Little River in the Smokies

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River Road between Townsend and Gatlinburg in the Great Smoky Mountains is one of our favorite drives. Little River is always fascinating in any season, and we often stop just to enjoy the water rushing over and around the boulders in the stream. This picture was taken in March, 2010.

From the Archives: Flowers in Our Yard

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Glowing Peace is a rose that we've had in our yard for three years. I think the name is very appropriate for it does seem to glow in the morning light.

Icy Trees and Blue Skies

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We had a very cold and snowy Christmas weekend here in the Glade. This picture of ice-coated trees in our yard was taken last year, but I needed the reminder that even wintry weather can be beautiful.

Carousel at Night

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On Tuesday evening while we were at the beach, we stopped by Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, after dinner. Barefoot Landing is a shopping-restaurant-entertainment complex. Most of the shops were closed, which was fine since we stopped by to see the lights. Walking around the complex we found this brightly-lit deserted carousel, and I couldn't resist taking a picture.

Santa Paid Us A Visit

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I took this picture on Christmas morning for several reasons. First of all you can see the Betsy and I were good enough for Santa to pay us a visit. Secondly, you can see some of the ornaments we've collected since we've been married. And finally, if you look through the window, you can see that we actually had a White Christmas here in Tennessee.

Cataloochee Valley Fog

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In October Betsy and I went to Cataloochee Valley in North Carolina to see the elk. The elk were there, but so was fog. There are no elk in this field, but I like the fog trying to hide the mountains at the end of the valley.

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Betsy and I will be taking a blogging break for the next few days. But we hope you will all have a very Merry and Blessed Christmas.

From the Archives: Flowers in Our Yard

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Sempervivum (Hens and Chicks) are beautiful succulents which we use in various places around our yard. What we didn't know when we started using them is that the hens bloom just before they die. The blossoms are small, but delicate and pretty. I got this picture back in July.

Glade Sunrise

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I captured this Glade sunrise on the golf course behind our house last month. I like both the clouds and contrails as well as the color.

Orchids at the Biltmore Estate

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We saw these beautiful blossoms while touring the Conservatory on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, last month. We could have spent hours just enjoying the hundreds of blossoms in the Orchid Room alone.

Rutledge Falls 500 posts later

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When I started this photo blog not quite two years ago, I thought I would be posting only sporadically. It's hard for me to believe that this is my 500th post. The bad news for you is that I may have 500 more that I would like to post.

That first post was a picture of Rutledge Falls near Tullahoma, Tennessee. This is another picture of that same waterfall.

A Day Care Outing

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I got this photo of a day care outing in Beijing during the summer of 1990. The children have spotted some foreigners getting off a bus, and I think they were as interested in us as we were in them.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

From the Archives: Flowers in Our Yard

Our Floor Show Iris is a re-blooming iris; it blooms in the Spring and then again in the Fall. This picture was taken on November 4 of this year.

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas

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'The weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful'.

We often have a fire in the fireplace on cold evenings, but it seems doubly warm and colorful during the Christmas season. Our tree goes very nicely with a roaring fireplace. This picture was taken this past Sunday evening.

Bald River Falls

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One of our favorite waterfalls is Bald River Falls near Tellico Plains, Tennessee. Getting to the falls involves a very pleasant drive along the Tellico River. This picture, from my archives, was taken in July.

Shadows and Light

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Betsy and I visited Mount Mitchell in North Carolina a couple of weeks ago. The day was cloudy (and chilly), but the clouds broke up enough to let blue sky be seen and to create patterns of shadow and light on the mountains below.

A Country House

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Biltmore House was the country home built by George Vanderbilt between 1889 and 1895 near Asheville, North Carolina. I left Betsy near the fountain on the Esplanade to go to a higher vantage point to get this picture of the house and the mountains under a blue sky with clouds moving in. (That's Betsy taking pictures near the driveway on the left.)

Flowers From Our Yard: About Face Rose

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Over the past few weeks I've gotten into the habit of posting flowers from our yard on Thursdays. I'd like to continue doing that, although for now the pictures are going to have to come from the archives. This picture of About Face Rose was taken May 15, 2010.

Evening on the Blue Ridge Parkway

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I mentioned a couple of days ago that Betsy and I visited the Blue Ridge Parkway last week. We headed back to Asheville in the late afternoon, but stopped at the Craggy Dome Overlook to take in the view. Craggy Dome is off to the right, but I liked this view of the mountains, sky and shadows in the evening light.

Full Moon

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Last week's full moon was entirely too tempting. I just had to grab my camera to capture this view.

Blue Ridge Parkway

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Last week Betsy and I went to Asheville, North Carolina for a couple of days. While there, we took a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The trees were mostly bare, but the mountains were as beautiful as ever. This was the view from Tanbark Ridge, northeast of Asheville.

Morning Sky

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One morning a few days ago I saw this mixture of clouds and contrails in the sky as the sun was coming up. Naturally I had to grab my camera.

Autumn Color Remembered

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The autumn color is just about gone from the Plateau -- most of our trees are now bare. But the colors were wonderful while they lasted. This picture was taken on the Cherohala Skyway.

An Experiment

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I was experimenting with manual settings on my camera with my macro lens using one of our roses that was still blooming as a subject. This is more 'artistic' than the photos I normally take, but I like the color and the folds of the half-open bud.

