Photo Friday: Old

I've posted a version of this before, but when I saw this week's Photo Friday topic this came to mind:

To And From Dixieland

To And From Dixieland, originally uploaded by TNEmily.

Just got back yesterday from two nights in Chattanooga.

About twenty miles west of Chattanooga we remembered why we don't often go - we hit a NASTY traffic jam. When I say nasty, I mean hundreds of cars turning around, and a line going backwards down the interstate to backtrack to the median and go west again. It was awful. And the boys were restless.

Due to this delay we did not hit the Tennessee Aquarium that afternoon as we wanted. Instead, we checked into the hotel, met A's parents at the hotel (they were returning from Alabama and hitting Chattanooga at the same time by sheer coincidence), took the boys to the pool, and ate a restaurant called Fireside for dinner (food was alright, but restaurant was not kid-friendly). We also hit Walmart since we added an extra night onto our plans due to the delay, and therefore needed more stuff, like baby food.

The next morning we hit the Aquarium. A and I had not been in several years so it was a lot of fun; however, having been to the Georgia Aquarium last year, I think Georgia has Tennessee beat in this case. Everything, including the IMAX, is housed in one building at the GA, while at the TA there are three separate buildings - the 'River Journey', the 'Ocean Journey', and the IMAX. During a hot, humid Southern day, this definitely makes a difference.

We actually went through the original building - 'River Journey' - twice. The first time was to breeze through before A and Jackson went to the IMAX (which scared Jackson), so after that we had to go back through to catch what they missed. The boys had a great time. Jackson got to pet a snake, which he LOVED, and both boys really loved looking at the fish.

After all this, we were really worn out and Tucker was sorely due a nap, so we went back to the hotel for some downtime. That evening we hit the Incline Railway - not far from our hotel - which scared the pants off A and I but Jackson loved.

The next day we hit the Tennessee Valley Railway for their one hour trainride, the Missionary Ridge Local. Billed as a "bite-size" ride, we crossed over several bridges and went through a tunnel built in the 1850's using slave labor. Before the age of dynamite, the tunnel was apparently very dangerous to build. We actually rode in a Jim Crow car, which made for an interesting bit of Southern history. Aside from the historical stuff, Jackson really just loved riding the train. The train stopped at the East Chattanooga Depot, where we saw several other trains - including the one pictured - and saw a turntable literally turn our engine around.

After that, we headed home - exhausted (I won't get into the fact that both boys stayed up until 10pm both nights).

Playin' with my new toy...

Wasp, originally uploaded by TNEmily.

I got a new lens (Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG APO Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens).

I am really liking it so far. It doesn't have IS (image stabilization) like my kit lens, but then again I couldn't shell out for one of them fancy lenses. For its price range, the Sigma rated well on Amazon. I am pretty pleased. Still learning the ropes on macro shots. Took this of the wasp from about five feet away - because I am not going to get close to one!

On a side note, Jackson saw a wasp in our yard today and said "Oh" and stepped back a couple of feet. That kid has great instincts. I am trying not to pass my bug phobia on to him but I think he realized that you don't want to mess with a wasp. Mean things.

Laura Will Totally Get This

Typewriter Flying the Rebel Flag, originally uploaded by TNEmily.

I think it should be noted that I personally do not see a need to fly the flag of a rebellious state that lost about 150 years ago.

I'm just sayin'.

That Dang Ol' Rodeo...

That Dang Ol' Rodeo..., originally uploaded by TNEmily.

Despite having lived in Franklin, TN for a full six years of my young life (junior high/high school - parents still live there), and despite having march in the Rodeo Parade every year of high school, I had never been to the Franklin Rodeo until last Saturday night.

A and I thought it would be fun for Jackson, and it was...for a while. A 3 year old can only see so many horses and cows before deciding he's done ("I ready to go home now.").

Tickets were free - and good, and parking was free, so even though we did not even make it to intermission, no harm, no foul. Popcorn was eaten, horses were watched, calves were roped, off-color jokes were made by the rodeo clown and the announcer. We'll probably take both boys again next year - especially if we get free tickets again.

Photo Friday: The Country

Being in the Nashville area, when I think of "the country", two things can come to mind: country, the genre, and "the country", as in rural farmland and landscapes. I went with the latter for my Photo Friday entry:

Cow on the Hill stood out to me during our Easter Weekend photography excursion, so there you have her folks.

I'm also posting a second for this theme, because I can. This is a photo that would have remained ignored had I not received the email for today's Photo Friday. As I was viewing some older photos taken with my Sony, I came across this and found it very appropriate for the theme. A little cropping and a little more tweaking and here you go:

I like to photograph dilapidated things...

Abandoned, originally uploaded by TNEmily.

A and I were driving around on Easter Saturday in his hometown, just so I could take some photos.

In addition to taking pictures of pretty flowers (and thanks for the compliments on that, ya'll!) I also like to take pics of things that are completely run down. Rusty. Almost destroyed.

So as A drove by this I said: "Um, I saw something back there. You're going back that way, right?"

To which he asked what about, and I mentioned the rusty old truck that was sitting on the side of the road in the middle of town.

And I could tell he thought that was a little, well, strange. My husband loves me, weirdness and all.

My cousin and I discussed this by email a while back. She's a fan of plantation/antebellum/old homes, and put it this way (paraphrasing) that the ones that were unfinished, or really run down, always seemed to tell more of a story.

And I think that's right. The rusted, dilapidated, worn-out, breaking-down - it all seems to tell a story. In the case of a home, lives lived in its walls, complete with an ending - either of abandonment, destruction, or something else. In the case of this car - roads traveled, places seen. Maybe it was someone's reliable transportation for this vehicle's lifetime - to work, to and from a honeymoon, to the hospital for the birth of a child.

Or maybe it's late, and I just think too much.

Easter Weekend

Blue at the Vineyard, originally uploaded by TNEmily.

I hope everyone enjoyed there Easter weekend. I'll blog more later - took some nice photographs this weekend so I'll have much to share - but I am having trouble getting blogger to upload for me so this will have to suffice.

Taken at Holly Ridge Winery in Overton County, TN. It was VERY cold over the Easter weekend here in Tennessee, and the owner mentioned to us that unfortunately the severe cold snap has likely killed off his grapes this year. We did purchase a Riesling which we have yet to open, and some Blackberry wine that was excellent (the owner informed us that it's his most popular).

Anyway, I captured this little flower (sorry, I'm not plant-savvy so I can't tell you what it is) outside the winery. This hardy little thing took the cold like a champ!

Allergy Season

Ya'll, the allergies have arrived. Last week was pretty awful; we've been getting outside more since getting the back yard fenced in, and so Thursday I got absolutely HAMMERED (by the allergies) - swimmy head, aches, chills of all things.

Anyway, all this caused me to think about my personal allergy history (I get the seasonal kind, FYI). I was never a sickly child, and allergies didn't pop up until junior high/high school - around the time we moved to Middle Tennessee (Franklin) from Northern Alabama (Decatur). Then I realized that I didn't suffer badly from allergies while in college either - neither in Knoxville nor in Monterrey, Mexico during my study abroad there. I didn't get seasonal allergies again until we moved back to Middle Tennessee several years ago. Which got me to thinking - maybe it's as much Middle Tennessee as it is me! And lo and behold I found this article that supports my theory!

Hope all my fellow allergy-sufferers are making their way through it. It's so beautiful and warm outside - it's a shame that sniffles, drainage, congestion, coughing, itchy eyes and sinus pressure have to ruin it for some of us.