A walk in the woods at Grundy Lakes State Park, Tracy City,TN

Last Friday was the first day of fall, but the summer heat continued unabated. With Hurricane Maria battering the Caribbean Islands, earthquake in Mexico City, typhoons in Asia and fires across the West, we're fortunate Mother Nature dealt us lingering summer heat (temperature in the mid 80s).

The next morning we awoke to cooler temperatures, so we seized the moment to go for a hike. We continue to discover new trails closer to our marina. This time we found ourselves at Grundy Lakes State Park in Tracy City, about half hour away. The leaves were starting to change colors, and they reflected beautifully in the water. It was a gorgeous day to be outdoors.

Coke oven under the trees

What's your favorite fall hike?
This post is shared on Weekend Reflections.

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Somewhere (on the lake), Guntersville, Alabama

Last Saturday, we met our friends at Goose Pond Marina in Scottsboro, and went out on their cruiser Beth Kay. Our destination was Somewhere, a restaurant that was highly recommended by their friends. We didn't really care where to go for lunch; it was a beautiful day for a cruise on Guntersville Lake.

Somewhere turned out to be an excellent restaurant with nice ambience and fabulous food. We were all happy with our food and service. Read my review on TripAdvisor.

Plenty of docking for patrons

No, we didn't come on this boat

We came on Beth Kay

Nice reflections of the sailboats

Some guy playing in our wake

We spent several summers zipping around Boston Harbor and beyond for lunch, whale watching and other action-packed activities. This trip transported us back to those sunny, fun-filled days.

This post is shared on Weekend Reflections.

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A day in the life of a liveaboard, part 5

While I was doing my laundry yesterday, I learned that the Glen-L group will be here for their yearly gathering this weekend. We first saw these boaters at our marina in 2010 (read blog post - Yes, you can. Build a boat yourself). Some were bluewater cruisers before building their own boats.

Not that we're part of the group, but it sure brought back memories of several such gatherings that we've attended over the years - Trawler Fest at Solomons Island, Md, Cruiser's Reunion in Baltimore, and boat shows in Annapolis and Miami. These days, we're living aboard Mai Thai on the Tennessee River, and any event that's water related would pique our interests.

After spending 17 years on Mai Thai, we still love the boating lifestyle. We've enjoyed meeting people from all walks of life, anchoring and swimming in secluded coves, shelling in deserted beaches, viewing meteor showers and eclipses in the wee hours of the morning on the dock, and taking pictures of sunrises and sunsets. Living on the water offers many opportunities to take pictures of reflections at any instant. Thanks to James, I can share my posts on his Weekend Reflections blog.

Here are some pictures of the Glen-L boats I took today:

Don't you just love boat names?

Cabins on the river

What are you reflecting on this weekend?

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Weekend Reflections: College Football and Hurricane Irma

While our marina friends were watching college football Saturday,

Previous owners of A Whale of a Tale are passionate fans of the Georgia Bulldog (U of GA)

Hula Girl cheering for the Tennessee Volunteers (U of TN)

Mojo and company rooting for the TN Vols as well

Czech Mate watching the Nebraska Cornhuskers (U of NE-Lincoln)

we were watching the hummingbirds.

Several weeks ago, we had put out three feeders, and were so excited when one came to visit! Now a total of four come by everyday. They are territorial, standing guard at "their" feeder, chasing others away when they come near it. Is is a joy to watch these tiny creatures zip up and down, back and forth with such precision. Many a times, it hovers right in front of our windows, as if to say "look at me, take my picture." We wonder if they can sense a storm coming, and get out of here before it arrives? They usually leave some time this month to S. America, where they spend the winter.

A male ruby-throated hummingbird at one of our feeders

And we're keeping a close eye on monster Hurricane Irma, currently barreling towards the Keys this Sunday morning. We have families and friends all along the Florida west coast - the Tampa Bay area, Ft Myers, Marco Island, and on the east coast - Heathrow, Daytona Beach, Palm Beach and Ft Lauderdale. We hope they stay safe and dry. Keeping our fingers crossed for minimal damage in Florida.

The south won! The TN Volunteers is on a roll, having won 2 games in a row (42-7 against Indiana State), the NE Cornhuskers lost to Oregon (35-42), Georgia Bulldogs won 20-19 against Notre Dame.

This post is shared on Weekend Reflections.

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