are cuties and love their Grandpa Jean-Paul.