Another great get-together! Again, we were missing a few; Papa Rogers, Candi and her family, Jason's wife Jessica, and Debbie were all unable to attend. However, Larry was able to be there as he was home on leave and a good time was had by all.
We did a little, low impact, whitewater rafting. Although it was a workout in a couple of spots (we got stuck on some rocks), it turned out to be a lot of fun. Anyway, on with the show. Enjoy Reliance, TN... we did!
This page is bound to expand some... Casey and Larry both took photos and they will surely be added.
The trip up was interesting. To alleviate some of the boredom, the kids were waving at folks. As we got closer to Atlanta, North Carolina lady (the one in the green 4Runner), seemed to become agitated. Casey got a couple of snapshots, but oddly, "the finger" picture was missed. Of course, there's always the Kudzu. Then there was the painted cow in one of the GA rest stops... And last, but not least, there is the ever present, always obligatory, plane near Hartsfield.
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Apparently, there is a small Amish community in the Reliance area and Casey got a few pics. We saw the peaches and peanuts on the way up too, but we didn't get the pics until we were on the way back. And, in Turner County at a rest stop, there were the "fun" pics.
All pictures in the "To and Fro" section are ©Casey Morgan.
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Bugs are generally nifty little critters, but bees are way cool! They are just so task oriented, each having his own little job to do; you've got your pollen collectors, nest guards, honey makers, and some are around just to "do" the queen. But, the one task that seems to escape them is the "photo op" concept. Below, the first two rows are representative of the literally dozens of failed attempts to capture these things on film. Row three (only two shots) are the only ones that came out well.
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Larry and Wayne took all of the action shots of me and the kids on the Hiwassee (the first row). Marsha took all of the pics on the second and third rows which are Larry and Wayne kayaking the Hiwassee. On the third row (first two and last pictures), look closely at the center frame "dots." That's Larry and Wayne a long way away, and Marsha testing the limits of modern digital optics. She "done good" to even get these pictures.
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Pictured below are some samples of the scenery in Reliance, TN. Most of the pictures were taken around the little bungalow we rented, but all of them were taken in the Reliance area. Pictures of the Hiwassee river were taken throughout the day, but the "misty" morning shots with the fog on the river were pretty interesting I thought. Additionally, the last three pictures are some mountain fog and a rainbow taken by Marsha.
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From the back of the cabin to the river bank was around 30 or 40 yards and it ran probably close to 100 yards long. That patch of grass was home to about 40 or 50 geese and they wandered the whole patch. To actually walk to the edge of the river without hittin' a goose turd was a real challenge. As for the frog, it actually came from Candi's house while Larry and Marsha were visiting her. Larry, Marsha, Wayne, or Casey took all of these pictures.
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I'm not sure what happened this time; I only got a few pictures of the family. I didn't have any recent pictures of Larry until this weekend, but I finally got some. I was also able to catch Martelle in a rare, and very brief, moment of frivolity.
** A short note of interest ** Room/cabin rates in the mountains change depending on time of week, season, etc. As we were staying through a weekday, when the people of Hiwassee Outfitters told me what the cabin rate was, and it dropped, I thought nothing of it. However, I had to "ATM" the money, and as we were to leave the next day, I only pulled enough to pay for the cabin and get lunch and gas for the trip back home. Upon checkout, I was informed of an undercharge, and these people cleaned me out. Combine that with a cabin that was unusable because of leaks from rain and it was a disaster. I don't know what the rest of their services are like, but avoid their cabins like the plague!!! The cabin is pictured below.
** A short note of thanks ** For those of you that aren't aware, Larry is one of the fine people currently serving our nation over in the Iraq area. If you want to know what a real life hero looks like, my big brother is one. If you enjoy your freedom, find someone like him and just simply say "thanks!"
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