Blue Ridge Parkway

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October is a wonder time to visit the Blue Ridge Parkway. This picture was taken at the Pink Beds Overlook near Mount Pisgah in North Carolina.

Pink Promise Rose

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It's hard to believe that November is more than half over and we still have roses in bloom. I brought four blossoms into the house for Betsy on Tuesday, but left this beauty in the front yard so we could enjoy it out there.

Autumn Color in our Back Yard

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This picture was taken about a month ago in our back yard. Looking up gave my camera many different colors to capture.

Woodfin Cascade

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Betsy and I like waterfalls and we like autumn colors. Sometimes we're lucky enough to see both at the same time. Woodfin Cascade in North Carolina is on private property, but we were fortunate enough to catch this glimpse of it from the Blue Ridge Parkway last October.

Triple Falls

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After I posted the top two drops of Triple Falls, several people asked about the third drop. There is no trail leading to the base of the lower drop, so you'll have to be content with this view of all three from the overlook.

Two-Thirds of Triple Falls

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One of the major waterfalls in Dupont State Forest near Brevard, North Carolina, is Triple Falls. This picture shows the top two drops of Triple Falls.

Veterans Honor Rose

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Since today is Veterans' Day, I'm sharing Veterans Honor Rose with you. Although this picture was taken earlier this year, this beautiful rose is still blooming in our yard today. How appropriate.

Autumn Along the Tellico River

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On our way home from Maggie Valley, North Carolina, in October, Betsy and I stopped by Bald River Falls near Tellico Plains, Tennessee. After seeing the falls with our friends Patti and Neal, we drove along Tellico River Road to get home. We stopped at a pullout so I could get this picture of the reflections of autumn colors in the river.

The View From Balsam Mountain

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On our trip to Maggie Valley last month, we took a side trip off the Blue Ridge Parkway to Balsam Mountain in North Carolina. This is the view of the Smokies from Mile High Overlook along Balsam Mountain Road.

Blue Ridge Sky

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Betsy and I go to the Blue Ridge Parkway to enjoy the beautiful views of the mountains. But sometimes the sky and clouds say, "Forget about the mountains -- look at us!"

The Sequatchie Valley

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This picture of the Sequatchie Valley was taken from an overlook on Signal Mountain near Dunlap, Tennessee. The morning was misty and rainy, but the skies had started to clear when I took this picture. The Cumberland Plateau was still shrouded by clouds.

Floor Show Iris

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This iris, Floorshow, began blooming again last week. We've enjoyed these iris in the Spring and now we're enjoying them again -- at least until we get our first frost.

Shute Cove Overlook

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The Cherohala Skyway between North Carolina and Tennessee travels through the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee and the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina. The numerous overlooks, this one is Shute Cove in North Carolina, provide wonderful opportunities to enjoy autumn color.

Red Leaves

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Although many of our leaves are now off the trees, a few weeks ago these red leaves told us that Summer was really ending.

Sorta Spooky

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I didn't take this picture on Halloween, but I did think of Halloween when I took it a couple of weeks ago. The water beads on the spiderweb seemed to call for a monochrome picture, so this is what I got.

Autumn Color on the Cherohala Skyway

Autumn-Blooming Iris

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Although it is near the end of October, some of our re-blooming iris are now putting on a show. Our Hemstitched iris is in full bloom in our front flower bed.

Look at that Headgear

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I had to use my telephoto lens to get this picture of this bull elk in the Cataloochee Valley of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. But those antlers were just begging to be photographed.

Gold on Balsam Mountain

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Last Tuesday Betsy and I interrupted our trip to Maggie Valley, North Carolina, in order to take a hike to an overlook on Balsam Mountain. Before reaching the overlook I looked up and discovered gold.

Autumn in the Smokies

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This past Tuesday Betsy and I drove Newfound Gap Road through the Smokies from Tennessee to North Carolina. This picture was taken at an overlook near Chimney Tops.

Red Leaves, Blue Sky

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I have been trying to learn to use the manual settings on my camera, which means I have to stop and think instead of simply pressing the shutter.

As a result I've found myself looking up through the colorful autumn leaves rather than simply looking at them. This is what my camera and I saw Sunday at Fall Creek Falls State Park here in Tennessee.

Autumn Color in our Backyard

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Okay, this is really the golf course that is behind our house, but I was standing in our back yard when I took the picture.

Orange Leaves

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Although this picture was taken last year, we are starting to see autumn color here on the Plateau. We don't have anything quite this vibrant yet, but we're hopeful.

Bewitched Rose

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Bewitched is a bright pink rose that we enjoy in our large rose bed.  It has a delightful fragrance to go along with its pleasing color and form.

Burning Bush

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Monday afternoon Betsy and I went out to take some pictures in the afternoon light.  This Burning Bush is next to our neighbor's house.

Meigs Falls

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Meigs Falls is the only waterfall in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that can be seen from the road.  The picture above was taken from a pullout on Little River Road between Townsend and Gatlinburg.  It's good that the pullout provides good views, since no trail to the waterfall exists.

Straight Out of the Camera

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We could really use some rain here on the Plateau in Tennessee, but none is predicted for the next few days.  However, we've had some brilliant (but cloudless) blue skies.  The picture above, straight out of the camera, was taken in our yard.