Medallion Rose

The rose above is one of the new roses we got this year. Medallion has a beautiful color, but is not especially fragrant. The blooms, however, are huge and they hold up very well.

April in Paris Rose

I've never been to Paris -- except Paris, Tennessee -- but I'm not sure the City of Lights could be any more beautiful than this rose.

Little Brasstown Falls

I've featured Brasstown Falls over the past few days. We found out about Brasstown Falls from a South Carolina waterfall book that we have. Seeing the falls went very well -- it was well-described in the book. The book also mentioned that you could bushwhack upstream to a fourth waterfall -- Little Brasstown Falls. What the book didn't mention was the creek that had to be crossed in order to get to the waterfall. It was interesting, but I did make it and the picture above is the proof. I think the bushwhack was worth it.

Brasstown Cascades

The third component of Brasstown Falls is Brasstown Cascades. The cascades are actually the first part of the falls that you see from the parking area since the trail leads from the parking area to the top of the cascades. I took this picture on my way back up from the base of the falls (Brasstown Sluice), which is why it's the third component I've featured.

Brasstown Sluice

The third component of Brasstown Falls is Brasstown Sluice. I was able to get this view from the side by following a path downstream from Brasstown Veil, which I featured yesterday. Unfortunately I had no way to get around for a head-on picture of the sluice.

Brasstown Veil

This is another view of Brasstown Veil, one of the components of Brasstown Falls, which I featured yesterday. The veil is probably the most spectacular of the three components and can be reached from the cascades by hiking downstream. I think the hike was worth it.

Brasstown Falls

A recent addition to our waterfall collection has been Brasstown Falls, near Westminster, South Carolina. We visited the falls on May 2, 2009, on our way to the beach. Brasstown Falls is made up of three distinct components. The picture above shows the first two, Brasstown Cascade (50 feet) and Brasstown Veil (35 feet).

Sweetness Rose

This is another of our new roses this year. Not only is Sweetness very beautiful, it has a delightful fragrance as well. Sweetness is the 2009 Rose of the Year for Jackson and Perkins.

Twin Falls (2)

The picture above is another view of Twin Falls in Rock Island State Park, here in Tennessee. The picture was taken in June, 2006, when it was possible to get an unobstructed view of the falls from the riverbank at the base.

Sonia Rose

It's always exciting to see a new rose bloom for the first time. We have several new roses this year and the rose above, Sonia, is the first of those new roses to bloom. Sonia has a nice form and color. a light fragrance, and, as you can see, many buds which promise more blossoms to come.

Are You Looking at Me?

Betsy I noticed this rather fierce-looking bird near our feeders yesterday afternoon. It took us a while to realize that it was a juvenile robin. Daddy Robin came over after awhile and gave him some food. The juvenile eventually left, but he sure gave us something to look at while he was there.

White Dogwood

I took this picture about a month ago, but then lost track of it. We always enjoy the dogwoods up here on the Plateau. We have a pink dogwood in our front yard, but the majority of dogwoods in our area are white. This tree caught my eye.

High Falls

This is High Falls, the highest waterfall in DuPont State Forest with a drop of 120 feet. This picture was taken in June, 2006, during our first visit to the forest. My blog for today, Senior Moments, contains pictures taken last week of a new waterfall for us in the forest.

Fall Creek Falls

I've mentioned several times that Fall Creek Falls is a special place for us. It's close enough to our home that we can get back fairly often. This particular picture was taken in July, 2006.

The Moon Over the Ocean

While we were at the beach we were treated to some lovely views of the moon reflected on the ocean. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect evening.

Rhododendron Blossoms

We have a large rhododendron along the deck in back of our house that blooms profusely each year. These are some of the beautiful blossoms.

Lost Creek Falls

Lost Creek Falls is one of the many small waterfalls in this part of Tennessee. This waterfall is at one end of a large sinkhole. The creek gets its name, Lost Creek, from the fact that it emerges from a small cave at the top of the falls and disappears underground again at the base.

Azalea Blossoms, Part 2

When we got home from the beach we found the azaleas in our front yard in full bloom. These beautiful blossoms are on one of those bushes.

Possum Falls

Possum Falls is one of the newest additions to our collection. We unexpectedly happened upon this waterfall on our way home from Texas. Possum Falls is about 80 feet tall and is near Dunlap, Tennessee.