The sight of these Angel's Trumpet plants, in full bloom in Oneida, Tennessee, makes you stop and stare. They can reach a height of 15 feet, with a profusion of 9" flowers. The plant is perennial in the tropics and an annual in temperate regions. It is known for its sweet intoxicating perfume but is notorious mainly because it is so dangerously toxic. Also called "Devil's Trumpet" or "Hells Bells," most parts of the plant are highly poisonous and can be fatal if ingested by humans or animals, including livestock and pets. 10/25/2009

I recently wrote a post about the University Of Tennessee football team, the VOLS, and the incredible support they enjoy in this part of the country. It was inspired by some amusing pictures I took, after realizing how many things in this area are orange-and-white, the team colors. http://activerain.com/blogsview/1247944/seems-like-everyone-in-tennessee-is-a-vols-fan-. I came down the pet food aisle in Walmart the other day, here in Jamestown, Tennessee, and just had to laugh when I saw this endcap display of clothes for dogs, all in the distinctive VOLS orange and white! My Siamese cat, Tazz, wears a harness and walks on a leash so...I couldn't resist! Judging by the proliferation of "clothes" for dogs, this is clever marketing on someone's part. I'll bet other pet owners won't be able... 10/23/2009

This car is certainly the right tool for the job, according to rangers at the Bandy Creek camping area in Big South Fork National Park here in Jamestown, Tennessee. It clearly is some sort of environmentally-friendly car and what better place for a super-efficient "green car" than a national park!  It's called a "GEM Car" because it is made by a division of Chrysler called Global Electric Motors, which is headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota and which has been in operation for ten years. They weren't "street legal" until 1998 when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) designated a new class of motor vehicle, the low-speed vehicle, also known as the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV).  This allowed the GEM Car to be driven on public roads if it met certain safety cr... 10/21/2009

Occasionally, visitors to the Big South Fork area get lost while they are out riding and may end up traveling along the road, trying to get back to wherever they are staying. Sometimes riders may need to consult a map or tighten a girth. If so, the right of way is their "breakdown lane." There has been a proliferation of "Horses Keep Off The Grass" and "No Horses On The Grass" signs in this area in recent months. Big South Fork National Park is considered the best trail riding east of the Mississippi and is called "The Trail Riding Capital of the Southeast." Many local businesses advertise in publications such as The Trail Rider magazine in an effort to attract visitors to the area. Not only are such signs unwelcoming and offensive, they are incorrect. The  RIGHT OF WAY extends a minimu... 10/20/2009

There is a Mennonite community in Muddy Pond, south of Jamestown, Tennessee in the Big South Fork area that is well known for wooden lawn and porch furniture. One of the woodworkers there obviously has a sense of humor, since he's obviously making sawdust on Sawdust Lane! 10/18/2009

You may have seen that slogan on a teeshirt; it's considered "Cowboy Wisdom." Well, it's pretty much of a true statement and can certainly be applied to the world of real estate. Gone are the days when realtors went to a real estate office and waited for customers to walk in. Now it's all about getting the customers' attention through some form of media. I am literally a few minutes from Big South Fork National Park in Jamestown, Tennessee, which is a destination for trail riders. People who live within a few hours come on weekends and others trailer their horses 10 or 12 or 15 hours to spend their vacations here. Many of those people decide they'd like to look at horse properties while they're here and they're going to want to connect with a realtor...one who rides and who knows where ... 10/15/2009

Because I mainly list and sell horse properties near the Big South Fork National Park in Jamestown, Tennessee, I ride with a variety of "horse ladies" and we usually bring LUNCH! The scenery is breathtaking and there are many beautiful places to stop and eat. There are hitching rails throughout the park where you can tie your horses and take a lunch break before continuing on. This wooden bridge is one of our favorites. Our horses wade across the stream but this is an intersection of hiking trails so the footbridge is used to get hikers from one side to the other. Lunching with the ladies is good "ear to the ground" time for me in terms of real estate and it's an easy way to do some networking. Hopefully, we'll have worked off the calories on the second half of the ride! Tennessee is ve... 10/08/2009

