Paddling

This guy was doing some weekend paddling. Hope he remembered his sunscreen.

Lazy River

What a difference a day makes. I took this image yesterday at Cowan Park. The sun was shining, it was 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius), and I was having a picnic on the bank of the Tennessee River (actually Fort Loudon Lake here where the river was flooded by the Tennessee Valley Authority). When I look out at a scene like this, I feel like I'm in the 19th century.
Today the rain moved in, temperatures are plummeting, and we might even have some snow tomorrow.

Forks of the River

Just as the mountains define our horizon, the rivers of East Tennessee flow through our lives. This is the Forks of the River: the place where the Holston and French Broad Rivers merge to form the Tennessee River. The Holston is at the top of the photo, and the French Broad is in the foreground. They meet under that railroad bridge.

You Are What You Eat

Remember those fishermen I showed you on Thursday?

Well, I hope they read this sign. Catch and release is still a good idea when fishing in the Tennessee River.

For decades, Knoxville did what many other river cities have done: dump all their solid and liquid waste into the river. By the 1950s, the city was pouring so much raw sewage and industrial waste into the river that fish couldn't live in it, and it smelled like - well, like the open sewer that people had turned it into.

Even though Knoxville was the first large city in Tennessee to build a water treatment plant in the 1950s, and even with the Clean Water Act of 1972, mercury, PCBs, and chemicals from roads and soil runoff have sunk into the riverbed and still circulate in the ecosystem.

On the upside, the Tennessee River never caught on fire, and water quality continues to improve. But until we can control the non-point pollution that runs off into the river, I'd suggest going elsewhere for your fish dinner.

McWherter Park

Here is a scene from McWherter Park. The park was named after former Tennessee governor Ned McWherter. And also, I suspect, because it sounded better than Parking Lot Under the South Knoxville Bridge With Boat Ramp and Fishing Dock Park. Which is kind of what it is.
But there are a few picnic tables, and a children's play area too. And fishermen, and speedboats, and a nice view of downtown.

Arches and Branches

A forest of arches as seen through a tangle of branches.

River Flow

A warm, sunny afternoon is perfect for sitting, swinging, and watching the river flow. This is at Volunteer Landing under the Gay Street Bridge.

February Made Me Shiver

It may be 28 degrees Fahrenheit (that's -2 degrees for all you Celsius folks) for my morning walk in the park, but the air is so crisp, and the colors are so sharp and clean that a bit of shivery cold won't hurt me. Plus, the bare trees give me a better view of traffic on the river.
This was taken a few days ago before we got snowed on.

Theme Day: Circles and Spheres

I didn't officially sign up for Theme Day today because I wasn't sure I'd be back from the Land That Internet Access Forgot. But here I am with another last minute entry, all full of Zen and solitude. It is what it is : an arch, a reflection, an illusion, a circle at last.

Water Lights

Here's an abstract for you: lights from the Henley Street Bridge reflected in the Tennessee River. I'm listening to Handel's Water Music. But not from a barge on the Thames.

Big Wheel

The Star of Knoxville paddlewheel riverboat cruises down the Tennessee River on a misty autumn morning. It's time for the fall colors sightseeing cruise, and once the mist burns off, you may actually see some color.

In the Navy

In the Navy, you can sail the seven seas. Or so the Village People proclaimed in their 1970s hit song. But in the Vol Navy, you can sail right up the Tennessee River and dock near the stadium.

The flotilla of orange and white rests peacefully at anchor in the early morning before the game, framed by the arch of the Henley Street bridge. 

And so as not to deprive you of all that orange-and-whiteness, here's a close-up of some UT football fans and their boats:
I'm telling you, this stuff just boggles my mind.

Addendum: a gracious thank you to Leedra, who gave me a blog award. I'd pass it on to five other blogs that I enjoy, except that there are many more than five!

Hazy

The sun is shining through the haze of summer in East Tennessee. The Tennessee River meanders along, the Smokies wait for you in the distance. It's time to recover from the holiday. 

Framework

It's a busy day for me today, so I'm giving you a shot from my recent archives. Here's a railroad bridge framed by another railroad bridge framed by the Henley Street Bridge over the Tennessee River. The railroad bridge farthest away dates back to the 1800s. I took this shot in May of this year.

Sumer Is Icumen In

Sumer is icumen in, lhude sing cuccu. That's a traditional English folk song to welcome in the summer season. (Poet Ezra Pound wrote a wickedly rude parody of this titled "Ancient Music"... but I digress.) I'm enjoying a walk outside before it gets too hot and humid.

Tomorrow is theme day, and good lord willing and the creek don't rise, I'll remember to post a photo of my local corner shop.

Play Ball

If it's spring, it must be the start of baseball season. Here's a Little League game at one of the ballfields at Lakeshore Park in West Knoxville. This is also one of my favorite viewspots on the Lakeshore Greenway, the two mile (3.2 kilometer) path that encircles the park, with the green of the trees and the blue of the river, and the Great Smoky Mountains meeting the clouds in the distance. 

Great Blue

This great blue heron was kind enough to hold still long enough for me to focus and shoot. These birds are quite abundant in East Tennessee waterways and can often be spotted along the riverbanks. I also like the way the water looks. (kind of like the Stargate - come on, sci-fi fans, don't make me do this alone).

Counting Trees

I didn't remember to sign up for the monthly theme, so I have no numbers for you. But you can count the trees along the footpath by the river at Sequoyah Park if you'd like.

For Earth Day

What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?

-Henry David Thoreau

Panorama

Well, here's the panorama I promised. You're looking at downtown Knoxville from the south bank of the Tennessee River. The Gay Street Bridge is in the foreground, and it's a beautiful day.