Our apartment complex has a contest every year to see who can put up the best Christmas decorations on their balcony. Heidi and I felt like our neighbor’s was the best. It was classy. Most people did a great job tackling gaudy, with a neon assault on the senses. Our neighbor went for a classic look, and I think she nailed it.
Apparently, stacking rocks next to a river, has become some sort of fad. I first discovered stacked rocks at the Llano River in Texas earlier in the year. You can see my post here. While walking along the Doe River in Elizabethton, TN, the boys and I discovered a single pile of rocks. That was enough encouragement for the boys to start their own stacks.
The next day, while sitting around the fire on the Watagua River, I had them make three stacks of rocks around the place for me to find. Both boys were quite clever in hiding their stacks. Andy actually had one stack down in the river itself. The only way you could see it was standing on the bank right above the stack. Joey was also just as clever. He had the stack I could not find, on top of the AC unit upstairs next to our balcony. I should have known he would think outside the box. He’s quite good at it.
Here are the pictures from the Doe River.
Cute on top of cute. Really cute. And did I mention cute?
It is a bit odd how the meaning of the title can change after a few years.
I didn’t like these when I first looked at them. I changed my mind.
We attended Joey’s annual piano recital yesterday, and Heidi captured the following while we were waiting for his turn to play. He did a great job playing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.
I’m not really into memorials, per se. We have them all over the country. Some of them are important, others, not so much. I will let you decide the importance of the following DAR Memorial on the Doe River in Elizabethton.
I only have two things to add. The first is that it’s not called DAR, as in DAR-DAR Binks (I know, it’s Jar Jar Binks, but you get the idea). Both resident scholars and historians that were with me when I took the pictures and read the memorial made sure to give me the lowdown on DAR.
“It’s D-A-R, Dad, not Dar!”
Apparently the Daughters of the American Revolution are quite particular about that.
There you go.
The other thought that popped into my head about the memorial designating the location of the first court west of the Alleghenies, was that it was also dealing with the first crime west of the Alleghenies. Yes, they made a Constitution, so they could deal with the crime.
Also, the tree referred to is just a stump. But that’s about it.
My previous post had the outer images of the Covered Bridge over the Doe River and in Elizabethton, TN. The following pictures shows the inside of the bridge, along with my boys, Andy and Joey.
The entire structure is made of wood, which is a good reason it is only a walking bridge.
Who were ML and WP? Did they ever get married? Was is a short-lived romance? Was it a romance at all? I guess we’ll never know.
I only add the last one because I think it’s rather odd to get your name on a memorial because you were one of the guys who picked the location of the bridge. I wonder how that conversation went:
Wiley: “JJ, where do you think we ought to put the bridge?”
JJ: “Why, right here, next the town. Seems to me, the logical choice.”
HM: “I concur with my colleague.”
Alas, the bridge ended up where it is and the three men are now immortalized for their astuteness in locating the Covered Bridge.
Not my idea of being immortalized.
The boys and I drove over to Elizabethton, TN, while we were visiting family and walked around the Covered Bridge. Yup. That is the name of the bridge over the Doe River that is covered. It’s not hard to find once you get there. It’s the only covered bridge in town. The bridge is now a “walking bridge” since no vehicles are allowed, including skateboards or bicycles.
Of course, no town is complete without a pointy yet pointless object conveniently placed for all to see.
This is the dam right below the covered bridge. They didn’t officially name it, but I’m guessing if they did, it would be called The Dam. You can see from the sign on the dam that it’s a non-walking dam.
This is the “uncovered bridge” just down stream from the Covered Bridge. It is both a walking bride and a driving bridge. So you can use your skateboards and bicycles on it.
We go to see family. We stay there because it’s the price of a hotel, with a much better view. Sometimes, we actually find rest. But it’s really surprising the number of times we have been to the water’s edge during times of trouble. I think I know what the writer of Hebrews meant when he wrote that Abraham wasn’t looking to the land he was promised, but a heavenly home, whose builder is God. That is where true rest if found.
I can still feel the crisp morning air as I looked out our back balcony over looking the Watauga River, and then out the front balcony, looking at the sunrise.
I’m not sure why this mini-engine was made, but it’s important enough to be in the entryway to the Frisco Heritage Museum.
