Monday, December 31, 2007

More fun at the Gaylord



Susan and I knocking around with "friends" at the Gaylord in Nashville

Unique Performance Art




Susan and I were at the Gaylord in Nashville this weekend where we saw a very intriguing and unique performer. As we were walking along the sidewalk in the Delta area there was a large IVY vine on one of the walls. Just as we approached we heard several people gasp as the whole ivy vine started to move. The "vine" was a young lady would was expertly disguised as a plant (and she was also on stilts). She moved around the area and stopped occasionally to strike various poses. It was a really neat performance. I know that I have seen video clips of these type performers before but I cannot remember where. If anyone does know please drop me a line.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Photo Friday: Sunrise


For the Photo Friday subject SUNRISE. I shot this on the way to work back in October at the Chicamauga Dam in Chattanooga, TN.

Getting back in shape


Yeah, yeah. I know that this is a pretty poor picture of me looking really ragged, but I am very proud of this picture for several reasons. I shot this with my cell phone camera last Sunday at the Tennessee Riverwalk. I shot this at the five mile marker on the trail where I ran approximately 9 1/2 miles. By the way, I started at an area called the Frye Fishing Center which has an excellent park and a cafe called "OUT OF THE BLUE". It's just past the one mile marker. I ran (and walked) to the six mile marker before turning around. The weather last Sunday was great with temperatures in the low 70's (unlike today, a mere 7 days later, when we had snow flurries). This is my first real outdoor run after my lung surgery back in May. Oh, I do run approximately 5 1/2 miles 4 to 5 days a week at the gym but running on a treadmill just isn't the same as the great outdoors. Also, the dynamics of running outdoors seems entirely different than running on the treadmill. I do know one thing. I LIKE RUNNING OUTDOORS. I have to commend Chattanooga and Hamilton County for providing such a great park in which to run. The trail extends 8.5 miles one way, from the Chicamauga Dam to the Tennessee Aquarium. There are several rest areas with toilets and water and there is a great family park with a playground and snack bar that has great raspberry tea and deserts (as well as an excellent selection of kites!). This is time well spent and I plan on doing a lot more of it. I am hoping to get myself in good enough shape to run a race in the spring. We'll see how it goes!