city lights

There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast.
--Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English author. 

Not exactly fitting with the Appalachian Treks theme... but here are some shots I took flying into Chicago for Christmas. It's such a beautiful sight to see the city all lit up that I just had to share. :)

marvelously intricate

Like snowflakes, the human pattern is never cast twice. We are uncommonly and marvelously intricate in thought and action, our problems are most complex and, too often, silently borne.
--Alice Childress (1920-1994) American playwright and author

Above: The snowy view as our plane banked on the way to landing at the Tri-Cities Airport.  I can't identify the exact location of the scene above, but it somewhere northeast of the airport -- in the middle thumbnail, you see Clinch Mountain in the foreground (looking south) -- and in the bottom thumbnail you can see I-81 and Bays Mountain in the distance (looking northwest).