rock songs

If it weren't for the rocks in its bed, the stream would have no song.
--Carl Perkins (1932-1998) Rockabilly Music Pioneer

dreams and visions

Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so you shall become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.
--James Allen

Above is a photo of Rocky Fork, which is also the name of the gigantic tract of land that was recently purchased by The Conservation Fund and the federal goverment. This was a dream come true for those who believe we owe it to future generations to preserve this rugged and beautiful tract of land. Click here for an excellent article that describes the recent purchase. Click here to read the news release from The Conservation Fund (complete with map of Rocky Fork). I noticed on the map that there is a proposal to relocate a section of the AT into Rocky Fork.

Look Alive

Look alive. Here comes a buzzard.
--Lady Stella Reading

In the last month a roost of Turkey Vultures (a.k.a. Turkey Buzzards) have appeared in the woods behind my house. I'd say there's 20 or 30 of them. They eerily sit high on the branches of dead trees, just waiting, I guess, for someone or something to keel over. They don't bother people or pets (as long as they're living), so for now I don't mind my ghoulish, new neighbors. And as disturbing as they appear in the trees, they are absolutely stunning when they glide and circle -- with wingspans reaching up to 6 feet. They get their name because their red, featherless head gives the appearance of a turkey. And in case you were wondering, a bunch of vultures is called a venue. And when they're circling, they're called a kettle. There ya go, fun facts to impress your friends at work! Of course there's a Turkey Vulture Society where you can go and learn all about these interesting birds.

more than we need

There seems to be so much more winter than we need this year.
--Kathleen Norris (b.1947) author

A small waterfall on Clear Fork on Unaka Mountain.

anticipation and inspiration

Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle ... a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream.
--Barbara Winkler

The winter chill settled in again today, but I've got spring on my mind. It's impossible to be content in February. Fortunately, little sprouts like these growing in silence give us hope.

My thanks to Marie for her mention today of Appalachian Treks on the Blue Ridge Blog. To be honest, although we've never met, she was one of the main inspirations for starting this project two years ago. Her photos and stories inspired me to share my own journeys and experiences of this beautiful region. Thanks Marie!

And while I'm mentioning sources of inspiration, let me introduce you to a new local blog -- Kingsport photographer Earl Carter's Southern Visions. On it he shares wonderful photos of Appalachia, some old and some new, along with stories of the places he's visited and those he's meet during his years as a photojournalist. Check it out -- and be sure to click on the 'older posts' link at the bottom to see all that he's posted so far.

Photo info: Nikon D90 with Tamron 90mm lens at f/3.8, 1/30 sec., ISO 500.

the journey home

The world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and joyful, by which we arrive at the ground at our feet, and learn to be at home.
--Wendell Berry (b.1934)

It's always exciting to see spring appear and begin to unfold. The forecast for this week is for more winter, but the signs of spring are all around. Today I arrived at the ground at my feet and got lost in all of the little harbingers of spring. My neighbors probably think I'm nuts. But there's something cathartic (as well as humbling and arduous) about lying face down on the damp ground and examining the marvelous, silent renewal taking place. And realizing this transformation all takes place at its appointed time. The earth turns, the axis pivots, the days lengthen, and the tulips grow. Order amid our chaos.

healing roan

There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.
--Rachel Carson (1907-1964) American marine biologist and nature writer

glory and gratitude

Were there no God, we would be in this glorious world with grateful hearts: and no one to thank.
--Christina G. Rossetti (1830-1894) English poet

I'm not sure what this plant is, but you'll see it all over the balds in the Roan Highlands right now. I was thankful to find it there -- it's bright color foreshadowing the mountains being covered in bluets, rhododendron and azalea.

God of my mountain peaks

O Lord, You are the God of the early mornings, the God of the late nights, the God of my mountain peaks, and the God of the sea. But, my God, my soul has horizons further away than those of the morning, deeper darkness than the nights of earth, higher peaks than any mountain peaks, greater depths than any sea in nature. You who are the God of all these, be my God. I cannot reach to the heights or to the depths; there are motives I cannot discover, dreams I cannot realize. My God, search me.
--Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) Scottish minister and teacher, author of the widely-read devotional My Utmost for His Highest. Psalm 139 was Chamber's inspiration for the prayer above.

conviction

I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.
--Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) Sixteenth US President

The scene today out at Lower Higgins Creek in Unicoi County, TN.

Stand Tall

You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims.
--Harriet Woods (1927-2007) American politician and activist

View of Jane Bald in the Roan Highlands.

Play Ball!

The hardest thing to do in baseball is to hit a round baseball with a round bat, squarely.
--Ted Williams (1918-2002)

Can you believe baseball season has begun? This weekend, the Milligan College Buffaloes played host to the Lambuth University Eagles, and won two of the three games. Pictured above is Milligan shortstop Brian Busby from Lexington, SC.

hope rekindled

Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again.
--Sarah Ban Breathnach

awaiting spring

A hush is over everything; The world is waiting for the spring.
--Sara Teasdale (1884-1933) American lyrical poet

Erwin Linear Trail awaiting spring.

Time vs. Truth

Time, whose tooth gnaws away everything else, is powerless against truth.
--Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895) English Biologist

I'm continuing this week's theme of 'practicing seeing' by taking photos in and around home. I liked the simple composition here combining circular and the diagonal elements.

exquisite handiwork

Some of nature's most exquisite handiwork is on a miniature scale, as anyone knows who has applied a magnifying glass to a snowflake.
--Rachel Carson (1907-1964) American marine biologist and nature writer

Another backyard photo, this one taken of a hemlock branch from below.

seeing takes practice

You need to be able to shoot in your own backyard. If you think you can't practice until you go on vacation, or until you're somewhere 'interesting,' you're mistaken. If you can't shoot at home, on your own block, you're not going to be able to shoot in Paris, or the Amazon rainforest, or Antarctica. It's not the place you're in, it's what you're able to see, and seeing takes practice.
--Ben Long, photographer and author

Strange, but this quote reminds me of the words spoken by Mother Teresa, "We look but we do not see." Everyday we go through life looking, but fail to take notice of the details, the beauty, the suffering and the meaning that surrounds us. We miss so much. Not because we're necessarily indifferent, but because we just don't take time to see. Maybe it's because we've never really practiced 'seeing.' Mother Teresa was encouraging us to be spiritually sensitive, to move outside of ourselves and enter into the lives of those we meet. Long, in addressing our artistic insensitivity, says that we can learn to see by taking photos at home and in our neighborhood. It's hard to get motivated to do this when everything is so familiar, so typical. But his advice is helpful. Doing this forces us to look around our daily lives with new purpose and perspective. To recognize the compelling amidst the hum-drum. They might not be the greatest shots we'll ever take, but we will, in the process, practice awareness and the art of seeing -- which can then spill over into other, more important, aspects of our lives.

mind vs. body

Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired. When you were younger the mind could make you dance all night, and the body was never tired...You've always got to make the mind take over and keep going.
--George S. Patton (1885-1945) U.S. Army General and 1912 Olympian

This past weekend, ETSU played host to the Niswonger Invitational and to over 1,400 athletes from 105 top collegiate, post collegiate, and professional athletic teams. And, as if that wasn't enough activity for the Memorial Center, there was a second event taking place concurrently there with over 1,000 high school students competing in the KTC High School Indoor Track Classic.