Photography
A picture may be worth 1,000 words, so photography tells many stories.
Snowy Morning
We finally had our first measurable snow of the season, so it was a perfect snowy morning to wander around the yard with the camera. Our next door neighbors at Cataloochee Ski were certainly happy with some fresh powder. We have a second storm that will hit us Friday and Saturday, adding about a foot…
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Snowy Meadows at the Ranch
We finally are having some real wintry weather, so took an opportunity to take some pictures of some snowy meadows of the ranch next door. And how did this opportunity happen? To get to our house, you have to drive through the middle of this ranch. So the road you see in the picture above…
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Misty Mornings
Sunrise dawned on one of our many misty mornings we receive in the mountains. I found myself in the middle of the ranch looking west with the sun rising behind my back. And the view was of the morning fog burning off and creating patterns of mist against the mountain faces. I was particularly captured by…
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A Little Winter Surprise With First Snow
Our high has climbed all the way up to 19ºF (-7ºC). Ok, the wind drove that down to a wind chill of 11ºF, but still not too bad. But the real winter surprise of the day was that our snow flurries fell a little heavier than expected. Not enough to really cover things or cause…
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Hubcap in the Sunset
Walking our dogs at sunset this evening through Cataloochee Ranch, we spotted this hubcap that had been placed on a fence post. Apparently, a car had thrown it while being driven down the gravel road. Someone had placed it where it would be highly visible in case the driver returned to recover it. With the colors of…
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Here Kitty, Kitty – Bobcat Sighting
I would love to tell you that I am about to share some exquisite pictures, but this was a classic example of trying to capture a moment when everything was wrong. I was sitting at my desk when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I assumed at first that it was…
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First Cold Morning of the Winter
Good morning! We are having our first truly cold morning of the winter season here in Maggie Valley with a low of 16ºF (-9ºC). The cold, dry air clears away most of the haze. but enough haze remains to reflect the morning light in this brilliant orange. The orange cast of the sky and the…
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Clear Skies, Brilliant Sunrise
In my opinion, interesting light can make for the most amazing photographs. A simple capture of the shadows a tree casts can be fascinating. And I can think of no light more fascinating than a brilliant sunrise or sunset, that moment when Mother Nature displays her most brilliant colors. As often happens, I did not plan…
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Horses in the Fog
After over a week of rainy weather, it was nice to get out today. The horses in the fog next door at Cataloochee Ranch seemed to agree and were enjoying a beautiful fall day, despite the low lying clouds. As so often happens, the horses were disputing our right to drive the ranch road to…
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Early Color of Fall
It has been raining for the last six days and is supposed to rain for several more days, so I had to take advantage of a break in the precipitation to get outside and take a few pictures around the house. As much as anything, I just wanted to get out of the house and…
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Elk in Cataloochee Valley
Last Monday morning (Sept 14) was our coldest morning of the fall, so I thought it would be a great morning to drive over at sunrise to Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for some elk viewing. September and October are rut season for the Elk, so the bulls are busy gathering and defending…
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A Beautiful Fall Day
We had an absolutely beautiful fall day with crisp, cool weather. Big fluffy clouds and bright blue skies are perfect for hiking and photography. The clouds added to the images, but never threatened any precipitation. Despite the clouds, it was one of the better long-range view days in months. The last of the blooms are…
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