Cardin Place

It once was a mountain farm. One of the former fields is now a wooded shelf on the south mountain slope of TVA land at Wilbur Lake. It must have been hard making living off of this land, but I do know that the yard is fertile because I grew gardens there for several years.

The barn looks small from the road, but it had two stalls, a loft, and a corn crib attached on the side.

The neighbor rebuilt the front porch about 30 years back. It is still holding up well. That was a screen door when we lived there.

The front yard underbrush has been cleared further down into the woods and an opening made to see the lake. I planted the Eastern White Pine just to the right of center. It was not as tall as me when I planted it there.

Ah, the smokehouse, a shed and workshop and artifact of a past life. My 32 gallon garbage cans used to sit there beside it. One evening, my oldest son came out that back door to right to meet up with a raccoon as big around as the top of one of those can crawling up out of it. He was as scared of raccoons as bears.

Calas and Tiger Lilies contrast the old wood well.

And a very nice visitor alighted, too.

The outhouse is still there, though the last time I looked inside, a groundhog likely had nearly collapsed it.

The barn looks both more noble and more worn from this vantage point. I replaced that near post on the overhang. Black Locust holds up well.

The memories of 29 plus years ago flooded my mind as I saw how little had changed. I felt as though we could move back in and take up where we left off. Oh, life has changed and is so much more complicated. I am thankful for the many years God has guided and used us for His purposes. If our grandchildren had a desire to hear them, we have a few stories.

 

Beveled Stairs

The 2 x 10 double beam warped dangerously. The joists were set to fall. The owner was aware that the railing was leaning in, but he had no idea that the joist ends were ready to fail. If he had had a party with neighbors and friends, then someone might have ended up in the hospital.

I am not real partial to the red oxide color, but it was functional and fairly ubiquitous in the past. The posts were fairly rotten and not good to build upon. The joist were decent but probably half of their lifespan completed. It would have been hard to simply replace the beam, and they would still have an old deck.

The new deck was just a bit smaller with the bevels and steps the full length of the front that would just reach the concrete pad around the recently installed swimming pool. The concrete had been poured within a few inches of the old deck, but the owners wanted more swimming pool skirt and less deck.

The decking boards always give the appearance of great progress in the build.

This build was split up due to a five week commitment that I had out of town. To prevent the hot sun from overly drying out and cracking the floorboards while I was away, I stained what I had completed before I left. The owners wanted the deck to match a covering (gazebo?) on the wider end of the swimming pool skirt.

The bevels required an outlet to be moved.

They also required some additional concrete onto which the steps were to land.

Those pesky bevels increased complexity at every turn. (1)

The end result was satisfying and met the owner's wishes.

A few detail shots of custom fits are in order.

Besides the look, the stair railings will be useful for anyone who needs them.

The concrete forms became trim work and the underground wiring still needed and an access point.

I also replaced a crawlspace access door that was rotten. It was a challenging job with agreeable clients. I thank God for the skills, energy, tools, encouragement, variety of jobs, and money made to pay bills. It's a classic win-win situation.

1. Sad pun

 

Hands On and Gray Fossils

 What do you do when the grandkids come to visit? You can't just sit around the whole time. So, we went to the Hands On Museum and Gray Fossil Site. Notice that the sign is made of fake limestone with Mastodon (1) bones embedded.

There was a another "sign" in the form of a pictorial brick relief trifold with fountain just outside of the main entrance. My granddaughter thought it was cool, just as I thought the labeled rock garden on the other side of the entrance was nifty. Frequently, rock samples in the classroom are too "perfect" and too small to give the student a real visual and tactile feel for what the rock is like.

Little Man liked the blue, hard foam building blocks better.

A Hands On Museum is too engaging to remember to take pictures, but I did get a few outside. One worker said that Max, the Tri-color Blackbird is a regular visitor to the building's balcony railing.

There was a very nice wildflower garden. I think the flowers and trees were native, but the Bald Cypress are only native to the western part of the state, so I don't know if other plants were "regional natives" or East Tennessee natives.

There were a few blooms in the late Spring heat.

