A Simpler Time?

We often like to think of the older days as a better and simpler time. Try to remove yourself from your present everyday lifestyle and picture this meager cabin as your home and the surrounding fields as your grocery store. The only luxuries were what you made from the creativity of your mind. Made by using a few basic tools, your hands and the sweat of your brow! I venture to say while it is nice to think of a time without all the crazy things we all deal with today, it was no picnic back in the day either. Life may not have been as hectic as today but it was hard. Most things were done out of necessity instead of choice. This cabin and farmstead is located on the Cherokee Orchard Motor Nature Trail in Gatlinburg, TN. It begins in Gatlinburg and meanders around the western base of Mt. LeConte. After a while it is only a one way road and it is a great drive that forces you to slow down and take in the mountains from a much closer perspective.

"I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him."
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865):  American President

A Patient Fisherman Who Can't Sing

Couldn't help but snap this shot of a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) near Wheeler Dam just east of Florence, AL on the Tennessee River. A small island located behind the Wheeler Dam acts as a rookery(nesting area) for many Great Blue Herons during the summer months and this is probably a juvenile bird from the summers nesting efforts since it does not have the coloration of a mature breeding bird. The waters flowing through the dam are rich in bait size fish which the herons and other birds love. This is a favorite spot to visit for bird watching as many species can usally be found feeding in the swift waters. Two observations of Great Blues are their patience and their vocalizations. I have watched them stand motionless for long periods of time waiting on a fish or crawfish to swim by for dinner. Secondly, a mocking bird they are not when it comes to their voice. They can make the most awful galking sound when they are disturbed and scared from their perch or fishing hole. It is down right pitiful, something on the order of a Crow with a bad sore throat. Regardless of their voice, they are a lovely bird to watch.

"Use the talents you possess- for the woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except for the best."
Henry Van Dyke (1852-`933): American Author, Educator, Clergyman 

Majestic Bald Eagle

Well I took this picture on a long shot (literally) and I'm sorry it is not very good but when you see a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) you just have to take a shot even if it is too far for the camera equipment. I was traveling through south central Tennessee yesterday going from Brunt Church through Lutts to Iron City and when I crossed over Shoal Creek in Iron City I looked up river and saw this Bald Eagle. It was sitting on a tree limb just waiting on a fish or small bird or mammal to show their self and provide lunch for this most impressive National Symbol. Eagles are still rare but are increasing in numbers in the south and can be spotted in several places at certain times of the year. For several years I have been watching a pair of Bald Eagles nest in a location right along side of a major highway near Smithville, MS.  Unfortunately, this past spring, the tree in which the Eagles had their nest was taken down by heavy winds and the Eagles left the area. Hopefully they have rebuilt nearby.

"But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their stength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31  New King James Version, The Holy Bible

Falls at Fall Hollow

On a recent trip to Nashville, I decided to take the Natchez Trace Parkway from North Mississippi up to Nashville. Needing to stretch my legs a bit, I stopped at this location called Fall Hollow at mile marker 392 and was pleasantly surprised to find this fine water fall-cascade. There were several other falls all within a short walk along a nice trail maintained by the park service. It is always nice to find a place you have passed by many times before. This adds another beautiful spot to my list of God's beautiful places, and all because I just needed to stretch my legs.

"All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child"
Marie Curie  (1867-1934): Polish Physicist and Chemist

Cane Creek Falls

This is a shot of Cane Creek Falls as it plummets into the Cane Creek Gorge and then into the Caney Fork River. This beautiful waterfalls is located in Fall Creek Falls State Park, near Pikeville, TN. Notice the rainbow formed from the sunlight reflecting off the mist generated by the waterfalls.

"The richest values of wilderness lie not in the days of Daniel Boone, nor even in the present, but rather in the future"

Aldo Leopold   (1887-1948):  American Ecologist, Forester, Environmentalist

Who's Checking out Who?

On a recent visit to Fall Creek Falls State Park near Pikeville, TN I happened upon this doe deer. While I was checking her out, she turned and began to check me out. Encounters like this are special when they take place. Always be ready to capture a special moment when the opportunity presents itself. Deer are plentiful in the park and it is not uncommon to see them feeding along the roads or golf course early and late in the day.

"My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here; My heart's in the Highlands, a-chasing a deer"
Robert Burns (1759-1796):  Scottish Poet:

Piney Creek Falls

Piney Creek Falls is located in Fall Creek Falls State Park near Pikeville, TN. At 75 feet, it is not the tallest falls in the park but it is considered by many to be the most beautiful. The area contains some beautiful trees that have never seen a loggers saw. You will find many fine specimans of Hemlock, Yellow Birch and Yellow Poplar in the gorge below the water falls if you care to hike off the main trails. If you have never been to this state park, you should plan a trip in the future. Fall Creek Falls is nestled on the Cumberland Plateau in east central Tennessee and is a beautifull park with lots of things to do. More photos to come later.

"All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again."
        Ecclesiastes 1:7  New International Version, Holy Bible