Orange Leaves and Blue Sky

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The leaves are long gone, but they were so beautiful that I had to share another picture. This tree is behind our house and the sky was absolutely gorgeous on the day I took the picture.

The Flag and Blue Skies

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The picture above was taken last month when we had some beautiful blue skies here on the Plateau here in Tennessee. But it somehow seems to be an appropriate photo to share on this Thanksgiving Day.

Entrance to the Ming Tombs

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The Ming Tombs near Beijing contain the tombs of thirteen of the sixteen Ming Dynasty emperors. Construction of the tombs started in 1409 and ended with the fall of the Ming Dynasty in 1644. The stone archway above is at the southern entrance to the tombs and was built in 1540.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

American Falls at Niagara

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In August, 2002, Betsy and I visited Niagara Falls and took a cruise on the Maid of the Mist to the base of the two falls. This was the view of the American Falls as we approached it on the boat.

A Stone Guard on the Shen Dao

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One of the places I visited in 1987 on my first trip to China was the Ming Tombs. Thirteen of the sixteen Ming dynasty emperors are buried in a box canyon near Beijing. The entrance to the tombs (a shen dao or spirit way) is lined with guardian animals and officials. This fierce fellow was one of the guards along the shen dao.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

Rutledge Falls

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Rutledge Falls, near Tullahoma, Tennessee, is on private property, but the owner has graciously made access available to the public. It is a very pretty waterfall that we were happy to add to our collection.

Spellbound Rose

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We've had Spellbound Rose for a couple of years. It's a beautiful rose with a slight fragrance. Although the picture above was taken in the spring, I brought in a Spellbound bud for Betsy last week.

Remembering Autumn Colors

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The colors were so brilliant last month when Betsy and I came home along the Cherohala Skyway that I couldn't resist posting this picture. This was taken at an overlook in North Carolina.

I've Been There

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President Obama made the news on Wednesday by visiting the Great Wall at Ba Da Ling, near Beijing. News reports say that he walked to the third tower on the wall.

The wall was closed while the President was there, but the picture above, taken in 1987, is from the third tower at Ba Da Ling. There were a few more people on the wall when I was there.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

A Street Sweeper in Beijing

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I went to China for the first time in 1987 as part of a group of professors from Heidelberg College. We spent our first night in Beijing at the Friendship Hotel. I was up early the next morning and found this street sweeper with her broom sweeping the driveway in front of the hotel. For some reason the sight of her convinced me that I really was in China.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

Rio Samba Rose

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One of the more colorful roses we have in our yard is Rio Samba. Although the picture above was taken in May, the rose was still blooming last week.

Floor Show Iris

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My parents have grown iris for about as long as I can remember. I've always enjoyed their showy display, and now Betsy and I have them growing in our yard. But in addition to the regular varieties of iris, we also have some reblooming iris. That means we get to enjoy them twice each season. The picture of Floor Show above was taken in late October.

Ruins Along The Wall

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This picture was taken in 1990, when I visited the Great Wall at Badaling (near Beijing) for the second time. I climbed in the opposite direction from my first visit and from a watch tower I got this view of the intact portion of the wall going down hill toward a section in ruins. I'd like to go back and see if this portion of the wall has been reconstructed.

Bridal Veil Falls (Niagara), Part 2

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In the picture I posted yesterday of Bridal Veil Falls at Niagara, it's possible to see the rails of steps leading up to the falls. The picture above was taken from those steps. As you can see, we got quite close to the falls. Fortunately, rain slickers were provided!

Bridal Veil Falls (Niagara)

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This picture of Bridal Veil Falls, a smaller falls adjacent to the American Falls at Niagara. We were on The Cave of the Winds tour which took us to the base of this waterfall and then up the steps you can see in the picture. As you can tell from the water spots, it was a little wet when viewing the falls from this perspective.

A Different View of Hurricane Falls

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In June Betsy and I went to Tallulah Gorge State Park in Georgia. While there I hiked down to the floor of the gorge to the base of Hurricane Falls. The trail down led to a suspension bridge over the river directly above Hurricane Falls. I took the picture above looking down the falls, a perspective I usually don't get when visiting a waterfall.

Radiant Perfume Rose

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Although it's November, we're still enjoying roses in our yard. Most of the bushes are without leaves now, but some are still blooming. So I think I'll be able to continue bringing in a rose for Betsy for a few more days.

This picture of Radiant Perfume rose was taken earlier this year. The picture gives an indication of how pretty Radiant Perfume is, but in addition it is as fragrant as the name implies.

Niagara River Above the Falls

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This picture was taken on Goat Island, between the American and Canadian falls at Niagara. The mist in the upper right-hand corner of the picture is from the Canadian (Horseshoe) Falls.

Harvest Moon

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I haven't had a great deal of success when it comes to getting pictures of the moon, but that hasn't kept me from trying. Last week we had a beautiful full moon, so I tried again.

Cades Cove

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One of the most popular areas of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is Cades Cove. The Cove has been preserved by the park to look much the same way it looked in the 1800's. Once home to a small mountain community, Cades Cove today has original pioneer homesteads, barns, businesses, pastures and farmland -- as well as whitetail deer and black bears.

Upper Nebo Falls

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Betsy and I really enjoy visiting waterfalls. There is something very spiritual about a hike through the woods to find a waterfall. The sight and sound of running water is cleansing to mind and soul. It doesn't matter if the waterfall is big with a huge volume of water or small with only a trickle. It doesn't matter if we're seeing a waterfall for the first time or if we've been there before. We've visited Upper Nebo Falls several times and I'm sure we'll go back again the next time we visit Mount Nebo in Arkansas.

Pink Peace Rose

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This is another rose from our garden. Pink Peace is bred from Peace and has very large, silvery pink blossoms. Pink Peace is very prolific and also extremely fragrant.

Middle Desoto Falls

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One nice thing about visiting waterfalls is the hike that it often involved in getting to the waterfall. In August we visited Desoto Falls Scenic Area in Georgia and hiked to Middle Desoto Falls. The falls, and the setting, were very peaceful and tranquil.

Snaking Across the Mountains

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The picture above was scanned from a slide made in 1990. I was on the Great Wall and had hiked to a watch tower at the top of a pass from which I could see the wall snaking across the mountains for as far as the eye could see. It would have been fun to go further along the wall, but I had to head back down to the gate from which I started.

More Glade Autumn Color

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I just can't resist the temptation to post another picture of the autumn color we enjoyed last week in the Glade. This picture was taken in our back yard.

More Autumn Color

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Many of the trees around are house are now bare and we have many leaves on the lawn waiting to be picked up. But I want to share another view of what autumn looked like a couple of weeks ago.

Pink Promise Rose

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Today is November 1, but we still have roses in bloom in our yard. The rain and cooler weather has given them a new life and we have several in bud or in bloom.

I took this picture of Pink Promise on Friday, October 30. Both Betsy and I love the soft pink of this rose.