Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

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Betsy and I would like to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Blessed New Year. We hope that Santa is good to you, and all of your memories are happy ones. We'll see you in 2012.

Headforemost Mountain

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We were driving up the Blue Ridge Parkway early one morning last month through patches of fog and mist. The fog had lifted around us when we came upon the Headforemost Mountain (I have no idea how the mountain got that name) Overlook. From our vantage point we could look across at the mountain, which seemed to be floating above the clouds.

Red Leaves

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I know that almost all of the leaves on our trees have long since fallen to ground, but I like the look of the leaves on our dogwood tree as they turn each autumn.

This picture was taken in early October of this year.

Glade Sunset

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We often get beautiful, colorful sunsets on the Plateau. An advantage of sunsets this time of the year is that we can watch the sun drop over the horizon without a lot of trees in the way from the 12th tee of the golf course near our home. This picture was taken in late November of this year.

Cane Creek Cascade

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Cane Creek Cascade in Fall Creek Falls State Park is a spot we visit once or twice each year. We've seen higher waterfalls, but this is one that is just as beautiful and we can enjoy it up close and personal.

Exotic Beauty

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This is one of the blossoms that Betsy and I saw in the Conservatory at the Biltmore Estate when we visited last month. I was struck by the colors and the markings on the petals.

From My Archives: Blue Hole Falls

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This is a part of Blue Hole Falls in Old Stone Fort State Park near Manchester, Tennessee. Tennessee was in the midst of a drought at the time of our visit, so much of the waterfall was dry. But we did find a small flow near the edge of the waterfall and I snapped this picture.

The Glory of Autumn

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The leaves are now gone from the trees, and the weather has turned colder. But this reminder of the glory of autumn brightens my spirits and warms my heart. This picture was taken in our front yard.

Morning Reflections

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I captured these early morning reflections at Abbott Lake in the Peaks of Otter along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. We were treated to this view from the balcony of our room at the lodge in the park.

Lake Canterbury

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We cross the dam creating Lake Canterbury here in the Glade almost every time we come home from Crossville. The late afternoon sun created this beautiful autumn scene which I couldn't resist capturing.

Purity and Beauty

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Betsy and I usually manage to see the Conservatory every time we visit Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina. We wandered into the Orchid Room of the Conservatory when we visited in late November. The simple beauty of this orchid caught my eye.

A Thanksgiving Rose

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We have many things for which to be thankful. Some are major -- such as family and good health. Others are minor in the total scheme of life, but nice just the same. This rose, Perfect Moment, decided to bloom on Thanksgiving Day, in spite of near-freezing temperatures the night before. The petals are more leathery than normal, but we think this rose picked a perfect moment to bloom.

November Roses: Love and Peace

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Another of our November-blooming roses is Love and Peace. This rose is one of several in the Peace family that we have in our yard. All of them are yellow-red bicolor roses with a light fragrance.

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On a personal note, Betsy and I are taking a few of days off for some much-needed R&R. We hope you all will have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. We'll see you after Thanksgiving.

Fairfield Moon

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I usually don't have much success trying to get photos of the moon, but I got this shot a couple of weeks and thought it came out pretty well.

November Roses: Peace

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We've had several nights with temperatures below freezing, but so far we haven't had a killing frost. As a result some of our roses are continuing to bloom -- they don't pay much attention to the calendar. This blossom on our Peace rose opened yesterday (Sunday). The colors are a little darker than they usually are, but I still think it's a beautiful rose.

From My Archives: Quarry Falls

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Quarry Falls is more of a cascade than a true waterfall. It is located in the Cullasaja River Gorge near Highlands, North Carolina, and gets its name from an old quarry on the other side of the road. We had this waterfall to ourselves when this picture was taken in December, but there are always many people around on a hot summer day.

Morning in the Smokies

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Sometimes we get rewarded for getting up before dawn. Betsy and I got up early one day last month to drive to the Smokies so we could see the autumn colors in the morning light. It was a cloudy day, but we were treated to this sight at an overlook on the Gatlinburg Bypass.

Autumn in the Glade

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On a clear autumn day it seems possible to see forever from some places here in the Glade. This picture was taken at an overlook on the fourteenth hole of the Druid Hills Golf Course. It's one of our favorite spots in the Glade.

Flowers From Our Yard: Perfume Delight Rose

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Although we had below-freezing temperatures last weekend, some of our roses are continuing to delight us with blossoms. Perfume Delight not only looks beautiful, it earned its name because of a delightful fragrance.

Touchdown!

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Betsy attended a high school football game one evening earlier this month to see Landon, Betsy's grandson, play in his high school band. When the home team scored a touchdown, these fireworks lit up the sky.

Not Bad For the End of October

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The picture above was taken this past Thursday (October 27). It shows two of our irises in bloom in the flower bed near the road in front of the house.

From My Archives: My Favorite Hiking Partner

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This picture, taken in August, 2006, when we were at Old Stone Fort State Park near Manchester, Tennessee, shows my beautiful, and favorite, hiking partner. How can anyone look at this picture and not smile back?

Smokies Morning

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Earlier this month Betsy and I got up before dawn so we could see some of the autumn color of the Smokies in the morning light. It was cloudy overnight, but the sky was expected to clear during the day. The clouds were still brushing the mountain tops, but the light was breaking through the clouds when we arrived at this overlook on the Gatlinburg Bypass.

Flowers From Our Yard: Moonstone Rose

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The temperatures here on the Plateau dropped to near freezing a couple of times last week, but our roses are still trying to beautify our home. This picture of Moonstone was taken this past Friday (October 21) afternoon. Moonstone is one of our newer roses, but we have come to love this white rose with the pink edges.

