SkyWatch Friday: Virginia Skies

August 26, 2011

Devil's Backbone Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia. August 5, 2010.

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.

I feel I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off for the past several days, so I went to my archives for this sky picture.

In August of last year Betsy and I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway north from Asheville, North Carolina, into Virginia.  The Parkway is one of our favorite drives, and we had a beautiful, but cloudy day.

When we stopped at the Devil’s Backbone overlook in Virginia, we found a beautiful blue hole in the clouds with sunlight streaming through.

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Dragonflies

August 25, 2011
Dragonfly at the Italian Garden on the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. August 5, 2011.

Dragonfly at the Italian Garden on the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. August 5, 2011.

While Betsy and I were in the Italian Garden at Biltmore, I was photographing water lilies when this dragonfly started flying around the blossoms I was trying to photograph.  When I moved to a different flower, it also moved.  I didn’t have the proper lens to get macro of the dragonfly, but I liked the way the wings looked in the sunlight, so I got the picture above.

Dragonfly at the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. August 5, 2011.

A little later I got him in a better pose.  I haven’t had much experience capturing critters like these, but I did like the way these pictures turned out.  I may have to try this again with the proper lens.

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Watery Wednesday #154: Biltmore Reflections

August 24, 2011

Sky and clouds reflected in a pool in the Italian Garden, Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. August 5, 2011.

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.

While taking pictures of some of the water lilies in Biltmore’s Italian Garden (you can see that HERE), I noticed this reflection of the sky in the water of one of the pools.  I couldn’t resist trying to capture the reflection (above).

Italian Garden, Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. August 5, 2011.

A little later I noticed a reflection of the house in the water.  It looked pretty good even if it was crowded among the lily pads and other aquatic plants.

Italian Garden, Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. August 5, 2011.

I found a spot with a little more clear water and was able to get  more of the house in the reflection.

Note:  I’ve tried to make the pictures larger when they are clicked and double-clicked.  Let me know what you think.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 13 Comments »

My World: August’s Full Moon

August 23, 2011

Full moon behind clouds, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. August 13, 2011.

We had a full moon on August 13, and I was looking forward to getting a good picture of the moon that evening.  Unfortunately, it seemed that Mother Nature had other ideas.  The day was very pleasant with a few clouds, but the clouds increased as evening approached.

The moon did a pretty good job of hiding behind the clouds when I first went out, but I noticed that the clouds were moving fairly quickly, so I stayed out with my camera, hoping for the best.

The full moon, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. August 13, 2011.

I finally got this almost cloud-free picture.  Maybe I’ll have better luck next month.

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Scenic Sunday: Biltmore’s Italian Garden

August 21, 2011

The Italian Garden on the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. August 5, 2011.

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.

We celebrated Betsy’s birthday a couple of weeks ago by going to the Biltmore Estate.  We have season passes and try to get there every month or so to see the beautiful gardens.  There are several gardens on the estate, which change with the seasons, and each is beautiful.

We spent most of our time on this visit in the Italian Garden, which is the garden closest to the house.  The garden was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (who also designed Central Park in New York City) as an outdoor room for George Vanderbilt and his guests.

One of the pools in Biltmore's Italian Garden. August 5, 2011.

The Italian Garden contains three symmetrical pools full of aquatic plants, beautiful lawns and classical statuary.  There are benches which invite people to sit and enjoy the beauty around them.  (To see another treatment of this photo, click HERE).

Water lilies, Biltmore, Asheville, North Carolina. August 5, 2011.

Much of the beauty of the Italian Garden comes from the gorgeous blossoms of the water lily.

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SkyWatch Friday: Plateau Evening Skies

August 19, 2011

Evening skies in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. August 7, 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.

I’ve posted several sky photos from our trip out west, commenting on the pretty sunsets out there.  But we can have pretty skies here on the Plateau of Tennessee as well.

I went out to the front yard one evening last week after the sun had dropped below the ridge to the west of our house.  The yard and road in front of the house were in deep shadows, but the clouds in the sky to the east were a beautiful red/gold.

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The Agate Bridge

August 18, 2011

The Agate Bridge at the Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. June 13, 2011.

The Agate Bridge in the Petrified Forest National Park is a 110-foot long petrified log across a gully washed out by centuries of flood waters.  The stone log, which was harder than the sandstone around it, resisted erosion and remained suspended as the softer rock beneath it washed away.

After the Petrified Forest National Monument was established in 1906, conservationists felt the bridge needed architectural support.  In 1911 masonry pillars were erected beneath the log.  In 1917 the pillars were replaced by the concrete span seen in the picture above.

Current National Park Service philosophy allows the natural forces to continue to act upon unusual features.  If it was discovered today, the Agate Bridge would be left in its natal state.  Even with the support placed under it nearly a century ago, the same forces that created the Agate Bridge will eventually cause it to fall.

For another perspective of the Agate Bridge click HERE.

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Watery Wednesday #153: The Virgin River

August 17, 2011

The Virgin River in Zion National Park, Utah. June 18, 2011. (Photo by Betsy)

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.

The Virgin River carved the Lower Zion Canyon, which is the main feature of Zion National Park in southern Utah.  The cliffs and rock formations were created by the river over thousands of years.

Betsy took this picture of the Virgin River while walking across a bridge near the Visitor Center in Zion National Park.  The river, while beautiful, doesn’t look especially powerful in this view.  But I like the way Betsy captured Bridge Mountain in the background.

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My World: First Sighting of Petrified Wood

August 16, 2011

Erosion at Blue Mesa, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. June 13, 2011.

This is my post for the My World meme.  It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, and Fishing Guy.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

When Betsy and I visited the Petrified National Park in June, we went into the park through the northern entrance.  As a result we first saw the Painted Desert, which  was absolutely beautiful.  We knew that we would see petrified wood as we drove south through the park.

Yesterday I posted about Blue Mesa, an area of the park where the effects of erosion can be readily seen.  The picture above was taken from an overlook on Blue Mesa.   If you look at the cliff across the valley, you’ll notice debris from erosion.

Petrified Wood at the base of a cliff at Blue Mesa. June 13, 2011.

My telephoto lens showed that the debris was petrified wood.  It was our first sighting of petrified wood, but definitely wouldn’t be our last.

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Scenic Sunday: Blue Mesa

August 14, 2011

The Painted Desert from an overlook on Blue Mesa, Petrified Forest National Park. June 13, 2011.

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 Blue Mesa is an area which is just about in the center of the Petrified Forest National Park.  It is reached by a scenic road and loop off the main park road.  The elevation of Blue Mesa is higher than those parts of the Painted Desert in the northern part of the park.  The view from Blue Mesa is fantastic, as can be seen from the picture above.

Erosion along the rim of Blue Mesa. June 13, 2011.

Because of a thicker protective sandstone cap, erosion around Blue Mesa has been slower than the erosion in other parts of the Painted Desert.  While erosion is obviously going on, the colors uncovered so far are darker than those of other parts of the Painted Desert.  As erosion continues the reds and pinks seen in the northern part of the park will be present at Blue Mesa as well.

View from the Blue Mesa Trail, Petrified Forest National Park. June 13, 2011.

At the northern end of Blue Mesa, the Blue Mesa trail makes a mile loop down into the badlands.  While we did not have time to hike the entire trail, we did hike far enough to see more of the work of erosion at Blue Mesa.

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