There is not much to do around here these days. If things were normal, I might have been exploring Cravens House on Lookout Mountain, or attending a Chattanooga Lookouts game this weekend. But, for the fourth weekend in a row, and almost a full month total, we’re staying home to stay safe.
One of the best things about exploring new places is getting to take new photographs.
Since I can’t take photos of new places, I have decided to look for photo subjects closer to home. I am using this time to get more usage out of my macro lens.
I am taking photos of things both indoors and out, and it has become a social distancing photo diary of sorts.
We have a lot of carpenter bees buzzing around our balcony. This one stayed put long enough for me to get a great shot. They look like they have been busy pollinating!
I started a new job three weeks ago. I have been highlighting a lot of notes!
Tea is my go-to for comfort. I am drinking about 2-3 cups a day now.
Sparkling cider bubbles, in celebration of my new job.
Walking outside to get the mail has become one of the highlights of my day now.
As usual, I am reading a lot. The book pictured has been finished, and since then I finished another book as well.
I burned off the last bit of a hazelnut creme scented candle.
I found this twisted vine while out on a neighborhood walk.
Broken glass on the sidewalk, also found while on a walk.
We are safely supporting local businesses. To-go drinks from Rembrandt’s Coffee House.
Last weekend Derek and I went to the Tennessee Aquarium. We went much sooner than anticipated, because February was designated “College Days.” Anyone who was a student or a faculty member got half off for everyone in the paying party. Why wait when we can get in for half off now?
According to multiple sources online, the Tennessee Aquarium is one of the top rated attractions in Tennessee. People who have visited Chattanooga themselves, or those who are living here, have also recommended it to us.
The Aquarium is large, with two separate buildings. One building is River Journey and the other is Ocean Journey. Your ticket allows you to go back and forth between the buildings all day.
We started out with River Journey. It started out strong with otters and alligators, but I’m sorry to admit that I was soon bored. It was fish, and more fish, and more fish. There were some really large fish to ooh and ahhh at, but they all kind of looked the same to me. This is just my opinion of course, with no offense to the aquarium!
Ocean Journey was excellent however, with more of a variety of animals to look at. There were penguins, stingrays, starfish, sharks, seahorses, tons of bright colorful fish, and even a small butterfly garden! There was also a question and answer session with a diver inside one of the tanks. There were some other animal shows but our walk through did not time up with any of these.
I am glad that the Aquarium extended this offer to college faculty, so that we were able to go in the winter. It was nice to spend a day inside doing something different and fun, on a cold winter day.
This weekend we paid a visit to a fun and quirky alleyway in Chattanooga.
It’s officially called Atlas Alley, but most people have been referring to it as Umbrella Alley. I wanted to know if there was a particular artist that put the installation together, but I could not find any information.
Atlas/Umbrella Alley is in West Village, which is two blocks of shops and restaurants in downtown Chattanooga. If you’re looking for more specific directions, it is directly across from Antibes, a clothing store.
On this particular Saturday outing, we wanted to check out a new sandwich shop, Anastasia’s Old World Delicatessen, and we had planned to find the alley afterwards. With no idea of where it was located, it was ironic that both spots were in West Village. I could actually see the umbrellas from my seat in Anastasia’s. I highly recommend combining a visit to the umbrellas with lunch here.
There are rows and rows of brightly colored umbrellas with lights underneath simulating rain. It is a great stop for a quick photo op.
Derek and I both have backgrounds in art, so we love checking out local artwork where ever we are.
It is unclear as to how long the installation will stay, so make sure to check it out soon!
I completed a small bucket list item this weekend!
One of my favorite Christmas songs is “Christmas in Dixie” by Alabama. It has been my favorite song since I was little. I cannot explain why, seeing as I was born and raised in the northeast! More recently they have become one of my favorite bands. The band members are from Fort Payne, and so at the end of the song they sing, “And from Fort Payne, Alabama… Merry Christmas tonight.” We went to Fort Payne for the day and I got to spend a “Christmas in Dixie.”
I never knew much about the boys from Fort Payne, that is until we literally drove past Fort Payne, Alabama, when we were moving from Pennsylvania to Texas, over three years ago.
Living in Texas, there were more country stations on the radio, including a country classics one, which became my favorite. I was introduced to a whole new (well, new to me) section of country music. I kept hearing Alabama song after Alabama song and I enjoyed all of their music.
When we moved to Chattanooga, I realized that Fort Payne was only an hour away from us. I knew that going to Fort Payne during Christmas time would make the trip extra special for me, to make my favorite Christmas song come true for me personally.
We ended up having an activity packed day, and we learned a lot about Fort Payne’s history.
We arrived at lunch time and started out at The Spot, a cafe in downtown.
After lunch, we walked up and down the street. We browsed in a few shops, and admired the Christmas decorations. Seeing all of the banners in town that said “Christmas in Dixie,” was a treat for me.
“Christmas in Dixie, it’s snowin’ in the pines Merry Christmas from Dixie, to everyone tonight.”
