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. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Twilight Time in Hong Kong

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In June of 1990 we stopped in Hong Kong on our way to Tianjin, China, where I would be teaching English to Chinese students.  One evening while we were in Hong Kong, we crossed the harbor on a Star Ferry at dusk.  That’s when I got this image of the Hong Kong waterfront against the glow of the sky.

 

Ocean Isle Beach Pier

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Betsy and I try to get to Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, at least once a year.  We normally travel there in May (before the season gets started) or December (after the season winds down.  This schedule means there are fewer people around and that we often have the beach to ourselves.

I got this picture of the Ocean Isle Beach pier on a May morning a few years ago.  I like the reflection of the pier in the wet sand of the beach.  Since it was an overcast day, I thought the photo would look good as a monochrome mage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calbash, North Carolina

 

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Betsy and I like to get to the beach in North Carolina at least once a year.  We stay  in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, but we always make a daily trip to Calabash, North Carolina, for some delicious seafood.  Calabash is a working  fishing village, and the seafood is absolutely fantastic.  I got this picture of the Calabash waterfront a few years ago.  We can’t wait to get back there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lee Chapel

 

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Over thirty years ago my family took a camping trip wit my parents to Washington, D.C. and Virginia.  Among the places we visited was Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.  While there we saw the Lee Chapel on campus.  The chapel was designed by Robert E. Lee when he was the president of Washington College after the Civil War,  His university  office is in the basement of the chapel, as are the tombs of General Lee and his family.

This image was originally a slide which I later digitized.

 

 

 

 

Gatlinburg Sunrise

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Several years ago Betsy and I got up early in the morning (before dawn) to drive to the Smokey Mountains.  We stopped at an overlook on the Gatlinburg Bypass to watch the sun come up, where I got a picture of the sunrise.  I later used software to make the photo look more like a water color painting.  I hope you like it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the Drive to the Summit of Pike's Peak

 

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Betsy and I visited Pike’s Peak in Colorado for the first time in 2014.  Although we were eager to get to the summit to enjoy the view, we stopped on our drive to the summit at Crystal Creek Reservoir, where I got this photo of the mountains and their reflection in the water.

Big Sky

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Several years ago, Betsy and I traveled from Yellowstone to Mt. Rushmore.  Along the way we got to enjoy some of the scenery in Montana.  I can see why they call it 'Big Sky Country'.

 

Harrods Department Store, London

 

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Harrods Department Store is a London landmark.  The store, often called “The World’s Leading Luxury Department Store”, is in a building which is imposing both day and night.  We explored the first floor of Harrods when we visited our daughter who was studying in London for a semester during her college career.

I got this picture, taken as a slide in 1993, when we walked past Harrods one evening at dusk.  Recently I scanned the slide and cleaned up the image.  This is the result, which I think makes a pretty picture.

Dawn's Early Light

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When Betsy and I are at Mt. Nebo in Arkansas, we get up before dawn so we can see sights like this.  This picture was taken from Sunrise Point on the mountain looking down into the Arkansas River valley below.  What a way to start the day!  February 12, 2013.

An Experiment in Night Photography

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Several years ago, while visiting Mt. Nebo State Park in Arkansas, I experimented with night photography by taking pictures from our cabin on top of the mountain of the valley below.  This is one of the results of my experiment.

Dawn's Early Light

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My Beautiful Bride and I ave learned over the years at the beach that each sunrise has its own unique beauty.  This image was captured at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, in December 2019.

Evening Beauty

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Although its been a couple of years since we’ve been to Mt. Nebo State Park in Arkansas, this photo gives you a pretty good idea why this ranks as one of our favorite places to visit.  The photo was taken behind ‘our’ cabin in the park as the sun was setting.  It’s a breath-taking sight.

Glory!

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The past few weeks have been a new, and in some cases frightening, experience for most of us.  I hope all of you are staying safe and staying at home as much as possible.  These are anxious times, but they will pass.

In the midst of troubles I feel it helps to remember that there is much goodness and much beauty in the world around us.  The picture above, taken as Betsy and I enjoyed a spectacular sunset at Mount Nebo in Arkansas. shows there is indeed light and beauty in our world.

Sullivans Island, South Carolina

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Betsy and I visited Fort Moultrie in Charleston, South Carolina, on a cold and windy December morning last year.  While touring the fort, I got this picture looking over part of the fort and the town, Sullivans Island, outside the fort walls.  I really like the way the sky looks in this photo.

Trafalgar Square, 1993

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I came across this picture of London’s Trafalgar Square when going through some old photos recently.  The original image was taken in 1983 when we were in London visiting our daughter Kelly who had a semester in London as part of her college studies.  The church is St-Martin-in-the-Field with South Africa House (at least in 1993) in the right foreground.  This image is from a scanned slide.

Lake Abbott

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Betsy and I celebrated her birthday this year at Peaks of Otter Lodge on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia.  This is the view we had from our room of beautiful Lake Abbott.

Mother of Pearl Rose

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I’m beginning to think that it is unwise of Betsy and me to visit the Walled Garden at the Biltmore Estate.  When we were there in May we saw this beautiful rose — Mother of Pearl.  Now we’re trying to find a place for it in our yard!

Fontana Lake

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I captured this May view of Fontana Lake in the Smokies a few years back as we were traveling along back roads in the area.  We stopped at an overlook that gave us this nice view of the lake and mountains.

Morning at the Beach

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Betsy and I enjoy going to North Carolina’s Ocean Isle Beach in December for a couple of reasons.  One is that December is the ‘slow’ season, so there aren’t as many people on the beach as at other times.  The second reason is that if we wake up early enough we can see some beautiful sunrises.  As that old song says, ‘Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning’!