On the boat for 5 nights on beautiful Fontana Lake.
Click on pics to enlarge
Fontana Lake, NC - in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
The weather was perfect. Two days got up near 80º. The other 3 days were around 70º and clear. I swam a little everyday.
The first day I was there, it was exceptionally windy... a Lake Wind Advisory was in effect for wind gusts to 45 mph. There were one to 2 foot waves with white caps on the main east-west stretch of lake. (see video below). In the many coves, it was a different world, completely sheltered from the wind. I was always comfortable with half my canvass up and my propane heater cranking. I even have an electric blanket for the cabin, so it was cozy.
Iska was able to be there for 3 nights - a real treat. We hiked the Lost Cove trail out of Eagle Creek to the Shuckstack Tower. It was a great hike. The last mile is great for 'firing the glutes' as it very steep.
The first photo shows what it looked like on Tues morning, my last day. It was spectacular. I saw a bald eagle fly over head as the fog was lifting and I was drinking my morning tea.
Awesome place.
Truly the best way to visit the Great Smoky Mountains - by boat.
This is the 21st year I've owned this 1987 SeaRay 230 Weekender. I wouldn't trade it for any other boat in it's class. It's a custom order boat with some unusual options. The teak appointed interior, the three deck hatches, the oversize water (36 gal.) and fuel (70 gal.) capacities give this cruiser a cruising range of about 200 miles. The 5.7 L. Mercruiser can push this boat to 43 mph. I may never need another boat.
He was one of three cats I inherited from my ex Jenny in 1998 just before we broke up. I took the entire litter of three cats which I named: Willy, Nilly, and Emma. Emma was the runt of the litter and is now the sole survivor. Nilly ran away after a few years. She was a wild one.
I loved Willy, referred to him as "my only son." He was my favorite. I never expected to lose him so soon. He lived just 13 yrs and 5 months. His exact cause of death is not determined, we think it was a chest infection, probably lung cancer. His organs tested fine but... he stopped eating and went down hill very fast. He had fluid drained from his chest and I gave him subcutaneous fluid, and antibiotics. I force fed him some broth and baby food.
The second photo shows William and Iska on the couch in my kitchen on Saturday. Our last weekend together - the 3 of us.
But just a few days after his vet visit, by Sunday night, it looked bad. I almost never sleep with my cats but that Sunday night, I slept with William. It was his last night.
I had a busy Monday 10/3 with a Nashville doctor's appt. and an errand planned. I felt that morning he needed to be euthanized. I couldn't bring myself to do it before going to the doctor and I left him from noon until 3 pm. I knew that I had to take him in to end his life when I returned home. He was laying on a pad in the kitchen and his breathing was labored and he couldn't sleep. He was not purring anymore when I pet him like he did on Sunday. I left the inside door open so he could see the light from the front door from where he was laying in the kitchen. I turned on the vent so there would be good air circulation. When I returned home, I found him dead by the front door. The last thing he did was walk toward the light of the door. Dying on his own was his last gift to me. I did not want to take him in.
I got him when I was 37 and had just moved into my house. I am 51 now. He is the first animal I ever raised from birth to death. He was a very friendly guy, always coming up to greet visitors. It will be an adjustment ... everytime I see something dark on the floor, I think it's him. William was close with his sister Emma, they were together from birth. They always slept close together when it was cold. She will miss him as well. He had a good life.
William
(4/98 - 10/3/11)
The three litter mates cooling off on the concrete - July 30, 1999. They were just over a year old in this photo.
I like the Aten flag. It'll be my holiday decoration this year. It seems to fit nicely above my front porch.
Aten is the sun disk in ancient Egyptian mythology.
Ancient Egyptian religion deifies the sun. It is likely that much of Christianity and other religions have been based on the ancient Egyptian religion. (see video below)
There are not many things more important in this world than the sun. Life would not exist without it. One super big gulp of coronal mass ejecta from the sun could exterminate life on earth at any time.
I'm not a sun worshipper, but it's easy to see why ancient cultures did worship the sun. To me, the Aten flag is decorative art piece, not a religious symbol.
The flag looks awesome back lit at night.
This 'hippie pagan symbol' should definitely confuse the local rednecks....
“The Christian religion is a parody on the worship of the sun, in which they put a man called Christ in the place of the sun, and pay him the adoration originally payed to the sun.”
― Thomas Paine - author, revolutionary, inventor, intellectual, and aFounding Father of the United States.
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“The true miracle is not walking on water or walking in air, but simply walking on this earth. ... The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.”
