Our First Glimpse of the Grand Canyon

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This is a picture of our first view of the Grand Canyon. We entered the park from the east because we had read that end of the park offered the best views of the Colorado River. This picture was taken at the Desert View overlook.

Flowers From Our Yard: Simplon Lily

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We have a flower bed near the road in front of the house, and one of the things in that bed is Simplon Lily. There are only two plants, but they have put on a display for a couple of weeks now. I've seen people stop just to admire them. They also have a very pleasing fragrance.

Western North Carolina Evening Sky

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I went to my archives for this picture of a sunset sky in the western North Carolina Mountains. The picture was taken from friends' cabin near Otto, North Carolina.

Flowers From Our Yard: Moonstone Rose

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Moonstone is one of the newer roses in our garden. It does very well in a container. The blossoms are beautiful -- white tinged with pink -- and the rose has a mild fragrance.

If you would like to see what this picture looks like as a drawing, click HERE.

Oklahoma Evening Sky

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While driving west through Oklahoma on our trip I stopped to get some pictures of the setting sun. I then looked behind me to the east and saw these clouds -- dark at the base, but still lit by sunlight above.

Cool Thoughts

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It's been so hot here on the Plateau this week, that I needed to find some cool comfort. I thought looking at this picture from a couple of years ago might help, but relief doesn't last very long.

Flowers From Our Yard: Treffer Lily

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We've enjoyed Treffer Lily in our yard for several years, and I always knew it had a vibrant orange color. But I didn't realize exactly how vibrant it really was until I captured this photo of Treffer as the early morning sun hit it.

Painted Desert Inn

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The Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark was originally built as a trading post, inn and restaurant for travelers along Route 66 in Arizona. It was originally built of petrified wood and other native stone in the 1920s. The building was extensively remodeled in the Pueblo Revival style during the late 1930s by the CCC. The inn now serves as a museum in the Petrified Forest National Park.

If you would like to see what this photo looks like as a drawing, click HERE.

Mountain Laurel

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There are many advantages to living in the mountains, but the late Spring display put on by Mountain Laurel is definitely one of the nice things we can enjoy. This photo was snapped at the end of May.

Fort Smith Musket Fire

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When we visited Fort Smith National Historic Site, we saw rejectors dressed as 1830s-era soldiers firing muskets. Looking at what happened when the second soldier pulled the trigger, those muskets must have been as dangerous for the person firing as they were for the person on the other end.

Our First View of the Painted Desert

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The first stop in Arizona while on our trip west was the Petrified Forest National Park. After stopping at the Painted Desert Visitor Center, we drove to Tiponi Point, where we got our first view of the beautiful Painted Desert.

If you would like to see what the photograph above looks like as a line drawing, click HERE.

Flowers From Our Yard: Peppermint Splash Rose

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Peppermint Splash is one of the more unusual roses that we have in our yard. I think this picture shows how it got its name, and why I always want a piece of candy each time I go past it.

Lake Julia

We visited this pretty little lake on our way home from the beach in 2009. It is in the DuPont State Forest near Brevard, North Carolina.

Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing

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During my visit to Hong Kong in 1987, we stopped at an overlook of the beach at Repulse Bay. The overlook was used for a scene in the 1955 movie "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing", starring William Holden and Jennifer Jones. None of the high rises were there when the movie was filmed.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

Betsy at Cedar Breaks

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One of the things Betsy is passionate about is snow. Each winter she thinks we never get enough. On June 20 we went to Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah. The monument had opened for the season three days before, and Betsy found these snow banks near the Visitor Center. Can you tell how happy she is?

66 Cafe in Albuquerque

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Betsy and I had dinner at the 66 Cafe in Albuquerque. The cafe is on historic route 66, and is decorated in the style of a 50s diner. While we were eating this clock and jukebox caught my eye.

Flowers From Our Yard: A July Surprise

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I never expected to have iris blooming in our yard in July, but Cantina opened this past Sunday. We noticed the flower stalk when we got back home last week. Although unexpected this time of year, I do like this blossom very much.

Snow at Cedar Breaks

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We visited Cedar Breaks National Monument near Cedar City, Utah, on an incredibly beautiful day in June. The roads had been opened for the season three days before we visited, and there was still plenty of snow around. This picture shows the snow at one side of the Visitor Center, as well as the beautiful blue sky we enjoyed that day.

Oklahoma Sunset

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As Betsy and I traveled west through Oklahoma for the first time, we were impressed by the flat landscape, the wide open spaces and a gorgeous sunset. The sun rays were so beautiful that I had to pull over on the interstate to snap this picture of June 11.

Happy Fourth of July

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The annual Fourth of July fireworks display is one of the nice things about living in the Glade. I captured this picture at last year's display when I was learning how to use my new camera. I rather like the way this picture came out.

The Two of Us at the Grand Canyon

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I took this picture (using a tripod and timer) on our first day at the Grand Canyon. The canyon was as grand as the name implies. Our only regret was that pictures can't do the canyon justice -- it needs to be seen to be appreciated.