Watery Wednesday #136: Bass Pond Falls

April 20, 2011

Bass Pond Falls, Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. March 14, 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.

As most of you know, Betsy and I find it hard to go any place without looking for a waterfall or two.  When we were at Biltmore in February we noticed a Waterfall Trail, but didn’t have time to check it out.  Last week we walked that trail and came to the waterfall shown above.

True, Bass Pond Falls is man-made.  The falls is formed by a dam built to create the bass pond.  But it is still a pretty 15-foot drop.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 16 Comments »

My World: Tip-Toeing Through the Tulips

April 19, 2011

Tulips at the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. April 14, 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.

The Walled Garden (so-called because it is surrounded by a wall) at Biltmore is a formal garden with symmetrical flower beds arranged in patterns.  When we were there last week, most of the blooming flowers were tulips.

Tulips at the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. April 14, 2011.

Most of the beds contained two varieties of tulips, selected for their complementary colors.  Sometimes the differences in the shades were subtle, as in this bed of purple tulips.

Tulips at the Biltlmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. April 14, 2011.

The tulip beds at Biltmore were a riot of rich and beautiful color.

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Posted in My World | 21 Comments »

Scenic Sunday # 143: Biltmore Azaleas

April 17, 2011

Azaleas and a dogwood tree at Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. March 14, 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.

This past Thursday Betsy and I returned to the Biltmore Estate near Asheville, North Carolina.  We went to see the tulips as part of their Festival of Flowers, but once we got there we were so taken by the beautiful azaleas and dogwoods in bloom that we checked out the Azalea Garden first.  The picture above was taken near the start of the path through Azalea Garden.  The colors were absolutely spectacular.

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 17 Comments »

SkyWatch Friday: Mount Nebo Sunset

April 15, 2011

The setting sun from Sunset Point, Mount Nebo, Arkansas. March 28, 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 mentioned before that the weather wasn’t exactly cooperative during our trip to Mount Nebo in Arkansas.  The day we drove there was partly cloudy, but when we went to Sunset Point we found that the sun was setting behind a thick bank of clouds.  But those same clouds gave us the beautiful sight in the picture above.

The setting sun from our cabin on Mount Nebo, Arkansas. March 28, 2011.

Later the clouds parted enough to allow us to see this golden glow from our cabin.  Sunsets from Mount Nebo are always special.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 18 Comments »

Dogwood Winter

April 14, 2011

Dogwood blossoms, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 12, 2011.

Last weekend we had near-record high temperatures.  The temperature Friday was over 80°, which is more like the highs in July rather than April.  Monday and Tuesday we had the heat on and a fire in the fireplace.

Such is Dogwood Winter.  Dogwood Winter is a cold spell following warm weather that occurs as the dogwood trees are blooming.  Our dogwood tree is in fact blooming as you can see from the photo above.  We can only hope that Dogwood  Winter is nice and short.

Dogwood blossom, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 21, 2011.

The blossoms of the dogwood tree are in fact very beautiful.  It’s a shame that the name of this pretty tree got associated with a stretch of cold weather.

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Watery Wednesday #135: Threads of Water

April 13, 2011

Cascade near Big Branch Falls, Erwin, Tennessee. December 10, 2009.

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 lighting wasn’t the greatest, but I like the way the water flowed over and around rocks at Big Branch Falls near Erwin, Tennessee.  A slow shutter speed created threads of water flowing down the hill.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 22 Comments »

My World: Spring Blossoms

April 12, 2011

Pink Charm daffodils, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. March 23, 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.

We’ve enjoyed some beautiful weather since we got back from Arkansas, and our yard has responded by putting on a show.  Most of the daffodils are now gone, but they were pretty while they lasted.  The daffodils above are Pink Charm.

Shrike Daffodil, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. March 23, 2011.

We did have some new daffodils this year, including Shrike.  I have no idea how it got that name, but it sure is pretty.

Red Dynasty tulips, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. April 7, 2011.

The only good thing about the daffodils starting to fade away is that the tulips begin to take center stage.  These Red Dynasty tulips are in the new flower bed in front of the house.

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The doctor visit went about as well as can be expected.  The disc problems are pinching the nerves leading to my legs.  Surgery is the only ‘cure’, but it should be viewed as a last resort.  For now medication is controlling the pain, so I’m going to continue doing my ‘things’ as long as I can.  Thanks for those prayers and good thoughts.

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Posted in My World | 19 Comments »

Scenic Sunday #142: Foggy Morning Sunrise

April 11, 2011

Sunrise from Sunrise Point, Mt. Nebo State Park, Arkansas. April 1, 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 weather wasn’t exactly cooperative when we went to Arkansas this year.  I think we had more rain, fog and mist than we’ve ever had.  But even those conditions made for some interesting pictures, at least as far as I was concerned.

Friday morning Betsy and I got up to see the sunrise.  But when we got to Sunrise Point we found clouds in sky and fog in the valley below.  As the sun came up we could see a band of light between the clouds and fog, and the bright orange color told us that the sun was indeed rising.

View from Sunrise Point, Mt. Nebo State Park, Arkansas. April 1, 2011.

As the sun got higher the light got brighter.  The clouds took on a scalloped appearance and the fog in the valley began to break up.  In many ways it seemed that we were all alone at the top of the world.

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On a more personal note, later today (Monday) I have an appointment with a neurosurgeon.  A recent MRI showed signs of ‘chronic fairly severe degenerative disc disease’ and ‘moderate to severe facet arthritis’.  I’m the first to confess that I don’t know what this means as far as future gardening and hiking is concerned, but any prayers and good thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 17 Comments »

SkyWatch Friday: Foggy Sunset

April 8, 2011

A foggy sunset on Mount Nebo, Arkansas. March 31, 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.

The weather was not very cooperative during the time we were in Arkansas.  We had several dreary days with rain and fog.  But on the last evening we were there the setting sun made a valiant effort to cut through the fog and mist.  The sun broke through enough to cause a nice reflection on the wet rocks at the rim of the mountain.

Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 24 Comments »

On Top of the World

April 7, 2011

The view from Sunrise Point on Mount Nebo, Arkansas. April 1, 2011.

Betsy and I got up a couple of mornings to go to Sunrise Point on Mount Nebo to see the sunrise.  The first time it was so cloudy and foggy that we couldn’t even see the sun.

On our last morning it was nice and clear on top of the mountain, but when we got to Sunrise Point we were looking down on clouds and fog in the valley below.  It really wasn’t the view we were expecting, but I thought the predawn scene was pretty neat.  We felt on top of the world looking down at those clouds.

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Posted in Travels | 16 Comments »

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