Our World: Old Man’s Cave

March 17, 2014
Looking down into the gorge near Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio. March 10, 2014.

Looking down into the gorge near Old Man’s Cave, Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio. March 10, 2014.

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

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Ice along canyon walls, Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio. March 10, 2014.

Ice along canyon walls, Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio. March 10, 2014.

Old Man’s Cave is a recess cave in a gorge in Ohio’s Hocking Hills State Park.  Betsy and I have been to the park a couple of times and have enjoyed hiking down to the cave.  The park contains several waterfalls which had very little water when we visited before, so we went back there in early March hoping to find more flowing water.  We found more water, but we also found a great deal of ice, which was unexpected.

Ice along the walls of the gorge, Hocking Hills State Park. March 10, 2014.

Ice along the walls of the gorge, Hocking Hills State Park. March 10, 2014.

The walls of the gorge were covered in ice in many places, which was very beautiful but made it tricky to get down to the floor of the gorge.

A column of ice near Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio. March 11, 2014.

A column of ice near Old Man’s Cave, Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio. March 11, 2014.

Once I got down to the floor of the gorge, it was fascinating to see the huge columns of ice reaching from an overhang to the base of the cliff.  In the photo above you can even see some blue ice in the column.

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Skywatch Friday: Mt. Nebo Sunrise

March 7, 2014
The pre-dawn view from Sunrise Point on Mt. Nebo, Arkansas. February 27, 2014.

The pre-dawn view from Sunrise Point on Mt. Nebo, Arkansas. February 27, 2014.

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

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

When Betsy and I visit Mt. Nebo in Arkansas, we tend to get up a little earlier than usual so we can drive to Sunrise Point to watch the sun come up.

If the visibility is good, we can see much of the Arrkansas River valley below us before the sun makes its appearance.

The sun making its first appearance across the Arkansas River valley. February 27, 2014.

The sun making its first appearance across the Arkansas River valley. February 27, 2014.

In late February we can catch our first glimpse of the sun just beyond the end of Petit Jean Mountain across the valley.

The day is off to a great start on Mt. Nebo, Arkansas. February 27, 2014.

The day is off to a great start on Mt. Nebo, Arkansas. February 27, 2014.

It doesn’t take long before the sun is completely up filling the sky with light reflected in the waters of the river below us.  It’s always a gorgeous sight, and gets our day off to a wonderful start.

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Our World: Setrock Creek Falls

March 3, 2014
Setrock Creek Falls, Yancey County, North Carolina. February 15, 2008.

Setrock Creek Falls, Yancey County, North Carolina. February 15, 2008.

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

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

February is a good month for visiting waterfalls, and since the weather is usually mild (at least in this part of the country) it’s also a good month for hiking.

Setrock Creek Falls, Yancey County, North Carolina. February 15, 2008.

Setrock Creek Falls, Yancey County, North Carolina. February 15, 2008.

These pictures are from my archives.  In February, 2008, Betsy and I visited several waterfalls in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina.  Setrock Creek Falls in Yancey County, North Carolina, was one of those waterfalls.

We actually went to the area to visit another waterfall, but when we found the trailhead to Setrock Creek Falls, we couldn’t resist the temptation to make the hike to the falls.

Setrock Creek Falls, Yancey County, North Carolina. February 15, 2008.

Setrock Creek Falls, Yancey County, North Carolina. February 15, 2008.

I’m glad we did.

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Our World: Betsy Got Her Snow!

February 17, 2014
Snow on the trees in the vacant lot next to our house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 13, 2014.

Snow on the trees in the vacant lot next to our house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 13, 2014.

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

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

It snowed most of this past Wednesday afternoon and night, and it was Betsy’s ideal snow storm.  When we woke up early Thursday morning snow was clinging to everything, as can be seen in the photo above.

Druid Hills golf course, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 13, 2014.

Druid Hills golf course, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 13, 2014.

The sky cleared a little later in the morning, so we went for a walk.  The contrast between the blue sky and white snow was absolutely gorgeous.  This photo looks up the fairway from behind our house.

The back of our house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 14, 2014.

The back of our house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 14, 2014

I had to shoot more toward the sun to get the picture of the back of our house, but I thought it looked pretty in our own Winter Wonderland.

My Happy Bride, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 13, 2014.

My Happy Bride, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 13, 2014.

To say that Betsy was a happy camper is an understatement.  She could barely contain herself!

Posted in Our World | 25 Comments »

Our World: Lake Sherwood in February

February 10, 2014

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 7, 2012.

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 7, 2012.

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

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

My Beautiful Bride is unhappy because we haven’t gotten much snow this winter — only two measurable snowfalls so far.  I’ve been trying to tell her that things could be worse, but I’m not sure she believes me.

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 7, 2012.

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 7, 2012.

So I thought I would show her things could be worse.  These pictures were taken in February, 2012, on a walk on one of the trails here in the Glade.  As you can see, it was a beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky.

