Double Delight Rose

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

If I had to pick an all-time favorite rose, it would probably be Double Delight. The colors are beautifully vibrant, and the fragrance is wonderful.

Evening Sky in the Glade

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

Sometimes incorrect camera settings can yield interesting results. I got this photo when trying to capture the evening sky on the edge of the fairway behind our house this past July. I must admit that I really like the colors in this image.

Looking Down on Cades Cove

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

Cades Cove is one of the most popular parts of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. The cove is a valley dotted with homesteads, churches, fields and woods. It was turned into a living museum after the establishment of the park in the 1930s. This picture was taken from Rich Mountain road leading out to Cades Cove. If you look carefully you can see part of the loop road that takes visitors through the cove.

Color and Light

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

When Betsy and I visited the Chapel at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, I was enthralled by the color and light in the sanctuary.  I have seen many pictures of the exterior of the chapel, but was amazed by the beauty and serenity of the interior.(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Starting Up Pikes Peak

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

One of the highlights of our recent western trip was our drive up Pikes Peak.  We stopped and got this view of the mountain as we started up the road.

My Beautiful Mountain Girl

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

Betsy grew up in the mountains of southwestern Virginia, and I guess it's true that "You can take the girl out of the mountains, but you can't take the mountains out of the girl." Betsy is always delighted when we visit the Smoky Mountains, and I think she looks radiant in this photo I took in late August as she sat on boulder along Middle Prong near Tremont in the Smokies.

********************

This has been a very hectic time for us with upcoming weddings, Dad's birthday, and work on the house. Betsy and I need a break to recharge our batteries, so, as some of you have done, we're taking a blogging break. We will be away from blogging until October 1. I hope all of you have a very happy and wonderful September.

Peek-a-Boo Moon

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

Last Friday, the night of the full moon, I was trying to get some pictures of the moon as it was playing peek-a-boo through the clouds on the horizon. This photo is grainy, but I like the colors around the moon.