Photo of the Week ~ 17

Posted on April 30, 2014April 30, 2014 by Dusty Roads

The week 17 tallies are in. The Photo of the Week with the most hits, likes, shares and/or comments is Budding Spring with a total of 33 points.

To Order Prints Click Here: http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p161572686/h375a9f3c#h375a9f3c

Some Thoughts on Spring

Posted on April 28, 2014April 28, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Southeastern Massachusetts is a not known for it’s spring. In fact we usually joke that we have only 3 seasons, winter, summer and fall. It’s not unusual to go from snowy days to 80 degrees. This year everyone is complaining about how cold and rainy it’s been. Why, northern New England and the mountains are even getting snow.

This is spring. If we didn’t have paved roads we’d be knee deep in mud. I remember “mud weeks” when I was a kid. The school bus made it through all kinds of snow drifts all winter but would get bogged down in the mud.

It has been un-seasonably cold but that doesn’t seem to stop the flowers from pushing through the cold ground. They seem to appear overnight.

I hope warm weather will arrive soon but I remember a major snow storm in May so I guess we aren’t out of the woods yet.

So all those folks who always say we don’t have spring…listen up… this is Spring. It’s often cold. It’s often rainy but mother nature still blooms.

Change is Good

Posted on April 13, 2014April 13, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Change is often hard. This coming from the person who packed up and moved to a new state where they knew no one and knew nothing about the state.

I was young and restless and fearless. Now I still get itchy feet. It comes out in my travels but I also have a stronger sense of home. I like my adopted state, maybe not the cold winters but there’s a lot of other good stuff to recommend it. (No digs about “Taxachusetts”).

Looks like change is once again headed my way. If it happens I guess you can say I went reluctantly which is surprising because I really want it to happen. It all boils down to change.

Rumor has it that there’s a position with another department opening up. The powers that be have brought the opportunity to my attention and it would be a fun job. Off the record I have been told I can keep working from home (once I’m trained). I’d be eligible for bonuses. Bonuses are very good. My budget has been quite tight without the overtime I used to get at my old company. So what am I hesitating for? The schedule change required.

I feel like I will have to mourn my old schedule.

I know that’s funny but for 10 years I worked weekends at my old company and I have continued as a Night and Weekend worker in my new job. I’m used to having weekdays to go to the doctor, dentist, bank, vet and all those other errands that can’t be done easily on the weekend. I am used to having quiet hiking spaces and deserted attractions. The crowds show up on weekends.

The new position requires Monday – Friday. The opportunity is too good not to try for it so I’ve been trying to get myself thinking positive about the schedule. Many events and activities are only on the weekends and I miss out unless I take a day off. Some examples are AAA Travel Expo… usually Thurs- Sun; Riverquest boat rides on the Connecticut River, again usually weekends; The Spring Flower Shows.. always weekends; summer Fairs, Autumn Harvest Festivals and so on.

So I guess there’s a lot to be said for being conforming and working like the rest of the world. Now if I can only get the job. 🙂

The Real Reason To Go To Gatlinburg

Posted on March 14, 2014March 14, 2014 by Dusty Roads

I touched on this yesterday in my post about Cade’s Cove. When all the moonshine and whiskey, train rides and Dollywood are said and done, the real reason I want to go to Gatlinburg is the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

The Park Services page turned out to be an awesome resource for planning my visit. Since I’ve been struggling with arthritis and recovering from my spill in San Diego, I don’t know how much stamina I’ll have for hikes. I hope to be able to do some but it’s too soon to tell. My right hip still acts up quite a lot. Just in case hiking is not an option the website lists the auto tours.

An auto tour of the park offers a chance to see panoramic vistas, cascading mountain rivers, weathered historic buildings, and majestic forests stretching to the horizon.

We know there’s one though Cades Cove but there’s a whole list of others:

Cataloochee Valley
Newfound Gap Road
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
Upper Tremont Road

In addition, the book Smokies Road Guide covers main thoroughfares and scenic backroads in the park. This book and the self-guiding auto tour booklets listed above are available at park visitor centers and online. Self-guiding tour booklets are also available from dispensers at the start of the roads they cover.

I have my National Parks Pass and my “Passport books” to get stamps but there’s no entrance fee to the park anyway! Yup one of the most visited parks in the US is free.

I’m heading to the park in the spring. Anytime is beautiful in this park but the Great Smokey National Park is knick named the Wildflower National Park. Spring and summer are renown for spectacular displays of wildflowers along roads and trails.

And along with the wildflowers are wildlife. The Site offers tips for wildlife viewing. Some are standard like view early or late in the day but I especially liked this advice: Viewing wildlife in the Smokies can be challenging because most of the park is covered by dense forest. Open areas like Cataloochee and Cades Cove offer some of the best opportunities to see white-tailed deer, black bear, raccoon, turkeys, woodchucks, and other animals. The narrow, winding road of Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail encourages motorists to travel at a leisurely pace and sometimes yields sightings of bear and other wildlife.

I’m so ready to go check this out! I’m polishing and cleaning the camera, lenses and filter. I hope I can get some photos that come close to the beautiful ones I get to see when I search online.