Skywatch Friday: A Cloudy Mountain Morning

March 18, 2011

A morning view from the lodge at Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia. March 10, 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.

When Betsy surprised me with a birthday trip to Amicalola State Park in Georgia last week, we had a room at the mountain top lodge with a view of the mountains.  This picture was taken through the window last Thursday (March 10).  The clouds were threatening, but had lifted enough the at we could see across the valley to the mountains on the other side.

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Betsy at Amicalola Falls

March 17, 2011

Betsy at Amicalola Falls, Georgia. March 9, 2011.

Betsy usually doesn’t like me to take pictures of her.  She doesn’t realize how beautiful her smile truly is.  But I think even Betsy can appreciate the ‘drawing’ of her shown above.  It shows Betsy along the lower part of Amicalola Falls back on March 9.

I’m not an artist, but I did create this ‘work of art’.  Scott, in his wonderful photo blog Finding Another View, had a post about changing a photo into a line drawing using Photoshop.  He said it was easy, and it must be because I got it to work for me.


This is the picture I took of Betsy and which is the basis for the line drawing (don’t tell her I posted the picture as well).  I can’t say I like it any less than the ‘drawing’.  I’m just glad they both show that million-dollar smile.

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Posted in Betsy | 17 Comments »

Watery Wednesday #131: Yahoola Creek Dam

March 16, 2011

Yahoola Creek Dam, Dahlonega, Georgia. March 9, 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.

Betsy and I were driving around Dahlonega, Georgia, last Wednesday (March 9), when we crossed Yahoola Creek below the dam which forms Lake Zwerner.  The water overflowing the dam looked so pretty that I just had to stop and snap this picture.

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My World: Mill Creek

March 15, 2011

The Shoals of Mill Creek, Cohutta Wilderness, Georgia. March 8, 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.

Last Tuesday (March 8) Betsy and I returned to Mill Creek in the Cohutta Wilderness Area of north Georgia.  We had been to Mill Creek a couple of times before, but we like the area, and since we were nearby, we decided to visit again.

One of the nice things about Mill Creek is the cascade, or shoals, which are reached after a fairly short hike from the parking/camping area.  The shoals, as you can see from the picture above, are quite beautiful.  The rocks about midway down the shoals, from where this picture was taken, provide a nice spot to sit and enjoy the movement of the water.

Mill Creek is reached from Crandall, Georgia, by traveling along Mill Creek Road (Forest Service Road 630).  The road is not paved, but is graveled and in pretty good shape.  Mrs. P, our Prius, got us into the forest and back out without any problems.  (You can click on the map to make it easier to read.)

There are four waterfalls below the shoals, but since we had seen them before and it was getting ready to rain, we decided not to revisit them.

Besides, I had something much more pleasant in mind as we sat on those rocks by the shoals.

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Not Bad For an Old Man

March 14, 2011

Amicalola Falls, Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia. March 9, 2011.

Betsy arranged a surprise birthday trip to northern Georgia for us.  We went to Amicalola Falls State Park and stayed at the lodge on top of the mountain.  Amicalola Falls is the highest waterfall in Georgia at 729 feet.  The waterfall consists of a long drop followed by a series of cascades.

We arrived at the park late Tuesday afternoon after visiting some other waterfalls on the way.  It started raining Tuesday evening and rained throughout the night.  It was still raining Wednesday morning (my birthday).

There were some advantages to all that rain.  One was that there was a lot of water going over the falls when we visited it Wednesday morning.  The other advantage was that we had this glorious waterfall all to ourselves.

We drove down the mountain to the pool at the base of the falls, and then started hiking up a trail along the cascades to an observation deck near the base of the drop.  The picture above was taken from the observation deck, and you can see the amount of water coming down the mountain.

When we got to the observation deck I noticed a bridge across the falls higher up the mountain (you can see it in the picture above).  I wondered if I could get better pictures from the bridge.

A sign gave a good reason for not going up there, but I thought I would give it a try.  What better way to celebrate my birthday?

Well, I made it to the bridge.  Betsy, who has more sense than I do, stayed at the observation deck and got this picture of me (you have to look closely — I’m waving to her) up there.

I made it back down to the observation deck.  You have to look closely, but I was even smiling as I got back to Betsy.

All in all I had a great birthday!

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Posted in Waterfalls | 24 Comments »

Skywatch Friday: Antigua Sunrise

March 11, 2011

Morning sky off the coast of Antigua. September 12, 2001.

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.

This has been a very busy week with little time to work on the computer, so I’ve selected a picture from my archives for Skywatch.

The picture above was taken shortly after sunrise as our cruise ship approached the island of Antigua in the Caribbean.  I really like the peach/pink color on the forward edge of the clouds.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 20 Comments »

My World: Crocus Pickwick in bloom

March 8, 2011

Crocus Pickwick, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. March 1, 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 have good news and bad news on our Spring Watch this week.  The good news is that the crocus are blooming — Spring colors have begun.  The bad news is that they are blooming about two weeks early than they did last year.  I’m not sure Old Man Winter has agreed to stay away for good.

Crocus Pickwick, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. March 3, 2011.

But there’s nothing we can do about that, so we’re just enjoying the crocus as they brighten up our yard.

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Scenic Sunday #137: Antigua Sunset

March 6, 2011

Sunset off the island of Antigua. September 12, 2001.

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.

I went to my archives to find this picture of a sunset off the island of Antigua.  Sunrises and sunsets seem to be more spectacular at sea, and I consider this one to be very scenic.

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 18 Comments »

Skywatch Friday: Moon and Clouds

March 4, 2011

Moon and clouds, Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. December 22, 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.

One evening while Betsy and I were at the beach, an almost full-moon was playing peekaboo with the clouds.  I captured this picture from the balcony of our room.

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Colors Other Than White or Brown

March 3, 2011

Yellow Pansies, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 24, 2011.

We’re finally beginning to see some colors other than white or brown in the yard.  Although it is only early March, Daffodils and Tulips are pushing up through the soil.  Our roses are beginning to show signs of new growth.

The pansies have emerged from under the snow and have shaken off the effects of freezing temperatures.  The yellow beauties above aren’t perfect examples of pansy blossoms, but they are definitely sunny and cheerful.

Crocus in bloom, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. February 23, 2011.

Betsy even found a crocus in bloom.  It was small, but there were three blossoms in all.  Looking at them I could almost think I was dreaming, but the picture is real.  We had crocus in bloom in late February.

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Posted in Glade | 15 Comments »

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