Welcome to another Weekly Wrap Up! This week saw pleasant temperatures during the day and cool temperatures during the evening in the Natural State. Here’s a look at the temperature highs and lows from my Earth Networks weather station over the past week.
Here’s a look at the current temperatures across the state this afternoon from both NWS and Earth Networks weather stations (maps courtesy of GRLevelX/AllisonHouse and Earth Networks Sferic Maps).
Here’s a look at the current conditions and HD Cam from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs this afternoon, plus a look at the current air quality from my Davis AirLink.
Here’s a look at the seven-day extended forecast for Hot Springs from my Tempest weather station.
For this week’s Fraggle video, Gobo saves Fraggle Rock with music! Plus, a bonus look at Fraggle Rock in the Thanksgiving Parade years ago!
Here’s this week’s Scripture passage!
Finally, here’s a final post from my archives back when I visited the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock shortly before I moved to Georgia.
Clinton Presidential Library, Little Rock, Arkansas
Last Friday, I headed over to Little Rock one last time to visit the Clinton Presidential Library. The main reason for visiting it was that I’m as close to it as I’m ever going to get, and I might as well have paid it a visit.
Overall, the Clinton Library was interesting to visit. It felt more like a Bill Clinton museum than an actual library. I enjoyed it though. I didn’t read through each artifact there since that would have taken me too long, but I did look over the displays, and it was interesting and quite historical. There were plenty of them to see as well.
What was most interesting were the Oval Office and Cabinet Office. I almost wish I could use the Cabinet Office for my conference room! 🙂 The Oval Office was the most spectacular of the displays, although it was quite disappointing that we didn’t get to actually go in it. I know those that knew I was heading over wanted me to get a picture of me in the Oval Office. Oh well, too bad I wasn’t able to. There were also displays of one of the Clinton’s dinner tables they went to, as well as a special display going on with treasures pertaining to various President’s terms in office. That was quite a site to see. There were also some interesting architectural designs to the library itself, including the way the outdoor fountains worked.
Bottom line, it was an interesting trip that was historical and educational, and if you ever happen to be in the Little Rock area, you might as well pay a visit.
Welcome to another Weekly Wrap Up! This week warmed up in the Natural State. Here’s a look at the temperature highs and lows from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs over the past week.
Here’s a look at the current temperatures across the state this afternoon from both NWS and Earth Networks weather stations (Maps courtesy of GRLevelX/AllisonHouse and Earth Networks Sferic Maps).
Here’s a look at the current conditions and HD Cam from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs this afternoon, plus a look at the current air quality from my Davis AirLink.
Here’s a look at the seven-day extended forecast from my Tempest weather station.
For this week’s Fraggle video, the fraggles discover the radio!
Here’s this week’s Scripture passage! Have a great Thanksgiving!
Finally, here’s an archive weather report from the time I visited the Lake Lanier Trail of Lights in Georgia!
Lake Lanier Trail of Lights
Yesterday I visited the Trail of Lights down on Lake Lanier. Lake Lanier Resort is located on an island on Lake Lanier near Buford about 35-40 minutes from where I live in Demorest. These maps show you where it’s located:
My family and I started off on our journey to pickup our realtor friend Jane Dunham who would be accompanying us on our journey. On the way, we were captivated by the majestic Georgia Mountain Sunset that occurred, which really made the commencement of our journey beautiful. After picking up Jane, we started off on our long journey down to the lake.
Upon arriving, we traveled through a 7 mile trail all adorned with millions of magical Christmas lights! From the “12 Days of Christmas” to a lighted carousel to castles, animals, tunnels, and a beautiful Nativity Scene, we saw it all as we traveled down the lighted trail, over bridges and passing cabins and a lodge and moving with the flow of vehicles until we reached our destination.
Our destination comprised an outdoor fair, a shopping area full of Christmas decorations, and dining areas where visitors could grab a quick bite. A couple of roaring fire pits greeted us as we entered the area. Inside the shopping area, a myriad of visitors were scurrying about, wrapping up their last minute Christmas shopping. After I grabbed a quick bite to eat, I was ready to film my live WeatherBug Report and feature Jane our realtor friend. However, I got a nice surprise I got to add to my live report! A magical Dickens character was nearby and I was able to feature him in the live report with Jane. And while I had a few issues getting my cell phone to load my weather graphics, I was able to pull off a complete forecast inside the store and have a fun time doing it.
Upon leaving the store, I ran into the man himself, Santa Claus! I was able to get a quick WeatherBug video with him and grab a few pictures. We ran into the Dickens character again outside along with a cheery friend of his in which we were able to grab some photos, and once they started singing Christmas carols, I was able to grab a quick video of their singing. We also happened to run into a movie actor while we were there that was featured in a Christmas movie at one time.
