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.

 

 

 

 

 

Twin Falls

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When we could hike (many years ago), Betsy and I would plan vacations or road trips around our search for waterfalls.  But we didn’t always have to make a major trip to find an interesting waterfall — we had several interesting falls relatively close by.

Twin Falls, in Rock Island State Park, is a waterfall that came into being when a dam was built creating Center Hill Lake.  The dam used water to back up and flood caverns.  The water then broke through the back of the cavern, creating Twin Falls.  Are Twin Falls natural or man-made?  Who cares, they are beautiful. 

 

 

 

 

 

Cades Cove in March

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Betsy and I enjoy visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park during the ‘off’ seasons, although those seasons are harder to find then they used to be.  We often visit during the winter season.  The vibrant colors of Spring haven’t yet put in an appearance, but there is still a beauty to be enjoyed.  I got this picture in Cades Cove air March a few years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waterloo Falls

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When Betsy and I were younger, we collected waterfalls.  We visited as many as we could find, usually getting in some hiking along the way.  We quickly discovered that winter is a good time to search for waterfalls in our area.  The vegetation isn’t as dense, which make it easy to see some of those that are “hidden’.

One February afternoon several years ago we set out to find Waterloo Falls, which is not too far from Cookeville, Tennessee.  As you can see from the picture above, we did find it after doing some bush-whacking along the river bank.  Waterloo Falls is wide, although not very high.

After leaving Waterloo Falls we followed the river down stream and were rewarded by coming across a much smaller waterfall Little Waterloo Falls.  All in all we had a very rewarding day “waterfall hunting”.

 

 

 

 

 

A Snowy Scene

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We don’t often get much snow here in the Glade, but when we do get snow the result can be a beautiful landscape.  I got this picture from the front of our house several years ago.

 

 

 

Blue Sky and Icy Brances

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We haven’t gotten a lot of snow here in the Glade for the past few years, so I haven’t gotten many snowy inter wonderland pictures.  But we do ave beauty during the winter months.  A few years ago we had an ice storm that left the tree branches coated in ice.  Those icy branches against a beautiful blue sky made a wonderful winter picture.

Little River in the Smokies

 

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Betsy and I often go to Great Smokey Mountain Park in the winter, because there are usually fewer people and it’s easier to get close to nature than it would be during peak tourist seasons.  One December day a few years ago we stopped along Little River, where I got th photo that was the basis for this watercolor.  Th Smokies are beautiful any time of the year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn Burning Bush

 

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A few years ago I got a pictures of a burning bush in our neighbor’s yard.  It always puts on am awesome display in the fall with its bright red leaves.  I used software to give the photo a more “painterly” look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Smokies Water Color

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We live in a beautiful part of the country, and we often visit the Smokey Mountains.  I’ve taken many pictures of the mountains  and sky, and I usually save them as photo.  But I occasionally experiment with different “looks.”  I used software to make one of my photos look more like a water color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flamenco Rose

 

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One of the newer roses in our yard is Flamenco.   It’s a bright beautiful rose which is always a joy to see in bloom.  This picture was actually taken last year, but I like it so much that I couldn’t resist using it.

Upper Red Fork Falls

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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.

Looking Back: Autumn Color Along the Cherohala Skyway

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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.

Sempervivum Flower

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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

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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

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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

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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.

A Very Special Place

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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.

Winter Beauty

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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

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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.

Autumn in the Smokeys

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Autumn colors came to the mountains this year a couple of weeks later than usual.  When My Beautiful Bride and I set out to see the colors, we found plenty of green among the trees.  But there were still some glorious sights to see, such as this view from Newfound Gap Road near Gatlinburg, Tennessee.