Pink Dogwood Blossoms

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We know that Spring has arrived in the Glade when the pink dogwood tree in our front yard blooms.  My Beautiful Bride and I have been celebrating Spring’s arrival for the past week or so.  This picture was taken a couple of years ago, but the blossoms were just as beautiful this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signs of Autumn on the Plateau

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It’s beginning to feel — and look — like Autumn up here on the Plateau.  The temperatures are cooler during the days and especially at night.  Hopefully as we move more into October we will see more color on the mountain sides.  This picture was taken in early October several years ago on Black Mountain, which is near our home.

Sunset on the Cumberland Plateau

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Late autumn sunsets can be beautiful here on the Cumberland Plateau.  The bright red glow in the sky to the west appeared after the sun had dropped below the plateau to the west.  God's colors are gorgeous.

This picture, from my archives, was taken on a clear November evening.

November Sunset

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While I think the skies over the Cumberland Plateau are pretty any time of the year, autumn skies seem to be especially beautiful.  This photo, from my archives, shows a spectacular November sunset.  This is just another reason why we love living in this part of Tennessee.

Byrd Lake in October

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Cumberland Mountain State Park near Crossville is one of the smaller parks in Tennessee's park system.  But it does have a wonderful restaurant and a beautiful lake.  This autumn photo of Byrd Lake is from my archives and shows just how beautiful the Plateau can be during October.

Byrd Lake

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Cumberland Mountain State Park near Crossville is not a large park, but it does contain a beautiful lake, Byrd Lake.  One of our favorite activities at the park is to have a delicious buffet at the restaurant overlooking this lake.

The Glory of Autumn

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This photo comes from my archives, but I like it because it shows the glory of autumn up here on the Cumberland Plateau. The picture was taken in 2006 on a hike along Byrd Lake in Cumberland Mountain State Park near Crossville, Tennessee.

Rural Tennessee

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We definitely live in a technology-filled world which can get to be very hectic entirely too often. One nice thing about living on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee is that we don't have to go far to be immersed in a simpler way of life.

Plateau Sky

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The Cumberland Plateau is the highest wooded plateau in the U. S., and most of it is rural. On a beautiful June day we are reminded of how fortunate we are to live here. This picture was taken near Hebbertsburg, Tennessee, just a few miles from our home in the Glade.

Golden Clouds in a Darkening Sky

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Sunsets on the Plateau can be beautiful, even when looking in another direction. The sun had dropped below the Plateau behind me when I captured this photo of golden clouds in a darkening sky.

Blue Winter Skies

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In winter on the Plateau there are no leaves on the trees, no flowers, and what grass there is is often brown. Fortunately we often have this beautiful blue sky to add color to our days.

Drawing from a Photo: Cumberland Mountain State Park

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I'm still experimenting with the conversion of photographs into line drawings. Most of the time I prefer the photo, but I do find the drawings interesting. I guess that goes back to my complete lack of drawing talent.

When Betsy's youngest son came up for the day earlier this month, we took him to Cumberland Mountain State Park near Crossville for dinner. The seven arch bridge over the dam forming Lake Byrd is a distinguishing feature of this park. I like both the picture above and and the drawing made from it.



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Redbud Trees in Bloom

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There are more signs of Spring in our yard on Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau. We have two redbud trees in our yard, and they are now blooming. These buds are just now opening up.

Colors on Monday: Brown

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Jen at Unglazed is hosting a mini meme, Colors on Monday. This week's color is Brown.

I had to do some searching to find pictures with brown in them. It doesn't seem to be a prominent color in our lives. But there is some brown in the firewood that was delivered last week and which I need to stack.



If you use your imagination you can see some brown in the bridge and dam at Cumberland Mountain State Park near Crossville. This picture was taken last March, so some of the bare tree branches are brown as well.



The best brown I could find were these cattails which I photographed along the shore of Abbott Lake at the Peaks of Otter Lodge in Virginia. We celebrated Betsy's birthday there this past August.

Clear Creek Gorge

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This picture of the Clear Creek gorge was taken from an overlook in the Obed Wild and Scenic River National Park here on the Plateau in Tennessee. The park is in a remote area, but the scenery makes the trip to get there very worthwhile.

Cumberland Mountain Dam and Bridge

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The picture above was taken at Cumberland Mountain State Park in Crossville, Tennessee, last March. The dam and bridge was built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) in the 1930s and is the largest masonry project built by the CCC. The bridge was renovated in 2009.
I like the reflections in the lake.