After we had our share of Christmas cheer, we headed on home, getting to enjoy one last look at the Christmas lights. We stopped at ZAXBY’s where I grabbed some boneles buffalo wings and my realtor friend got to say hi to her granddaughter who works there. After we rested up, we all headed on home, full of Christmas cheer and enjoyment from the wonderful time we had down at Lake Lanier.
One great thing about Lake Lanier is that the Trail of Lights is not the only time that Lake Lanier has something to offer. Lake Lanier is a full resort open year round complete with a lodge, marina, golf courses, and all the laps of luxury on the lake! I’m hoping to visit again sometime in the Spring or Summer and checkout the lodge and perform another live report showing WeatherBug members all what else Lake Lanier offers year round. In the meantime, check out this link for more information on Lake Lanier Resort.
I had a wonderful time this Christmas on the Lake Lanier Trail of Lights, and I can’t wait to visit the Lake Resort again as soon as I get the chance. It was a magical and wonderful night and really made for one of the best Christmases ever!
And from the Dicken’s characters: God Bless Us Everyone!
Welcome to another Weekly Wrap Up! This week warmed up a bit in the Natural State. Here’s a look at the temperature highs and lows from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs over the past week.
Here’s a look at the current temperatures across the state this afternoon from both NWS and Earth Networks weather stations (maps courtesy of GRLevelX/AllisonHouse and Earth Networks Sferic Maps).
Here’s a look at the current conditions and HD Cam from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs, plus a look at the current air quality from my Davis AirLink.
Here’s a look at the seven-day extended forecast from my Tempest weather station.
For this week’s Fraggle video, Red tries to start a club, and Wembley needs help getting a cup unstuck from his nose!
Finally, here’s an old archive from my trip to Buford for your enjoyment!
A Day in Buford
This past Wednesday I spent a day in Buford, GA, which is about 45 minutes from where I live in Demorest. Traveling to Buford reminds me somewhat when I used to travel to Little Rock when I lived back in Arkansas, only a much more pleasant drive (Little Rock Highway is a mess!).
My first stop was the Golden Corral restaurant since by the time I got to Buford, I was hungry and ready to eat before I did some shopping. This is not just any ordinary Golden Corral. It’s one of their finest franchises since this is where they train most of the chefs and have the experts preparing the meals. The Golden Corral is also a HUGE buffet overwhelming with food! I always get their fried chicken. It’s really as delicious as it looks! It’s so fresh, juicy, tender, and crispy! It just makes my mouth watering just thinking about it! I usually also get mashed potatoes and fried okra if they have it. It complements that portion of the meal nicely.
After I’ve had my fill of chicken, I take a trip up to the salad bar to whip myself up a nice fresh salad! I always start with the romaine lettuce mixture, toss in some fresh spinach if they have it, add some cucumbers and tomatoes, sprinkle on some fresh grated cheese, then top it off with some grilled chicken strips and fresh Casear dressing. YUM YUM! It’s SO delicious and finishes off the next portion of my meal.
Lastly I head to the dessert bar to dine one some sweets. I usually get a few sweets and split them between my family members so I get a sampling of a little bit of everything. I love their chocolate pies and cakes, and they always have something new to try.
After I had my fill of food at the Golden Corral, my next stop was the AT&T Store where I needed to pickup a new case for my iPhone. My black leather case was getting a little old and difficult to manage, so I decided while I was in Buford, I’d stop by the AT&T Store and pickup a new one. The rep recommended to me the iFrogz case since it was a little sleeker than the black leather case I had and made it easier for me to manage my iPhone, plus it’d still offer enough protection and give me a good grip. After deciding that would make a great case for me, I looked through the colors and almost opted in for a blue one when, WOW! is that a teal case in the display case! It sure was! I asked them if they had any of the teal cases. They didn’t, but the outcome was actually better. They told me it was an example of how I could make my own custom color case and choose exactly what colors I wanted. I purchased the custom case service (called MyFrogz) which has given me a temporary clear case I can use until my other case arrives, then all I had to do was download a free app that let me design my own custom case (I picked teal and gold, my corp colors), and they’re shipping it to my door. Not bad!
