Lighting a cannon on the 4th of July

It's really hard to keep your hand on the cannon after the sizzling starts.  It's the anticipation of the BOOM that gets ya.

Alfonze is ready to take pictures, and Ehrin is about to pack the cannon.

No, we didn't shoot cannon balls. Everybody asks me that. I don't think the neighbors would have appreciated holes in their houses. The cannon was packed with a wad of foil containing gun powder.  The dog ran into the house after the second BOOM.

Who needs fireworks when you have a cannon?  We answered the neighorhood fireworks with BOOMs from the cannon.  Baking soda was added to the gun powder mixture after dark to make sparks.

Redbud Tree

Here's a close up of the flowers on a redbud tree. We went for a walk this morning along a stream near Abigail's house. The M&M sisters ran around looking for frogs. We could hear them croaking, but couldn't find any. It was nice to see spring flowers like tulips and daffodils.

Nick-A-Jack Lake Rest Area on I-24

It's Grandma Apple's birthday, and we're on our way to Nashville from Florida. Nick-A-Jack Lake is just past Chattanooga on I-24. Part of I-24 goes into Georgia for a few miles, then back into Tennessee. Nick-A-Jack Lake is nearby after returning to Tennessee. The rest areas are gorgeous. There's one on each side of the highway. This is the westbound side.

Here's a scenic view from the bottom of the hill at the rest area.

There are picnic shelters and tables available. A Tennessee visitor information station is in the parking lot.

The redbud trees were in bloom all over the South. Wisteria vines were in bloom near Atlanta. They grew like weeds all over the trees along the roads. Wisteria has light purple flowers that hang from bunches like grapes.

Redneck Licence Plate Frame

Yep, them's beer caps.

Christmas at the Opryland Hotel

We visited the Opryland Hotel to see the sights and walk off some of our Christmas feast from earlier in the day.

The place is huge. There are a series of interconnected gardens inside vast atriums. This scene is on the Delta Island.

Lights and fantasy animals from the upper walkway in the Garden Conservatory.

Near a restaurant on the lower level of the Garden Conservatory. The balconies are at hotel rooms and open walkways.

I think this is on the lower level of the Garden Conservatory. There were a lot of twisted paths going up and down around a pond. The turns in the paths made small, hidden areas where there was seating, statues, leprechaun figures, and exotic plants.

This scene in the Delta area looks like a gazebo near an ice skating rink, but it is really a polished indoor floor. Little M danced around shouting "Watch me ice skate."

An outdoor manger scene set up around a pond.

Merry Christmas!

4th of July in Tennessee

Aunt Carolyn led us for a hike in the mountains near Crossville, TN.
Here we are at "Daddy's Creek Overlook."


A rocky cliff at the overlook.


We hiked down a trail to the Obed River.



The kids liked playing on the rocks and splashing around in the water.




The water was crystal clear and cool.


We got back on the road on I-40 towards Nashville.


I got to light a real live cannon that my nephew made. Boom!

Heading North on the Dixie Highway

We headed north on I-75 to visit family in Tennessee this week.

An Old Dixie Highway sign in Atlanta.


Smooth sailing through traffic in Atlanta.


Crossing the Georgia/Tennessee border in Chattanooga.


Driving through the mountains along 68 on the way to Crossville, TN.