Down to Tennessee

Last week we took a side trip down to see B's brother, wife, and their family. W and C went with us. W was a kid the last time he saw them.

We had a nice visit and got to become acquainted with the newest member of their family, Mundchen. She is a three month old, very gentle and laid back mastiff.

While there G and M took us to the University of the South at Swanee and to Raccoon Mountain.

On Raccoon Mountain they pump water from the Tennessee river up into a man made lake at the top of a mountain. They then use the water to generate electricity during peak demand time by releasing it back down to the river through turbines.

I love the sand stone that is all around the campus at the University. Last time when we were there, I said that if we were to ever build a house, I would want some in my entry way. This is an arch in the church that is built of it. Most of the buildings are also built of this stone.



To me it looks like wood grain in the stone.

This is the outside of another building on campus. All of the buildings have a castle style to them.


We were up on the roof of a first floor. Notice the wall that looks like the top of a castle with cuts for defense. The stones were all hand hewn.

G and M took Mundchen for a walk while we went into some of the buildings. We came back and met up with them. You can put your own captions to these pictures.


We had a great time and thank G and M for the nice time. We always enjoy visiting them.

Tornado Damage

Friday, March 2 started out sunny and warm; too warm for this time of year. All knew that there was a large cold front coming from the northwest that would collide with this warm weather. The possibility of tornadoes was very real.

We watched the weather forecasters on TV. Huntsville, Alabama was hit with a tornado this morning. A storm front covers southern Indiana and northern Kentucky. The whole thing stretches from Illinois to Alabama. There were several areas in it that could produce tornadoes. The meteorologists are really good at knowing what is going on, where it is going, the speed it is traveling, and just when it is going to arrive in an area, telling people to get in their storm shelter.

By three o’clock, there were two large super charged cells about fifteen miles northwest of us that were touching down. One was following the other. They were also saying that there was hail the size of tennis balls in it. Also there was another that was going to go over us, but they weren’t sure if it was spiraling yet. It was just hard rain and some small hail when it went over. This part had actually split some and some went to Louisville.

The tornadoes in Indiana were category 4 and traveled for sixty miles, sometimes as much as five miles wide.

On Saturday we went with a group from our ward to help with what ever was needed. We went to an area that is called Daisy Hill, which is between New Pekin and Memphis. I always thought that if you lived in hilly country you would be protected from tornadoes but that was not the case. Even property east of a very large hill/mountain got hit.

As we were driving into the area, this is some of what we first saw.


This reminded me of the Mt. St. Helens area after the eruption.


Then we passed through a small, narrow valley. The tornado had come over the hill and hit the west side, next to the base of the hill.





The things were blown east across the road and up a hill.




We drove on and saw more destruction.




They were just finishing getting the road cleared so that people could get through. These people had been trapped in this area as the road was blocked with timber on the east and a huge power tower that came down with lines on the road and trees on the west. The tower is to the left of the tractor.


This is what the road looked like on top.




These are also in the Daisy Hill area.



Close up of above. All that is left is a concrete slab, overturned vehicle, and rubble.







Even though some buildings were standing, they lost roofs. Brick had a better chance, but some brick was also torn down.

We sawed up lots of downed trees and piled the wood and branches. We helped a family get to their mostly collapsed garage and retrieve some of their things. For others, we helped get boxes of theirs from a collapsed prefab home. In the brick house in the last photo, we helped move out furniture. The lady in this house took shelter in a closet under her stairs to the basement. We saw twigs embedded into the side of another house.

This was just one small area. There were many, many more throughout the paths in Indiana and Kentucky. There are many stories, stories of survival, heartache, loss, heroism. Recovery will take a long time.

Sap Is Flowing

Saturday was a great day with W and C. I have always wanted to see how maple syrup was made and we got the chance to find out.

Sugar maple sap starts to flow in southern Indiana by the latter part of February. The further north one goes, the later they tap the trees. We drove about thirty miles north to a farm that has a Maple Syrup Festival each year at this time.

Things I learned:
Off of a good sized tree they will collect several gallons in one day. They will put several tapes on a tree.



It takes about three gallons of sap to make one pint of syrup. They now use osmosis to help remove some of the water before boiling off the last. This is the house where the syrup is produced. Lots of steam.


The colder weather earlier in the year makes a better grade of syrup called A light amber. The A comes in three grades, also medium and dark amber. B grade is usually darker and used for cooking, but on tasting all three, we chose the B to buy and take home.

This is the final boiling tank and drawing off the finished product to be filtered and bottled.




We also go to see how they use to boil it off in the early pioneer days, mostly into sugar.


And how the Indians use to do it. First they hollowed out a large log and then put in heated rocks to boil it down.
When he took out some of the rocks and they cooled, you cold see the sugar starting to collect on the surface. He said that the Indians would scrape the sugar off the rocks. Sugar would also form around the edges. With a large log and several helping put in and remove stones it would have gone pretty fast.

There were several venders there and some music. We listened to a blue grass group who were pretty good.

Since they were also showing pioneer things besides the making of syrup. I thought this was interesting. It is a foot powered band saw. I was wishing that he would demonstrate it.




They also had some things that one could try.










We also had some maple syrup making weather. There was a cold north wind blowing, intermittent snow flurries with occasional peaks of the sun.

Enee Mennee Minee Moe

As you know we have been looking at houses. So far, the ones we have liked are on the Indiana side of the river. Now that may sound bad as W and C and the temple are on the Kentucky side of the river. However, the taxes are lower on this side and you get more for your buck on the IN side. Now that may sound good, but you have to drive across the Kennedy bridge which is very busy due to repair work on one of the other bridges. Now that may sound bad, but the other bridge is to be done the end of February. Now that may sound good, but as the traffic won't be as bad it still has heavy traffic and it is an example of what the future can hold. If we find a place on the KY side we wouldn't have to worry about the bridge. Now that sounds good, but the houses and taxes are more. From the looks of things we would still drive about the same distance to either W and C or to the temple. Oh, the joys of house hunting.

At any rate, this is the house that we have been most interested in. It is a great house but there is a draw back, it is about a foot ball field length from the outer belt loop. Now that is not all bad, as the bridge across the river joining it to the KY side is not there. Now that may sound good, but they do plan on building it. The earliest it would be done is in six to eight years. Now that may sound bad, but as B says, "We may not be alive then."

A real plus to the place is a twenty five by thirty foot garage out back. We can't put the truck in the attached garage as the truck is too long. (We are seeing lots of this.) However, it easily fits in the second garage and there is lots of room for B to fiddle with whatever. He is already drooling about that. There is also room to park the trailer at the side of the garage as we would like to keep it on site. That makes it easy to use when company comes. Since the house has three bedrooms up and two non-conforming (no windows) in the walk-out basement, we would have to have a very large group there. Here are some of the pictures of this place. I forgot to take any of the second garage.

I didn't get a picture looking the other direction toward the master bedroom, laundry room and door to the garage.



There is a pantry which they had loaded.

Master area.



Down stairs. It seems everyone here has a wet bar.

This is adjacent to the bar.


This is gas and works even if the power goes out, which we have found can happen frequently.

This is one of the two non-conforming bedrooms in the basement.


A large storage area.


With all this space, if we buy it y'all will have to come see us.