Monday, November 18, 2019

East Tennessee Views and Vistas


Every time we have first time visitors at our home here in East Tennessee, we feel obligated…really happy…to show them the primary reasons we were attracted to the area.  Of course the community where we live and people of East Tennessee are critical to our happy retirement.  Beyond that however, it’s all about the beauty around us!

Happily for those who follow my blog, my verbiage this time will be minimal.  For the most part I’ll be letting the photos speak for themselves.



These two photos are similar to ones I published a week or two ago.  These views were our friend’s Bruce and Margaret’s introduction to local beauty.  They were taken at the Tanasi Bar and Grill right off TN Hwy. 444 in Tellico Village.


Most first time visitors are taken to Bald River Falls but the drought that was ongoing during Bruce and Margaret’s visit had significantly reduced the size of the falls…so we visited Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park instead.


Most of these photos were taken by Laurie…and I know enough about marital happiness to include this photo of horses grazing in the Cove.


The 2-month drought really negatively impacted the fall colors this year but here and there in late October the trees made a statement or two…


This is the Dan Lawson Place in Cade’s Cove, one of the buildings included in the Cade’s Cove Historic District.  It’s also known as the Peter Cable Cabin as Cable built it in the 1840s.  Lawson married Cable’s daughter and they lived in the cabin for many years.


This is the Henry Whitehead Cabin.  Built by Matilda “Aunt Tildy” and her second husband in 1895 – 1896, it is another of the 12 major structures comprising the Historic District.  Aunt Tildy’s sons by her first marriage were big players in the local moonshine trade!

Look closely at this photo…we almost missed a bit of nature that blended into the background, but my eagle eye better half didn't miss it!


This pretty doe was hard to spot against the buff colored cabin walls…
Departing Cade’s Cove, we took the Foothills Skyway with the recently completed missing link from US 321 near Townsend to the northeastern end of Wears Valley Tennessee.


We made the Skyway drive during the week of October 20…and there still wasn’t a lot of color.  Fall, muted as it was this year, showed up a couple of weeks later than normal.  Still, here and there we caught glimpses of the ‘normal’ fall colors.


This view is from the Foothills Skyway looking down into Wears Valley (Wear Cove) and US Hwy. 321.  In 2000, this unincorporated community had a population of 6,486.  I suspect that a current census would be 40 – 50% higher.  


Of course we had to take pictures of each other.  Bruce and Margaret looked pretty relaxed in this scenic setting…


Since Bruce and I worked together more than 40 years ago, it was only appropriate that Laurie snapped this photo…

Margaret and Bruce left on October 23rd.  The following photos were taken on November 12th, 20 days later, with about 5 and a half weeks left of the fall season… What happened?!



Overnight, following Veteran’s Day, we got our first snow of the season along with frigid temperatures.  Even more stunning for this part of the country, on the morning of November 13, the temperature at our house was only 16 F!  The official temperature of 19 F in Knoxville was just one degree off the the all-time low for the day…a record set in 1911!

At least it was pretty…but we want a warm up and soon!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

4 comments:

  1. I can't really imagine a better or prettier place to live. Glad you like to show it off to your visitors.

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  2. Absolutely gorgeous landscapes and therefore easy to fall in love with, friend David. Mr Whitehead's cabin reminds me of ours. It was build in the early 1900s by Swedish pioneers. We became friends with Myrtle, the youngest of that family, and many a time we sat together and listened to her fascinating stories of her childhood in our Medicine Valley home. She was always so pleased with our improvements and care we took of the farm and especially the house. It's still standing not far from our new house and will be cherished forever, just like the memories of happiness and sorrows. Otherwise … 5 more shifts for me, then it's travel time:) Love, cat.

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  3. Breathtaking pictures! It felt like I was sitting on a trolley and venturing into places of solitude, peace, natural prosperity, and happiness. It was like taking in fresh air. Your photographs are a treasure. Thank you for sharing, sir.

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  4. Just Love Laura photo of the horses in the Cove looks like an artist painted it!

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