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 7, 2012.

Lake Sherwood, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 7, 2012.

We walked around Lake Sherwood, and admired the reflections in the still water of the lake.  All-in-all it was a beautiful day.  And there wasn’t a snowflake in sight.

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Down Memory Lane: Mountain Air in 2009

February 7, 2014

2009 -- Mountain Air

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

In July, 2009, Betsy and I went to Mountain Air, near Burnsville, North Carolina, to visit my son Robert and his family.  Robert and Melissa were staying at a condo owned by Melissa’s parents, and they invited us to visit them there.

Mountain Air is a development built around a country club and get’s its name from the mountaintop airstrip that allows people to fly in to visit.  Robert and Mel  — as well as Betsy and I — didn’t fly in, but got there by car.

There are awesome views from many places in Mountain Air, as well as some beautiful homes.  We thoroughly enjoyed the tour given by Robert and Mel — as well as Zack and Sean.

The collage above shows views of the sky we enjoyed on our first evening in Mountain Air.  The picture on the left in the second row shows a view of the mountains on the morning of our second day.  The picture in the middle shows me with Robert.  The picture on the bottom right shows our hosts, Melissa, Robert, Zack and Sean.

To see larger versions of these pictures and others, click HERE.

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Our World: Middle Prong Little River

February 3, 2014
Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

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

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

On January 20, Betsy and I drove and hiked along Middle Prong Little River in the Smokies.  It was a beautiful sunny day, and there was a good water flow along the river.  The water was so clear that we could easily see the stream bed.

Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

We often stopped and walked along the river to enjoy the sight (and sound) of the water rushing over and around boulders in the stream.

Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

As we worked our way up stream, the river just seemed to get more and more beautiful.

My Beautiful Bride along Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

My Beautiful Bride along Middle Prong LIttle River, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

But I know well that not all of the pretty views that day were of the river.

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Photographer at Work (2)

January 30, 2014
Betsy getting a picture of Middle Prong Little River, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. January 20, 2013.

Betsy getting a picture of Middle Prong Little River, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

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

Last week Betsy and I went to the Smokies to do some hiking and get some pictures.  Unfortunately we didn’t get in much hiking, but we did get in a lot of photography.  We drove and walked along Middle Prong of Pigeon River, since I wanted to try out my new lens and filter.

But in addition to trying out my new equipment, I couldn’t resist getting some pictures of Betsy at work.  She didn’t have a new camera or lens, but she worked hard at getting good pictures herself.  The picture above shows her getting a picture of some rapids in the river.

Betsy photographing Stillhouse Hollow Falls. January 20, 2014.

Betsy photographing Stillhouse Hollow Falls. January 20, 2014.

There were a couple of small waterfalls on the side of the road across from the river.  Here Betsy is getting a picture of Stillhouse Hollow Falls.

Betsy along Tremont Road, Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

Betsy along Tremont Road, Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. January 20, 2014.

I was lucky to get one or two pictures of Betsy without that camera in her face.  Just look at that smile.

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Our World: Bald River

January 27, 2014
Bald River Cascades, Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee. July 25, 2013.

Bald River Cascades, Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee. July 25, 2013.

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

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

In late July Betsy and I took a day off from working in the yard and drove down to Tellico Plains and the Tellico River.  We drove along the  river until we came to Bald River Falls, where we hiked along Bald River above the falls.

When I experiment with trying to capture the motion of water in my photos, I usually take several shots at the same place with different exposures.  I often don’t know for sure what I get until I look at the pictures on my computer once I get home.

I took the photo above with a 5 second exposure, and the one below with an 8 second exposure.  While there is not much difference in the cascade itself, I was struck by the difference in the ripples below the large boulder on the right.

Bald River Cascades, Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee. July 25, 2013.

Bald River Cascades, Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee. July 25, 2013.

I’m glad I decided to keep both versions.

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Betsy Was a Happy Camper

January 23, 2014
Our back yard in the snowstorm, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 21, 2014.

Our back yard in the snowstorm, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 21, 2014.

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

My Beautiful Bride can be impatient at times, and she has been waiting for snow ever since Thanksgiving.  But she wasn’t waiting for just any snow — it had to be a perfect snowstorm:  The snowflakes had to be big and fluffy, they had to fall during daylight, and the snow had to cling to trees and branches.

I’m happy to say that Betsy was a happy camper on Tuesday.  It started  snowing in the morning and snowed off and on during most of the day.  It didn’t take long for the deck and the golf course to have a cover of white.

The Stars and Stripes in our front yard. January 21, 2014.

The Stars and Stripes in our front yard. January 21, 2014.

The flag in front of the house provided a little color on what was a fairly gray day.  The wind came  up and caused the flag to stand out from the pole.

The view in front of our house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 21, 2014.

The view in front of our house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 21, 2014.

But the best part was that the trees and bushes all wore a coat of white.

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