Down Memory Lane: November, 2001

March 8, 2010

Scenes from November, 2001.

Several weeks ago I came across a folder of pictures taken back in November, 2001.  That was the first November that Betsy and I were together.  It was also the first November that Betsy had been in Tennessee after several years in Louisiana and Texas, so she was still going ‘ga-ga’ over every bit of autumn color of she saw.

The highlight of the month was a trip we made to Saint Augustine, Florida, to see Betsy’s brother, Ray, and his wife Evelyn.  We went out for Thanksgiving dinner and were joined by Betsy’s son, Bert, and her grandson, Chris.

Ray and Evelyn gave us a tour of Saint Augustine while we were down there.  We visited the lighthouse as well as Ray and Evelyn’s church.  While at the the church Betsy practiced her preaching style from the pulpit.  It’s too bad there were only three of us in the congregation!

To see these pictures and others, click HERE.

********************

My sweet bride is ‘kidnapping’ me for a few days to celebrate my birthday.  She hasn’t told me where we are going, but I suspect our trip might involve some waterfalls.  I don’t know how often we’ll have internet connections, but I’ll try to visit with my iPod whenever I can.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Travels | 45 Comments »

Scenic Sunday #86: Hoarfrost on the Mountain

March 7, 2010

Hoarfrost on Mount Magazine, Arkansas. February 23, 2010.

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 picture was taken about two weeks ago on Mount Magazine in Arkansas.  This is another of our favorite hiking places in Arkansas.  Of course the fact that the lodge in the state park has an excellent restaurant with a terrific view doesn’t hurt either.

The day we were there was cold — just about perfect for visiting waterfalls and hiking.  But as we got higher up the mountain (Mount Magazine is the highest point in Arkansas) the temperature kept dropping.  When we got to the loop road at the top of the mountain we began to notice hoar frost in some of the trees.  Each time the road climb a few feet, more of the trees supported a coat of hoar frost.

When we came to an overlook we stopped to get some pictures.  The morning was cloudy, but the trees covered with hoar frost nestled among the bluffs and rocks of the mountain made a very beautiful scene.

********************

I’m grateful for the beauty that can be found at any time in our wonderful world.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Scenic Sunday | 14 Comments »

Hiking the Rim Trail

March 6, 2010

Scenes from the Rim Trail on Mount Nebo, Arkansas. March 10, 2009.

This post is a good indication of how far behind I am in getting my pictures organized.  One of these days …

As many of you know Betsy and I were at Mount Nebo, Arkansas a couple of weeks ago.  This is one of our favorite places to visit, and we’ve been there six times since we got married.  Last month I hiked one of my favorite trails on Mount Nebo, the Rim Trail.  The Rim Trail is a 3.5 mile trail that circles the mountain just below the top.  The trail offers some magnificent views of the mountains and the Arkansas River Valley.

But these pictures are from the hike I made in 2009.  The skies were better this year, but I don’t know when I’ll get this year’s pictures organized.  If I’m lucky it will be before we go back in 2011!

To see these pictures and others, click HERE.

********************

Betsy and I went to Hendersonville on Friday to help out my folks.  We found them to be in good spirits, but they are obviously getting more frail.  But I am grateful for each  opportunity to see them and to give them a helping hand.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Hiking | 10 Comments »

Skywatch Friday: Moon in Blue Skies

March 5, 2010

The moon in blue skies over Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas. February 24, 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’ve mentioned several times our visit to Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas in late February.  We enjoyed waterfalls, hikes, fascinating rock formations and sunshine and blue skies.  Near the Turtle Rocks we also saw this beautiful moon in the blue sky.

Tags: ,
Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 22 Comments »

Turtle Rocks

March 4, 2010

Turtle Rocks at Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas. February 24, 2010.

When Betsy and I visited Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas last week, we hiked a couple of trails which were new for us.  One of the trails was Rock House Trail, which is fairly short, but did lead us through the “Turtle Rocks” shown above.

“Turtle rocks” are mounded structures resembling a turtle shell which have been carved in thick sandstones.  Turtle Rocks are found only in Hartshorne Sandstone, which is found at several locations in the Arkansas River Valley.

It’s not known how the “turtle rocks” were created, but they are certainly are interesting.

Can you see the turtles through the trees?

As we followed another trail we spotted on “turtle” on another, as shown in the picture above.

The “Turtle Rocks” of Petit Jean certainly added to our day at the park.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Travels | 16 Comments »

Watery Wednesday #77: Cedar Falls

March 3, 2010

Cedar Falls, Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas. February 24, 2010.

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.

