Estatoah Falls

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Sometimes we have to visit a waterfall long distance. We try to avoid that if possible, but sometimes there is no other way. Estatoah Falls, near Dillard, Georgia, is up on Ford Mountain on private property and no access is allowed. However. thanks to a telephoto lens, we were able to add Estatoah Falls to our collection from the highway.

Best Kept Secret Daylily

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We've been enjoying lilies and daylilies in our yard along with the roses. This daylily, Best Kept Secret, disappeared last year and I thought we had lost it. But it has made up for that by blooming beautifully this year.

Clematis

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Not all of the blossoms in our yard are roses. We also have a pretty clematis climbing up a telephone pole guy wire. It has climbed a little higher each year and is now just about as high as a nearby redbud tree.

On a Bali Beach

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I was fortunate to be able to spend several days in Bali back in 1987 before heading for China. We stayed at Kunta Beach near the capital. This scene from the beach just seems to say 'South Sea Island Magic'.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

Angel Falls

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A large waterfall such as Niagara can fill a person with awe at the power of the water roaring over the falls. Smaller waterfalls can exude peace and tranquility. Angel Falls, in north Georgia, is a quiet little fall in which the water serenely flows over many thin layers of rock.

National Rose Month: Tahitian Sunset

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We've had Tahitian Sunset growing in a container for a couple of years now. It starts out with high-centered orange-yellow buds and fully opens to a peachy apricot-pink with yellow highlights. I haven't been to Tahiti, but the colors help me imagine what a sunset on that island looks like.

Wesner Bald

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It's been so hot and humid over the past week that I decided a picture from a cooler day would help me feel better. The picture above was taken last October on the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Wesner Bald Overlook in North Carolina.

Happy Memories

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The picture above was taken last year on the eighth anniversary of our date and first kiss at Fall Creek Falls State Park here in Tennessee. That kiss took place in the clearing in front of us (behind the camera) along the bank of Cane Creek. The picnic tables weren't there in 2001, but that doesn't stop us from reliving some very happy memories.

National Rose Month: Memorial Day

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This beautiful rose is very appropriately named. It blooms for the first time right around Memorial Day. It has a nice fragrance to go along with this beautiful pink color.

Letchworth State Park: Upper Falls

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Letchworth State Park in New York contains several beautiful waterfalls. This is Upper Falls, one of the larger falls in the park. The structures above the falls are piers of a railroad trestle.

Tellico River

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I've often posted pictures of Little River in the Smoky Mountains, but Betsy and I have another river that we enjoy exploring -- the Tellico River in Cherokee National Forest near Tellico Plains, Tennessee.

National Rose Month: Sonia

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We've had showers off and on over the past week. Sonia is one of the roses we grow in a container along the driveway. I got this picture of Sonia early in the morning after an overnight shower.

Sempervivum

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We have several varieties of sempervivums (hens and chicks) in our yard. They can often be overlooked, but closer examination shows a plant with incredible details.

The Recumbent Lee

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Last month I showed a picture of the Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University, which was designed and built by Robert E. Lee while he was the college president.

The front of the chapel contains the memorial pictured above. It is a statue of a recumbent Lee at sleep on a battlefield. The memorial is directly above the crypt containing the remains of Lee and his family.

National Rose Month: Ronald Reagan

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One of our new roses this year is the Ronald Reagan rose. This rose was named in honor of President Reagan in part because in 1986 he signed the resolution into law that made the rose the national flower of the United States.

A Quarter Moon

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I'll confess to getting old. I took this picture a few weeks ago while experimenting with my new telephoto lens and promptly forgot about it. But I think it's a pretty good picture of an early-evening moon and decided to belatedly share it.

Potter Falls

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One nice thing about living in eastern Tennessee is that Betsy and I can find waterfalls without having to travel very far. Potter Falls is a pretty little waterfall near Wartburg, Tennessee.

National Rose Month: Southern Belle

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Southern Belle is another of our new roses this year. It's a beautiful two-tone yellow and the name seems very appropriate for my Virginia-born bride.

Evening in the Mountains

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I lived in the mountains of western North Carolina for thirteen years and I still enjoy going back there whenever possible. The mountains are beautiful and their 'mood' seems to change from day to day or even from hour to hour. Some evenings the valley below was clearly seen. On this evening the clouds were rolling in.

National Rose Month: Sheer Magic

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June is National Rose Month here in the U. S. In honor of this month I decided to post this picture of Sheer Magic, which bloomed in our yard for the first time this year on Tuesday. I thought it was a fine way to kick off National Rose Month.

Niagara River above the Falls

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The Niagara River is almost as interesting as Niagara Falls. The river both above and below the falls is fascinating. This picture of the river was taken on Goat Island above the falls. You can see the brink of the Canadian (Horseshoe) Falls to the right.

Mountain Laurel

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One of the nice things about living in the mountains of Tennessee is that the blooming season seems to go on and on. After our rhododendron are done blooming, we get to enjoy mountain laurel. We have a small mountain laurel at one of the corners of our deck.