Tennesseestorm

Yeah, I will see what I can find out. To save land and to make a true skyscraper (which would be a first for northeast TN if it gets over 12 stories high), they should make one tall tower with 110 units and forget about the second one.

Thanks for posting that link and info. I knew nothing of it. Sounds interesting though. I have to take my car to Kingsport for servicing on Tuesday, so I will ask around some of the locals. Out of the all of the Tri-Cities, Kingsport has the lowest number of "taller" buildings. Bristol has about 5 buildings that are 10-11 stories high, Johnson City has about 3 that high, but I do not think Kingsport has one even that tall. It will be interesting to see how high these "towers" are supposed to be. Hopefully 20 stories or higher and able to be viewed from I-26.

Here is a write-up in the Bristol paper about the new bridge.... http://www.tricities.com/tri/news/local/co...t_bridge/10217/

Nothing that I know of, but always seems to be something going on. I may be going to Kingsport tomorrow evening for dinner and will report of anything I see.

Here are some "southern photos" I thought I would share... these were taken today in northeast Tennessee either in my lawn, or in the Bristol/Elizabethton, Tennessee area.... On the way to and from Elizabethton today, we snapped these photos... hope you enjoy! These were taken heading to Elizabethton from Bristol... These were taken headed back to my house in Bristol... these were taken on Highway 394 and Highway 421 AND I took these around the house today.... and one of the house in its spring mode...

Well, since I (nor anyone) has been able to post any "photo of the day", I was out today and we took some that I thought I would share... On the way to and from Elizabethton today, we snapped these photos... hope you enjoy! These were taken heading to Elizabethton from Bristol... These were taken headed back to my house in Bristol... these were taken on Highway 394 and Highway 421 AND I took these around the house today.... and one of the house in its spring mode...

Well, to update the big bridge in downtown Bristol is finally completed and about to open. I cannot wait to see the view of downtown from the bridge. I know there will be a nice view of Shelby Towers from the bridge (as you head toward Martin L King Jr. BLVD.), but not sure about the other parts of downtown. I think the new downtown restaurant is about to be built. Still NO word on the downtown parking garage, or the "20+ story" building that I heard was proposed for downtown.

Yes, Meadowview is a quaint little town. I have been there a couple times years ago... my aunts father in law lives there and I went with her up there a few years ago. We are not too far from there. Hankster... did you hear about the tornado that roared through Big Stone Gap, VA? Seems as if it caused widespread major damage. Story here.... http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/news...03-05-0016.html Then this happened in the Smokies.... http://knoxnews.com/news/2008/mar/04/trees...taken-hospital/

Thats what I was thinking. All is pretty much quiet here in northeast TN. There are some developments going up here and there... the latest rave is the new huge shopping centers in east Kingsport and northeast Bristol. The new overpass down at the BMS in Bristol is underway and alot of construction. Still talk of a Cheddars restaurant going up somewhere in BR TN, which is needed. There is also constant face lifting in downtown Bristol. The latest update was the new "old style" street lamps on the Tennessee side of State St in downtown Bristol. They look like the old lights from the 1950s, but sport the new halogen lamps and put off enough light to well illuminate even the VA side of the street. They are also working on the new restaurant that is supposedly going in down there. Also the latest news is the country music center that is supposed to be going in downtown near the library. Still no word on the proposed downtown parking garage, which is highly needed.

I will. I do not get out as much now for photo taking, what, with work and everything. Hopefully one day I will win the lotto and be able to leave that dump they call work. The streets that those palms are located are the corners of Oak St and Yadkin Street- right behind the Renaissance Center near John Sevier Middle School... I am told. Someone else that lives in KPT took these photos.

Its been a while it looks like, so here is a "east TN picture of the day"... this was taken a couple of weeks ago in the Kingsport TN area..... AND this was heading toward Elizabethton, TN back in October 2007...

These were taken today in Kingsport, TN (just south of the TN-VA state lines)

I have heard about that too. Not sure about any progress... its probably out the door too like our parking garage we were supposed to get. When I emailed "the city" and asked about the garage project, they acted like they had no idea what I was talking about.

