Dam

T and I had chiropractor appointments on Tuesday morning - prepaid, thank goodness, or we'd never be able to keep going!

To get there, we have to cross Buford Dam, a tremendous earthen (I think) dam that spans the Chattahoochee River and created Lake Lanier. I enjoy the drive - the lake and river are both always lovely. See?

Lake Lanier looking lovely.

The view from the dam down to the river.

We are usually pressed for time on appointment days, because T had to get home in time to go to work, and it's a long drive. On Tuesday, though, he turned off the dam and down a little side road I hadn't noticed before.

We went down...down...down hill, off pavement and onto gravel, and eventually pulled out of the woods and into an open area. A park! in the lee of the dam, a nice little park with a large open space, some picnic tables near the river, and some walking trails.

T thought Bird would like to see the dam we drive over all the time, and maybe I would find something to photograph. Thoughtful!

We set off toward the footbridge over the river, situated near the point where water flows from the dam.

The bridge over untroubled waters.

Sweet release.

Bird was enthralled by the geese (and the goose poop, once I showed him what it looked like), the dam, the river...

...and the bugs on the trail.

He walked with T while I lingered and shot some pictures. I caught up to them on the hill above the water-release, and we watched the goats mowing the fenced area there - it's too steep, rocky, and dangerous to have mowers in there, so the folks in charge of dam maintenance got their goats. Hah!

Those blobs of black and white in the middle? Goats. The sky was not pink - my camera is suddenly having issues with bright places and is turning them pink - we're going to have a go around about that soon.


I tried to capture the sheer size of the damn, but mostly captured more not-really-pink sky and what looks like a green wall.

It looms over one, even from quite a distance back.

There were signs everywhere, warning of the danger of water release and advising one to listen for the horn...and reminding folks that life jackets are mandated on the river, at least to a certain point. Bird wanted me to read them all, but I told him one would suffice since they said the same thing.

While Bird and T headed back to the car, I took a moment on the footbridge to enjoy the river - it's not the sea, but it is a living, moving water...and I love living, moving water. How could you feel anything less than peaceful......looking at this?

Or...

...even this?


We headed on home, back up and around and over the dam, having anjoyed our little jaunt.

T doesn't bring me flowers, write me poems or love songs, or dance with me. SOmetimes, I wonder if the computer and the Internet are more important to him than our family or our marriage.

He has a difficult time thinking of gifts when they're warranted, so I often simply tell him what to buy, and where, or what to do and when (he'd rather buy a present than do chores, though...hmm...how can I parlay that into a nice chunk of Tanzanite??)....but he gave me this...

...on a day when I could really use it.

Thanks, hun.