Clouds Over the Niagara River

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When Betsy and I visited my daughter and her husband in Buffalo last month, Kelly took us to Squaw Island, a park in the Niagara River near Black Rock, New York. While walking along the river I captured this picture of the clouds above a railroad trestle connecting Canada and the U. S.

The Crystal Forest

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The Crystal Forest is a section of Petrified Forest National Park that was once covered with petrified logs, many of which contained beautiful quartz or amethyst crystals. Many of the petrified logs disappeared before the park was established, but enough remain to show the beauty in the park.

Flowers From Our Yard: Sheer Bliss Rose

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Another rose that is trying to give us some autumn beauty is Sheer Bliss. It's a very pale pink that has provided us with many beautiful blossoms this year.

Signs of Autumn

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We're beginning to see signs of autumn color here on the Plateau. I captured sunlight through the leaves of our dogwood tree earlier this week. I like thee result, so I'm sharing it with you.

From My Archives: Touching Lily

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Our newest flower bed contains a variety of plants -- roses, irises, lilies and day lilies. They all put on quite a show this year. I got this picture of this pretty lily -- Touching -- in May of this year. We were delighted that it bloomed while we were home and could enjoy it.

Flowers From Our Yard: Pink Promise Rose

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We don't have as many roses blooming once cooler weather arrives, but a hardy few keep going for us. When Pink Promise starts to open, it's possible to see a hint of pink on the edges of the petals. The pink darkens and spreads as the blossom ages.

From My Archives: Step Falls

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Step Falls is one of three waterfalls in Old Stone Fort State Park near Manchester, Tennessee. We visited the park during a drought, so there wasn't much water. But the falls were pretty just the same.

Zion's Virgin River

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Zion Canyon in Utah was carved out by the Virgin River over the millions of years. When we visited Zion National Park in June, the river looked quiet and dreamy -- not at all like something that could form that deep and majestic canyon. This picture of the river was taken on the Riverside Walk along the river near the head of canyon.

Flowers From Our Yard: Acapella Rose

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Acapella is one of our newer roses. It is a red blend hybrid tea, and we have it in a container along our driveway. Acapella also has a pleasant fragrance, and it is quickly becoming one of our favorites.

Evening in the Mountain

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Evenings in the mountains can be sublime. I got this picture of the sky after sunset near Franklin, North Carolina. God is a marvelous artist with light and color.

Flowers From Our Yard: Blatant Iris

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The days are getting cooler here on the Plateau in Tennessee, and we've had frost advisories at night. The trees are beginning to show autumn color, and we have iris in bloom. This picture of our Blatant Iris was taken last Friday.

The View from Blue Mesa

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This is a view of the Painted Desert as seen from Blue Mesa in the Petrified Forest National Park. The mesa gets its name from the layers of blue clay that make it up. Some of that blue clay can be seen in the valley below the mesa.

Pigpen Falls

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This pretty little waterfall doesn't have a very appealing name, but we found it after a nice hike through the woods along the Chattooga Trail near Walhalla, South Carolina.

Flowers From Our Yard: Wineberry Candy Day Lily

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Wineberry Candy is one of the newer day lilies we have in our yard. It is a re-blooming day lily, and although this picture was taken in early June, we enjoyed this beauty into September.

Stepping Back in Time

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While in the Italian Garden at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, I captured this reflection of the house in one of the pools. The monochrome image seems to take me back in time to the late 1890s, when the house was built.

Flowers From Our Yard: Sedona Rose

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Sedona is one of our newer roses. It doesn't have much of a fragrance, but it is a prolific bloomer and I really like the color.

The Ever-Changing Sky

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When we lasted visited Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina, the sky put on quite a display. When we drove to the parking area near the summit, we were literally in the clouds -- visibility was definitely limited. We hiked up to the observation deck anyway, and after a while the clouds lifted and we saw some blue sky. That didn't last long, and soon white clouds, followed by dark clouds, moved back in. I got this picture as the sky was changing.

The Painted Desert from Kachina Point

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We came upon this view of the Painted Desert while on a short hike at Kachina Point in Petrified Forest National Park.

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My Blogging Muse has become about as dry and unproductive as our yard and garden, so Betsy and I have decided to take a blogging break. I'm not sure what (if anything) we'll do other than trying to keep our roses and other plants alive. If my Muse cooperates, I'll be back the last week of September.

Spanish Glow Day Lily

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Spanish Glow, one of our newer day lilies, has been bravely putting on a show in spite of the heat and the drought. This picture was taken last week.

Water Lily

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This is one of the colorful water lilies we saw at the Italian Garden on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. I like the vibrant color and the reflections in the water. I also like the bee in that first blossom.

Clouds in Water

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I was taking pictures of the water lilies and flowers in Biltmore's Italian Garden when I noticed the clouds reflected in the waters of a pool. I thought they looked pretty neat.

Flowers From Our Yard: Chicago Peace Rose

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I grew up near Chicago and have always thought that the downtown of that city is beautiful. Chicago Peace is a bi-color rose in our yard which is beautiful, especially in the morning light.

The Painted Desert from Tawa Point

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The day we visited Petrified Forest National Park was about as perfect as a day could be -- a clear blue sky with a few white clouds and bright sunshine lighting up every color and hue of the Painted Desert. This picture was taken at Tawa Point.

Flowers From Our Yard: Midas Touch Rose

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I've spent almost every day for the past few weeks watering our roses. I don't particularly enjoy working in the hot sun, but roses like this make it all worth while. Midas Touch makes me feel 'there is gold in them thar hills!'.

Parkway Clouds

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We drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina on an overcast day earlier this month. At one overlook we were able to take a short hike and look down on clouds in the valley below us.

Florida Beach Sunrise

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I went to my archives to get this picture of a Florida beach sunrise. This picture was taken at Ormand Beach, where we we celebrating Betsy's birthday.