set us free

Gracious God,

Turn us loose, but never let us go.

Set us free, but never let us go.

Let us find our own path, but never let us go.

Let us work it out for ourselves, but never let us go.

Let us suffer from our own mistakes, but never let us go.

Receive us to Thyself, never let us go.

We leave this Thy house, but never let us go.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 --Fred Craddock (1928-2015) Minister, Professor and Author (Benediction from his sermon, "The Cloud of Witnesses")

Some scenes from the beautiful area beneath South Holston Dam of the Weir Dam at Osceola Island. For more images, discussion and directions, click here.

holston rainbow

The true harvest of my life is intangible - a little star dust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched. 

--Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American Writer and Philosopher.  

Above: Rainbow over South Holston Lake

Bays Mountain

Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened. 

--Anatole France (1844-1924) French poet, journalist, and novelist. 

Summer is a great time to visit Bays Mountain in Kingsport, TN. Pictured here are some of the animals found in the nature habitat at Bays Mountain Park in Kingsport, TN. Featured at the top is a gray wolf named Tanasi. The wolf habitat is always popular to visit, especially with the addition of wolf pups this spring. In addition to wolves, the park also has bobcats, deer, otters, turtles, snakes, birds, raccoons, a bee hive, an aquarium, and numerous other exhibits. There are also 25 miles of hiking trails, a 40' dome planetarium, and barge rides on the 44 acre lake.

Click here to visit their website.  See my previous posts from the park by clicking here.

spring embrace

Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love! 
--Sitting Bull (1831-1890)

Steele Creek Park

Bristol, TN is home to Steele Creek Park, the third largest municipal park in the state of Tennessee. Occupying over 2200 acres, the park has a 52 acre lake, a golf course, numerous picnic shelters, amphitheater, conference center and 24 miles of trails. The park recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. The above photo shows a bench overlooking the lake and Nature Center in the distance. Click here and here for more information.

 

The Homeplace

Home, the spot of earth supremely blest, 
A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest.
--Robert Montgomery (1807–1855) English poet. 

Built by JWP Doan shortly after the Civil War for his new bride, this white frame house still stands in Sullivan County, TN. (For more on the old homeplace, click here and here.) Today, in addition to raising cattle, Roy and Linda Doan (the 6th generation of Doans to farm the land) also grow flowers, primarily for weddings. A few times a year, Linda hosts workshops where she shares her love and expertise of flowers.  Check out her website, Aunt Willies Wildflowers.

your choice

We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. 
Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way. 
--George S. Patton (1885-1945) US Army General

oh, what a beautiful morning

Oh, what a beautiful mornin',
Oh, what a beautiful day.
I got a beautiful feelin'
Ev'rything's goin' my way.
--Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) & Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960) Songwriters. 

Above: The Exchange Place in Kingsport, TN. An 1850s farm open seasonally and for special events throughout the year.  Click here to visit their website.  And click here for a previous post which contains some more information, along with directions.

BTW...There's a parking area adjacent to the farm that serves as the trail head for the Kingsport Greenbelt.  Map here.

[Click the photo above to enlarge]

south holston fishing

Good things come to those who bait. 
--Author Unknown 

Above: Early-morning Fishermen on the South Holston River, near Bristol, TN


The South Holston and Watauga Rivers of northeast Tennessee are said to offer some of the best trout fishing east of the Mississippi.  For maps of access sites on the South Holston River, click here; and for the Watauga River, click here.

Lakeview Marina

Went to lunch yesterday at the "Marker 2 Grille" at Lakeview Marina located near the Tri-Cities Airport. I've always heard about the marina, but never visited. What a great find! Wonderful food, terrific view! The outdoor pavillion is huge - I imagine it's a lot of fun at night! From their Facebook page: "THE REGION'S LARGEST & BEST LAKESIDE DECK on BOONE LAKE! featuring GREAT LIVE ENTERTAINMENT DAILY & FANTASTIC FOOD!"

Click here to view their FB page, which has a map with directions and restaurant hours.

a penny for your thoughts

The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.
--Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher. 

A view of Holston Mountain from a farm in Sullivan County, TN.

Appalachian Wineries

I was excited to (finally!) visit the two wineries located here in the Tri-Cities region of Northeast TN. They're in very close proximity to one another, just off of Interstate 81 near Blountville and the Tri-Cities Airport -- making for a very easy and fun destination to visit with friends and family. Both offer free wine tastings and reasonably priced bottles of many different varieties of wines for purchase. I've listed the names, locations and store hours below -- Check them out!  (P.S. For those in the high country of NC...check out the wonderful winery located in Banner Elk, NC!)

