Posts Tagged ‘Tennessee’

Moon Over the Glade

December 13, 2010

Moon Over Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. December 10, 2010.

As some of you may know, I’ve been trying to learn how to use the manual settings on the new camera I got earlier in the year.  I think I’ve managed to get some pretty good pictures in daylight, but nighttime photography is something I’m still working on.

Friday night we had a nice quarter moon in the sky over the Glade, so I put my 250mm lens on my camera and went out with my tripod to see what I could get.  I like the picture above, but next time I experiment on moon photography I think I’ll ask to borrow Betsy’s 300mm lens.

 

Watery Wednesday #117: Rainbow Falls

December 8, 2010

Rainbow Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. May 6, 2007.

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.

Rainbow Falls in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the tallest waterfall the park.  The water free falls 75 feet from the brink to the pool at the base.  The hike to get to the waterfall is fairly strenuous, but it is definitely worth the effort.  This picture was taken in May a few years ago.

Skywatch Friday: November Sunrise

November 19, 2010

Early morning in the Glade. November 12, 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.

Last week we had to get up earlier than usual so Betsy could keep an appointment to get her hair cut.  When I went to the car with her to see her off, I noticed this beautiful sky.  Of course I had to grab my camera and take a picture.

The picture above was taken from the street in front of our house, as you could probably guess from the power lines.  But the color was so nice that I’m posting it anyway.

Morning sky from the golf course behind our house, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. November 12, 2010.

I then went out onto the golf course in back of the house, where I didn’t have to worry about power lines.  The color of the sky was a little different, but the contrails (or clouds) were still very pretty.

Fairfield Glade sky. November 12, 2010.

I took this final picture a few moments later, just before the sun popped over the ridge to the east of our house.

Watery Wednesday #114: Our Cascade

November 17, 2010

Water flowing down the ditch in front of our front yard wall. Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. November 17, 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.

This little cascade doesn’t seem like much, but it was a very welcome sight for us.  We’ve had a very dry summer here on the Plateau, but it finally started to rain Monday.  We never had a real hard downpour, but it did rain fairly steadily through Tuesday afternoon.  When I went out Tuesday morning I saw water coming down this little drainage ditch in front of the wall we built last year.

This was the first time since early Spring that we had water going down ‘our’ cascade.  That’s why the sight is so welcome to us.

Family Day

November 15, 2010

My daughter and her husband, Hendersonville, Tennessee. November 11, 2010.

This past Thursday Betsy and I went to Hendersonville to see and help out  my parents.  Mom and Dad are doing about as well as can be expected.  We were able to help them with some odd jobs around the house and with their grocery shopping.  They were in pretty good spirits, which is always encouraging.

An added bonus for the day was that we were able to have lunch with my daughter and her husband.  They were in Nashville on business and made time to have lunch with us in Hendersonville.  We had a delicious lunch of seafood and lots of nice conversation.  So in spite of the long drive to Hendersonville and back it was a wonderful day.

 

My World: Last Roses of Summer?

November 9, 2010

Roses brought in before an anticipated frost, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. November 4, 2010.

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.

It’s that time of the year.  Last week we were warned about low temperatures and freezing over the weekend.  We still had roses blooming and we wanted to keep as many of the blossoms as we could.  So Betsy gathered all the vases she could, and I gathered all the blossoms and buds about to open that I could find.

I brought in 40 buds and blossoms, which we put in the vases as you can see above.  Betsy put the vases in various places around the house and not only did they look good, several were also fragrant.

We had three nights of temperatures in the 20s, but no frost.  All the rose bushes seem to be doing fine.  And the temperatures are supposed to stay above freezing for the rest of the week.  I may be able to bring in some more ‘last roses’ by the weekend.

Scenic Sunday #120: Autumn Reflections

November 1, 2010

Santeetlah Lake, Robbinsville, North Carolina. October 21, 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.

Betsy and I came home from our stay in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, on the Cherohala Skyway which goes over the mountains from North Carolina to Tennessee.

The autumn colors were beautiful, but I also had the chance to see those colors reflected in various bodies above.

The picture above was taken at Santeetlah Lake near Robbinsville, North Carolina, before we reached the skyway.

Tellico River, Tellico Plains, Tennessee. October 21, 2010.

As we neared the Tennessee end of the skyway, we turned off to go with Patti and Neal to Bald River Falls near Tellico Plains, Tennessee.  After visiting the falls, we drove along Tellico River Road as we headed toward home.  The sun was beginning to drop behind the mountains, putting parts of the river in shadow.  I found a pullout so I could stop and capture this second picture.

Skywatch Friday: The Sequatchie Valley

October 29, 2010

The Cumberland Plateau enshrouded in clouds and the Sequatchie Valley. October 25, 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.

When Betsy and I went to Georgia this past Monday, we came off the Cumberland Plateau, drove through part of the Sequatichie Valley, and then drove over Signal Mountain to Chattanooga.  As we drove up the mountain I couldn’t resist the temptation to stop at an overlook and snap these pictures.

It was raining when we left home, although the weather started to clear as we drove along.  When we got to the overlook there was some blue in the sky, although the Plateau was still covered by clouds.

The clouds had lifted enough that we had a wonderful view of the valley.

My World: Autumn in the Smokies

October 26, 2010

Chimney Tops overlook, Newfound Gap Road, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. October 19, 2010.

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 Betsy and I drove Newfound Gap Road through the Smokies and part of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.  We were on our way to Maggie Valley, North Carolina, but we took advantage of every opportunity to stop and enjoy the colors.

We had an absolutely gorgeous day, with bright sunshine and blue skies.  The colors may not have been at their peak, but they were close to it.  The picture above was taken at the Chimney Top overlook in Tennessee.

Webb Overlook, Newfound Gap Road, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina. October 19, 2010.

As we headed down the mountain in North Carolina after passing Newfound Gap, we stopped at the Webb Overlook, where the trees were mostly yellow and orange.

Balsam Mountain, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina. October 19, 2010.

Later in the afternoon we left the Blue Ridge Parkway to drive to Balsam Mountain, where we took a short hike to an overlook.  We found these beautiful colors along the trail.

My World: Is Dry

October 19, 2010

Cane Creek below Cane Creek Falls, Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee. October 17, 2010.

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.

Sunday Betsy and I went to Fall Creek Falls State Park to have lunch with two of Betsy’s cousins who are here visiting friends.  We had a wonderful (and delicious) meal at the lodge and enjoyed lots of laughs and conversation.

Of course, Betsy and I couldn’t go to Fall Creek Falls without checking in to see the waterfalls.  We were shocked to see how little water there was.  There was no discernible water going over Cane Creek Falls, and the creek bed below the falls was essentially dry, as you can see from the picture above (those are shadows of trees across the creek bed).

Cane Creek Cascade, Fall Creek Falls, Tennessee. October 17, 2010.

Cane Creek Cascade, which is further upstream, brought even a greater shock.  This is all the water I could see flowing over the ledge.  The picture below shows Cane Creek Cascade as it looked when we were there in April.

Cane Creek Cascade, Fall Creek Falls, Tennessee. April 21, 2010.

We could really use some rain here on the Plateau.  If you have any rain to spare, please send it our way.

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Betsy and I are taking a blog break for a few days.  I’ll visit when I can, but probably won’t post for several days.