set us free

Gracious God,

Turn us loose, but never let us go.

Set us free, but never let us go.

Let us find our own path, but never let us go.

Let us work it out for ourselves, but never let us go.

Let us suffer from our own mistakes, but never let us go.

Receive us to Thyself, never let us go.

We leave this Thy house, but never let us go.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 --Fred Craddock (1928-2015) Minister, Professor and Author (Benediction from his sermon, "The Cloud of Witnesses")

Some scenes from the beautiful area beneath South Holston Dam of the Weir Dam at Osceola Island. For more images, discussion and directions, click here.

Osceola Island

Went for a walk around Osceola Island yesterday evening and took some photos with the new iPhone 6. It's amazing how far cell phone camera technology has come in the last 10 years. I think my first flip phone had a whopping 1.3 mega pixels - and the images weren't anything you'd ever print or do much of anything with. Today there are colleges offering iPhone photography courses.

Osceola Island is a terrific place to have a picnic and then explore. It's located a mile below South Holston Dam outside of Bristol, TN. A footbridge leads visitors to a 1.8 mile long gravel trail around the island (map here). On both sides of the island are the unique weir dams you see in the photos. Designed to aerate the river below, the waterfalls only flow when the dam is generating electricity. You can find out when they are generating by clicking here.

Here is a PDF map of the nearby area.

Because the dam generates electricity by pulling water from the bottom of South Holston Reservoir, the water in the river below the dam (called the tailwaters) is very cold. In fact, even on a hot summer day, the water temperature will only be in the mid-50s at midday. Perfect conditions for trout fishing.

bogged down

There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life, devoid of breadth.
--Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) American Minister and Civil-Rights Leader.

trust.

Trust is not just the foundation of leadership, it's the speed at which leadership operates. --John Maxwell (b.1947) Christian author, speaker, and pastor. 

The footbridge leading to Osceola Island on the South Holston River near Bristol, TN.

smiles along life's pathway

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.
--Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English Essayist, Poet, Dramatist and Statesman

bogged down

There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life, devoid of breadth.
--Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) American Minister and Civil-Rights Leader

A bog on Osceola Island (a mile downstream from the South Holston Dam) outside of Bristol, TN. 

contemplation

I must stay alone and know that I am alone to contemplate and feel nature in full; I have to surrender myself to what encircles me, I have to merge with my clouds and rocks in order to be what I am.
--Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840) German landscape painter

The South Holston River outside Bristol, TN at dawn. Click here for directions.

defining faith

Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.
--Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) Scottish minister and teacher

A mile long walking trail circles Osceola Island near Bristol, TN.

P.S. Don't forget the bug spray

misty morning

A misty morning does not signify a cloudy day.
--Proverb

The footbridge leading visitors to the walking trails on Osceola Island near the South Holston Dam. Click here for discussion and directions.

Weir Dam, Part II

I guess I'm not quite ready to move on from yesterday's post re: the Weir Dam south of Bristol, TN. This is the other photo I want to share -- a close up, cropped view of some of the waterfalls created by the Weir Dam itself. I was happy with the lighting of this one and thought it conveyed (as well as I could) the special power and beauty of the place.

Weir Dam, Part I

South of Bristol, TN, just below the South Holston Dam, is a wonderful recreation area on Osceloa Island. Although folks in Bristol know all about the Weir Dam, I don't find much online about it. If you know of any good websites, please comment below. But this is a great place to take visitors to introduce them to the beauty of northeast Tennessee. There's fishing, picnic tables and a nice trail that makes a 1.5 mile loop around the island. But the real attractions are the weir dams. They were constructed in 1991 on both sides of this island to add oxygen to the Holston River when the TVA is not generating electricity. As you can see, it's as if the TVA constructed 72 waterfalls (12 rows of 6), all of them thundering at once. To hear what this sounds like, click here for video (this is of the smaller weir dam on the far side of the island). Keep in mind that this scene only happens during times when the TVA is generating at the South Holston Dam (about a mile upstream). So before you head out, go online (here) to see their schedule for releasing water (Click on South Holston in the "Choose a reservoir" drop down menu).

Directions: From the intersection of routes 394 and 421 south of Bristol, continue 2.9 miles south on 421 (toward Shady Valley). Turn right onto Emmett Road/Holston View Dam Road. Continue for 1.6 miles (bear right at the fork) to the recreation area on your left.

Where to next? After taking in the sights and sounds at Osceola Island, get back on Holston Dam View Road and drive 2 more miles to the top of the dam. Here you will see a beautiful view of South Holston Lake.