2007-6 Dogwood Festival, Knoxville, Tennessee
Hello All,
This week found us going to Knoxville to enjoy the Dogwood Arts Festival and exploring the many Dogwood Trails. Knoxville has over 70 miles of driving trails winding through the hills and neighborhoods. The trails go through modest neighborhoods to estate mansions, and everything in-between. It all started in 1955 when a group of citizens began the trails to show off Knoxville's natural beauty of dogwoods, azaleas, and other flowering plants and trees--hence the picture of the week. The trails became so popular that in 1961 the city started the Dogwood Arts Festival. It has matured into one of the largest festivals in America. The trails are easy to follow because they have painted either pink or turquoise lines in the traffic lanes of the designated streets. All a person has to do is follow the lines. It was a pleasant way to pass a day and celebrate the arrival of spring.
This week found us going to Knoxville to enjoy the Dogwood Arts Festival and exploring the many Dogwood Trails. Knoxville has over 70 miles of driving trails winding through the hills and neighborhoods. The trails go through modest neighborhoods to estate mansions, and everything in-between. It all started in 1955 when a group of citizens began the trails to show off Knoxville's natural beauty of dogwoods, azaleas, and other flowering plants and trees--hence the picture of the week. The trails became so popular that in 1961 the city started the Dogwood Arts Festival. It has matured into one of the largest festivals in America. The trails are easy to follow because they have painted either pink or turquoise lines in the traffic lanes of the designated streets. All a person has to do is follow the lines. It was a pleasant way to pass a day and celebrate the arrival of spring.
We also did a couple of day
trips in the boat early in the week. We got the new GPS installed and working,
and Barb has the galley decked out with food. It looks like we're ready to
cruise. We had planned an overnight trip for late in the week. However, the
weatherman threw a kink into our plans with a forecast of heavy rain, wind, and
thunderstorms. About the time we think spring is here to stay, another cold
front comes. We might add that the weatherman was right regarding the forecast.
But, all the bad weather has now moved out and the east coast of the US is now
getting pounded. We are getting real tired of the unseasonably cold weather.
Barb has been wearing the same clothes she wore in Iceland this past January!!
Thursday we took a road trip to Asheville, NC. On the radio and TV the Biltmore Estate has been advertising their springtime "Festival of Flowers," with over 70,000 tulips, azaleas and other flowers in bloom. Since it has been 7 years since we were last there we decided it would be a great opportunity to shoot some photos. The first thing that shocked us was that ticket prices have escalated since our last visit. They are charging $42 a head to get in and there are no senior discounts! However, the real shocker was when we got into the estate and found that 90% of the flowers and bushes had been killed in the severe cold that hit this part of the country two weeks ago! What few flowers survived were in bad shape. We had no desire to tour the house again, so it was $84 down the tube! We understand they can't control Mother Nature, but had they told us of the situation at the gate we could have made an informed decision--but they didn't!! As the old saying goes "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me." We don't plan to visit there again.
Until next time,
Dave and Barb
The Traveling Browns
Thursday we took a road trip to Asheville, NC. On the radio and TV the Biltmore Estate has been advertising their springtime "Festival of Flowers," with over 70,000 tulips, azaleas and other flowers in bloom. Since it has been 7 years since we were last there we decided it would be a great opportunity to shoot some photos. The first thing that shocked us was that ticket prices have escalated since our last visit. They are charging $42 a head to get in and there are no senior discounts! However, the real shocker was when we got into the estate and found that 90% of the flowers and bushes had been killed in the severe cold that hit this part of the country two weeks ago! What few flowers survived were in bad shape. We had no desire to tour the house again, so it was $84 down the tube! We understand they can't control Mother Nature, but had they told us of the situation at the gate we could have made an informed decision--but they didn't!! As the old saying goes "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me." We don't plan to visit there again.
Until next time,
Dave and Barb
The Traveling Browns