In addition to beautiful flowers and flowing water, the Garvan Woodland Gardens contains a half acre koi pond. Betsy and I enjoyed walking down to the pond and observing the colorful koi. The colors of some of the fish were absolutely amazing.

The picture of this daffodil (along with a few insects) was taken in Garvan Woodland Gardens near Hot Springs, Arkansas. Betsy and I toured the gardens on my birthday, March 9, 2009.

Serenity Falls is in the eastern part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Cosby, Tennessee. We stayed three nights in a cabin at the base of this waterfall and are delighted to add this to our collection.

A couple of days ago I posted a picture of Ledford Mill Falls and mentioned that Ledford Mill is now a bed and breakfast with a very pretty little garden at the base of the falls. Actually, the garden is at the base of two falls. Pond Falls (above) is the second waterfall in that garden.

The picture above of the Caney Fork River was taken at Rock Island State Park here in Tennessee. The river is neither very wide nor very deep, but it is pretty as it flows through the park.

Another waterfall that we visited on our Valentine Day hike was Ledford Mill Falls, also near Tullahoma, Tennessee. Although the waterfall is small, the drop provided enough water power for a mill, which was built in the 1880s. Water to power the mill was diverted around the falls by a large pipe. Ledford Mill is in the National Historic Register and is now a bed and breakfast. It has a very pleasant little garden at the base of the falls.

My last post featured a picture of Colditz Cove and I mentioned that there was a waterfall in the cove. This is that waterfall, Northrup Falls. We've been to the cove several times and have seen more water coming over the falls, but this picture was taken the same day as the picture in the previous post.

Now that warmer weather is becoming a reality, Betsy and I are planning more hikes and visits to waterfalls. During the spring if we're not on the computer we are either working out in the yard or on a hike some where.

A very nice hike not too far from home is the Colditz Cove Natural Area near Jamestown, Tennessee (north of the Glade). The cove is undeveloped except for some trails constructed by the Tennessee Trails Association.

The picture above shows the trail as it follows the base of a cliff at the bottom of the cove. The hike is a beautiful one and can even include a waterfall (are you surprised?).

The picture above was taken at Rock Island State Park here in Tennessee back in June, 2006. We had hiked to a vantage point where we could enjoy Twin Falls.

Looking at the picture you might think it was a bright sunny day -- not so. All that brightness is the reflection of my beautiful bride's smile.

Baker Falls, near Tullahoma, Tennessee, was one of six waterfalls that Betsy and I visited on Valentine Day weekend. This waterfall is on private property, but the owners have kindly provided access to the falls, even building a series of wooden steps leading down to an observation platform.

Wednesday was a beautiful day here on the Plateau and we were rewarded with the first daffodils in bloom in our yard. The beauty above is one of those daffodils.

We finally got some sunshine Tuesday here on the Plateau. As a result we were able to get quite a bit of work done in our yard. While working near our side flower bed I noticed the clump of crocus shown in the picture above. The crocus had come up on the edge of a bed of sempervivum and were in full bloom. I like the color and pattern of this Pickwick crocus.

As always, this picture can be expanded by clicking on it.

We hiked in Lake Catherine State Park near Hot Springs on the first day of our Arkansas vacation. The lake is nestled in the Quachita Mountains and is quite scenic. The park and lake were relatively quiet while we were there, but I imagine the park is very popular in the summer.

Falls Creek Falls in Lake Catherine State Park, Arkansas, was the 302nd waterfall in our collection. We visited Falls Creek Falls on my birthday, March 9. The picture above can be enlarged for a better view.

The picture above was taken this past Thursday on the Rim Trail of Mt. Nebo State Park in Arkansas. We had an icy rain for most of the day, but it slackened during the afternoon. I decided to take a short hike from the cabin to the waterfall on Mt. Nebo. Along the way I came across this tree coated in ice. The lighting is not good, but I think you can see the ice if you enlarge the picture.

The picture above was taken at Sunset Point in Mt. Nebo State Park, Arkansas, back in November, 2006. Sunset Point provides views of some of the grandest sunsets we have seen.

Betsy and I will be going to Mt. Nebo this week to get in some hiking, searching for waterfalls, and viewing the sunrises and sunsets. Along the way we'll also celebrate my birthday.

I hope you have a great week. We'll be back next Sunday.

Yesterday I posted the Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drums as they performed during a military review in Williamsburg. Another feature of the review was the firing of a Revolutionary War-era cannon. The gun crew went through all the steps involved in loading and priming the cannon. When the command to 'Fire!' was given, this was the result.

I got this picture of the Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drums when we were in Virginia to celebrate our anniversary in 2007. We actually saw two performances of the fife and drum corps while we were in Williamsburg and were so impressed we got a CD of their music.

I took this picture of Machine Falls on Valentine's Day. Betsy and I hiked in the Short Springs State Natural Area and found this waterfall. Machine Falls is the 297th waterfall in our collection.

This picture, which can be enlarged by clicking on it, was taken in June near the green on the eighteenth hole of the Druid Hills Golf Course in the Glade. I had been on an early morning walk around the back nine and stopped to get this picture. I was attracted to the mist in the valley beyond the trees in the background.

This does a good job of showing one of the reasons we like living here on the Plateau. Our house is in the trees to the right of the fairway down near the tees.

Yahoo Falls is said to be Kentucky's highest. It is about three hours north of us and we first visited it in June, 2006. We had a nice hike from the parking area to the falls and on the way back to the car we crossed the stream below the falls. I took the picture above from that bridge.

The picture above, which can be enlarged by clicking on it, is the place where the world turned upside down. This is the Surrender Field in Yorktown, Virginia. On October 19, 1781, British troops under Lord Cornwallis marched down the lane between the fences and surrendered to the combined American and French forces under George Washington. Tradition holds that as the British troops approached the field their fifes played the tune "The World Turned Upside Down".