Full moon weekend

Sunset and the first full moon of the new year.

This house on rugged cliff doth sit. Within, a crackling fire is lit.

Happy birthday to my dear mother.  Happy winter and full moon to all.

Sky Castle art

On this 16th day of January, in the year of our Era, 2013; I hereby christen this noble dwelling, a grand observatory of sun, sky, nature, and the elements as:

Sewanee, Tennessee.

After 3 straight days of cold rain, my foray into the visual arts came to fruition today as I hung my art piece on my castle wall.  It is plywood with a nicely flamed wood grain which is highlighted by a two-tone semi transparent wood stain.   It is triple coated with spar varnish to withstand the elements.  The design is my own, inspired by some similar metal art that I had seen.  It is roughly 9' x 7'.  I thought I could hang it myself but I found it impossible.   Evan Jones came to my rescue, it took us just a few minutes to hang it.  

Long live Sky Castle.

The hearth at Sky Castle

I never get tired of looking at the ever changing fog and clouds in the land down hither.  It's magic. 

Kaleidoscope of clouds on the mountain

A moment in time during the ever changing kaleidoscope of clouds on the mountain on this rainy day.

Peace from Sewanee.

Weather blast

2013's first sounding of the MTSU tornado siren came today with tornado warnings for Rutherford County, TN.  No touchdowns unfortunately, but it did bring a wild end to the 70º+ temperatures we had this week.  Freezing temperatures expected again soon... not looking forward to bringing all my plants in again.

UPDATE:
NWS reports there was a minor tornado (EF-0) in Rutherford County:

"Tornado, reported by NWS storm survey. EF-0 tornado with maximum winds near 85 mph touched down along Floyd Road just southwest of Eagleville. Approximately 100 trees were snapped... and a residence suffered roof and window damage... along the approximate 1.5 mile damage path. Maximum path width was near 100 yards."



  Wild Turkey behavior
My woods serve as home to a flock of wild turkeys.  I don't understand their behavior.  If you were a large, heavy, ungamely bird... where would you go in a severe storm?   Perhaps shelter on the ground under some low lying branches?  No... during the height of the severe storm, in the 50+ mph winds and rain, these big birds perched on the highest branches of my oak trees, faced into the wind, and hung on for dear life.  Maybe they just wanted to 'experience' the storm?  Or maybe they just have very small brains.

What a FUN band!!

The Jake Leg Stompers

They describe themselves as: "Chicken-fried, Pre-war, Hokum-billy Jug Music". Playing blues and old time acoustic music, it's about as fun as it gets. You'll hear fiddle, banjo, tuba, trombone, washboard, spoons, guitar, bass, accordian, jugs, mandolin, great singing, jokes, and then some.

Awesomely fun!!'

France? No...

This is a street in the Bluff Arts district in Chattanooga, by the Hunter Museum on the Tennessee River.

There are some really nice restaurants and cafes in the area.  We ate at Tony's Pasta shop.   They even have a gluten-free pasta menu.

Upon arriving there, there was a large family speaking Italian, I guess a good sign for an Italian restaurant.

Below, a statue of Icarus on the riverbank.  (cell photos, not so good).

Great town, even in the rain.

New Years morning in cloud land

A rainy start to 2013.  Cool, but not cold up on the mountain.  An ever changing kaleidoscope of clouds, sky, and valley.

Champion Cove, Sewanee, TN

January 2 - still fogged in.   I took the above photo through my bedroom window.