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.

knowledge

Some people drink from the fountain of knowledge, others just gargle. 
--Dr. Robert Anthony, Self-help author.

Above: Detail of the Weir Dam found south of Bristol, TN.

fear factor

The worst of all fears is the fear of living.
--Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) 26th US President

the beginning of love

The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.
--Thomas Merton (1915-1968) Author and Monk

Deep green hues reflect off the waters of the fascinating Weir Dam located on the South Holston River outside of Bristol, TN. More photos, information and directions here.

peace like a river

One can not reflect in streaming water. Only those who know internal peace can give it to others.
--Lao Tzu

The Weir Dam south of Bristol is one of the most unique sights (and sounds) in East Tennessee. The zig-zag dam serves a couple important functions. It keeps the water above the dam at a constant level for fish and birds and its thundering water aerates the South Holston River below the dam. During the drought of the last three years, this sight wasn't as common because South Holston Dam (a mile upstream) didn't generate electricity as often. Still, check with the TVA website to find out when they're generating, because then you'll know when to visit to see the water flowing over the Weir.

Directions: From the intersection of routes 394 and 421 south of Bristol, continue 2.9 miles south on 421 (toward Shady Valley). Turn right at Shelley's Chicken House onto Emmett Road/Holston View Dam Road. Continue for 1.6 miles (bear right at the fork) to the recreation area on your left. After taking in the sights and sounds at Osceola Island, continue on Holston Dam View Road 2 more miles to the top of the dam. Here you will see a beautiful view of South Holston Lake.

the risk of love

The risk of love is loss,
and the price of loss is grief -
But the pain of grief
Is only a shadow
When compared with the pain
Of never risking love.
--Hilary Stanton Zunin, author

Three years ago today a 21 year old Milligan College student died suddenly and unexpectedly of heart failure. Steven Hunter transferred to Milligan his junior year as a history major and pre-law student. He fell in love with Appalachia, the mountains, hiking, bluegrass and fly fishing. He was the kind of student every professor loves to have in class: inquisitive, enthusiastic, serious. And yet you can't speak about Steven without remembering his playfulness. Yes, he took living seriously, but wasn't afraid to be silly; he was outgoing and fun, confident of who he was and what he believed. I remember his tears as well as his smiles and his laughter. His zeal for living was infectious. He loved Milligan and we all loved him back.

Say a prayer today for his parents, Mark and Virgie. You can read more about Steven and his parents here. Click here and here to read my previous posts about Steven and to watch video tributes.

Above: Two fly-fishermen on the South Holston River, one of Steven's favorite places.

High Church Fishing

If fishing is a religion, fly fishing is high church.
--Tom Brokaw (b.1940) Journalist and Author

Above: Fly fishing at the Weir Dam on the Holston River near Bristol, TN. The Weir Dam is a great place to visit, even if you aren't into high church or low church fishing. There's a beautiful mile-long walking path around Osceloa Island. In the photo above there's little water moving through the dam. But when the TVA is generating electricity at the South Holston Dam a mile upstream, the weir dam really puts on a spectacular show. Click here to see a video and read more about this area. Before you go, I definitely recommend checking out the TVA website, which lists the schedule for releases from the South Holston Dam each day.

Directions: From the intersection of routes 394 and 421 south of Bristol, continue 2.9 miles south on 421 (toward Shady Valley). Turn right at Shelley's Chicken House onto Emmett Road/Holston View Dam Road. Continue for 1.6 miles to the recreation area on your left. (Continue on from this point 2 miles to the top of the South Holston Dam).

[Sorry for the sporadic posts this week -- my internet connection has been giving me fits. I hope things will get cleared up next week!]

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.