James Dean is an artist from Fort Payne. He is famous for his Pete the Cat work. Pete was all over town!
We walked down a few blocks to the City Park, where there are Alabama statues. We stopped to take a few photos and then we scoped out the park, where a Christmas event would be taking place later on that night.
Me with Randy, the lead singer of the band.
We walked across the street from there and checked out the Depot Museum. The Depot was built in 1891. Admission was $3 and there were a ton of interesting artifacts donated from Fort Payne residents inside.
A wedding dress from 1903.
A collection of old items.
An old newspaper press! I was excited to see this and learn what it was.
Did you know that Alabama was known as the sock capital of the world? We learned at the free Hosiery Museum that during the height of the sock boom, one out of every eight pairs of socks was made in Fort Payne. The Hosiery Museum had machines that made the socks on display, as well as old historical photographs of the town.
An old photo of the historical DeKalb hotel (named after DeKalb County) which burned down.
From there we walked next door to the Fort Payne Opera House, where we also got a free tour. The Opera House was built in 1891, and still holds performances today, including Alabama! The woman who talked to us at both the Opera House and the Hosiery Museum was wonderful and full of knowledge. I wish I had remembered her name.
Then it was off to the Alabama Museum, the whole reason for the trip. It is a small museum and gift shop, but it is filled to the brim with items from the band members. We ended up buying a Christmas ornament from the gift shop.
After that we checked out the Big Mill Antique Mall, housed in the old hosiery mill. Also in the mill was Vintage Cafe, where we had a mid afternoon light meal.
When it got dark we headed back to the park for their annual “Christmas in the Park” event. There was a bonfire, free concessions, music and a tree lighting.
We had a nice day exploring a new area in a new state. I am glad that we found a lot of different things to do and learned some history of the area. I had worried that Derek would be bored with a whole day devoted to the Alabama band, and it ended up being much more than that!
One of my best friends Dawn, and her family, live in Sevierville, Tennessee, near the Smoky Mountains. We used to work together in Pennsylvania, and have stayed close. We moved to Houston in August, and her and her family moved to Tennessee that November, so it had been over three years since we last saw each other.
When Derek found out he got the job at UTC, I texted Dawn and said, “Best friends will be reunited again in the great state of Tennessee!” It is comforting to know that I have a friend relatively close by.
We spent the day with her two weeks ago, and we got a good preview of the Smoky Mountain region, and some of the things to do in the nearby tourist towns of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.
We got there early in the morning and all headed out to breakfast at Flapjack’s Pancake Cabin. I had heard that this part of Tennessee was known for their pancake houses, so I was happy to experience one. I loved the decor inside!
Dawn with her twin daughters at Flapjack’s. Not pictured is her husband Brian, who was also with us.
Strawberry pancakes for breakfast.
Our first stop after breakfast was the Dolly Parton statue, in front of Sevierville’s court house. Dolly was born in Sevierville.
We drove down the Smoky Mountain Parkway, on the way to Gatlinburg, and Derek and I were amazed at how many tourist attractions there were. Most of them looked quite cheesy! I knew that was what the area was like in general, but I didn’t expect so much of it.
An example of one of the tourist attractions: The Hatfields and McCoy’s dinner feud.
We drove through Smoky Mountain National Park for a few miles to get to Gatlinburg on the other side, and we were shocked at how much traffic there was. We had thought we would miss the foliage crowd by going in November, but it was a sunny, mild day, so that was probably the last of the tourist rush.
A quick shot through the windshield while driving through the National Park.
We were initially planning on finding parking in Gatlinburg, and then getting out and walking around for a little bit, but it was a madhouse. We quickly abandoned those plans. However I am glad that it ended up happening that way, because now I know what to possibly expect when we vacation there, hopefully next year.
Scarecrows lined the streets in Gatlinburg.
We ended up going back towards Pigeon Forge. Gatlinburg seems to be the most popular of the towns, so the traffic died down considerably.
While in Pennsylvania, Dawn and I would get together on Friday and Saturday nights at our houses, and enjoy cups of tea together at our kitchen tables, while chatting about anything and everything. Many, many hours were spent together with cups of tea. Therefore it was important to us, and symbolic as well, that we get drinks together during this visit.
We stopped at Espresso Yourself, a small coffee shop in Pigeon Forge. It was great to continue our chats as if no time had passed at all since we last saw each other.
Chatting and drinks at Expresso Yourself.
Then we headed to the Apple Barn in Sevierville. It is a large complex that consists of two restaurants, a general store, a winery and more. What a nice store! I could have bought a lot more than we did. We bought red and white plaid table place mats with apples on them, plus some apple butter and a big jug of apple cider.
Dawn and I at the Apple Barn.
Inside the Apple Barn general store.
After that we got a quick mid afternoon bite to eat, and then we headed back to her house to say our goodbyes. We had a great day together. They will come visit us in Chattanooga next, sometime after the holidays.
