Hands of Time

BY SKEETER

 Geocaching takes us to the most interesting places in our area. Places that we often pass while in the car but never take the time to stop and explore. We have the neatest places of interest here in Georgia but heck, you have them in your area as well. You just have never taken the time to stop and smell the roses, I bet. 

 

Under the steps of this one room school house, is a small container giving us coordinates to a treasure hidden in the near by woods. The above structure was a one room black school house. Circa 1920. It was relocated here from Walnut Grove Baptist Church near Phinizy. I showed you a bit of Phinizy Swamp on Tuesday. A few feet up the road is the first Baptist Church in Georgia. Click HERE to see more places of interest in the small community of Appling, GA.

 Near the school house we spotted this beautiful tree full of red berries.

 Really FULL of berries! I have noticed many trees full of berry's and wonder why the birds have not had a meal or two. Maybe they need to ripen a bit more.

 Our walk in the nearby woods took us by this old cemetery. Surrounded by a beautiful old iron fence and some nice stones of a family plot. See all the green in the trees?

 Wild Magnolia trees I assume.

And a lot of them in the area. Could this be something other then wild Magnolia? Anyone know? I see lots of them in Georgia. 

Daffodils were reaching for the sky! This pic was snapped on Jan. 20 so they were early. I have not been back to this spot since but assume they have bloomed by now. The marker says Ms Malone died in 1934. I wonder when the daffys were planted?

 This marker really showed its age. About 50 feet away from this fenced cemetery is another burial plot that is unmarked. A few of the graves have markers and a few have just a simple large rock used as a marker. There are many unmarked graves as the rectangle shaped sunken ground told of that story. We wonder if they were maybe Slaves of the family in the Fenced Plot.  

This marker brought a smile to my face until I read the back. A child with less then 2 years of life. Sigh. I found a sight on the internet telling of this cemetery. Click HERE to see more...

 

We have driven past this spot every time we go to the lake and never knew this cemetery was just behind the little clump of woods just off the road. I am shocked that someone has not pilfered this area over time being in the woods. But somehow the HANDS OF TIME have watched over this little spot, In the Garden...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Eddie Rabbitt's Mural in the Austin Peay State University President's Residence and a Blogger Visit

Folks in the Clarksville area are most likely aware of our local state university called Austin Peay State University (APSU), but they may not be aware of some gems hidden on the campus. The above home is the residence of the President of APSU. At the present time the President is Tim Hall. Mr. Hall and his lovely wife Lee reside in this historical mansion located in the heart of APSU's campus. Today's post is not so much about the home as it is about the history of this home and I shall share with you all a story told to my garden club by Lee.

Let's enter the home so we can view the subject of our story. To really appreciate this mural you must see it in person as it is beautiful, scenic, and so very appropriate to the home. The mural depicts several bucolic scenes of Americana. One in particular shows Niagara Falls in New York. It adds so much charm and warmth to this central hall and home that it needs no more embellishment right? Well, let me tell you its story first so you can decide.

Have you ever heard of Eddie Rabbitt? Eddie Rabbitt was a famous singer/songwriter from the 1960s to the 1980s. He wrote and sang songs which were country but which had a popular crossover to pop music. He was a rather famous guy and almost everyone over a certain age (perhaps 40?) has heard of Eddie Rabbitt.

Eddie Rabbitt passed away in 1998 due to lung cancer. He was only 56. His death was not announced to the public until after the burial. He is buried in Nashville; which is where he resided with his wife in his later years. After his death, as the story goes, Eddie's wife was looking for a home for Eddie's mural. I think Lee said the house where Eddie Rabbitt resided was going to be demolished but I'm not sure. This mural was in that house. It is a mural which can be removed and placed in another house. So Eddie's wife began looking around for an older home where the mural would be appropriate and where it would find a good home.

It just so happened that in 1999 a terrible tornado tore through downtown Clarksville and demolished most of the city; including the residence at APSU. About the time the mural needed to be removed from Eddie Rabbitt's home was about the time the residence was being rebuilt and renovated after the tornado and Eddie Rabbitt's wife offered to donate the mural to the university.


