Just call me Trigger

The dreaded trigger finger has returned. This time in 2 fingers of my left hand. It makes typing very hard. Last time it was the thumb on my right hand and I was able to type with no problem. Right now, I'm using the pinky on my left hand to one finger type these letters.

And as if that was not enough ... the carpal tunnel syndrome in my left hand is flaring. The doctor said the two are related. Both are the result of overuse of the hand ... as in too much typing at a computer. Duh! that's all I do all day!

So it's back to braces and steriods and ice and resting the hand.

Enough with the pity party! Back to work!

On the Road - Tennessee Vacation Last Day

We overnighted in Chattanooga and chilled out in the room ... enjoyed the hotel pool and hot tub. Then it was up and about it again. We toured the Chickamauga battleground and were struck by the site. It has been kept much as it was during the battle in Sept of 1863. Open fields are surrounded by dense forest. Over 2000 men were never found and were presumed dead. Seeing the forest, it is easy to believe that a wounded man could die alone and never be found. The battleground is dotted with monuments to the divisions and regiments that fought on both sides (Union and Confederate). The park is also lined with informational boards that tell what happened at the place in the line; color coded blue for Union soldiers and red for the Rebels. The boards are situated in such a way so that if you are reading it, you would be looking in the same direction that a soldier would have been.

This picture is of the battle line of at Snodgrass Field which was the last battle at the site. You can see the monuments, cannon placements and the board with descriptions. The picture also show how dense the forest is at the edge of the field. The Snodgrass family had cleared this field and were farming it when the battle took place.


After touring the battleground, we went to Chattanooga and took the Incline railway up to the top of Lookout Mountain. The incline is a whopping 72.7 degrees! You start out sitting in the car in a reclining position and by the time you get to the top, you are sitting up straight. The first picture is one I took from inside the car. It is a really neat view and the top of the car is glass so you can see it all. The second picture is of the car leaving. In this one you can get a good feel for the incline. Lastly, here is a panorama of Chattanooga taken at the top of Lookout Mountain. Kinda hazy, but still I wanted to share it

On the Road - Tennessee Vacation Day 2

Leaving Gatlinburg and driving along the Cherohala Skyway a wonderfully curvy winding road. The highest point is Santeetlah at 5390 ft. We saw some color along the skyway but it was not as spectular as we had hoped. We may have been a little early and/or the drought is causing the leaves to turn from green to brown and drop with no color change.

I did manage to get some good shots of the mountains that make it live up to its name as the Smoky Mountains. I couldn’t decide which I liked best so here are the three best.

On the Road - Tennessee Vacation

We are in Tennessee on vacation and it is beautiful. On the first night, we drove through alittle town in Roan County and thought ... hm, we could live here!

The waterfall at the left is from our drive.

We spent the day getting to Gatlinburg and then driving the Cades Cove auto tour in the Smoky Mountain National Park. A lovely little valley surrounded by the mountains, Cades Cove was occupied until the early 1930's when the land was purchased by the Park service. Many of the original rough hewn homes and the old mill were preserved and is now a historic exhibit. The pastures and fields are farmed and/or being used to try to repopulate the area with natural grasses.

Here are some pictures from our drive. The first is from the Primative Baptist Church.

These pictures are of the Cable Mill. The first is a shot of the house, grounds with a barn in the background. This was taken from the porch of the General Store. The second picture is of the mill.

This is a picture of the Dan Lawson homestead.

And finally, this is a pictue of a very fearless deer. Dusk was falling as we neared the end of our drive. This deer and many others were coming right up to the roadway and cars. Unfortuneately, the deer have learned to beg for food instead of foraging.