Byrd Lake

 

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We are fortunate to have Cumberland Mountain State Park near us — just outside the Crossville city limits.

The park was established by the federal government is 1938 and the Civilian Conservation Corp began construction on the park’s structures.  The biggest structure at the park was the stone brigand dam that fired Byrd Lake.  That bridge, in fact, was the largest structure made by the CCC.   Cumberland Mountain became a Tennessee state park in 1940;

I got the above picture while walking along a portion of Byrd Lake . 

 

Azalea Blossoms

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My Beautiful Bride and I went to Biltmore for our annual Spring visit.  Unfortunately many of the azaleas at Biltmore had already bloomed out.  Fortunately we still have azalea in our yard that are still putting on a show.

 

Memories of Fall Creek Falls

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April  21, 2001, was a very special day for me.  On that day Betsy and I went to Fall Creek Falls state Park here in Tennessee.  We very much enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the waterfalls in the park.  It was here that we began our quest to visit as many waterfalls as possible, and we visited several hundred over the following years.

But as exciting as that was, even more exciting was that it was at Fall Creek Falls that I got my first kiss from Betsy.  Now that is a cause for celebration.

I got this picture of My Beautiful Bride in 2013.  We were walking along Cane Creek when she noticed this log and decided it would make a good spot to enjoy the scenery.

 

 

 

Whitewater Falls

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For many years after we were married (when we were young enough and healthy enough to hike), Betsy and I would ‘collect’ waterfalls — trying to visit as many as we could.  We both are relegated to walkers nowadays, but we have pictures and memories which allow us to keep enjoying ‘our’ waterfalls.

One of our favorite waterfalls is Whitewater Falls in South Carolina.  We’v visited it several times over the years.  I got the picture I used to create this poster back in 2014.  I hope you like it. 

 

 

Betsy at Petit Jean

 

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When Betsy and I went to Mt. Nebo State Park in Arkansas, we worked in visits to two other state parks— Petit Jean State Park (usually on our way to Mt. Nebo) and Mount Magazine (one ay during our stay at Mt. Nebo).  I got this picture of Betsy at Petit Jean when we visited Petit Jean last year. 

 

 

 

Grand Canyon at Hopi Point

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In 2011 Betsy and I were both retired and we had the time to do some traveling.  That year we made our first trip out west.  One of the highlights of that trip was our visit to the Grand Canyon.

We spent most of three days driving along the canyon and hiking the rim.  (We weren’t brave enough to hike down into the canyon!).  The views from the overlooks were spectacular, and we both took many pictures.  Above is a view of the canyon from Hopi Point, taken on our second day at the park.

 

 

 

 

Our Mt. Nebo Cabin

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We stayed in the same cabin every time we went to Mt. Nebo State Park in Arkansas.  The cabin is on the top of the mountain and offers a perfect view of the sunset in February.  I took a picture of the cabin and then used software to convert the photo into a line art image.  This is the result.

 

 

 

Someone Really Enjoys Snow

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Someone (who shall remain nameless) was disappointed that we got very little snow from the storm that came through here last weekend..  We got plenty of wind and cold temperatures, but very little snow.  I had to go back into my archives to get a picture of that happy someone celebrating snow.  I really don’t like snow, but she’s so cute that I couldn’t resist getting a picture.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Betsy Enjoying the Sunset

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When we go to Mt. Nebo in Arkansas, we stay in ‘our’ cabin where we can enjoy the sunsets from the back of the cabin.  I got this picture of Betsy enjoying the sunset last March.. 

 

 

 

 

Barefoot Landing at Night

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For many years Betsy and I visited Ocean Isle Beach in North Carolina during the week after Christmas.  One night, a few years ago, we decided to visit Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  That’s where I got this photo of the lights reflected in the lake.

 

 

 

 

Christmastime is Near

 

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One of the houses here in the Glade decorated to celebrate the Christmas season.

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Sky and Palm Trees

 

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For many years Betsy and I would go to Ocean Isle Beach in North Carolina between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The beach was much less crowded during that time, but the seafood was still delicious.  I got a picture of the palm trees against a blue sky outside our motel a few years ago.  I then used software to make the photo look more like a drawing. 

 

 

Color Around the Lake

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This hasn’t been a great autumn for color this year in the Glade.  But I did manage to find some color (admittedly on the dull side) along the shore of one of the lakes here.  Hopefully things will be more vibrant next year.

 

Blue Ridge Parkway Panorama

 

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I enjoy making panoramas of the beautiful scenery we have around here since it is often the case that a single photograph doesn’t do the scene justice.  This is a panorama made from three photos I took on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina last year. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cox Bridge

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I captured this autumn scene a few years ago on our way home from an autumn trip to Southern Ohio.  We happened upon Cox Bridge by accident and stopped to in views at the site.

 

 

 

 

Antigua Sunset

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Betsy and I got married in June, but we took a belated honeymoon cruise to the southern Caribbean in September of that year.  We very much enjoyed viewing the sunrises and sunsets from the ship as it moved between the islands on our ports of call.  I got this picture of the sunset off Antigua on September 12, 2001.

Victoria Harbor -- Hong Kong

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I got this picture on a late afternoon as I crossed Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor on a Star Ferry.

 

 

 

Full Moon in the Glade

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Several years ago I took a picture of the full moon rsising here in Fairfield Glade.  I decided to do some experimenting with the image and used software to make it appear more like a paInting.  This is what I came up with.

 

 

 

 

 

Gaither Mountain Simrise

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Several years ago, on a trip to Arkansas, Betsy and I got up early one morning to catch the sunrise over Gaither Mountain.  It was definitely worth getting up early to see, and that is where I got this image of the rising sun.  I used software to make the image look more like a painting, and this is the result. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above Bald River Falls

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I captured this image of Bald River above the falls a few years ago while on a hike in the area.  I did some experimenting with the photo (something I do fairly often and finally decided to make it appear more like a poster.  This is the result.