Brighten My Day!

Dear Spring and Summer,

We miss your flowers, green plants, bird-song, blue skies, warm breezes, and colorful designs on our landscapes. Please hurry and visit soon. Our family misses you bunches.

OX Love, Hope

Accessorize, Baby!

Daughter loves to play with my scarves and hats . . . . she may just wear them more often than I do! This photo was taken when she was a toddler during one of her dress-up playtimes.

Gay Street, Knoxville

The office building where I work is located on Gay Street in downtown Knoxville. In the spring and summer I often enjoy "walking tours" of Knoxville during my lunch hour.

Funnel Cakes

Funnel Cakes! Ranking high on our family's favorite things list!

Wild Bill's

Old fashioned soda pop, apple cider, hot apple dumplings, and vanilla ice cream! Wild Bill's on Market Square in Knoxville is the place to visit ....during Winter when the ice skating rink is open!

A New Day

My blog is back after an absence of 2 weeks. I needed a break. I contemplated taking a break of several months originally, and who knows, I might need that after all. But, for now, I am going to try to post on a daily basis.

I want to say I admire those of you who post daily to a blog and have done so for months and even years on end without missing a day. I truly admire you for the time and effort put into such an endeavor.

I've not been carrying my camera with me for the past few weeks. I just haven't had the desire to have my camera with me. Ugh. What's wrong with me?

Sorry for the absence.....I will try to do better.

This photo was taken on a recent drive to work....slowing down for a traffic light....so hopefully not too dangerous!

A Promise

I need to take a break from my photo blog for a few weeks.

My Knoxville Daily Photo blog and I will be back soon....I promise....just like this flower will return in the spring & summer....it's a certainty.

Sincerely, Hope in Knoxville

Blue Circle

In the late 60's and early 70's, I remember our family eating at Blue Circle grills all around town. Hamburgers were cooked on the grill right before your eyes. To us kids, eating at the Blue Circle was an adventure.

Here is a remnant of one of those Blue Circle grills. This old sign still survives in downtown Knoxville after all these years.

Alex Haley Heritage Square

This statue of Alex Haley is located in Haley Heritage Square in Morningside Park in Knoxville, TN. More information about this statue can be found in my November 1, 2008 post.

Yardwork

Daughter loves to help her Daddy work on the lawn. Here she helps by shoveling dirt into a Home Depot bucket with a garden trowel.

Sportsmanship and Teamwork

Son plays soccer with enthusiasm and a determination to win! The soccer organization he plays in does not keep score...but the kids (and parents) still get very excited when a goal is made. This photo captures the intensity of son's concentration once he steps onto the playing field.

Einstein the Parrot ~ Knoxville Zoo

This is Einstein, the famous African Grey Parrot, who is a resident of our Knoxville Zoo. Einstein is with her trainer, Stephanie, during a Zookeeper Chat at the Knoxville Zoo.

Einstein is very talented and has made appearances on Animal Planet and other tv shows showing off many sounds & words she has learned!

Knoxville . . . Then and Now

Knoxville . . . then and now. From 1786 (James White Fort) to 2009.

James White's Fort ~ Est. 1786

Quoted from the official website for James White's Fort:

The History of James White's Fort

James White, The Founder of Knoxville, came here in the early 1780's from North Carolina. He had fought in the Revolutionary War and was given a land grant of 1,000 acres for his service. He built his 2-story log house on the present site of Knoxville in 1786. Two years later he enclosed the house and other buildings with a stockade fence for protection from the wild animals. James White was a friend of the Cherokee Indians. He negotiated several of their treaties with the settlers and they came to his home in peace and to trade with him. The courtyard of the Fort was used as a stable for the domesticated animals such as horses, cows, pigs and sheep. The area around the Fort would have been cleared of trees, and the vegetable gardens along with tobacco would be grown there. James White laid off part of his land in October 1791 to establish a town which would become known as Knoxville, named for Henry Knox, president Washington's Secretary of War.

Knoxville's Birthplace

James White's Fort is the site of the birthplace of the city of Knoxville.

Dreaming of Summer Days

I'm dreaming of Summer days and rainbows . . .

Happy SkyWatch Friday! To see more SkyWatch photos from around the world visit Skyley at www.skyley.blogspot.com.

January Theme Day: Best Photo of the Year ~ 2008

The photo I chose for the January Theme Day is not technically my best photo of the year . . .but . . . still . . . to me, it is the best (my favorite) photo I took during 2008. I love this photo for many reasons . . .

• My precious daughter is the main subject.
• I love my daughter's expression of introspection . . . what was she thinking?
• The photo brings back memories of precious family-time spent at Fort Kid park.
• I recall the joy my kids had while playing here . . . and that brings me happiness.
• I like the black & white.
• I have had many positive comments on this photo from family members.
• Mickey Mouse has a prominent place in the photo as well. I love Mickey Mouse, too!
• This is the first photo I posted on this blog. It was my favorite then, too!
• I also use this photo as my blog header. I changed the header once...but that didn't last long. I soon returned my precious baby-girl to the header.
• Anyway....those are my reasons for choosing this photo. It will be fun to see what 2009 brings!
  
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