Our World: Signs of Autumn

October 11, 2011

The dogwood tree in our front yard, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. October 3, 2011.

(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.

One of the first signs of Autumn in our yard is the red leaves on our dogwood tree after the season’s first cold spell.  As you can see, the trees behind the dogwood tree haven’t started to turn yet.

Red dogwood leaves against a blue sky, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. October 2, 2011.

I like the way the sunlight brings out the red of the leaves.  I think these leaves look especially beautiful against the blue sky.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Our World | 21 Comments »

Scenic Sunday: Biltmore House

October 9, 2011

The back of Biltmore House as seen from a lagoon on the estate. October 4, 2011.

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

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

Last Tuesday Betsy and I drove to Asheville, North Carolina, to visit the Biltmore Estate (we have season passes).  Since we are beginning to see autumn colors here on the Plateau, we hoped we would see more color on the estate.

We were surprised to discover that there was even less color in Asheville than there was here.  It was not a wasted trip, however, because we found a place from which we could get a nice view of the back of the house.  The picture above was taken from that place.

It’s hard to get a good picture of the front of the house because of all the people and traffic.  But here we got a nice picture of the back of the house with the water of a lagoon in the foreground.

A closer view of the back of Biltmore House. October 4, 2011.

I was able to get a closer shot of the house by using my telephoto lens.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Scenic Sunday | 15 Comments »

SkyWatch Friday: Plateau Skies

October 7, 2011

Autumn skies in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. September 30, 2011.

(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.

Autumn brings cooler temperatures and color to the trees.  Autumn might bring clouds, but here on the Plateau in Tennessee it also brings amazing blue skies.

Clouds in an autumn sky, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. September 30, 2011.

These pictures were taken in our front yard.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 15 Comments »

This Is As Close As We Got

October 6, 2011
The spray from the Canadian Falls at Niagara as seen from Three Sisters Island, New York. September 10, 2011.

The spray from the Canadian Falls at Niagara as seen from Three Sisters Island, New York. September 10, 2011.

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

When Betsy and I visited my daughter Kelly and her husband in Buffalo last month, this is as close to Niagara Falls as we got.  The spray in the picture above is from the Canadian (Horseshoe) Falls.  The picture itself was taken upriver from the falls on a footbridge on Three Sisters Island.

There were all kinds of activities going on around the main entrance to Niagara Falls State Park, so we did not attempt to get to the American falls.  Instead we drove onto Goat Island in the Niagara Rivers and walked to Three Sisters Islands.  Three Sisters is land donated to the state by a man who had three daughters.

We had not been to Three Sisters before this trip, and thoroughly enjoyed our walk to the islands and the up-close views we got of the river as it rushed toward the Canadian Falls.  I’m sure there will be more pictures in the days ahead.

The Niagara River, Niagara Falls and Three Sisters Island. (Image from Google Earth).

This picture, taken from Google Earth, shows the location of Three Sisters relative to both the American and the Canadian Falls.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Travels | 10 Comments »

Watery Wednesday: Byrd Lake Reflections

October 5, 2011

Byrd Lake, Cumberland Mountain State Park, Crossville, Tennessee. September 27, 2011.

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

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

Last week Betsy and I went to Cumberland Mountain State Park near Crossville and walked along the shore of Byrd Lake.

The beginnings of autumn color, Cumberland Mountain State Park, Tennessee. September 27, 2011.

The fall color was just starting to show, but the quiet waters of the lake gave us some beautiful reflections.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Watery Wednesday | 13 Comments »

Our World: Along the Midway

October 4, 2011

A ride for dare-devils at the Lewiston, New York, Peach Festival. September 10, 2011.

(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.

One of the main attractions at many festivals is the midway, which contains rides of many types for people of all ages.  The Lewiston, New York, Peach Festival, was no exception.  The midway had several interesting rides.  I don’t know the name of the ride above, but I do know that I wasn’t interested in checking it out.

A modern version of the Octopus. Lewiston Peach Festival. September 10, 2011.

I remember the Octopus from the County Fair when I was growing up.  The Peach Festival had a modern version of the ride I enjoyed as a boy.