There is a Mennonite community in the Big South Fork area, south of Jamestown, Tennessee in Muddy Pond that  is known for three things: wooden sheds, gazebos, lawn and porch furniture, a leather shop that makes saddles and harness and does repairs and a sorghum mill. Sorghum looks like corn but it reaches heights of 13-14 feet and develops a distinctive reddish head. Most people know of sorghum as a major cereal crop, along with wheat, corn, oats and barley. Sweet sorghum is another variety where the stalks of the plant are harvested rather than the seeds, and crushed like sugar cane to produce sorghum syrup. A de-header removers the heads and then the stalks are fed into a heavy press where they are crushed between big rollers. Juice is collected in huge tanks and taken to the mill for... 10/07/2009

If you're thinking of making a trip to the Big South Fork in Jamestown, Tennessee to buy land, don't wait! All summer the foliage made it impossible to see "the lay of the land," but now...with the leaves coming off the trees...it is the perfect time to think about looking at property! Baby Boomers and others considering retirement are eyeing Tennessee for a number of reasons, among them four distinct seasons with mild winters, low property taxes, no state income tax, low cost of living and low crime rate. There's breathtaking scenery in Big South Fork National Park and a myriad of outdoor activities for those who don't ride. For those who do ride, this is the best trail riding east of the Mississippi and it's called "The Trail Riding Capital of the Southeast."  The National Park Servic... 10/05/2009

You may remember that the middle part of the country had about 10 straight days of rain last week...all that flooding in Atlanta. Once the sun finally reappeared, I was out riding in Big South Fork National Park, Tennessee and I saw these bright orange mushrooms growing at the base of a tree. The ground was certainly sodden and I'm sure conditions were perfect for a proliferation of strange flora! For information about Big South Fork real estate or horse properties, go to www.trailridersrealestate.com 10/04/2009

This is good advice in any situation but especially for realtors. I just sent my husband over to my newest listing to put a sign in the yard, to take a couple of pictures and to find the key that the sellers said was hidden. I told him not to feel around on the ledge "near the door there, to the left." I try to carry in my car all the items that I might need to work as a realtor, including a small ladder, gloves and a flashlight...for just such an occasion! I am TERRIFIED of spiders and have NO INTENTION of sticking my fingers up onto some dusty ledge or into some light fixture or some exterior breaker box and feeling around for a key. Oh, no! No! No! This is Brown Recluse country and as you may know, the bite is extremely nasty. The Brown Recluse is perhaps the most venomous spider in ... 09/30/2009

With several equestrian communities near Big South Fork National Park in Jamestown, Tennessee, you can just imagine that horseshoe décor is popular. Some people buy equestrian-themed items from catalogs or websites; others....um....use the materials at hand. This is rugged country and horses are generally shod every six weeks or so. Shoes can be "re-set" several times but eventually, they need to be replaced. What do you do with all those used horseshoes? How about horseshoe decor; you'd be surprised at some of the creative ideas you'll see in cabins around here. The toilet paper holder is just the beginning! You'll see horseshoes made into coat hooks and used as the base for coat stands, made into lamps and wine racks, used to spell out the owner's last name over the front door...limit... 09/23/2009

No matter which way you turn, you'll see pride and support for the University of Tennessee football team, the Tennessee Volunteers or "Vols," as they are known far and wide. The nickname is derived from the State of Tennessee's own nickname. Tennessee is known as the "Volunteer State," having sent more volunteers than any other state but Virginia to fight for the Confederacy during the Civil War and more volunteers to Union ranks than any other state, period. Volunteer soldiers from Tennessee also played a prominent role in the War of 1812, notably The Battle of New Orleans. The Vols play at historic Neyland Stadium at UT's home campus in Knoxville. Stadium capacity is just over 100,000, the fifth largest in the country, and the home games have been described as a "sea of orange" due to... 09/21/2009

One of my favorite trail rides in the Big South Fork National Park is along the former railbed of the Oneida and Western Railroad, a ride we call simply "the O&W."  Defunct railbeds all over the country have provided thousands of miles, reclaimed for use as bike trails, hiking trails, walking trails, running trails and equestrian trails.  In the early 1900s, large tracts of land rich with virgin timber and coal lay in what is now the Big South Fork National Park. The remote and rugged terrain from which these resources had to be extracted rendered them almost inaccessible. Both the Stearns (KY) Coal and Lumber Company and the Tennessee Coal and Lumber Company began building railroads for the purpose of transporting these raw materials. Construction started on the O&W Railroad in Novembe... 09/09/2009

