Gaylord Opryland Hotel, Nashville, TN

Our Anniversary Weekend (June 23-24, 2012) was spent in Nashville, Tennessee re-living many of the  memories we made when we were dating and/or first married in 2001...  First,  we visited  Centennial Park (click HERE to see that blog post).   Then,  we enjoyed a wonderful evening on the General Andrew Jackson Showboat (click HERE for this post).    The third and final portion of our special weekend was a morning at the glorious OPRYLAND HOTEL.

If you have never been to a fancy-dancy hotel (quite expensive --unless you get a good deal, or come with a convention group),  you need to see this one.   The first time I walked in this hotel,  my mouth was hanging open the entire time we were there... What an awesome place!

The best thing is that one can walk through the NINE ACRES and enjoy it without spending a dime (unless you opt to stay, eat or shop there).   This hotel is a photographers dream!!!!  First of all,  since there are nine acres (all indoor) ---you must realize that this place is HUGE.   There are 3 large hotels (following different themes),  many restaurants/shops,  a large lobby area,  and a big  convention center area.

Our favorite area is the DELTA --but we also enjoyed seeing both the GARDEN CONSERVATORY and the CASCADES.... If you can dream of being in a HUGE tropical garden containing a river, cascades and waterfalls---you won't believe you are inside of a 'hotel'....

A couple of years ago,  Nashville had a horrible flood ---and the Opryland Hotel was flooded... The hotel was closed for awhile ---but after renovations,  it has come back even BETTER...

You may ask if George and I have ever 'stayed' in that hotel... The answer is YES.... I surprised George with a night at the Opryland Hotel for his birthday in March of 2002.   We stayed in the DELTA area --with a room overlooking the 'delta'...  It was phenomenal!!!!!   (That was when we were both working fulltime and not living on a retiree's budget!!!! ha)

Today I will share just a few of the MANY pictures which we took on the 24th while there.  IF you want more info about the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center,  click  HERE.

Above is a picture taken inside the DELTA.... (Again,  I say that all of this hotel is INSIDE. You can see a little of the glass roof area.)  Be sure and take a boat ride while you are in the Delta.  We've done it and it is wonderful...

Hope you enjoy my little tour.  Be sure to enlarge the photos for bigger prints.

If you are lucky,  you can stay in a room similar to one of these.  We got to stay in one near here (on the 2nd floor) in 2002.... See those purple flowers.  They are orchids ---and are all over the gardens...

Here's a close-up of some of the orchids.   Since I love orchids,  you can imagine how much I enjoyed seeing them.

Here's a picture of George on one of the paths...  This is a great place for walking... You can walk on the lower paths (like this one) where you are next to the gardens... OR --you can walk above the gardens with a different view of the area...

Here's one of the MANY waterfalls in the hotel... Since we are waterfall-lovers,  you can imagine how many photos we took of ALL of the waterfalls and cascades.  If you enjoy hearing the sound of water,  this is the place to be!!!!

George took this picture of me in front of one of the fountains... Sometimes,  they will offer programs where they synchronize music with the 'dancing waters'.... So pretty!!!

Here is only one of the MANY restaurants in the hotel....  Are you hungry?????  It was mid-morning when we were there --so people were eating breakfast.

Finally,  a nice man volunteered to take a picture of George and me together at one of the waterfalls... We were in the CASCADES area now.  We could actually walk behind this waterfall.  Pretty, huh?

Hope you have enjoyed seeing just a few of our pictures from that weekend.. We had a TERRIFIC 11th wedding anniversary,  and didn't have to go far from home for this one!!!!

Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you on Monday.

Hugs

Nashville on Dwellable

Betsy

More Backyard Birds

Tufted Titmouse

Last week,  I showed you pictures of  10 different Backyard Birds at my feeders  (click HERE for that post)....  Today,  I'll share a few more which have recently been here to visit.

Birds I showed you last week:  Red-headed Woodpecker,  Bluejay,  Brown Thrasher,  Red-Bellied Woodpeckers,  Mourning Dove,  Northern Cardinal,  Goldfinches,  House Finches,  Downy Woodpecker and the Eastern Bluebird.   Today--I'll show some of these again,  but will add SIX more:  Tufted Titmouse,  White-breasted Nuthatch,  Pileated Woodpecker, Gray Catbird, Carolina Wren and a Hairy Woodpecker...

Others that come regularly which I haven't gotten a picture of yet are:  Carolina Chickadee and a few Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, whose feeders are in different locations...  During other seasons,  I have American Robins (yes--they come to the feeders),  Northern Flicker Woodpeckers (don't know where they are this summer),  Dark-eyed Juncos (winter only),  and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks (migrate through here in Spring and Fall)...

We have plenty of other birds around --but these are the ones who come to my Bird Kitchen!!!!!!  Hope you enjoy another installment of my Summer Birds..  Be sure to click on the photos to see them larger.

White-breasted Nuthatch

Pileated Woodpecker on top of the Arbor

This woodpecker is trying so hard to find a way to get down to the Suet feeder!!!  I enjoyed watching him... Think he's a young Pileated....

Gray Catbird

This Catbird looks dark enough to be a Cowbird ---but his 'mew' sound  (which sounds like a baby crying) tells me that he is a Catbird (plus the fact that he doesn't have a brown head)...

Male Northern Cardinal

This male Cardinal --with his tuft standing up--just looks so regal,  doesn't he????  Such a beautiful bird....  (Colin--enjoy him!!!!)

Female Northern Cardinal

Could it be that Mr. Cardinal has a 'lady friend' above him in the plate feeder???????  Isn't she beautiful also?????  (That is one of our many Goldfinches beside her.)

Mourning Dove --and a Juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker

This is a good picture of our 'resident' Mourning Dove... We have two of them who come to the feeders regularly... Such beauties!!!!

Carolina Wren

I love the little Carolina Wrens...   The only problem we ever have with them is that they want to nest in our garage.  We won't let them because at times when we are gone,  that garage can get very very hot, since it stays closed up...  SO--we are constantly 'shooing' them out of the garage during the daytime when it is open.

Hairy Woodpecker

I'm excited to finally get a picture of this bird at the suet feeder.  He (they) don't come very often --but I have seen them a few times---always when I am not near the camera.  This time I captured him.. He is a Hairy Woodpecker...  He is similar to a Downy (which we have LOTS of) ---but much larger and with a much longer beak....  What a beauty!!!

Red-headed Woodpecker

I must show you one more picture of the prettiest birds  (well--besides our Bluebirds) at the feeders these days...  Isn't he gorgeous?

Pileated woodpecker

Finally,  here is another picture showing that Mr. Pileated  did make it to the suet feeder... Instead of flying down from the top,  he started at the plate feeder--and flew UP to the suet feeder.. Smart one, he is!!!!  (That yellow thing in the picture is our rain gauge --which is hooked to the arbor.   It had SIX inches in it last week!!!!)

More Bird News:   There are 2 baby Bluebirds in the nestbox,  plus one egg which hasn't hatched yet..  They should fledge about August 1st.....  So exciting!

Have a great day.  And Happy Birthday to my eldest son today...  Bert is 49 years young today.... YIPES---that makes me ANCIENT...... (I was 20 when he was born!)

Hugs,
Betsy