Well, in downtown Bristol, we are finally getting a new restaurant. Called something like "Macadoos" or something. It is going in that space where the old Sears building was standing, that was supposed to be a parking garage. I guess that parking garage is out... I have not heard anything about it in 2 years. Also, the pedestrian sidewalks are complete/near complete near the BMS in south Bristol and the "green light" has been given for the walkway overpass @ the track on Vol. Pkwy in south Bristol. Also, more restaurants reported to be going up in Bristol TN... finally. In connecting Bristol VA, the new Target store at exit 7 is open and booming. It has a Pizza Hut inside, as well as Starbucks, which makes Starbucks #2 in Bristol VA. That exit 7 area has recently undergone another growth explosion. In that same complex soon to open are stores such as TJ Maxx, Books a million, Old Navy, etc. etc.

The way this one photo looks in the background, looks almost like the scene you see when you are on I-26 in Johnson City, TN, heading southbound toward Asheville and looking southwestward. That mountain in the background looks very much like the one up here..... all its needs is a tower on it. I need to get a photo and post it here.

At the rate that the old downtown is going... it will look the same in 25 years.

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Thanks. Yeah, some here are still leafing (or should I say, "releafing") out, as the ones leafing out were the ones that had leaves in late March and perished in the bitter cold freeze in early April. I was beginning to wonder if they would recover, but they are well on their way, despite the very dry conditions. Rain forecasted Wed., so I hope we get it. For the most part, 99% are fully leafed out and lush. My Baldcypress is still suffering however, as I think it will be lacking about 40% of its foliage this year. I am going to post updated photos tomorrow. My Southern Live Oaks are thriving and full of new leaves thankfully. I did not realize that the freeze was that bad down there, but I think it was bad in spots... I know some people in N GA and N AL that had severe damage as well.

Anyone still around here these days? Anyway, to update on my previous post- all of our trees have recovered... the only ones lagging are the ones that were damaged by the freeze in early April.... even they are recovering though.. On a side note.... the old Cheers building is gone... they demolished it last week. I am going to start posting "photos of the day" soon. Hopefully everyone else can as well.

I think ours will look the same.... our tallest buildings are only about 11-12 stories high and we have about 4 of those, but they have been here since the early 1980s. I really do not know why we have not had anymore highrises since then- while other metro cities in Tennessee are getting more and more.

Just thought I would update on the new bridge that will go over over the tracks near downtown Bristol. From what I can tell, there will be a grand view of downtown from the bridge. I hope so anyway. I cannot wait to drive across and take a photo just to see what view it offers. Also- the old "Cheers" restaurant building came tumbling down this week. The old eyesore that had been vacant since the mid 1990s is in rubble now. I know everyone is ecstatic. Its strange, because they built it in the early 1990s and it was only used for 3 years before they moved out- so it was really only used for 3 years. Its amazing at the damage that can occur in a building that just sets vacant without care than one that it used. They did have a sale of all of the items inside... it was full of barely used appliances and furniture. I heard it was all still in good shape... some had water damage I think though because there was some major roof damage- since it had a unmaintained roof that had been on there since about 1992. The land is for sale now... I am wondering what will go in there. The Cheddars restaurant and bank on the corner of Parkway and Broad St. got a greenlight. The big shopping plazas at the exit 7 I-81 area are well underway as well. I need to get up there and take some photos soon. Oh, we also finally got some cameras along I-81 in the city. Three of them to be exact. They are on the Virginia side of the city however, near the busy exit 7 area. It can be accessed through Weatherbug..... I guess from VDOT as well. Now, if we can only get Tennessee to add them on the Tennessee side. Here is a link to the VDOT website where the cameras near the TN-VA state line along I-81 can be viewed..... you have to click on the southwest Virginia region to zoom in. There are four cameras there, pretty close together, within about a 5 mile range. It updates every 2 seconds. http://www.virginiadot.org/travel/eoc-mainwebcams.asp

No problem. Well, what was strange, is that there was not much frost... at least not around here. Monday morning (on the 9th) we did have a heavy frost here. I had to go up into southwestern Virginia that day, near the Kentucky state line and on my way back, around 10:30AM, they still had a heavy frost on the cars (where was sun was not shining). I even saw some snow on the shady mountain tops up there. What got us was the extreme and record cold on Saturday, Sunday and Monday mornings. Sunday night, we tied the all-time record low for April @ the airport, which was 21