I’ve been living my best life this past month, as someone who loves to photograph fall foliage.
A couple of weekends ago we went to a stretch of brightly colored trees that are along side of a nearby elementary school, and had some fun taking portrait shots of each other.
Then last weekend we found some trees in Coolidge park. I had to get on Derek’s shoulders in order to get the angle I wanted, with the leaves in the foreground and the Walnut Street Bridge in the background. He’s a good sport!
Shakleford Ridge Park is a park located in Signal Mountain. We hiked here last weekend. This was actually our second attempt to go here. Our first time wasn’t meant to be because there was a running race happening at the time, so the trails were closed down.
I am glad that we waited to go though, because there was a lot of color in the woods. We walked through a lot of beautiful scenes. Fall foliage always puts me in a good mood, after not experiencing it in Houston for three years.
It’s a woodsy park, with a couple of different trails. The main trail is the blue loop, which is a 2.7 mile round trip. It’s not too difficult of a trail, but there are some steep uphill parts.
There are some streams that run through the park, so there are quite a few bridge crossings.
We admittedly did not finish the whole 2.7 miles, but we did get close; we did over 2 miles. We came across the edge of the parking lot and we were both tired and hungry at that point, so we just cut across to our car. If we do this again I might consider packing a lunch and resting half way.
The first bridge at the start of the blue loop was a swinging bridge.
The only covered bridge on the trail.
More bridges!
This is my favorite picture I took during the hike. A path to a photographer’s paradise!
The Prayer of the Woods – a sign with a nice poem that someone left behind.
When I first moved to Chattanooga in September, Facebook started suggesting a lot of events for me to go to. Ketner’s Mill Country Fair was one of them, and I tucked the idea away in the back of my mind.
Ketner’s Mill is located in Whitwell, TN, about a half hour away from us, actually in the central time zone. It’s interesting and odd to be so close to the edge of a time zone barrier!
The Ketner family started working at the mill since 1842, according to www.ketnersmill.org. The mill ceased operations, but family members gathered together in the 1970s to restore the mill and house. It’s private property, but each year it’s opened to the public for the fair. The mill is not in production now, aside from that weekend. Visitors can buy cornmeal and watch it be made.
The fair featured a lot of vendors, wagon rides (we were lucky to get a whole wagon to ourselves) entertainment, blacksmith demonstrations and sorghum molasses demonstrations.
We learned that each of the vendors were all handpicked by the organizers of the fair. The items that each vendor had to sell were all nicely crafted. I stocked up on some homemade soaps, and we bought a small loaf of pumpkin bread to share at home. I only wish I had more money to purchase more items.
The fair grounds were beautiful as well. It was a cloudy day, and the clouds were low in the mountains. The mill was the focal point, and the Sequatchie River flowed behind it.
The drive to the fair was great as well, driving through some small towns and the Prentice Cooper State Forest. We pulled over many times to take photos of the scenery.
Low clouds in the mountains on our way to the fair.
Prentice Cooper State Forest.
Had to pull over for some small pops of color!
Ketner’s Mill and the Sequatchie River.
The view behind the mill.
Wagon ride with horses Mike and Ike.
Inside the Mill.
Blacksmith demonstrations.
Sorghum molasses demonstration.
A close up of the sugar cane being turned into juice.
One of the attractions on top of Lookout Mountain is Point Park. It is part of the Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park.
The Battle of Lookout Mountain was fought November 24, 1863. It became known as the Battle Above the Clouds. It was a part of a larger few months long campaign to take over Chattanooga.
It was important that Union forces take control of Chattanooga because Chattanooga was the gateway to the deep south, and many railroads converged there.
History aside, Point Park has some beautiful observation points that overlook the mountains and downtown Chattanooga. There are some hiking trails on Lookout Mountain, but the paths that we saw seemed more difficult than we were willing to take on.
The New York Peace Memorial
This bend in the Tennessee River is known as Moccasin Bend.
An enlarged painting of The Battle Above the Clouds in the visitor’s center.
McCoy Farm is in the town of Signal Mountain. It’s a historic house and grounds that dates to before the Civil War. The woman who lived in the home last, passed on down through the generations of her family, bequeathed the house to the town in her will.
Now, the town holds public events there, such as 4th of July picnics. They also hold private events. The day that we were there, they were setting up for a wedding.
On weekends the public is allowed on the grounds. I am sure this rule is amended if there are scheduled private events, such as when we were there, so we did not check out the house and buildings. There is also a blacksmith building and a barn.
There is a one mile walking trail that makes a wide loop around the grounds, which is open to the public every day. Last weekend we walked the trail.
It is a woodsy trail, and I enjoyed seeing some of the trees changing colors. There is also a swinging bridge to cross. It is a simple trail, but it truly felt like we were in the wilderness, and not just a few miles from downtown.
This is my favorite picture I took on the trail. I love the texture and shapes in the front, and the pop of color from the leaves in the back.