The China Dragon at the Peach Festival. September 10, 2011.

The China Dragon was fairly tame, but still very colorful.

Riding a bumble bee at the Peach Festival. September 10, 2011.

This young lady looks as if she has some doubts about the Bumble Bee giving her a ride.  Perhaps she had seen the scratches and dents on the bottom of the bee.

A young boy at the Peach Festival. September 10, 2011.

This young man had the best ride at the festival.  He was safely tucked into a stroller guided by his parents.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Our World | 15 Comments »

Scenic Sunday: Crystal Forest

October 2, 2011

Petrified logs in the Crystal Forest of Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. June 13, 2011.

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

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

The Crystal Forest is a section of Petrified Forest National Park with a landscape dotted with petrified logs.

A century of collecting (before the park was established) has removed many of the logs, especially those which contained quartz crystals.

A petrified log in the Crystal Forest, Petrified Forest National Park. June 13, 2011.

The trail through the Crystal Forest leads past logs show a rainbow of colors.  Many of the logs plainly show what was once the bark of the trees, but they are all amazing.

A petrified stump showing a rainbow of colors. June 13, 2011.

Reds and whites are fairly common in the petrified wood, but blues and yellows can also be seen.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Scenic Sunday | 10 Comments »

SkyWatch Friday: Niagara River Clouds

September 30, 2011

The Niagara River and Peace Bridge, Squaw Island, New York. September 11, 2011.

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.

My daughter and her husband live near Buffalo, New York, and they showed us around when we visited them earlier this month.  We didn’t make it to Niagara Falls, but we did get to the Niagara River.  One of the places we visited was Squaw Island, on the northern outskirts of Buffalo.

I captured these pictures of the colds above the river from Squaw Island.  The picture above was taken looking south from the island.  The bridge is the Peace Bridge connecting Buffalo with Canada.

A railroad trestle between the U. S. and Canada, Squaw Island, New York. September 11, 2011.

This second picture was taken looking north toward a railroad trestle running between the two countries.  I like the way the big white cloud is looming over the bridge.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 20 Comments »

My Daughter, the Photographer

September 29, 2011

Kelly capturing the scenery at Whirlpool State Park, New York. September 10, 2011.

(This picture can be enlarged by clicking on it.  Clicking a second time will make it full-sized.)

Betsy and I went to Buffalo earlier this month to visit my daughter, Kelly, and her husband, Chuck.  Although they both have full-time jobs, Kelly is trying to get established as a photographer.

I’m not prejudiced, of course, but I think she’s pretty good — even if she does use a Nikon.  She’s shot several concerts, and was sent to San Diego in August by a record label to shoot a concert out there.  Kelly has already had a couple of shows, and she will have a show in Nashville in November, at the time of the CMA (Country Music Association) awards.

Chuck is a supportive husband in these endeavors, and serves as her manager.  They also make a pretty good-looking couple.  (Again I’m not the least bit prejudiced).

Kelly and Chuck, Whirlpool State Park, New York. September 10, 2011.

You can see a sample of Kelly’s work at

http://www.kellyeschultz.smugmug.com/.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Travels | 17 Comments »

Watery Wednesday #158: Riverside Walk

September 28, 2011

The Virgin River near the beginning of Riverside Walk. June 18, 2011.

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

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

During the summer visitors to Zion National Park have to take a shuttle to visit the places along Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.  The last shuttle stop, Temple of Sinawava, is also the trailhead for Riverside Walk.

Riverside Walk follows the Virgin River along a canyon which gets more and more narrow as we hike up stream.

The river became much narrower and dropped over rocks and ledges as we hiked up stream. June 18, 2011.

As we move up the canyon, we start seeing more cascades and drops along the narrowing canyon.  It’s hard to remember that this pretty little stream actually carved the canyon we were walking through.

The Virgin River near The Narrows. High water prevented us from going any further up the canyon. Zion National Park, Utah. June 18, 2011.

The trail was closed because of high water before we got to the narrowest part of the canyon, but we still got to enjoy the beauty all around us.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Watery Wednesday | 20 Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »