A Fun and Relaxing Party

Over the weekend, my sister and bother-in-law celebrated their 23rd year marriage anniversary by having a party. They've been married for quite some time and their relationship is still going strong, I'm happy to tell. They invited me and most of our friends to the grill out/bonfire party and some were able to come while some were unable to attend.

In any case, we had a fun, relaxing time. No one got too drunk and fell in the fire this time. In fact, no one got hurt at all. Must be a record. lol.

Below, you'll find a 60 year old bicycle that my brother-in-law received as a gift. It was made by Bridgestone, of the Bridgestone Tire Company, which is owned by Japan. They only made so many of these bikes in limited edition and it was state of the art during the time.

Whitney the dog having some fun attacking the turkey and being attacked by the turkey. Don't worry. No animals were harmed and there wasn't any betting going on.

Here's a video of the dog and turkey playing around with each other. Turn up the volume to hear our "witty" banter during the animal grudge match.

Here are some baby chicks at my sister's farm. I thought this was a neat shot.

The sun sets, creating a sky of pink and blue hues, rippled in layers of clouds beyond the many trees. It's a tranquil setting. A place where you can breathe in the fresh country air and feel at peace.

The Deer In Our Backyard 2

There were pictures, I took, back in January, of deer in our backyard that weren't too bad. But these pictures are better, clearer and brighter. One morning, last week, I saw a couple deer in the back of our place and quickly and quietly got the camera.

I have always enjoyed the deer. They seem to inspire serenity. And I'm awed by their agility.

Somehow, I managed to get around the snow shovel, portable air compressor, a bag of aluminum cans and a sizable charcoal grill on our second floor balcony without creating so much noise that would scare away the deer before I could get my shots. It was a miracle. Usually, they're pretty flighty, although lately, they're becoming less timid around civilization. I think they're getting as used to us being around- as we are of them.

These creatures are certainly beautiful and majestic.

Clifty Falls State Park (part 2)

Oops... I forgot I hadn't put the "part two" of this post up yet. lol. My bad.

Anyways, friends and neighbors, my wife, friend and I took a little trip to Madison, Indiana to see the sights of Clifty Falls State Park several weeks ago. Before sure to check out the first part of this two-part post, just in case you feel "out of the loop", so to speak. :-)

And if you want to learn more about the areas where the photographs were taken, be sure to click the link above.

Clifty Falls features a park rife with waterfalls, trails to hike and absolutely beautiful scenery. The following are shots of scenes we enjoyed at lookout points during our travel in this substantially sized park. My wife, my friend and I spent a relaxing, yet fun filled day while here.

Above, is something you'll see right away when venturing into the Clifty Inn.

Friend, standing next to the outside of the Clifty Inn and Falls Restaurant.

Below, you'll find pictures of the Ohio River and the town of Madison.

Above, you can see Steve taking a picture of me while I'm taking a picture of him taking a picture of me while I'm taking a... lol.

Whatever you do, don't play on this old boat! Heh heh. There's history to this boat and you can read about it to the right of where it says, "Please Do Not Play on Boat." Enlarge picture to read. Or not. :-)

Clifty Falls and the nearby Ohio River are products of the Ice Age. The Ohio River is a trench cut by sand and gravel laden melt waters of the glacial ice mass and basically marks the southern most advance of the glaciers which came from the north. Clifty Falls and its canyon are a subsequent erosion feature. From the lip of Clifty Falls at an elevation near the general level of the county, Clifty Creek plunges down more than 70 feet. In nearly three miles of canyon, the creek descends another 250 feet to the Ohio River below. There are four major waterfalls and numerous minor ones in the park.

Clifty Falls State Park (part 1)

I took so many great pictures during our trip to Clifty Falls State Park over the weekend, I have to split them up into two posts.

Clifty Falls features a park rife with waterfalls, trails to hike and absolutely beautiful scenery. The following are shots of scenes we enjoyed at lookout points during our travel in this substantially sized park. My wife, my friend and I spent a relaxing, yet fun filled day while here. If you wish to hear about a few of the good times we had, click this link.

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.

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.

The Trip To Red River Gorge (part one)

My wife, my friend, Steve and I took a two and a half hour trip to Red River Gorge a couple weeks ago. It's located in east-central Kentucky and boasts a bounty of beautiful, unique flora, sandstone arches, limestone cliffs, ridges, waterfalls and natural rock bridges.

There's tons of things you can do there like kayaking in the Red River through the canyon, rock climbing, hiking, camping, fishing and so much more. You can also get eaten by a bear if you're not careful. Check out one of the signs posted below.

My friend, Steve and I have camped down there about half a dozen times. No matter what season it is, the Gorge is always a fantastic site to experience. The first time I went down there with Steve, more than twenty years ago, we camped out on the edge of a cliff after hiking up mountains all day with another friend's pet German Shepherd. It was tough going, carrying the German Shepherd half the time because of the steep terrain we climbed, but it was worth it in end. We drank ourselves silly with some of the moonshine the natives gave to us.*

*Hic

Here, you can see we enjoyed a little picnic. No moonshine this time around. :)

Beautiful, isn't it?

This is the trail leading to Sky Bridge. Sky Bridge is just one of many natural rock bridges at Red River Gorge. When you walk across it, you have to be careful or you can fall off either side and possibly die. The scenery is beautiful from there.

I have pictures of Sky Bridge, plus a whole lot more coming up in part 2 of our trip.