A LAID BACK KIND OF DAY

These days where I drive the truck along the Cherokee Tailrace are always quiet, nearly boring days as I don't have to deal with boat navigation, although I prefer to be in the boat doing this job.  I much rather be on the water where I'm not restricted by roads and lane changes.  There is a bit of traffic but it's not intense like on a highway.  Tomorrow is dentist day and that won't be a laid back day.  Yep, still messing with these dentures "over a botched extraction job performed by a dentist who I think flunked out of teeth pulling school."  The dentist who pulled my teeth is another issue aside from getting my mouth straightened out and he and I aren't done with the dance yet.

This is just a little entry keeping everyone up to date on the eagles down at the river and other little bits of information you may find of interest.

View to the Holston river from Indian Cave

A quick trip to the bald eagle's nest shows both youngsters on the verge of flight.  They have been edging further and further away from the nest, sliding along all the larger limbs.  Today they are in the leafy shade.

 You can see both their dark, vertical forms.

And, finally mom appears on the scene, her white head streaked with the yellow color of river clay.  She's no doubt been hunting.

Mom just flew in and I missed her landing because I was focused on Junior.  The young eagle slides back across the limb towards mom, obviously because he thinks she has brought food.  I can see him peaking out from under the foliage.

 

It's obviously been a hard day for mom as she bows her head to close her eyes for a bit before once again heading out to hunt.  These two youngsters are as large as she is and require a lot of food.  Dad's no doubt on the river also, or hiding out somewhere to avoid these constantly eating kids of his. 

 The last part of this entry is about the massive, leafy growth in my yard called a monster clematis plant.  It is taking over the entire flower patch and I've been installing obstacles for it to climb onto in attempts to guide it away from the other flowers.

 

 I've placed a trellis beside the behemoth to try and tempt it to flow in that direction.  It's hard to see but I pulled a few vines from the clematis over to the bottom of the trellis to start the process.

 The above shot shows the clematis vining over a piece of 2x4 that I spiked along and on top of a fixed post.  The clematis sent out vines and covered the end of the wood in just two days.  Amazing!  I nailed a second 2x4 on top and above the first one.  You can see the fines just starting to reach up to it.

 Above shows yet another image of the monster's quest for power.

Above is another shot of the trellis I just installed.  The vines from the plant to the wood can be seen at the bottom of the trellis.  

And, yes I have inserted two pieces of lawn ornaments.  The bird bath is a necessity as the birds have nowhere to go around here for water and I noticed them already in the new facility.  A small piece of wood enhances their ability to use the bath.

 As far as the bench goes, well, it was just something that caught my eye.  I can say no more about it.

 The dog is not a lawn ornament but actually a live specimen.  

Finally, in the bottom of that wooden barrel there is a tiny hole next to the ground and in that hole passes little chipmunks who have set up housekeeping inside.  So, I have chipmunks in the barrel and a multitude of toads in the clematis, not to mention birds of all types on the bird bath and flitting among the stems of the roses and clematis.  I've created a habitat of sorts.  If only I had a way to have a pig.  I like pigs.