Gatlinburg, Tennessee --- SKY BRIDGE

US on the top of Crocket Mountain --welcoming you to join us!!!!

Dear Friends and Family,   Almost a year ago,  Mark and Robin took George and me to Gatlinburg (9/16/19) to walk across the SKY BRIDGE there.  It was fairly new --and I just HAD to check it out!!!!  I cannot believe that I didn't post about this right after we did it.... I guess I forgot!!!  ha ha...  ANYHOW ---what a great day we had!!!  Come with us on this amazing journey!!!!!

Here are these two wonderful people we were with,  Robin and Mark!!!!!  Thanks to them for this awesome day!

First of all,  we have to take the chair lift up the mountain to get to the top!

Once we were on the top,  here is what we are going to do... FACT:  This Pedestrian Suspension Bridge is 680 feet across a deep valley.   The height is 140 feet at the midpoint.  There is a Glass Bottom area at midpoint where you can look straight down into the valley below.

Mark and Robin say:  "Come On---Let's GO!!!!!"

I am now at the center point standing on the Glass Bottom ...  You can look down and see what is below you!!!!!   WOW!!!!  As you can tell,  there were lots of people there on this day!  Remember:  this was in Sept. 2019 --LONG before Covid hit us!! 

George took this awesome Panorama from the top of the bridge showing the Smoky Mountains AND  Gatlinburg (nestled in those mountains).   

Now we are headed back down the mountain on the Chairlift..  That is Mark and Robin in front of us!

This was FUN...  Hope you enjoyed our little experience today... Are you ready to join us? NOW ---it is time to EAT lunch!!!!!!!

UH OH ----Me thinks she ate a little too much lunch!!!!!!!!! ha ha

Well---I have lots more pictures to show ---but I'll stop for today.    Hope you get to Gatlinburg sometime to check out the Sky Bridge!!!!   It is truly AMAZING!!!   Here is a website for you to see many more pictures of the entire/project.  Click HERE.

PLEASE don't come NOW though...   With the Covid Virus still raging,  not one of us needs to be around so many people!!!!!  I think people have flocked here this summer hoping that they can hike in the mountains...  WELL--that is fine IF you stay away from the major trails and from the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville area.....  Let's do our part and help get rid of the VIRUS first!!!

For your information (in case you didn't read this above),   we took this trip in Sept. 2019.  Little did we know then what 2020 was going to give us!!!!!!   We would never put ourselves in the position now to get around THAT many people!!!!!

Hugs,

Need to SMILE Today??????? Then check out this post!!!!

Summer Nights Roses --Taken on 6/27/20

Dear Family and Friends,  I love ALL of our many flowers in the yard.   However,   the ROSES  (which are by far the hardest to grow and keep healthy) are my all-time favorites....George works very hard on his 'babies' ---and I love to publish the results for all to enjoy!!

SO ---here are some little Sweethearts just for you!!!!   AND --if you have time,  revisit another Rose Blog I published on July 6. Click HERE.

Octoberfest  --- 5/31/20

Perfume Factory ---6/3/20

Peace --6/14/20

Color Magic--- 6/26/20

Malibu ---6/27/20

Cabana  ---6/30/20

Sweet Afton ---7/4/20

Crescendo ---7/13/20

Rio Samba --7/8/20

I certainly hope these little darlings made you SMILE... They always make me smile--and with everything going on these days,  I'm sure that we ALL need to smile....

George and I both got good results from last week's tests...  My mammogram did not show any changes.  I told someone that 'that' is one area of my body where I've had no problems... Praise God for that.  George also found out that the blurred vision he has been struggling with is a 'simple fix'.... His cataract surgery (from 2 years ago) caused a condition in which  a protein film developed in both eyes causing his up-close vision to continue getting more and more blurry.

He had to have a simple procedure done called a YAG Laser Capsulotomy.  Dr. Galloway said that it is  like using a laser to 'clean the window' in his eye (just like we clean dirty windows at home)... ha.... George had one eye 'cleaned' this past week and will have the other one done this week.   And the good news is that his vision is ALREADY much better.... So--another "Praise God"...

The doctor also said that this is 'common' with some cataract patients --even two years after that surgery... We had never heard of it!!!!!

The doctor visits continue the next couple of weeks.    I go to my heart doctor this week and George goes to the retina doctor next week (for his Macular Degeneration) ....  Between my heart problems and George's eye problems,  we are a 'pair' for sure!!!!!  BUT--we keep on plugging and pushing through it one day at a time and one step at a time...  'Tis Life for us OLD folks!!!!!!

Hope all of you have an awesome week...  Find things that make you SMILE...

Hugs,

Come with us and get some Exercise!

Want a little exercise????  Join us on a couple of short HIKES.

 Dear Friends/Family,   When we were at Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway west of Asheville, NC (from June 15-18),  we took time every day to get some exercise.   Today,  I'm featuring what we did on June 17.   Hope you enjoy our hikes!!!

