(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
The Smokies are are wonderful to visit any time of the year, and Betsy and I try to get to them as often as we can. I think Spring is our favorite season for visiting, but Autumn can be amazing as well. We often drive the Foothills Parkway, which is technically outside the park, but which does provide beautiful views of the mountains. I got this picture of the sky and the mountains from the parkway a few years ago.
(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
On our visit to Biltmore last month, Betsy and I roamed the grounds of the estate as we went from the Italian Garden to the Walled Garden. It was a beautiful day, and during a rest stop on our walk I snapped this picture of the house.
(Note: These pictures may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
I sometimes feel as if I don’t spend enough time looking up == specifically looking up at the sky. There is so much variety and grandeur in the sky above us: fascinating clouds and vibrant colors. It’s a shame that all of this is missed because I spend so much time looking at things on the ground.
The picture above was taken on the golf course behind our house on a beautiful September evening.
Betsy along the bank of the Cape Fear River at Brunswick Town
(Note: These pictures may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
For several years Betsy and I would visit Ocean Isle Beach in May as well as after Thanksgiving. One year, on a cloudy, rainy day during our vacation, Betsy and I headed toward Wilmington to see what we could see. One of the places we visited was Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson Historic Site.
Betsy in the graveyard of St. Phillip’s church.
Brunswick was a major pre-Revolutionary War port on North Carolina’s Cape Fear River. It was razed by British troops in 1776 and never rebuilt. Colonial foundations can still be seen on the site of the village, as well as the ruins of St. Phillip’s church and its graveyard.
Earthworks of Fort Anderson
During the Civil War, Fort Anderson was constructed atop the old village site, and served as part of the Cape Fear River defenses below Wilmington before the fall of the Confederacy. Remains of the earthworks of Fort Anderson can still be seen. Some of the huts built as winter quarters for the Confederate troops are on the site as well.
Huts built for troops stationed at Fort Anderson.
Some of the batteries of Fort Anderson could still be seen, although the artillery that would have been in them was not there.
One of the batteries of Fort Anderson.
All-in-all it was a nice way to spend a rainy day.
(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
A relatively new rose for us is Bride. And while she’s not as pretty as My Beautiful Bride, I still thinks she looks pretty good. We’re always happy to see her in bloom.
(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
Looking Glass Rock is a prominent landmark in the Pisgah Forest of North Carolina. The rock — really a mountain — rises to an elevation of nearly 4,000 feet above the valley. The granite surfaces of the mountain reflect the sunlight, which gave the mountain its name.
I got this picture of Looking Glass Rock from an overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
When Betsy and I visit Pisgah Inn, the early mornings are often foggy or very cloudy. But this year we had a morning on which the sky was mostly clear at dawn. I was able to get some pictures of the color in the sky, even though there was some for in the valleys below. O, What a Beautiful Mornin’! June 24, 2024.
(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
For the past several years Betsy and I have been celebrating our wedding anniversary at the Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville, North Carolina. The inn has a wonderful restaurant, and the views from the rooms are absolutely beautiful. And it helps that we’re high enough in the mountains that air conditioning is not needed. I imagine we’ll keep going back for more years to come.
(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
The iris in our yard have finished their blooming cycle several weeks ago, but I still remember how wonderful some of them looked. Daughter of Star iris was new this year, but I think she was beautiful.
(Note: This picture may be enlarged by clicking on it using Control-click or right-click.)
While visiting my son in Florida this past March, we were sitting in his back yard enjoying the setting sun. After the sun disappeared, I captured this photo of the sky through the trees in the yard.
Senior Moments 