Cedar Falls, in Petit Jean State Park, is probably one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Arkansas.  Betsy and I visited Cedar Falls for the first time in November, 2006, and at that time we hiked to the base of the falls.  Last week we settled for viewing the falls from an observation deck on the rim of the canyon.  We had another hike we wanted to take, and besides, we had those new telephoto lenses to try out!

Cedar Falls is about 95 feet tall and is very impressive any time of the year.  I think it makes a wonderful post for Watery Wednesday.

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

My World: Remembering Our Roses (4)

March 2, 2010

More of our 2009 Roses

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.

March started out just as February ended — dreary, gray and cold.  I know Spring is supposed to officially arrive this month, but I’m still impatient.  To help me get through another day without sunshine I’m sharing some more of our roses from last year.

********************

I’m grateful for safe travel.

Tags: , ,
Posted in My World | 20 Comments »

Home From Arkansas

March 1, 2010

Betsy awaiting the sunset outside our cabin on Mount Nebo. February 23, 2010.

It’s nice to be home.

Betsy and I had a wonderful few days in Arkansas.  It  is difficult to decide on a single high point for our time there.  We was the sun (something we still haven’t been able to do in Tennessee), beautiful waterfalls, glorious sunrises, majestic sunsets, and fascinating rock formations.

We stayed at our favorite cabin in Mount Nebo State Park.  In late February the sun sets directly opposite the back deck.  We did have to go to the other side of the mountain to see the sunrise, but even that was definitely worth while.

Although we stayed at Mount Nebo, we also visited Mount Magazine and Petit Jean, two other nearby state parks.  We had been to each before, but we managed to see something new in each park.

We had thought we would return to Garvan Gardens on our way to Nebo to enjoy the spring flowers, but the cold weather had delayed most of the flowers, so we decided to check out some waterfalls in the Ouachita Mountains.  We had not been in that region before, and enjoyed seeing new sights and visiting new waterfalls.

Since both of us have new cameras you can imagine the number of pictures we took  (then again, maybe you can’t!).  We’ll share some of those with you in the days ahead.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Travels | 15 Comments »

Scenic Sunday # 84: Mount Nebo, Arkansas

February 21, 2010

Sunset on Mount Nebo, Arkansas. December 2, 2008.

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 picture above was taken at Sunset Point in Mount Nebo State Park, Arkansas.  Betsy and I are leaving for Mount Nebo early Sunday morning.  We have a favorite cabin on the mountain top and we always stay there when we visit the mountain.  This will be our sixth visit.  Can you tell that we like it there?

There are a couple of waterfalls on the mountain and several nice hiking trails, so I don’t think we’ll run out of things to do.  If we do decide to get off the mountain there are plenty of other waterfalls and beautiful scenes in the area.

I won’t be doing any new posts until we get back home.  I will have my iPod Touch with me, and if we can get internet service, I’ll visit as best I can.

********************

I’m grateful for the opportunity to return to places that are special to my Beautiful Bride and me.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Scenic Sunday | 17 Comments »

What is RAW Format?

February 20, 2010

Little River Falls, Fort Payne, Alabama. February 14, 2010.

I’ve mentioned, in connection with my new camera, that I’m experimenting with RAW format images.  Several people have asked me about RAW, so I thought I would share what little I know about it.

Until I got this new camera (a Canon EOS Rebel T1i) my digital cameras saved images as JPEG files (some digital cameras use TIFF format).  In order to get the JPEG file the camera converts the light striking the sensor in the camera to something that we can see.  JPEG files typically are made up of 8 bits of data per color per pixel.  But the sensor can provide 14 or more bits of data per color per pixel.  We can see the JPEG image, but the conversion uses only part of the recorded data.

I know I’m showing my age, but think of the days when cameras used film.  A JPEG file is like a print or a slide — we can see the image.  A RAW file contains all the data the camera can provide (those 14 bits per color per pixel) but it is like undeveloped film — we can’t see the image until some processing is done.  In working with RAW format I have to do the work that the camera does with JPEG.

So what have I learned after a week of experimenting?  The most obvious thing is that RAW files are much bigger than JPEG files (about four times bigger in my case).  Another thing is that to take full advantage of RAW data, special software is needed (Canon included software with the camera).  On the other hand, since all of the sensor data is present, images can be ‘fixed’ in ways that might not be possible otherwise.  It is even possible to change some of the picture settings after the picture has been taken (it looks better with landscape settings than with standard settings).

Right now I’m not sure how much I will use RAW.  I’m cheating right now and am saving images as both RAW and JPEG files.  The card in the camera is big enough that I can take several hundred pictures before I have to download to my computer, so I’ll probably continue to do that while I learn more about the things I can do with the RAW format.

Tags: ,
Posted in Technology | 16 Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »