It has been said that the happiest day of your life is buying a boat, and the second happiest day of your life is selling your boat. Over the last dozen years, we saw several friends celebrating the latter and getting out of boating totally while others swapped for a different boat. This weekend, we helped our friends Mark and Judy usher in their new yacht Windarra to their old slip. We shared a nice dinner afterwards but forgot the champagne. Sorry!
Windarra was in Hula Girl's slip back in 2007
one last picture of the proud owners before departing Goose Pond Marina
The head of the welcoming committee waiting patiently
Here she comes!
Our Facebook friends might recall that six weeks ago, we were fascinated by a pair of ducks that hung out on the dock next to ours. They had scouted around and found a safe haven. They worked hard to make a comfortable nest. After they settled, they came and laid an egg every day, and we posted those pictures on Facebook. Turned out the location wasn't such a safe place afterall. One morning, the tub with 15 eggs were (poof!) all gone. Just like that. The 12 eggs in the other tub were intact, but sadly, the ducks never returned. Soon the crows came and ate all of them eggs.
Had that not happened, we would have ducklings right about now! This is the video I took when the ducklings did hatch that one year, way back in 2009. Such is life at the marina.
Congratulations again, Mark and Judy! We look forward to some fun times on the river.
NOAA hit the nail on the head when it forecast a warmer winter due to a“strong El Niño." In mid February, when we were in Calgary, Canada, we encountered a week of unseasonably warm weather, much to our delight. Later that month, we were back in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and had colder weather than western Canada! March came and quickly dispelled the cold. With the nice spring weather, we laced our hiking boots and got back on the trails again.
So when it was not raining and when we were not sick, we ventured outdoors as often as we could. This time we discovered yet another new place to hike - Lula Lake and Falls on Lookout Mountain on the Georgia side. Why we never visited before is beyond me, as it is such a lovely scenic place! And so close to home.
Lula Falls, at 110 feet
Upper Lula Falls and Lula Lake
Dogwood flowers
Cherry blossoms
Panoramic vista of Chattanooga Valley
Lula Lake and Falls is opened the first and last Saturday of the month. It has several trails, many of which are pretty easy. It is dog friendly and there are various places to relax, grill and have a picnic. You need to make reservations and there is a conservation use fee of $15 per reservation. Click on the link for more information.
Where's your favorite hiking trail to see spring flowers and waterfalls?
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.JPG%20 "Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring")
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