Archive for September, 2014

Art in the River

September 1, 2014
Middle Prong Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.  August 27, 2012.

Middle Prong Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. August 27, 2012.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

Betsy and I like driving and hiking along Middle Prong of the Little River in the Smokies.  This river is in the Tremont section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which means it is less crowded than more popular sections of the park.

We usually go when there is plenty of water flowing over and around the boulders in the river bed, but a couple of years ago we went on a beautiful August day when the water levels were very low.

At first I was disappointed that the water of the river was barely moving, but then I noticed the light and reflections.  Sunlight streaming through the trees seemed to turn portions of the river into gold.

Middle Prong Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.  August 27, 2012.

Middle Prong Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. August 27, 2012.

A little later we came upon a pool of water that was turned a yellow/green by the leaves of the trees overhead.

Middle Prong Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.  August 27, 2012.

Middle Prong Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. August 27, 2012.

As I continued to pay attention to the reflections in the water, I found I could capture the trees overhead and the sky by photographing the water.  The result is different from most of the photographs I’ve taken, but I like the color of both the green leaves and the blue sky as painted by the river.