The donation was an awesome thing to do but when it was discovered it would cost $17,000 to remove and reinstall the mural into the residence the deal almost didn't happen. $17,000 is a lot of money! And the university apparently did not want to spend that kind of money on a mural. The person responsible for installing it then donated his time to remove and install the mural. Isn't that a great story? Don't you think this mural is even more special now?

I have shared one of Eddie Rabbitt's duets with Crystal Gayle. I hope you like it. 

in the garden....

I had a visit from an old blogging friend this past weekend and I must say we really enjoyed W2W and her husband stopping by for a wonderful visit. Please check out her post found here to see how our visit went and why she was up this way from Florida.

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Visiting Land Between the Lakes

Have you ever been to Land Between the Lakes (LBL) before? It is a wonderful gem located in northern Middle Tennessee and Lower Central Kentucky. Mr. Fix-it, the Jimster and I took a one day trip to LBL to explore some attractions it has to offer. The planetarium was our main objective but we were able to take in other things as well.
Most attractions in LBL are historical unless you simply wish to camp and hike. Some very important attractions relating to the history of this geographical area are the iron ore furnaces. In the early 1800s mining and smelting iron ore was the main industry of this area. Giant stone furnaces were built to smelt the iron ore. Wood was the primary source of fuel for the fires that would reach up to 3000 degrees. That is pretty hot! Since LBL is rather rural and was heavily forested there was plenty of wood to burn in the furnaces. Consequently, hundreds of acres of old growth forests were burned off in the 1800s. Most all of the forested areas in LBL are second growth forests. They are wonderful ecosystems full of flora and fauna. But let me back up here a minute.
LBL is reputed to be the largest inland peninsula in the United States. It was created by damming two rivers on either side of this peninsula. The two rivers are the Tennessee River and the Cumberland River. The damming created two new lakes; Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. Unfortunately, when these two rivers were dammed many communities were flooded and 950 families had to be relocated. There is still evidence of the people who lived in this region but the entire recreational area is now publicly owned. It belongs to you and I!LBL draws two million visitors per year. Our family makes ample use of the lakes to go boating during the summer months. One of the Jimster's favorite things to do is to ride the tube behind the boat. Mr. Fix-it fishes, and I swim and relax. Occasionally we bird watch. LBL is home to many types of birds that are easily seen along the river. Our favorites are the bald eagles and herons. They are simply magnificent and it is such a thrill to see them in the wild-or anywhere really. Now that boating season is over we thought we'd head up to the Golden Pond Visitor's Center and see a show at the planetarium. The show was fun and quite reasonably priced. We enjoyed it. The visitor's center had a great display of animals native to the area, along with a pictorial history of LBL. I also purchased a book at the visitor's center that I have found most helpful in my quest to identify more wildflowers in this region. It is titled Wildflowers of the Land Between the Lakes Region, Kentucky and Tennessee. It includes not only only wildflowers, but monocots, and woody plants native to this area. It is authored by a couple of Austin Peay University professors (Edward W. Chester and William H. Ellis) and is very informative. It includes color pictures as well as an in depth history of the region.
After our visit to the planetarium we came out of the building to a steady downpour. Not to be discouraged we decided to continue north from the planetarium to Grand Rivers Kentucky; home of the famous Patti's Settlement tourist attraction. They are known for their 2" pork chops and 6" meringue pies. The Jimster tried them both and was kind enough to share some bites with his mom and dad. We all approved of the food and the atmosphere in the restaurant-quiet with a super good ambiance. Just outside of the restaurant are several gardens, some petting animals, a wedding chapel, and this gigantic wheel. The Jimster enjoyed talking with the geese-who are not so friendly so watch those hands! I think we could've easily stayed there all day had it not been raining so hard.

I've only touched the tip of what LBL has to offer. There is also an Elk and Bison Prairie, many side lakes, campgrounds, a wrangler camp, hiking trails, off road trails, old cemeteries, a working 1800 era village called The Homeplace, a Nature Station, and many more fun and recreational things to do. Most attractions are free. If you are ever in the area and are looking for a great outing in Tennessee or Kentucky that does not have 'Great Smokey Mountains' in the name, check out Land Between the Lakes and discover this gem of Tennessee and Kentucky....

in the garden....