Posts Tagged ‘North Carolina’

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Watery Wednesday #155: Italian Garden

August 31, 2011

Lily pads in the Italian Garden, Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. August 5, 2011.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

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.

I’ve posted a couple of times about the Italian Gardens at the Biltmore Estate near Asheville, North Carolina, where we celebrated Betsy’s birthday.

Koi and reflections in an Italian Garden pool, Biltmore. August 5. 2011. (Photo by Betsy).

The Italian Garden is a water garden with three pools filled with water lilies like the ones above.  The pools also contain Koi, which Betsy captured along with a reflection of the cloudy sky.

Water lily in the Italian Garden, Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. August 5, 2011.

The water lilies were beautiful and showed some of the most vibrant colors I have seen in water lilies.

Water lily in the Italian Garden, Biltmore. August 5, 2011.

I liked the color of this lily as well as the reflection in the water.  The bee in the blossom was a nice bonus.

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Watery Wednesday | 18 Comments »

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.

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Travels | 17 Comments »

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.

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

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.

Tags:, ,
Posted in Scenic Sunday | 10 Comments »

My World: Birthday Sunshine

August 9, 2011

Sunflowers on the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. August 5, 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 went to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville on Betsy’s birthday.  There is so much to see and the gardens change with each season.  We visited the Italian Garden on this trip, and I’ll have pictures from there at a later date.

But as we were leaving the estate, we came upon a field of sunflowers.  Of course we had to stop and get some pictures.  We especially liked the mountains and hills in the background.

Sunflowers for the Birthday Girl. August 5, 2011. (Photo by Betsy)

The sunflowers themselves were big, bright and beautiful, as you can see in this picture Betsy captured.

Betsy enjoying her birthday sunflowers. Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina. August 5, 2011.

But I personally think that the sunflowers paled in comparison to the smile of my Beautiful Bride.

Tags:, , ,
Posted in My World | 18 Comments »

Scenic Sunday: Above the Clouds (Sometimes)

August 7, 2011

Looking down on clouds from View John Rock overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina. August 4, 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.

I took Betsy to Asheville, North Carolina, to celebrate her birthday.  Fortunately we both love that part of the country and are happy for any excuse to go there.  As usual, we were in no hurry, so we took the scenic route by getting on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Maggie Valley and taking that to Asheville.  It took much longer than the interstate would have taken, but the scenery was much more enjoyable.

Thursday started out partly cloudy, but as the afternoon wore on the skies became more and more overcast.  We found it hard to get good pictures until we got near View John Rock overlook (Milepost 419).  There we found we could look down on clouds in the valleys below us, as you can see from the picture above.

The view from Cherry Cove overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina. August 4, 2011.

We stopped at the next several overlooks if we could see clouds below us.  This gave us a very pretty view, even if the day was cloudy.

Blue skies above low clouds in the valleys. August 4, 2011.

As we approached Mount Pisgah, breaks began to appear in the clouds overhead.  This allowed us to see blue skies and sun light above the clouds in the valley below.

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Scenic Sunday | 12 Comments »

Down Memory Lane: The Blue Ridge Parkway

May 26, 2011

In October, 2009, Betsy and I took the scenic route home from Maggie Valley, North Carolina, by taking the Blue Ridge Parkway from Maggie Valley to its southern terminus in the Smokies.  Although we were a little late to see the best of the autumn colors, the mountains were still a glorious sight, which we thoroughly enjoyed, stopping at just about every overlook on our way.

To see larger versions of these pictures and others, click HERE.

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Travels | 22 Comments »

Skywatch Friday: Clouds Over the Ocean

May 20, 2011

Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 4, 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 visiting the beach, I’m never sure which is most picturesque — the ocean or the sky.  I got this shot one afternoon while walking along the beach.  It was a gorgeous day and I was intrigued by the clouds floating across that beautiful blue sky.

By the way, the blip on the horizon is a casino boat heading back to Little River, South Carolina after the morning gambling cruise.

Tags:, ,
Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 16 Comments »

Reflections in the Sand

May 19, 2011

The pier at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 2, 2011.

One morning, as I was walking along the beach at Ocean Isle toward the pier, I was struck by the reflection of the pier in the wet sand.  It was nearing low tide, and there was plenty of wet sand to capture the reflections of the supports.

Tags:, ,
Posted in Travels | 13 Comments »

Watery Wednesday #140: Ocean Isle Beach

May 18, 2011

Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 2, 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.

The pier on Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, is a great visual landmark that can be seen all along the beach.

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Watery Wednesday | 14 Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »