Davy Crockett

Let your tongue speak what your heart thinks. 
--Davy Crockett (1786-1836) American frontiersman, soldier and politician.

The replica cabin (above) and the small monument (left) are found at the Davy Crockett Birthplace in Limestone, TN. Now a state park, the birthplace occupies over 100 acres along the Nolichucky River in Greene County, TN. A museum and outdoor displays tell the fascinating story of this legendary frontiersman. The fifth of nine children born on the frontier years before Tennessee was a state, Crockett would one day represent Tennessee in Congress and die at the Battle of the Alamo at age 49.  Here's The Ballad of Davy Crockett ... which is pretty much what everyone thinks of when they hear his name.

Click here for a map to the state park.

keep walking

 

 If you would attain to what you are not yet, you must always be displeased by what you are.  For where you are pleased with yourself there you have remained.  Keep adding, keep walking, keep advancing.
--Saint Augustine

It's that time of year when Appalachian Trail SOBOs are passing through our region on their way from Maine to Georgia.  SOBOs (or South Bounders) begin their 2,184 mile trek in the late spring or early summer, after the threat of snow has passed in New England.  The hope is to finish before the snows hit the Southern Appalachians in late fall. Unfortunately for these guys, "Johnnie Walker" (above left, from Pennsylvania) and "Sleepwalker" (right, Michigan), snow came early this year. They ran into 18 inches of snow on top of Mount Rogers following Hurricane Sandy. They hurried down to Damascus, VA to wait it out. I met them up on the Beauty Spot outside of Erwin, TN and enjoyed talking with them about their adventures. And then they headed down the trail with 'only' 350 miles to go...

(I've lately been reading David Miller's excellent account of his AT thru-hike, AWOL on the Appalachian Trail and recommend it for those wanting a glimpse of what life on the AT is like).

happiness

Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot little puppies.
--Gene Atkins Hill, author. 

My friend's 7 week old puppy, Raka -- a Rhodesian Ridgeback.

antiques

Remember that the most valuable antiques are dear old friends. 
--H. Jackson Brown, Jr., American author.  

More than 400 classic cars were on display yesterday at the Allandale Mansion in Kingsport, TN during the Daniel Boone Region AACA Car Show. Lots of fun!

just getting started

As long as you think you're green, you'll grow. As soon as you think you're ripe, you'll rot.
--Scott Horton 

A shot taken near the visitors center at Watauga Lake.  I turned the image into sepia, but thought it looked more interesting to keep the glowing green leaves as they appeared.  Another photo and directions, here.

old friends

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American Poet, Lecturer and Essayist

Carolina Majesty

All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist and philosopher--

Grandfather Mountain, NC

When I visited last week, the colors were just starting to change (especially on the other side of the mountain), so I changed this to sepia, wanting to emphasize the textures and the ruggedness of the landscape. I also liked the interplay of light and dark that appear from this angle of the mountain during mid morning as the sun begins to illuminate the tips of the trees and rocks. Within Lightroom, I added a painted effect on the image and a vignette. Click the photo to see a much larger view of this spectacular mountain.

buck wild

Pick a theme and work it to exhaustion... the subject must be something you truly love or truly hate.
--Dorothea Lange (1895-1965) American documentary photographer 

Above: A deer at Bay's Mountain Park in Kingsport, TN - so not really a buck in the wild. It looks to be the same deer resting in just about the same spot as I photographed earlier this year. As Lange said, pick a theme and work it. :)

What Ansel Adams was to landscape photography, Dorothea Lange was to documentary photography. She is best known for her work with the Farm Security Administration during the Great Depression, documenting the plight of the poor and forgotten in rural America. You will probably recognize her most famous photograph entitled Migrant Mother. If you've never seen Lange's emotional and gripping work, head over to one of my favorite websites, Shorpy.com where dozens and dozens of her photographs are displayed, along with descriptions (and the ability to view each photo full size).

hard times

Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body.
--Elizabeth Stone, author

This is my friend, Eddie, with his newborn son. I'm proud of Ed and the man he's become. I've known him since he was 14 -- and I can attest that growing up wasn't always easy for him. Lots of hard times. But through every difficulty, through times of loss, pain and confusion, he sought to learn and grow and encourage others. He eventually joined the army and served for just over four years - including 15 months in Ramadi, Iraq during some of the most violent months of the war. When he returned home he joined the reserve -- and he's now finishing his drill sergeant training. I'm thankful for Eddie and those like him, who serve and sacrifice for our freedom and security with the hope that hard times come again no more.

The song, Hard Times Come Again No More, was written by Stephen Collins Foster in 1854. In its day, the song was well known and a favorite of both sides during the American Civil War. Although many have covered this song over the years, my favorite version is Johnny Cash's emotional rendition recorded in 2003 -- listen here.

The Heights

Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions slept, they were toiling upward in the night.
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) American poet

Rock outcropping on Grassy Ridge in the Roan Highlands (click to enlarge).

Walk or Ride?

Now shall I walk
or shall I ride?
"Ride," Pleasure said:
"Walk," Joy replied.
-W.H. Davies (1871-1940) Welsh poet-

The trail to Rough Ridge. I photographed this same scene back in October of 2008. A ride along the Blue Ridge Parkway provides magnificent views and an unforgettable experience. Its 469 miles through North Carolina and Virginia attract 18 million visitors each year. But I'm very thankful that it's much more than just a scenic parkway -- that its designers planned over 200 overlooks for visitors to stop and experience. And that there are also hundreds of trails to be explored and enJOYed.

