Early Morning at Ocean Isle Beach

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

One of the reasons My Beautiful Bride and I keep going back to Ocean Isle Beach in December is that we can enjoy beautiful views of the sunrise (and ocean) from our room at the Islander Inn. 

Upper Red Fork Falls

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Betsy and I enjoy hiking in November.  The weather is usually mild, and if we are hiking to a waterfall — which we usually are — the lack of leaves on the trees gives us a better view of the waterfall.  We  hiked to Upper Red Fork Falls near Erwin, Tennessee,  a few year ago.  This is the view we had.

Thorofare Gap

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

When My Beautiful Bride and I are on Skyline Drive (or the Blue Ridge Parkway) we never make quick progress since we stop at most of the overlooks we pass.  But the views of the mountains and the sky always seem to beg for some attention.  This picture was taken this past August at the Thorofare Gap Overlook on Skyline Drive in Virginia

Looking Back: Autumn Color Along the Cherohala Skyway

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

I’m afraid that the heat and drought of the past couple of months will mean that there won’t be much autumn color in or mountains this year.  That won’t stop us from looking for the colors of autumn, however.  I got this picture along the Cherohala Skyway several years ago.

O Shenandoah

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Betsy and I celebrated Betsy’s birthday this year by going up to Virginia along the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyland Drive.  One of our favorite places when we are in that part of Virginia is Skyland Resort, which is right on Skyline Drive.  From the balcony of our room we were able to look down into the Shenandoah Valley.  This is the view we had one of the mornings we were there.

Lake Abbott

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Betsy and I celebrated her birthday this year at Peaks of Otter Lodge on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia.  This is the view we had from our room of beautiful Lake Abbott.

Mother of Pearl Rose

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

I’m beginning to think that it is unwise of Betsy and me to visit the Walled Garden at the Biltmore Estate.  When we were there in May we saw this beautiful rose — Mother of Pearl.  Now we’re trying to find a place for it in our yard!

Sempervivum Flower

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

We have sempervivum (hen and chickens) in several places around our yard.  We like them because they are always green, regardless of the weather or season (‘sempervivum’ means ‘always alive’).  One thing we didn’t know was that the hens, just before they die out and are replaced by chickens, flower.  The flowers are small and delicate, but still beautiful.  I got this photo of a flowering hen in out front yard.

Cane Creek

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Several years ago Betsy and I were sitting on a rock along Cane Creek in Fall Creek Falls State Park between the cascade and the waterfall.  The creek wasn’t very deep, but the water was rushing over and around boulders and ledges.  I tried to capture all that frenetic action, and this is the result.

Morning in the Glade

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Betsy and I are constantly amazed at what a beautiful place we live.  In June the beauty shows up early in the morning, as this picture from the golf course behind our house shows.  What a way to start the day!!

Rockhouse Falls

 (This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Rockhouse Falls is one of the smaller waterfalls in Tennessee’s Fall Creek Falls State Park.  It is often overlooked since it can be seen from the same viewing platform as the larger Cane Creek Falls.  Rockhouse Falls is behind anyone looking at the larger waterfall, but I think it is worthwhile to turn around to see this beauty as well.  This photo was taken in April of this year.

Fontana Lake

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

I captured this May view of Fontana Lake in the Smokies a few years back as we were traveling along back roads in the area.  We stopped at an overlook that gave us this nice view of the lake and mountains.

A Very Special Place

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Fall Creek Falls State Park here in Tennessee is a very special place for Betsy and me.  It wasn’t the site of our first date, but it was the site of our first kiss.  We’ve been to many wonderful places since then, but we manage to get back to Fall Creek Falls close to April 21 each year to celebrate that wonderful date. 

In some ways it’s hard to believe that first kiss was 18 years ago, but we do enjoy going back to recreate the magic of that day.  This photo of Piney Falls in the park was taken several years ago.

The Colors of Spring

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

A beautiful Spring day brings out all the glorious colors of the season.  I don’t think I could find a scene that shouts “Spring Is Here!” any more than this photo does of the view we enjoyed as we walked to the Azalea Garden on the Biltmore Estate.

Thoughts of Spring

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

It’s amazing what sunshine and mild temperatures can do for the spirit.  After several weeks of rain and cold weather, the sun finally made an appearance on the Cumberland Plateau.  It’s probably too early to declare that Spring is finally here, but hope springs eternal, and both My Beautiful Bride and I have been doing yard work for the past couple of days.  If this keeps up we’re going to have to head to Biltmore to enjoy the Spring flowers in the Walled garden.  The above photo of the Walled Garden on the Biltmore Estate was taken a few years ago.

Morning at the Beach

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Betsy and I enjoy going to North Carolina’s Ocean Isle Beach in December for a couple of reasons.  One is that December is the ‘slow’ season, so there aren’t as many people on the beach as at other times.  The second reason is that if we wake up early enough we can see some beautiful sunrises.  As that old song says, ‘Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning’!

Winter Beauty

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

I admit that I don’t like Winter — I much prefer Spring or Autumn.  But even I will admit that there is beauty in Winter (as long as you don’t have to go out in it!).  I got this photo of an ice-covered tree in our yard a couple of Februarys ago.  Even I must admit that it is beautiful against that blue sky.

The Sinks

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Many places in the Smokies are easily-accessible by car, which means they are very popular during tourist season (which seems to be year-round nowadays).  The Sinks is one such place:  it’s a cascade with a pool right along the road.  The parking area is small, so it’s hard to get into it at times  But January, which is when I got this picture, can be a good time to visit if you just want to enjoy the beauty of our world.