A Walk in the Park

A couple walks through World's Fair Park in Knoxville, TN.

The Chocolate Factory is on the left and the Knoxville Museum of Art (the building with the eyes - lol) is on the right.

Life Savers

at the end of the lazy river . . .

Photo taken with a $10 disposable underwater camera from Walgreens!

(photo taken Summer 2008)

Hello, Summer!

My son enthusiastically entering the pool no matter the consequences!

Ouch! Do you remember doing belly flops during your own childhood?

Photo taken with a $10 disposable underwater camera from Walgreens!

(photo taken Summer 2008)

Cowboy Found on City Sidewalk

This pigeon's treading on dangerous ground!

Splash Park !

The kids played at the splash park in our hometown this evening.... for the first time this Spring.

This photo was taken last year at the same splash park ....in Spring 2008.

Don'tcha Just Love the Bass Pro Shop?

If my kids had anything to do with it....this four-wheeler would have been sold at hello.

Did You Ever See An Elephant Fly?

Wheee!

World's Fair Park ~ Knoxville

Green space! We enjoy bringing our kids here!

Joy

Skipping, running, jumping with Joy!

Photo taken with my iPhone.

My Sidewalk Wanderer

We ate lunch at Aubrey's Restaurant at Northshore & Papermill after church on Easter Sunday. I snapped this photo of our daughter walking ahead on the winding sidewalk leading to the restaurant.

Letting her walk a little bit ahead of me is OK, I guess, under certain circumstances. She feels a little bit independent and, yet, she really is still under our watchful eyes.

Photo taken with my iPhone.

Sodypop

Cola for country folk? Carbonated beverages for East Tennesseans? Spell Check needed?

I snapped this photo from the Chuck E. Cheese parking lot in West Knoxville.

Photo taken with my iPhone.

Eggs to Dye For!

The kids having some fun dyeing Easter Eggs. The colors turn out sooo much brighter if vinegar is used instead of water in the dye kit. But, as the kids soon found out, it's some STINKY fun!

Photo taken March 2008.

Hoppin' Down the Bunny Trail

Easter Bunny fun at Red Top Mountain State Park in north Georgia.

Photo taken in April 2006.

Paper Birch Tree ~ and a Smile

Daughter poses by a Paper Birch tree . . . . an unusual tree which has layers of paper-thin bark that peels off in sheets.

Photo taken with my iPhone.

Hike the AT? Yes, I Can Do That!

Daughter was all-set to begin hiking the Appalachian Trail! And while wearing her flip-flops, too! Husband had to be the voice of reason and practicality. Not today, honey. We'll come back when we're better prepared. He was an Eagle Scout back in the day and does know best. I admire my daughter's curiosity and spirit of exploration, though!

Clingmans Dome Observation Tower

The Clingmans Dome observation tower is quite impressive, and the views of the Great Smoky Mountains seen from this lookout point are even more breathtaking! I just love the retro design of this concrete tower which was built in 1959.

You can see my husband and 2 children in this photo. They are just entering the observation deck from the pathway. As is sometimes the case, I am trailing along behind snapping photos.

Sky View from Clingmans Dome

I took this photo from the trail leading to Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I was so fortunate to capture the bird in flight. The visibility was high on this day. Normally the mountains are shrouded in mists and clouds.

Quoted from the National Park Service website . . .

"At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is the highest point in Tennessee, and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi."

To read more about Clingmans Dome visit the nps.gov website.

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

I Have an Idea....Let's Eat at the Steak & Shake

I took the kids to eat at the Steak & Shake yesterday afternoon. They really liked it! Good food, crayons and puzzle menus, old-time diner decor (which our family is a fan of), and foldable-paper classic cars for the kids to play with and take home.

For myself....I'm always a fan of hamburgers, fries, and a milkshake! And a night off from cooking can be a good thing, too.

Photo taken with my iPhone.

April Theme Day: Yellow

The Vagabondia store on Knoxville's Market Square has brickwork painted a beautiful pastel shade of Yellow.

Enjoy seeing other examples of yellow found all around the world during April's Theme Day of Yellow!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Looking for a Golden Rock

Oh, to have the imagination of a child!

Photo taken with my iPhone.

Photographer's Assistant

This is my husband at our son's flag football practice in August 2005. Our daughter was a very able and helpful photographer's assistant at age 21 months!

Our kids have been exposed to cameras from their very first moments after birth until now and are very willing to pose for us!

One day this may change. I hope not.

The day they roll their eyes at me and say, "Oh, Mom, do you have to take a picture?" ....that day will break my heart.

Hopefully, I'll have no worries as far as that's concerned! :)

Yee Haw

Yee Haw in downtown Knoxville!

More information about this Knoxville business (which specializes in original art-like products) can be found here. Very interesting!!

Hope Brothers

I found this gem in downtown Knoxville! I got all excited when I saw my name! LOL!

The Posing Tree

Every time we visit the Oconaluftee visitor center ....we pose here for a photo! This tree is really quite amazing! And my children look so very small standing next to it!

Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!

This fella ruled the roost at the visitor's center on the Oconaluftee (North Carolina) side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He loyally and bravely guarded his hens and chicks from families with curious children (such as mine) and from 'tourists' who obviously were fascinated by his beauty (that was me, wink, lol).