Canine Thoughts

Cute dog contemplates pottery at a local festival this weekend. So tragic, he doesn't have opposable thumbs.

Llama Llama

Knox County Public Library sponsored the fifth annual Children's Festival of Reading at the World's Fair Park this past Saturday. There were all kinds of family-friendly activities going on all afternoon to help promote reading and literacy. This photo shows the literacy parade, featuring eight foot tall characters from the popular "Llama Llama" childrens book series. The guy in the suit is Tennessee Senator Tim Burchett, a local advocate for children's literacy.

The festival was a great success - an estimated 10,000 parents and kids showed up. I was volunteering in the Friends of Literacy booth doing face painting. Just in case you wanted to know, the most requested items in face painting are dolphins for girls, and Spiderman masks for boys.

p.s. oops, I had my post for theme day in draft form and forgot to publish it. Oh well, it was a rerun anyway. I have been greatly distracted lately by ... life.

Code Talker

Part of the Native American festival in Maryville included a very special speaker. The gentleman in the chair is one of the Navajo Code Talkers from World War II. The Code Talkers served in the Marines and sent vital data to American troops in the Navajo language. Very few people outside of the Navajo Nation understood this complex language, so it became an unbreakable code. The Code Talkers helped America win the war in the Pacific, including the battle of Iwo Jima. Out of 400 Code Talkers, only about 40 are still living today. It was inspiring to hear this old warrior tell his story.

Any Given Saturday

Maryville is a delightful small town just south of Knoxville. I never know what I'll see around the greenbelt and library. Maybe a father and daughter out enjoying the sunny weather, or maybe a Native American in full regalia. He was actually part of a Native American festival being held on Saturday on the lawn outside of the library.

Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler!

Today is Mardi Gras - Fat Tuesday - and to continue to let the good times roll, I'm sharing some more shots of Knoxville's Mardi Growl parade from Saturday. Remember to wear your feather boas, darlings.

If you're gonna strut, don't forget your beads.

King Louie is the shih tzu that ruled the world - his costume won first place, but I only caught a fleeting glimpse of his royal canine majesty.

And we get one last wave from the end of the parade. Now it's time for some beignets.

Marley and Me

Actually, it's really Rudy, one of the twenty-two canine stars who played Marley in the film Marley and Me - he's the one who destroyed the snowman in the movie. Oh, Rudy.

Rudy was the Grand Marshal of the annual Mardi Growl parade in downtown Knoxville.

Five hundred people and their dogs paraded through the Old City, then down Gay Street to Market Square to help raise money for a local animal shelter.

These photos were shot as the parade began in the Old City. I found that when you sit curb-side at doggie eye-level, you get a lot of dogs coming over to say "hi."

Watching five hundred costumed people walking their costumed dogs down the street is quite an impressive sight. I really wasn't at a place where I could get a good shot of that, but I have a few more individual shots that I'll post tomorrow. Because I like dogs, that's why.

Let It Shine

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

- " This Little Light of Mine", gospel spiritual

All the wonderful little lights in this photo are our future hope. It was the most appropriate photo I could think of to post for Inauguration Day today. This was one of many scenes from yesterday's Martin Luther King Jr memorial parade, a two mile, snowy, joyful march down Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue from Tabernacle Baptist Church to Greater Warner Tabernacle AME Zion Church. Over 2,000 people participated and I had the privilege of marching with the Knoxville Interfaith Network.

Can I show you more than one photo today?

Yes, I can.

Here's my group, Knoxville Interfaith Network. That space behind the banner is where I'm supposed to be standing instead of taking photos. The parade and the snow were just starting.

One of the floats shows what it's all about - remembering Dr. King and, this year, looking forward to President Obama.

Wheee!

Here's my parting shot of holiday lights, post-Christmas, dashing through the Old City as a passenger in a moving vehicle.

Comfort and Joy

To all my CDP friends around the world, my friends in Knoxville and Tennessee, and my family scattered across the US, I wish you and your loved ones peace and the blessings of the season, no matter where you are or what you celebrate.

Happy Holidays from Knoxville Girl!

And To All a Good Night

It's a silent night in the Old City on Christmas Eve. But for the first time since the downtown has become popular and prosperous again, the city has decorated this part of town by cleverly transforming the lamp posts into candy canes. I showed you some in monochrome on Monday, which were atmospheric, but lost their context. Business owners and residents in the Old City have felt like the neglected step-children of downtown for the last few years, so I'm glad the sparkly lights have come here at last.

Christmas Goose 2

The life-sized porcelain goose that resides in the window of the Crown and Goose pub is decorated for the season. A Christmas goose indeed.
I'll be away from the Internet for the next couple of days, but I'll have some timed posts to share with you.

Christmas Goose

I'm easing back into a few more holiday shots because, you know, the holidays won't last forever. But I'm still on the monochrome train. The Crown and Goose pub in the Old City is looking mighty festive these days, although the black and white gives it a bit of an Alfred Hitchcock twist.

Volmania Never Sleeps

Football season may be over (thank goodness!) but basketball season has begun, and the University of Tennessee Volunteers mens and womens basketball teams are starting their seasons. So Volmania, that peculiar affliction and affection for UT sports, is never far away. Even the holiday banners on Gay Street have been known to sport the Big Orange "Power T" on occasion. And here's a case in point: look what's floating through a snowy sky banner against the black nighttime sky. For more skies that probably aren't painted or dark, head on over to Sky Watch.

Sparkly Park

I just can't get enough of those sparkly holiday lights in Krutch Park.

You Better Watch Out

Yeah, and you better not cry either if you don't like your seats. Santa is taking tickets at the outside box office of the Tennessee Theatre. Here's the long view:

Now be good girls and boys and enjoy the show.

Center Stage

The decorated Christmas tree on the Market Square stage is a thing of beauty, but I like the array of red and green stage lights even better.

Festive

Look at those festive ribs - I mean decorative metalwork over the entrance to Krutch Park - all decked out for the holidays. And bonus - there's the horse and carriage waiting to take some riders on a short sightseeing trip around downtown. The lighted tents in the background are part of the ice rink on Market Square.

Ribs

Ribs festooned with festive lights always put me in a holiday mood. How about you?
Is it a dinosaur on a pedestal? Maybe. I'll show you the big picture tomorrow.

Inflation

I'm not Sky Watching today because I'm too busy watching this inflatable Santa at the ice rink on Market Square. He looks more like Yukon Cornelius to me. Bet he has a pick ax behind his back too.

Skating Away

For the past few years, the businesses on Market Square have sponsored a huge ice rink for the holidays. It's quite popular with families and teens. I am content to remain an obesrver, as I spend most of my time on the rink either clinging to the wall or dusting ice shavings off my rump after another fall. I'm just impressed that an outdoor skating rink exists in the Mid-South, where temperatures often remain above freezing during the winter.