Fall Branch Land

In the early spring of 1978, Janice’s parents were visiting us in Johnson City. We selected a beautiful day to show them the land we had bought in Fall Branch. It was not easy for them to walk in, but we did make it to our land. It was just a gorgeous day. We spent quite a bit time there, exploring the streams and the beautiful redbud trees everywhere on the land. We took quite a number of pictures, some of which are shown below so that you can appreciate the place. Grandpa and Nana had a great time there.
                                     

Miss Maragret Sells

Margaret Sells played an important role in my life, by whatever standard you might use. I have talked about her before. She taught my English Class at NTU and I directed the Choir at her Student Center in Taiwan, called Friendship Corner. I made a lot of my friends there. More importantly, when I came to the US I began my studies in Johnson City, TN, because that was her home town. Finally, in the early spring of 1978, she retired from her work in Taipei and came back to her home in Tennessee. Her stay there included a visit to our home and a nearby park. We took some pictures together. Later she moved to Florida for her permanent retirement home and we could no longer see her as often.

Winter Snow Storm

Sometime in early 1978, we had a winter snow storm and it was very cold. When we got up that day, the trees were all covered with snow and ice. It was quite a special scene, so I had to go out and get some pictures. I took one shot of our kids in the middle of the snow in front of our house and then took some other pictures up and down Maple Street. As you can see, the trees were all covered and the whole picture was very different from our usual scene. What were in the kids’ bags? I could not imagine what were they carrying in a big storm like this?

Rosanna Chen

When my sister, Kai, was a graduate student at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, she had a roommate, Rosanna Chen, who was a Medical Technology undergraduate. Both Janice and I met her and were impressed with her. We thought that Kai was lucky to have a roommate like Rosanna. In 1977, Rosanna and Kai came to visit us during the Christmas break. We went to visit the land we had acquired in Fall Branch,TN. We took some pictures there. Look how young Rosanna and Kai were in the picture!

Christmas 1977

We usually take a Christmas picture on the 25th of December. Whoever stayed with us on Christmas eve, December 24th, would have their picture taken with us. Apparently we did not have any guests staying with us that evening in 1977. Therefore, we only had our small family together in the picture. This was a very unusual case, as we generally had a lot of people staying with us on Christmas eve. Although we might have had quite a number before and/or after the 25th, we did not have anyone outside the family that Christmas. So you only see us four below. And that year, our tree was very special as it was cut from a huge pine tree on our land in Fall Branch, which we had purchased the previous year. We used only the tip of the tree and it was not very full - only a few branches and tree needles. That is why I remember it!

The Young Fernald Family

In 1977, about Thanksgiving time, if I remember correctly, Greg and Judy Fernald and their two children had just relocated to the Houston area and they flew from there to visit us in Johnson City. We went to pick them up at the airport and our kids had a great time with their two young girls. The girls, however, had a great time with our dog Princess. Both girls played with Princess and spent quite a bit time with her. They both loved animals. In fact, Erin later became a vet and both she and Shelley have dogs in  their lives now. You can certainly tell this from the pictures below.

Fall Color

One of the most characteristic traits of East Tennessee is the beautiful fall color in the month of October. Whenever we had a conference which included visitors from out-of-state in the fall, one consideration of the date was always the time of the color change season. We certainly did not want to miss seeing the color ourselves when we were in town, as nature usually put on a fabulous display!  With our children growing-up in this beautiful place, we always took advantage of the opportunities to record this color along with their presence. While we sensed that they were growing up quickly, at the same time we appreciated that we lived in such a vibrant and beautiful place in the world.

Ready to be Cheer Leaders

From a very young age, Margaret was always interested in the chance to be one of the school cheer leaders when she got to junior high. This was an opportunity not to be missed. Therefore, Margaret, even in third grade, organized a practice party for all her friends who wanted the opportunity to practice together. We used our front room for this purpose. We not only watched them practicing, but also took some pictures to remember the occasion. It was  serious business! Take a look and see if you agree!