Right when I was just about to leave the AT&T Store, my eye caught something that truly amazed me. It was one of those new AT&T MicroCells that give users their own personal cell tower in their own home. Since I live in the mountains and have spotty coverage sometimes and am on the EDGE network, I quickly took and interest. I didn’t know GA had them yet! I asked them if it’d work in my area, and after a quick check, they confirmed it did. I decided to grab one and take it home. Later on, I got it activated online after only one small glitch (my street name was too new, so I had to use the street leading to my subdivision to activate it, which is no problem since I live on the corner). After plugging it into my DSL modem and waiting a few minutes, my MicroCell signed on and now I have full coverage in my house, full 3G at speeds faster than the 3G they implemented back home in Hot Springs, and it eliminated some network congestion I had when my iPhone was signed onto Wi-Fi. I even picked up a Buford phone book before I left so I’d be set if I need to call Gwinnett county.
Next stop was Best Buy, and unlike my last trip to Best Buy where I took home a new LED TV, FAX machine, and UPS surge, I didn’t make a purchase this time (I didn’t even spend my reward certificates yet). However, I did get some advice on purchasing a new digital camera and some advice on video cameras, so when it’s time to upgrade my equipment to a higher quality camera and an HD cam, I’ll be all set.
Last stop was the Mall of Georgia, Georgia’s LARGEST mall! It’s quite the shopping experience of a lifetime! We really didn’t do much shopping (I visited the Apple Store and got advice on photo and video editors so when I get a new camera, I’ll have the right editors to go with it), we simply walked around the mall, went in stores, and looked at the Christmas decorations. Disappointingly, there wasn’t a whole lot of decorations in the mall itself, but some of the stores were decorated nicely. It was quite packed with people wrapping up their Christmas shopping (literally). And yes, I had to grab that pic of the iPod Vending machine inside Macy’s (although with an Apple Store down the hall, what’s the use)? After we had our fill of enjoying the mall, we headed back home to Habersham.
Our day in Buford was fun filled and an enjoyment, and I’m looking forward to the next time we travel down there whenever I need to do some shopping at the mall and dining at the Golden Corral.
See my Buford pics in the Photo Gallery!
Welcome to another Weekly Wrap Up! This week saw cold temperatures most of the week, but it’s warmed up a little over the weekend. Here’s a look at the temperature highs and lows over the past week from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs.
Here’s a look at the current temperatures across the state this afternoon from both NWS and Earth Networks weather stations (maps courtesy of GRLevelX/AllisonHouse and Earth Networks Sferic Maps).
Here’s a look at the current conditions and HD Cam from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs, plus a look at the current air quality from my Davis AirLink.
Here’s a look at the seven-day extended forecast for Hot Springs from my Tempest weather station.
For this week’s Fraggle video, Wembley judges a contest!
Today is also Daffy Duck’s birthday, so here’s a video of Daffy eating cake!
Here’s this week’s Scripture passage!
Finally, here’s an old archive weather report from my trip to Commerce/Banks Crossing when I was in Georgia.
A Day in Commerce
Yesterday I spent a day in Commerce, GA, to do some shopping and to checkout this place not too far from me (see the maps below to check it out). Technically I was more in Banks Crossing than downtown Commerce, which I accidentally went to downtown Commerce before I backtracked and went back to Banks Crossing since I was looking for the Tanger Outlets and a place to eat.
Upon my arrival, we decided to eat at Chick Fil A since I was just really craving one of their Chick Fil A sandwiches (since this is really our closest Chick Fil A). It was absolutely delicious, and I’ll have to say one of the best Chick Fil A’s I’ve ever eaten at. It was just overly good! After filling up on a nice meal, we headed over to the Tanger Outlets.
Now in addition to being confused due to the fact that most people consider the Tanger Outlets in Commerce when they’re really in Banks Crossing, we were also confused about where to go to the Tanger Outlets, since the old one that we did end up going to right before we headed home was there, and there’s a new one that’s down the road a way. Most of the stores are moving over into the new Tanger Outlets, which after asking directions for at Chick Fil A, we finally found. It was a really wonderful shopping experience! Tanger Outlets has a wealth of stores to choose from, and we did a little shopping there, picking up some items we needed, before heading home. We didn’t buy much, but we just enjoyed walking up and down the shops to see all what they had to offer, which was quite a bit (even though it was FREEZING cold).
Some other advantages of the area are the dining places. In addition to Chick Fil A, they have: Longhorn’s, Outback, Wendy’s, a few others, and surprisingly, a La Hacienda! I thought those were only in Arkansas! The drive to Commerce was also pleasant, with it’s scenic and rustic beauty.
We’ll definitely be returning to Commerce when we need to do some specialized shopping, and I may even return in the spring and film a live WeatherBug Video report there simply because it’d be really fun to do. We had an enjoyable time, and it’s a nice little treasure area not too far from us!
