Memorial Day

In memory for all those who have served and for those who gave their lives for this incredible country we live in! We salute you! Hundreds of flags on display "in memory" of loved ones. Field of flags in Murfreesboro, TN.

Feeling Blue...

In Memory....

In Memory of my Uncle Tony. A wonderful caring man with a great sense of humor and and always a smile on his face! May his memory be eternal.

I fancy your hat ma'am...

Floral hats galore at the Iroquois Steeplechase in Nashville. This was simply one of my favorites. Floral hats = truly springtime!

Orange Slice and Dice!

Interior shot captured of the '41 Ford Truck. A little more than luck drives this truck to win top of its class in Hot Rod shows!

Red Rod Reflections

'37 Ford "Red Rod"... reflecting a '41 Ford Truck in the hubcap. :)

A Quick 32

"On the Road Again".... A great day for Hot Roddin' in the yellow '32 Ford.

Aghostly Deer!

A white deer? An Albino deer? It didn't have red eyes though. Very bizarre! Maybe you Michiganders can educate me on the species of deer...and while you're at it, why are there live deer showcased at a hunting museum? Bizarre.

Look Kids!! Deer!!

Grass Lake, Michigan - definitely odd to find a Deer farm with a "museum" attached showcasing prized hunting trophies. Seems a little paradoxal don't you think? In any case, the deer were beautiful!

Peaceful mornings...

A soft foggy morning on the golf course. Very peaceful. A good morning for a ride on the golf cart.

FORE!!!!

Today I traveled to the state of Michigan for the first time ever! Charity golf outing for the Patty Brisben Foundation, and I was the official photographer! :) I love this picture! Looks like it could be used in an ad for the golf course... maybe I should send it to them?!

Sleeping Beauty

True innocense and simplistic beauty.

Ohio Farmland

Today I traveled along Ohio Route 32 towards West Virginia to visit family. I snapped this shot while driving - an older barn on a roadside farm. Ohio is covered in farmland!

Pretty in Pink

Pink tu-tu, size 0-3 months. Little girls sure are pretty in pink! Like little princesses.

Pitter Patter...

...of little feet. Before long she will be up and walking (running) with her big brothers. Sarah Marie Mathews. Born 5/4/2010.

Repair & Reconstruction

Repair begins on less damaged areas - streets and parking lots with displaced pavement and blacktop. It is amazing to think about huge pieces of blacktop uprooting themselves and being displaced along roads, and even 4' tall on top of bushes in landscapes. Construction and Crisis Relief companies are hard at work in Nashville, they are everwhere you look.

The Cleanup Continues...

Flooded car abandoned on the road...pretty typical scene on local flooded streets. Hopefully the driver and passengers got out safe. Notice how deep it was submerged and see the 6-8 ft muddy water level along the tree line. Highway above was flooded over at certain intervals.

Landslide...

Abundance of rainfall created landslides in some higher areas. Landslides blocking roads, knocking down power lines, and making clean up a little more difficult. This one was found on Harding at Percy Warner Blvd.

Dry Stack wall before and after

Water has quite the force to destroy anything in its path. Notice the normal wall on the left and the rubble that used to be wall on the right. In some areas, it stayed in tact while others fell to the pressure of the water fighting thru. Snapshot taken while driving. Water in this area was over 6 feet deep, washing away cars and leaving orange barrells stuck 6-7 ft high in trees.

After the Flood

Just a small example of what is left after the flood. Notice an entire piece of blacktop from the street has been uplifted and is sitting in the landscape. This "rock" pile used to be a dry stacked wall that beautifully lined West End Avenue. The standing water remains in the front corner of this house property. Photo taken while driving along the road...this is minimal compared to other areas of town.

Look back at Flooding

Flooding along the riverbanks downtown, overflowing into condos and the Pinnacle building behind it, along with its underground parking garage. The Pinnacle building has been closed all week and still has no electric. (picture taken on Tuesday) Although a tree is blocking it in this picture, there is a white SUV submerged with only about 2 inches of the roof visible in the front parking lot of these condos.

Iroquois Steeplechase

Today was the Iroquois Steeplechase in Nashville, TN just a few miles from our house. The course was dry enough to allow the event to happen and we stopped by to watch a few races. Lots of big frilly hats, corporate hospitality tents, and a tailgating infield. Reminded me of how I would envision the Kentucky Derby. I was cheering for the horse with the pink legwarmers. :)

Cumberland surpasses her banks

The Cumberland River crested at a flood stage never before seen in Nashville. The width of the river grew over 150' wider than normal. (which by comparison, a nearby river in Bellevue has a normal width of 100' and grew to 2900' OMG!!) This is taken of LP Field where the Tennessee Titans play and the Riverfront park, that is no longer visible. (photo taken on Tuesday)

Downtown Flooding

A store downtown along 2nd Avenue South (across from Joe's Crab Shack), notice the red capped Parking Meeters that are barely visible, and one mostly submerged near the front of the picture. Again, taken after 5ft below river crest.

Cinqo de....

Cinqo feet of water has already receeded from this area, the Cumberland River level is 5 feet less than at its crest and the flood levels are still unbelievable. Took this shot from the pedestrian bridge downtown, overlooking Joe's Crab Shack, which still does not have a visible front door.

Flooding... a bit contained

This is usually a dry creek bed, used in neighborhood drainage. At this level, it is most likely 3-4 ft deep. This is about 10 houses down from us; although a dry creek runs through the back of our house in the woods we can now hear a rushing river back there. Trees and leaves are too overgrown to get a good look or picture.

Nashville Flood begins

Nashville has received a tremendous amount of rain over the past 3 days, totaling 15 inches in some areas. Sunday we didn't leave home but did take a walk down the street to Vaughn's Gap to see the rushing water. This was only the beginning to the amount of flooding that occurred. This is the intersection of Percy Warner (our street) and Vaughn's Gap.

Bridge over (not so) troubled waters

Follow the paths that lead you in life...some are rocky, some are paved, and others guide you over what appear to be swamps of "troubled waters", safely landing you on the other side. So many ways to pave your road in life, just remember your next path might not look the same as the ones that have gotten you to your current place! Unfamiliar pavement and path abound - remember variety is the spice of life!

Solitude

A place of peace and solitude... a cabin in the woods surrounded by beautiful gardens. My ideal weekend escape.