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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.
Even though it’s January with cold temperatures and gray skies, it’s nice to remember the blue skies and white clouds of summer. This picture was taken in June here on the Cumberland Plateau not far from our house.
Bald River Falls, Tellico Plains, Tennessee. June 18, 2010.
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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 I mentioned in last week’s Watery Wednesday post, while Betsy, who was recovering from knee surgery, enjoyed Bald River Falls, I hiked along the river above the falls and found three other waterfalls and a cascade. I told about the first waterfall and the cascade in that previous post.
The trail (Bald River Trail #88) got more difficult once I got above Bald River Cascades. I did find two more waterfalls, but was not able to get real good views of either.
Suislide Falls, Tellico Plains, Tennessee. June 18, 2010.
I could only view Suislide Falls from the top of the falls. Suislide (I have no idea how it got that name) Falls drops approximately 30 feet. If I get back there I would like to see if I can bushwhack to the base of the falls, but I didn’t have time to try anything like that on this visit.
Shallow Falls, Tellico Plains, Tennessee. June 18, 2011.
Shallow Falls is immediately upstream from Suislide Falls. It drops from 15 to 20 feet, and I was able to get a pretty good shot of it with my telephoto lens. I would like to do some bushwhacking around this waterfall as well, but that, too, will have to wait for another time.
I was a little over half a mile from Bald River Falls when I spotted Shallow Falls, and it was time to head back to my Beautiful Bride.
Farm and mountains in Grassy Cove, Tennessee. July 18, 2010.
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This is my post for the Our World meme. This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies. To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.
With all the technology we have in our lives — computers, smart phones, the world wide web, satellite television — it sometimes feels as if we are all living at a fast pace in a large city. But of course, that’s not true.
Some of us are fortunate enough to live a slower-paced life in a rural area. The Plateau of Tennessee is one of those places. One of our favorite areas up here is Grassy Cove south of Crossville. Driving some of the back roads is almost like going back in time.
A barn in Grassy Cove, Tennessee. July 18, 2010.
These pictures were taken back in July. Green grass, blue skies, mountains, and a red barn. Life can’t get much better than this.
The moon over Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 22, 2010.
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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 was going through some of my archived photos when I came across this picture of the moon taken back in June, 2010. Looking more closely at the photo, I noticed craters and ridges on the lower left side of the moon. This may be the best picture of the moon I have taken that shows these features. I’m posting a photo that is large and can be enlarged twice. That’s the best way to see the craters and ridges. I hope you find the photo as interesting as I do.
Bald River Falls, Tellico Plains, Tennessee. June 18, 2010.
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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 have been to Bald River Falls, near Tellico Plains, Tennessee, several times. The waterfall is pretty and can be seen from the road. We went to see Bald River Falls in June, 2010, while Betsy was recovering from knee surgery since she could enjoy the waterfall without doing much walking.
We had known that there was a hiking trail (Bald River Trail #88) along the river above the falls, but we had never hiked it. So while Betsy was enjoying Bald River Falls, I took a quick hike along the trail to see what I could find.
Kahuna Falls, Tellico Plains, Tennessee. June 18, 2011.
What I found was three additional waterfalls and a cascade along Bald River above the main falls. The first new water fall I came upon was Kahuna Falls, which is just a short distance above Bald River Falls. Kahuna Falls is 10 – 15 feet high.
Bald River Cascades, Tellico Plains, Tennessee. June 18, 2011.
Continuing upstream, I came upon Bald River Cascades. The river tumbles down a series of steps, with a total drop about equal to the drop of Kahuna Falls.
I’ll share the last two waterfalls in a later post.
Cumberland Plateau sunset, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 12, 2009.
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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.
There are many of advantages to living on the Plateau, one of which is the beautiful sunsets we often see, especially in winter. This picture was taken on the Druid Hills Golf Course in January, 2009.
West Prong Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. December 11, 2011.
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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.
2011 was a ‘wet’ year in our part of Tennessee, with an above-average rainfall. The results of this rainfall was apparent to Betsy and me when we visited the Smokies last month. Waterfalls in December are often reduced to a trickle, but the water-levels were up when we visited.
West Prong Falls is a pretty little waterfall on the road to Cades Cove. I didn’t bushwhack to the base of the falls, but the light and shadows on the water when viewing the waterfall from the road were pretty.
West Prong Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. December 11, 2011.
My zoom lens let me get a closer look at a part of the falls.
An ice-covered tree in our front yard, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. January 31, 2010.
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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.
Winter is not my favorite season of the year (just ask Betsy), but I will admit that at times it can be quite beautiful. This picture was taken back in 2010, the day after an ice storm here on the Plateau. The sky was an unbelievable blue that beautifully set off the ice-covered branches of a tree in our front yard.
The Townsend 'Y'. Image from Google Earth.
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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.
When Betsy and I go to the Smokies, we usually enter the park from Townsend, Tennessee. Shortly after entering the park, we get to the ‘Y’. As you can see from the photo above, there are a couple of reasons why the ‘Y’ is called the ‘Y’. The road into the park splits at this point, with one branch going to Cades Cove and the other going to Gatlinburg. This is also where the West Prong of the Little River joins the Little River.
The ‘Y’ is a popular spot and is usually very crowded. But earlier this month the parking lot was practically deserted, so we decided to stop and check out the rapids.
Little River, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. December 11, 2011. (Photo by Betsy)
One of the first things we noticed was how clear the water was. Betsy did a great job of capturing the clarity of the river at this point.
Tree in the middle of Little River, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. December 11, 2011.
I was attracted by the rapids and the unusual tree growing in the middle of the stream.
Little River at the 'Y', Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. December 11, 2011.
It was a real treat to have this beautiful, peaceful scene to ourselves. The Smokies are a fantastic place to visit any time of the year.
Pigeon Forge Holiday Inn, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. December 11, 2011.
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This is my post for the Our World meme. This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies. To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.
Earlier this month Betsy and I went to the Smokies and, after enjoying a day in the mountains, we met our friends Judy and Charlie for dinner and then a tour of the Christmas lights in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.
Some of the lights were very straightforward and welcoming, letting us know exactly where we were.
The Old Mill in Lights, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. December 11, 2011.
We spotted an old watermill up on a mountainside. There were even trees and a stream in lights.
Hickory Dickery Dock, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. December 11, 2011.
Other displays were more fanciful. We spotted mice running down a clock,
The Cow Jumped Over the Moon, PIgeon Forge, Tennessee. December 11, 2011.
and a cow jumping over the moon.
Christmas Tree, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. December 11, 2011.
But in many ways the prettiest lights were on a traditional Christmas tree.
Senior Moments 