Posts Tagged ‘Scenic Sunday’

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Scenic Sunday # 99: Fontana Lake

June 6, 2010

Fontana Lake, North Carolina. May 30, 2009.

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.

When Betsy and I travel east from the Plateau, we often travel on back roads rather than the interstate.  Depending on our destination we will at times travel through the ‘backside of the Smokies’.  This part of the park doesn’t have the tourist attractions of Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg, but it does have some beautiful scenery.  We captured this scene at an overlook of Fontana Lake in North Carolina.

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Scenic Sunday #97: Evening in the Mountains

May 23, 2010

Late afternoon in western North Carolina. July 10, 2009.

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.

Our yard and garden has been keeping me busy, so I haven’t had much time to work on pictures.  As a result I’ve gone back to my archives for this picture.

We were in the mountains of western North Carolina last July visiting family.  The day had been overcast, but in the late afternoon we were treated to rays of sunlight breaking through the clouds.

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Scenic Sunday #96: Calabash, North Carolina

May 16, 2010

Calabash, North Carolina, waterfront. May 3, 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.

The picture above is of the Calash, North Carolina, waterfront.  Calabash is a fishing town and those are fishing boats at the dock.  Although the largest boats are shrimp boats, there are also charter boats available for deep sea fishing.  The inlet leading to the intracoastal waterway and the Atlantic is to the right front of the picture.

Calabash is also the location of some fabulous seafood restaurants.  To the left of the boats in the foreground (across the dock and some marsh land) is the Dockside Restaurant.  Calabash is just above the North Carolina – South Carolina border and only a few miles from North Myrtle Beach.  If you are in the area and want some great seafood, visit the Dockside or one of the other restaurants along the waterfront.

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Scenic Sunday #91: Dunes

April 11, 2010

Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 4, 2009.

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.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is a popular beach destination for people living in our part of Tennessee.  It has beautiful beaches and lots of attractions for tourists, so it also has many people on the beach just about any time of the year.

Betsy and I go to Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, which is a few miles north of Myrtle Beach.  There aren’t as many people on the beach, but the beach is still beautiful and is backed by dunes that are very scenic in their own right.

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Scenic Sunday #89: Cades Cove

March 28, 2010

Fields in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

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.

Cades Cove is probably the most visited part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  The Cades Cove Loop road is a wonderful way to see lush fields, old homesteads and  plentiful wildlife.  BUT NOTE:  THE CADES COVE ROAD IS NOW BEING RESURFACED AND IS CLOSED UNTIL MAY 21, 2010.

The Cove has been preserved by the park to look much the way it looked in the 1800s.  It was once a small mountain community with settlers mainly from Virginia, North Carolina and upper east Tennessee.  Today Cades Cove contains original pioneer homesteads, barns, businesses, pastures and farmland.

When driving the loop most of the settlers’ homes and homesites are on the outside of the road, while there are acres of grass and wildflower fields on the inside.  Those fields were once used for growing wheat, corn and cattle.

If you are on a tight schedule or are in a hurry, stay away from Cades Cove.  If you would like to step back into time, Cades Cove would be a wonderful place to visit.

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Today I’m thankful for all the people and organizations that preserve the past for us to enjoy and learn from today.

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Scenic Sunday #88: The Great Wall

March 21, 2010

The Great Wall at Badaling near Beijing. June, 1987.

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.

Among the high points in my life have been my times teaching in China.  I taught in China on four different occasions.  I was over there for the first time in 1987 and first climbed the Great Wall in June of that year.

The picture above was taken at Badaling, the pass nearest Beijing with a gate in the wall.  You can see the gate in the center left of the picture (which can enlarged).  I climbed up to the third watch tower on one side of the pass, which is where I took the picture.  At that time there were many Chinese visiting the Wall, but very few foreigners.

Our guide said that anyone making it to that third tower would become a “Hero of the People’s Republic”.  I was the only member of our group that became a “Hero” that day.  My legs felt rubbery by the time I got back down, but the climb was definitely worth it.

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Today I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to visit some of the far corners of our world.

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Scenic Sunday #87: Sunrise on Mount Nebo

March 14, 2010

Sunrise from 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.

If you’ve come to this blog on a regular basis, you know that Mount Nebo in Arkansas is a favorite place for Betsy and me.  We’ve made several trips there, always staying in ‘our’ cabin at the top of the mountain.

Mount Nebo gives us a chance to forget about the cares of the world, to relax, hike, and visit waterfalls.  It also gives us a wonderful place to see the beginning and the ending of the day.

The photo above was taken at Sunrise Point on Mount Nebo.

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Today I’m grateful for the opportunities present in each new morning.

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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.

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

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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.

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

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Scenic Sunday #82: After the Storm

February 7, 2010

In front of our house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 31, 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.

Perhaps I shouldn’t post this after a weekend during which so many people had to endure a blizzard, but I can’t resist.

This was the picture in front of our house a week ago.  The storm had passed and Sunday morning presented us with a bright blue sky.  The sun glistened off the ice on the trees and the new-fallen snow was clean and white.  We don’t often get a scene like this in Tennessee, so it certainly qualifies as scenic to us.

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I’m grateful that after all the storms of life there is always a new day full of hope and promise.

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