Click here, here and here for lists and descriptions of the various hiking trails found along the Parkway.

Tipton-Haynes

From the website of Tipton-Haynes Historic Site in Johnson City, TN:
"Contained within the large white house is the 25' x 35' log cabin of Col. John Tipton. The Tiptons enlarged the home and built a shed porch across the front of the house and built a separate kitchen. In the 1850s, Haynes changed the front porch to what is seen today and constructed his law office next to the house." More history here. And here is my previous post. The photo to the right is of the small law office.

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.
--Ro­bert Ro­bin­son (1726-1790) Methodist pastor and hymnist

Kiner Creek Falls, Laurel Run Park, Church Hill, TN.

Not necessarily an Easter hymn, but it's the one that came to mind -- and it fits the photo for today. In a way, this is a song for Peter -- Whose heart, like ours, was prone to stray. Here's a very moving version of this beautiful hymn...

Thankful

The more you complain, the more you find things to complain about. The more you give thanks, the more you find things to be thankful for.
--Bob Hoffman, Mercer University Basketball Coach

And now, for a little Thanksgiving entertainment...Click here to listen to Josh Groban's inspiring song, Thankful. And click here for beautiful photography set to George Winston's Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!

fought, risked and given

I hope my achievements in life shall be these...
that I will have fought
for what was right and fair,
that I will have risked
for that which mattered,
that I will have given help
to those who were in need,
that I will have left the earth
a better place
for what I've done
and who I've been.
--C. Hoppe

Above: Jeremiah on Table Rock overlooking the Linville Gorge

An August Welcome

You know it's August when you go for a hike and walk into the web of one of these spiked spiders. They appear each year right around the beginning of August and weave a new web each day across open, shady areas (trails work perfectly), three to seven feet off the ground. I really think they like to aim for the head. It reminds me of a Far Side cartoon that shows two spiders sitting on a web spun across the end of a playground slide with a pudgy kid at the top ready to go down. One spider turns to the other and says, "If we pull this off, we'll eat like kings." Maybe Gary Larson, the creator of Far Side, was thinking of the Spined Micrathena when he drew that cartoon!

Michael Kaal

Each man has his own vocation; his talent is his call. There is one direction in which all space is open to him.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American Essayist

As a professor it's always fun to find out what draws students from all over the country to come to a small, Christian liberal arts college tucked into the hills of east Tennessee. This is a photograph I took a couple weeks ago on Roan Mountain of Milligan College photography student Michael Kaal (pronounced "call"). Michael hails from Arizona, but was drawn to east Tennessee for college, wanting to experience life in a different part of the country. And while Arizona is incredible and has mountains of its own - Michael was attracted to our lush green landscapes, rolling hills and temperate climate. To hear him tell it, what sealed the deal for him during his campus visit was seeing a student walk across campus with a fly rod. I'm glad he chose Milligan -- His photography is stunning and his energy and enthusiasm for his art is infectious. He is dogged in pursuit of great shots. Click here to see his work.

nice doggie

The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.
--Andy Rooney (b.1919)

Looking fear in the face

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.
--Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

It might make you feel better to know that this little guy was just the size of a dime. The dark area you see on the left is the grout line on my tiled kitchen counter. Over the past couple of years I've gotten much better dealing with snakes and spiders and assorted creepy crawlers -- and I credit the macro lens for that. Instead of running for the fly swater or paper towels, I now run for the camera! Like the quote above, I've found that when something scares me, fleeing only reinforces the fear, drawing closer forces me to recognize that my fear was unfounded and based largely on the unknown. Although I'm better in dealing with these things, it doesn't mean the photo above isn't heavily cropped. This was, afterall, a jumping spider.

Watauga Lake Overlook

Happy New Year! Early this afternoon, the 8th annual Frostbite Sailboat Race on Watauga Lake will take place. And from the weather forecast, it sounds like it's aptly named this year. I'm going to be taking down Christmas decorations, so I don't think I'll be able to venture out to the Hampton, TN side of the lake for photos. As it so happened, I was at Watauga Lake a day too early, visiting the overlook near the dam. Click here to visit the website of the group organizing the event -- and here for photos from last year's race. Below are directions to the Watauga Overlook and Dam (which is on the other side of the lake from the marina where the sailboats will be today). This overlook area, on a nice warm day, is a great place for a picnic.

Directions to Watauga Overlook: There are different ways to get to Watauga Dam from Elizabethton, TN. I think the easiest way is to take Highway 19E toward Blountville and take the Stoney Creek Road exit (Hwy 91) and travel approximately three miles. You'll come to a red light with a BP on the corner, turn right onto Blue Spring Road -- After one mile, you'll want to bear right onto Steel Bridge Road. Take this for 3/4 mile, and you'll cross a very unique one lane bridge. After crossing the bridge, the road is called Wilbur Dam Road (aka Horseshoe Dam Road, Lookout Road). Follow this road for two miles, you will come to Wilbur Dam and Wilbur Lake. Continue on for three miles further and you'll arrive at Watauga Dam Overlook. From there, it's a short walk to an overlook of the actual dam.


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