A SUPER HOT DAY

Today is a scorcher.  It's 90 degrees plus and the sun is high in the sky.  I sat around all day waiting for phone calls from a realtor and the mortgage company, so it was necessary I be near personal records to answer any questions they had.  This house buying business is a pain.  I don't even want a house but, I have to live somewhere.  I'll throw a picture of the place on this blog entry here and there.

I had looked at twelve properties over near Cherokee and Douglas Lakes and found two that were suitable.  I could have made them work but,  they didn't do much for me.  The house above was the last one I checked.  I found the driveway which is long and has a bend in it that hides the house.  As I drove around that bend I caught sight of the house.  The bike was stopped and I looked at it carefully.  I remember thinking and saying out loud to myself, "now, that's me."   And, it is me.

It's situated exactly half way between the two lakes I will be working on for Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) so, drive time to the lakes will be minimal.  The house sits well back off the road and is surrounded by woods.  The first order of the day after closing is to install a one acre electric dog fence around the house and well out in front of the house.  This is for the protection of Douglas, Shade and Happy.  I hate to see them get shocked but it's necessary to teach them the boundary limitations of their area.

A dog door will be installed in the basement door for them.  The downstairs also has it's own air conditioner, so they should be very comfortable in the hot Summer months.  I will also install an automatic watering device for them just outside the basement door.  I do have to investigate automatic feeders too.  The feeders are in case I go away for more than two days.  So, that's what I've been up to.

Even the drive way "is me."

Douglas is gonna like this place

This is where I'll spend countless hours baking and canning goods.  Right!  Got no use for this part of the house

Bottom of the house is finished with real stone.  Imagine that!

I'll see how things go this week with the purchase procedure.  I'm new to this but have a good realtor who is guiding me through it.  The ole Australian OZ Tent would be all I need really.

I waited for the sun to start falling, or, the evening to start rising; however you want to view it, and loaded the dogs in the truck. Yep;  back to the shoreline at the old state park.  I took them to a new spot that none of us had previously been.  The shoreline of Tellico Lake was a short walk and that's what I wanted for the dogs.  It was still too hot to have them charging around through the woods.  The trees were thick and provided shade.  Still, the heat was fairly intense even under the protective cover of the tree branches.

Now that I think about it; Douglas and I had walked this path about four years ago and have not been on it since.  The surrounding woods are not so thick that one can not see out into it.  I like forests that are open enough to supply a nice view of shade and light combined.

This is a very pretty area.  I'm sorry we haven't visited it more often.

The lake is just 75 feet off to the left of the shot above.  The kids headed straight for it.

Look at the boat wake that just rolled through Shade.  She loves it!

Pleasure boats were blasting up and down the lake creating large waves that crashed against the shore.  Douglas, Shade and Happy delighted in swimming through and over them.

There goes Douglas heading for the horizon.

He really gets way out there sometimes.  Drives me nuts!

Look at him go!  I don't know what gets into him that makes him strike out for the center of the lake.

I've never seen a dog love water more.  Douglas is a natural water adventurer.

He's coming back.  I feel more at ease..

 Even after all that exertion expended on the distant swim;  he lingers in the deeper water, reluctant to come to shore.

"Douglas;  get in here right now!"

"Good boy!"  The golden dog of the lakes returns to shore.

We've been at this spot for an hour and they are getting played out.  It's good for them to become exhausted but, I have to watch the heat on them.  That's where the lake comes into play.

Shade

I love them all but, Douglas is the main guy.  He has been my first dog companion and I dearly love him.

"Come on guys;  we're going home."

"Happy;  put the stick down and come on."

I don't know what happened to the color in my Elph Camera.  Sorry