First of all,  we have to get there!!!!!  We count on our pretty Prius to take us on our journey!!!! NOW-- Think back to June 17, 2020 (which is the day we were there)!

It's a little CHILLY and DRIZZLY this morning --so don't forget to bring your Rain Jackets!!!

We drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway heading east from Pisgah Inn.  We stopped at an overlook and took a SHORT hike on the Mountains to Sea Trail  (which is a LONG trail from Clingman's Dome in the Smoky Mountains all of the way to the Outer Banks,  NC)...

Along that trail,  George is waiting for me to take pictures of the beautiful Mountain Laurel in bloom  (which will be another post).

A smiling old woman --who is enjoying being out in nature on the Mountains to Sea Trail!

We then hopped back in our Prius and headed east of Asheville along the Blue Ridge Parkway to visit an absolutely beautiful waterfall, not too far from Mt. Mitchell.  This was the beginning of that trail.

Isn't this creek gorgeous?  The 1.2 mile (.6 each way) to the waterfall was a nice hike up an old logging road.  I always love hearing the sound of rushing water when we hike in the woods.   Are you still with us????

George is anxious to see that waterfall.   (We had seen it a couple of times --many years ago.)

My first view of that amazing cascade, named Roaring Fork Falls.  My waterfall book says that we are at an elevation here of 3,080 feet and that the cascade is about 45 feet high.

You should hear the sound of that rushing water.    I would love to put up a tent and just stay here all night....

I sat on a rock while George took pictures with his tripod.   Such incredible beauty!!!

Here is one of George's awesome pictures of Roaring Fork Falls.  I love the 'silky' water! 

This is another of George's photos --but this one is zoomed in a bit (so that you can see how much water was flowing down that cascade).  

Like we always do,  we used the tripod to get some pictures of us together...   

I hope you enjoyed our two hikes today!!!!!  Do you feel better now that you got some exercise?  Hope you are hungry!  After our marvelous day,  we were ready for some dinner... SO--we drove into Asheville --and ate at one of our favorite restaurants,  The Moose Cafe.....They have the best home-made biscuits with their home-made Apple Butter.... YUM!!!!

Well,  I guess it's time to head back to Pisgah Inn and have some hot tea on the balcony.... Want some?

The hike is over --and we are now (7/13/20)  'back to the grind' at home!!!!!  Hope your week is GREAT...  I get my yearly Mammogram tomorrow and then on Wednesday,  George visits our Eye Doctor (to hopefully get help for his failing eyesight)....

Hugs,
💚💕💚Betsy💚💕💚

ROSES in our Yard

Meet CRAZY LOVE -Taken 6/3/20

Dear Friends/Family,   Today I will share a few of our many Rose Varieties in the yard this year.  All of the pictures in this post were taken between 5/23/20 and 6/4/20.   This has been a good year for all of our flowers  (probably due to the rains and cool weather we've had).   The Roses have been putting on a show for us since late May.  Hope you enjoy seeing some of these little beauties!

RADIANT PERFUME -5/23/20

DARING SPIRIT --5/25/20

Royal Welcome -6/3/20

SUMMER SURPRISE  -6/4/20

SIMPLY MAGNIFICENT -5/27/20

ALL-AMERICAN MAGIC -6/3/20

APRIL in PARIS -5/31/20

ELEGANT LADY -5/26/20

SHOW YOUR STRIPES - 6/3/20

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I finished the photos today with "Show Your Stripes" --because I think it is appropriate for July.  I hope that all of you had a great July 4th weekend.   George and I both are VERY patriotic --and it hurts me to my soul when reading and hearing about our country's history being destroyed all around us.   As "older adults" --that history is something we cherish.   It is what it is ---HISTORY.   We my not agree with how things may have been done years ago--but that's why it is called History.. We learn from it--and move on,  making things better in the future for ALL.

********

UPDATE from last week's post:

Thanks so much to many of you (from Blogger and from Facebook) who took time to list your favorite pictures (from my "Battle in the Sky"  photos).    I posted 14 different pictures... I took 8 pictures using my Canon and 6 using my iPhone.  The iPhone pictures were No. 4, 5, 9, 12, 13, 14.   

Your favorite  by far was Number 9,  an iPhone picture.   In 2nd place was No 5 --also an iPhone picture.  AND in 3rd place was No. 10,  a picture taken with my Canon camera.   THEREFORE,  my iPhone 11 Max WON the battle of the cameras!!!!!  Poor Canon... I've had that camera for a long time and love it.  I still love its ZOOM ability much more than the iPhone.  BUT--I agree that the iPhone takes clearer pictures (at least using these comparisons).   

My Favorites:  #10 and #5;   I liked No. 9 also --but not as much as the other two.... It's all just a personal choice --and there are NO wrong answers.   I chose No. 5 as my Blog Header for July and No. 1  as my Facebook Header for July....   Thanks for participating in that blog post.   I had so much fun doing it and reading your answers/thoughts.   

Have an awesome week --and enjoy JULY!!!!  (June came and went too quickly!!!)

Hugs,

💚💕💚Betsy💚💕💚