Remembering Duke

A good dog never dies. He always stays. He walks besides you on crisp autumn days when frost is on the fields and winter's drawing near.
--Mary Carolyn Davies

Yesterday, my beloved dog Duke was put to sleep. This was very sudden and unexpected. On Wednesday, he was running and playing, on Friday he was paralyzed and in terrible pain -- and the prognosis was not good given how quickly and aggressively the paralysis was spreading. It was an awful decision to make. Duke was my best friend -- a constant companion for six years. If there's consolation it's that he lived a very full and happy life -- he took in more trails and beautiful vistas than most people I know. He always stayed on the trail and led the way. And when I stopped to take pictures, he stopped and patiently waited. He brought lots of joy to my life -- I'll miss our walks in the woods and curling up with him on the couch. He was so smart -- he knew lots of tricks and loved to put on a show for friends. Today, everything I see reminds me of him. The house is quiet and empty without him here. I know the hurt will one day heal, but I'll always cherish the memories of a dog named Duke.

More photos of Duke here, here, here, here and a picture of us together here. I'm grateful to my friend Lee who put together a wonderful slideshow of photos of Duke.

Giving Thanks

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Above: Kiner Creek Falls found in Laurel Run Park, Church Hill, TN

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Fly Fishing 101

Today I'm showing students in my Digital Photography class at Milligan how to make poster frames in Photoshop. It's a great way to display your work, add a quote or a title - and plus, they make very nice Christmas gifts! This is a photo of Milligan student Ben Taylor that I took this summer on the South Holston River. Ben and Frank are teaching a house course this spring at Milligan on Fly Fishing. In case you're not familiar with house courses...A house course gives students the opportunity to teach a one-credit hour course under the supervision of a professor -- the students taking the course do so on a pass/fail basis (no grades). However, the student teaching the course gets 2 credit hours and an actual grade. It's a wonderful concept -- the students who teach gain experience and a deeper knowledge of their subject -- and their students in turn get the opportunity to explore unique subjects. Besides Fly Fishing, this semester's list of house courses includes: Practical Photography, Serving in Brokenness, Art History: Step by Step, From Milligan to the Medical Field, and Basic Automotive Mechanics.

Click here for a step-by-step tutorial on making presentation frames. Another tutorial here.

Click here, here and here for beginner guides to fly fishing!

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
--William Arthur Ward (American scholar, author, editor, pastor and teacher)

a faith that works

Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.
--Saint Augustine (354-430) Theologian and Bishop

Click here to learn about Acuff Chapel, the first Methodist Church west of the Appalachians.

on loan

A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers but borrowed from his children.
--John Audubon (1785-1851) naturalist and painter

dull november

Dull November brings the blast,
Then the leaves are whirling fast.

--Sara Coleridge (1802-1852) English author

mind and soul

Every time a student walks past a really urgent, expressive piece of architecture that belongs to his college, it can help reassure him that he does have that mind, does have that soul.
--Louis Kahn (1901-1974) architect

A twelve-foot Celtic cross sits atop the soaring steeple of Seeger Chapel on the campus of Milligan College. Dedicated in 1967, the chapel contains 31,000 square feet of space and a 1,275 seat auditorium-sanctuary. The chapel is filled with symbols which express the Christian faith. The twelve stained glass windows of the main floor symbolize the twelve disciples. The east-facing windows of the balcony contain scenes from the Old Testament. The west-facing balcony windows depict New Testament scenes. The four stairways, located in the corners of the building, have large stained glass windows depicting the life of Christ: the Nativity, His Baptism, Resurrection and Ascension. Click here to see the brochure for Seeger Chapel and to read more about this inspiring structure.

alive

The mind, in proportion as it is cut off from free communication with nature, with revelation, with God, with itself, loses its life, just as the body droops when debarred from the air and the cheering light from heaven.
--William Channing (1780-1842) preacher

take time

Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn.
--Elizabeth Lawrence

I was happy today to see that autumn's big show isn't quite yet finished. There are still a few tenacious trees that refuse to let go of fall. This is a view of the lake and Nature Center at Steele Creek Park in Bristol, TN. Directions and park maps here. More photos here.

seasons in the sun

We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
--Terry Jacks (b.1944) Canadian singer and songwriter

Click here to hear an updated version of Terry Jack's haunting 1974 classic.

autumn's fire

Now Autumn's fire burns slowly along the woods.
--William Allingham (1824?-1889) Irish poet

Gather ye photos, while ye may

Can you tell I recently spent some time in the woods taking macros? This series of leaf photos that I've been posting were taken in the woods behind my house in the golden light just before sunset. I wanted to capture some color before it disappears and the browns, grays and blahs settle in for the winter -- and plus, I just love the color variation, the texture and the look of these beech leaves. Hope you don't mind, but I have a few more I want to share in the coming days.

Don't wait. The time will never be just right.
--Napoleon Hill (1883-1970) American author

gold leaf

When the trees their summer splendor
Change to raiment red and gold,
When the summer moon turns mellow,
And the nights are getting cold;
When the squirrels hide their acorns,
And the woodchucks disappear;
Then we know that it is autumn,
Loveliest season of the year.
--Carol L. Riser, Autumn

last light

In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary.
--Aaron Rose (b.1969) film director and writer

operas in nature

My profession is always to be alert, to find God in nature, to know God's lurking places, to attend to all the oratorios and the operas in nature.
--Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) author and philosopher

wilderness

In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia.
--Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974) Aviation Pioneer

whirling

Rhythm is the basis of life, not steady forward progress. The forces of creation, destruction, and preservation have a whirling, dynamic interaction.
--Kabbalah

Not sure of the name of this one...perhaps Green Mountain Creek Falls or Yonahlossee Falls. It's found along Route 221 near Grandfather Mountain. Another photo here.

heart and nature

Man's heart away from nature becomes hard.
--Standing Bear (1834?-1908) Ponca Native American Chief