Countryside Vineyards and Winery
658 Henry Harr Road
Blountville, TN 37617
(423) 323-1660
Store hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 am - 6 pm, Sundays 1 pm - 6 pm.

Corey Ippolito Vineyards (pictured above)
533 Rogers Oakdale Private Drive
Blountville, TN 37617
(423) 323-1241
Store hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 am - 6 pm, Sundays by appointment.

Directions: Take Interstate 81 to exit 63 (Tri-City Airport Exit) take exit, at end of ramp turn north, go past the Kingsport water tower take 3rd left onto Henry Harr Road. Countryside Vineyards and Winery is 0.7 mile on left. After visiting there, continue on Henry Harr Road another 0.2 miles and turn right onto Rogers Oakdale Dr., follow this road around for 0.35 miles to the entrance to Corey ippolito Winery on your left.

Here's a map I put together of other wineries in our region. Let me know if you know of others to include.

View Appalachian Wineries in a larger map

smiles along life's pathway

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.
--Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English Essayist, Poet, Dramatist and Statesman

Home

Home. The word circled comfortably in my mouth like bubble gum, swished around sweetly soft and satisfying. Home. Try saying it aloud to yourself. Home. Isn't it like taking a bite of something lovely? If only we could eat words.
--Sol Luckman, artist and author 

Old homestead near Blountville, TN (click to enlarge).

fast and furious

There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
--Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) American novelist

Snuck into the Bristol Motor Speedway the other day when I was in Bristol - it's really an amazing sight to see in person. It's hard to really show the size and scale of the facility with its (relatively) tiny half mile, 40-foot-wide track completely surrounded by 160,000 seats. With 43 cars starting each race, Bristol is known for its intensity, its congestion and its yellow flags -- being likened to "flying fighter jets in a gymnasium". If you're in the area, it's worth the time to stop by and get a legitimate tour of "The World's Fastest Half-Mile" (still only five bucks) which includes a tour of the owner's suite, a lap around the track and a ride down the nearby dragway nicknamed 'Thunder Valley'. Tickets are still available for the August Race Weekend (August 18-21) - visit the BMS website if you're interested. Previous posts and photos here.

original logs

The challenge of history is to recover the past and introduce it to the present.
--David Thelen, author and professor

Acuff Chapel, Blountville, TN, the first Methodist meetinghouse west of the Appalachians (1786).

gone fishin'

If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles.
--Doug Larson (b. 1926) Newspaper columnist

Of course, there'd be a shortage of hiking sticks as well.

Sullivan County, TN has been blessed with some amazing parks. Check 'em out!
Steele Creek Park, Bristol
Osceola Island & Weir Dam, Bristol
Bays Mountain Park, Kingsport
Warrior's Path State Park, Kingsport

Let us so live...

Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
--Mark Twain (1835-1910) American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer

I recently came across the sad remnants of an old cemetery outside of Kingsport, TN. The stones were leaned up on a tree in the middle of a cow pasture. I stopped and took some photos and upon looking at them later I became curious about this small family cemetery. The stones I could read bore the surname "Lady" and dated to the early 1900s, with many looking to be much older. A topo map of the area noted the location of "Lady Cemetery" and online I found this brief note about the "Lady home place":

"For the benefit of those who may want to find this Lady site, the William Lady house is still standing. It is a 2-story hewn log structure, now covered with siding, with a cornerstone marked "L.A.D.Y. 1796" The site is located on Buttermilk Road.... Across the road is a cemetery with several graves, including those for William Lady (1795-1869) and his wife, Jane (1797-1879). The date on the cornerstone raises questions because the first deeds indicate a Lady presence in the area are early 1800s."

Another website noted that in "1803, Jacob Lady settled on 238 acres [in Sullivan County] purchased from Conrad Isley." Not sure of the relation, but perhaps this was William's father.

It's sad to me that the stories of these early settlers have been lost -- and the cemetery so neglected. Makes me want to go out there and at least record the markers. (Not sure what good that would do, but I hate to think that history would be lost!). This reminded me of a previous post.

a faith that works

Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.
--Saint Augustine (354-430) Theologian and Bishop

Click here to learn about Acuff Chapel, the first Methodist Church west of the Appalachians.

take time

Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn.
--Elizabeth Lawrence

I was happy today to see that autumn's big show isn't quite yet finished. There are still a few tenacious trees that refuse to let go of fall. This is a view of the lake and Nature Center at Steele Creek Park in Bristol, TN. Directions and park maps here. More photos here.