Their mother took a picture with the old fossil on the limestone with the youngin's.

Mamaw and Mom got involved in the Hands On activities, too, with stencil drawings. You could also color animals, scan them, and they would come up on an animated video screen. It had the cool factor but needed a more well thought out educational component.

Mastodon alert!

Seeing actual fossils instead of replica copies is nice, and these were all found on site at Gray, TN.

Everyone liked the sandbox contour map.

It looks like we have made an exploded volcanic island.

Mom got involved, too.

Even Grandpa had to get involved.

The children and I completed the castle of the last generation (some previous children).

One the playground day, Little Man was cruising around from on venue to another.

Left in his wake was big sister, who needed a little time out of the sun.

Grandkids keep you young and active if not tired at the end of their stay. We enjoyed our time together and learned quite a bit about fossil digging and preservation and habitats. It must have been quite the Flood that collapsed that sinkhole trapping Mastodons, tapirs, and over a hundred species of plants and animals in that deep little pond.

1. https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/12/a-fossil-site-reveals-an-ancient-sinkhole-and-its-enormous-occupant/

Vacation Villa

My wife and I have temporary residence in this fine home. I thought about giving you a tour inside, but then thought better of it for the sake of the owner's privacy. Needless to say, it is quite comfortable and also happens to be within 3 minutes of where I am working and several minutes from several places to walk or run.

 At one of those greenways I saw the most symmetrical, open grown oak tree.

There is a small pond there that is so full of turtles. They must surely feed them.

A walk around the neighborhood revealed this beauty.

Up until a few days ago it was too cool to try out the back patio swimming pool. It was quite refreshing after a run. You'll have to come by and try out our cement pond.

A little flower action was going on in the yard, too.

The shack with trees and fields that we call home for the time being does have a lovely porch on the front for sitting out in the evening and taking in the view.

Scottish Clad Grandchildren

 The Smoky Mountain Highland Festival Games is now held at the Townsend Visitor Center. It is an excellent spot with a large field and mountains all around. The Visitor Center building looks like a large log cabin.

We spent time perusing the booths. Scottish history seems to be all about dress and weapons.

When my wife and I first arrived, however, we found our daughter-in-law and four grandchildren watching a weapons demonstration. I should have pointed out that they were wearing full face and neck guards and thick padding, lest the children think you can try this out on an unclad sibling at home.

The whole family decked out in their Scottish regalia, here watching the swordplay.

One of the clansmen offered for the children to weigh the shield and sword. The grandson said, "It was quite the sword to wield." No, really, he did.

His little brother had to settle for a dagger and his Mamaw is eyeing his little sister.

The maiden in her Royal Stewart sash can hold it with a firm hand, too.

Big brother cuts quite the figure in armor and bonnet.

In their outfits and full sun, it was quite warm, so mom and dad brought water and snacks for mid-morning.

Mamaw is happiest when she is interacting with children or grandchildren.

Food all around for the young warriors.

Later we watched the pipe and drum bands march by.

After their performance on the field they came back our way, still droning and drumming.

Behind the Visitor's Center, under a pavilion, the lasses from young girls to young adults were judged for their dancing. I was interested to see considerable difference in ability. Some struggled through the highly energetic and precise movements while other flowed with precision and seeming lack of effort.

Our son's family was the only one we saw with the whole clan dressed for the occasion. Many people said how cute they were and took pictures. We actually are part of Royal Stewart ancestry, one of the protectorate families. There is more to my clan, four more children and four more grandchildren, but we most definitely enjoyed interacting with this branch of the clan.

In the parking area, before we left, the grandson at left in the picture wanted to show us the quilt that he made. Yes, mom and dad assisted, but they said he did most of the work, including stitching the squares together. Mom did admit that she had to redo a few of those stitches before she sewed on the border. Quite amazing for a first quilt, though.

All were tired and satisfied with the day. Heritage is interesting and gives a sense of belonging, and whether noble or ignoble, does not determine who you are. I am thankful for the grace of God in my heritage and overcoming parts of it, but also for my posterity, may it ever increase and deepen in knowledge of God.