Night Time Holiday Shots and A Freezing Lake

Christmas Scenery Around Town

When my wife and I lived in town, one of our favorite traditions, during the Christmas season, would be to go walk along the sidewalks in town to look at the decorations and the store that featured animatronic holiday figures that moved about and sang. It's best to see all of it during evening hours, all lit up.

This feature, plus the bonus of living so close to the river and taking the scenery of that were probably the only two things I liked about living in the downtown area. Well, that and being able to walk to the grocery store without having to drive. :)

Yes, that is a Christmas tree (above) sitting in the middle of a four way stop in the middle of the town's busiest area. It tends to create havoc when you're trying to drive around it while you're trying your darnedest to not crash into other cars or a fire hydrant but it sure is pretty to look at, at night. Heh heh.

The Panda & Penguin Band are getting down and shaking loose. They'll be signing autographs after the show.

The next two pictures are of the Tunnel of Lights. There's no need to drink or "whatever" to enjoy walking through the "Tunnel" to enhance the fun of the activity but you may do so if you wish. Just don't let the town cops see you smiling! They don't like that.

I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas or Happy Kwanzaa this year. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Winter Wonderland Festival

Every other weekend during this time of year, one town in my area has what they call a "Winter Wonderland Festival".

Each festival will have different events, like skating or musicians coming to town to play and so on.

Last weekend, they had some pretty cool things going on. Huge tents were set up that housed booths where you could get hot chocolate, chili, home crafted Christmas wreaths and other holiday items. One booth featured ice sculpting. Yet another had a gifted glass blower who would create ornaments and holiday figures made of glass in front of you. You could ask for something specific to be made and he would do it.

Below, you'll find a few choice scenes of the festival that included reindeer, barrel train rides, a trolley and the town's Christmas tree.

Walking Along The Ohio River and Lesko Park

We spent part of our day walking along the Ohio River in Lesko Park. It was still snowing. It was cold. And it was fun.

We had our first substantial snowfall late this year. I was going to say the first substantial snowfall of the Winter season and then I realized it's not officially winter yet. Around my neck of the woods, however, if you have entered into the month of December, it's unofficially winter here due to the cold, snowy weather we get in this area, normally.

I would say we got around three to four inches of snow. Ordinarily, people panic when it first snows around here. Not today. Everyone seemed to enjoy it- which was nice.

For a hundred years, more or less, you could take a ferry across the river to the other side- which would be the state of Kentucky. About a decade or so ago, the ferry stopped it's run. I have fond memories of those river rides.

Uh-Oh... Looks like there be a monster lurking about in the waters today, Matey.

My wife, doing her best turtle impersonation. She was agreeable... and crazy enough to go for a frigid afternoon walk along the river with me today. She'll later kill me for taking this picture of her and posting it on this blog. So... so long, folks! See ya on the other side!

Each lamppost has a little sign, hanging off to the side, saying who contributed money to put toward the creation of the park and it's future improvements.

Some people come down here to fish during the spring and summer months.

I welcome all of you to come jump in the river for a swim. It's a "balmy" 0 degrees Celsius and 32 degrees Fahrenheit outside today.

Don't worry about your safety. I'll be there to take a few choice pics of you while you enjoy your swim. Tee hee.

Facts you may not know about the Ohio River: The Ohio River is 981 miles (1582 km) long, starting at the confluence of the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and ending in Cairo, Illinois, where it flows into the Mississippi River.

The Ohio River flows through or borders six states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Ohio River is a source of drinking water for more than three million people.

Approximately 150 species of fish have been collected from the Ohio River.

For more facts about the Ohio River look here.

Guess What This Is!

Did you guess it in less than two seconds? I'm sure you did. Pretty obvious. But for those that couldn't, I'm sorry I can't tell you. I took an oath or something.

I thought this shot was kinda cool. By the way, the folks who correctly guessed what this is will win a much valued prize. Can you guess what it is?

I Haven't The Foggiest Idea

These are shots I took of different areas around where I live. It was around 35 degrees Fahrenheit and foggy as heck. I knew it would be a good picture shooting opportunity, so off I went in the truck, with camera. These were taken about 8 or 9 o' clock in the morning. The fog stuck around until early afternoon.

Old Time Filling Station

I remember when filling stations looked like this. I remember when gas pumps looked like this.

The gas station attendants back then would offer to check your oil and other fluids. Cleaning your windows was done without asking.

They would even do you the courtesy of checking the air pressure in your tires.

Nowadays, most places don't do that.

Corporations save money, they believe, by not offering those courtesies.

What they lost was something more precious.

Those were simpler, more generous times.

What happened?

I like this refurbished gas station.

The guy who owns this refurbished building put a really old car in the garage part of the station. This car would be older than what the station's era look is presenting, a time during the 1950's and 1960's, in America. Is it one of those Model T's?

I think this guy, who has been working on this project for years, did a pretty good job in capturing the era.

The Trip To Red River Gorge (part two)

Continuing from the previous post.... After my wife, friend and I easily walked the quarter mile trail to Sky Bridge, we were greeted with some amazing scenery. You had to be cautious while walking on the natural rock bridge or you could fall and quite possibly die. No railing around. As long as you're careful, you can really enjoy the sights.

Iron ore can be found embedded inside the bridge. Click the pic to enlarge. And yes, that's my shadow. :)

(As for that dude up above, to the left) I'm not sure I'd want to stand where he's standing. And check out the graffiti that's been carved into the rock, below. It's everywhere- even on the edges of the bridge.

Yep, this is the Mrs. and I.

This is a really good map of Red River Gorge and all the trails scattered and connected within the area.

Now, in the following shot, we're on the way to the Nada Tunnel. The Nada Tunnel is a 12' by 12' tunnel, open to only one lane of traffic. Nada Tunnel and the community of Nada were named for the Dana Lumber Company. In the early 1900s, a logging company built the tunnel so they could haul logs out of the Red River Gorge by railroad.

The Nada Tunnel. We had to wait quite a long time to get to the point where we could go through it, but once we did, it was cool. We were surrounded by bronze colored rock as we drove through it and it was pretty neat. Every sound was amplified.

This is the Hemlock Lodge. We ate supper here before making the trip back home. The pic after this, shows what's behind and down below the lodge/restaurant. Standing over the lodge's long balcony, you'll find a golf course, a small track, a lake and a place for dancing and celebrating.