People come here largely for the climate and the outdoor lifestyle, so you can imagine that a firepit is a way of life here. With four distinct seasons, Tennessee is renowned for its long springs and long fall season, with many warm days and cool nights. Almost every cabin has a firepit, which may simply be a circle of rocks. Seating may also be as simple as a circle of tree stumps. Most, however, have inexpensive plastic chairs that weather well and require no maintenance. Families enjoy sitting around the firepit in the evening and neighbors will often just drop by. Local horse campgrounds advertise that they have a firepit at every campsite. Campers love to relax around the fire in the evening; its an easy, uncomplicated way to socialize.  For information about horse properties or Bi... 09/08/2009

The horse campgrounds are full and there are alot of activities for campers going on this weekend. Everyone who has a seasonal cabin is using it, it seems, and the rental cabins are...rented. Everyone who has a friend living here in an equestrian community is visiting. The roads are full of horse trailers heading for various trailheads, and groups of riders pass by on the trail every few minutes. Big South Fork National Park is big enough to accomodate all of this, without feeling crowded. It's a destination for trail riders, year round, but never more so than on a long holiday weekend. You'll find barbecue and Bluegrass music, or just sit around the campfire in the evening and enjoy each other's company. For more information about Big South Fork, Tennessee, go to www.bigsouthforkinfo.c... 09/06/2009

      This is a wonderful love story. It began 41 years ago at the George Hotel, Stamford Lincolnshire England. Reg was a certified master chef at this famous hotel, and Julia provided guest services. Julia and Reg spent one day and one night together, and the rest is history. They were no children, their entire lives have been devoted to the hospitality industry and to each other. Reginald Clinton Johnson, born in 1946 to Linda Freeman from England, and Kenneth Johnson from Moodyville Tennessee. Reg's parents divorced shortly after the end of the war. Reg never knew his father, as he was "in the womb" when his father's unit was sent back to the U.S. following the war; his mother remained in England.  Many years later, Reg attended an event celebrating the 40 year end of the war, held i... 09/03/2009

Horse camping has become really popular in recent years and you can find "horse campgrounds" all over the country now. There is a concentration of these horse campgrounds here in Jamestown, Tennessee, because this area has the best trail riding east of the Mississippi and is called "The Trail Riding Capital of the Southeast." The Big South Fork national park encompasses 125,000 acres and has hundreds of miles of trails, criss-crossing the Tennessee/Kentucky border. The National Park Service concessionaires offer accommodations for campers and their horses at Bandy Creek Stables as well as at Station Camp in Oneida, Tennessee and Bear Creek in Stearns, Kentucky. In addition, there are a number of privately-owned horse campgrounds in the vicinity. Most horse campers travel in a "living qu... 09/02/2009

Last summer, I saw three bears. Actually...I think I saw the SAME bear three times! There has been an increase in bear sightings in the Big South Fork...because the bear population is increasing, with the species reintroduced to an area where it once thrived. When European settlers began populating Tennessee in the mid-1700s, black bears were a common sight but, by the late 1800s, human encroachment had driven most of the black bear population from the area now known as Big South Fork.  Black bears had nearly been eliminated from the State of Tennessee by the 1900s due to loss of habitat, and human harassment. Timber was an "extraction industry" in this part of the country and the area was heavily logged by the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company, headquartered in southeastern Kentucky. Bla... 08/29/2009

Tennessee is actually three different and distinct places, each with its own regional flavor. Traveling from west to east, you'll find that Tennessee is divided geographically into distinct areas; western Tennessee, middle Tennessee and eastern Tennessee. Major cities associated with Tennessee are Memphis in the west, Nashville in Middle Tennessee, with Knoxville and Chattanooga in eastern Tennessee. The Mississippi River marks the state's western border. As you move east, land begins to rise farther above sea level and rolling hills begin to take shape. The Tennessee River marks the division between west Tennessee and middle Tennessee, which is known for its rich farmland. As you travel east, the elevation rises to about 1,500 feet above sea level; this is the Cumberland Plateau. Fentr... 08/28/2009