Masonic Shrine On The Blue Ridge Parkway

The steps to the shrine were completed in 1948.

One of the lesser known attractions on the Blue Ridge Parkway is the Masonic Shrine, built in the 1930’s and home today to an annual gathering of Masons. The property is bounded on one side by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and on three sides by the Blue Ridge Parkway. The monument was completed…

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Mountain Evening Blooms Under Cloudy Skies

The brilliant orange plumes of daylilies

After the briefest of showers, the clouds hung heavy in the skies while our evening blooms glistened. The Rhododendron are holding their blooms at our higher elevations while the daylilies are shining in their bright colors. NOTE – Click on any of the photographs to enlarge and start a slide show. Depending on your viewing…

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Seeing The Light

Changing light bulbs should be such a simple task, but nothing is simple when progressive eyeglasses and technology intervene.

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Sudden Summer Storm & Torrential Rains

The frog! A centerpiece on a table on the back patio.

After last year’s difficult drought that resulted in so many devastating wildfires last fall, we are quite happy with our much more normal rainfall this year. Yesterday afternoon was no exception as a thunderstorm crested the Cataloochee Divide – the ridge marking the eastern border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park behind our house. The…

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