good tidings to you

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.
--John Muir (1838-1914), Naturalist and Conservationist

encircled

We clasp the hands of those that go before us, And the hands of those who come after us. We enter the little circle of each other's arms And the larger circle of lovers, Whose hands are joined in a dance, And the larger circle of all creatures, Passing in and out of life, Who move also in a dance, To a music so subtle and vast that no ear hears it Except in fragments.
--Wendell Berry (b.1934) Author

Okay, so maybe the photo of the circling turkey vulture gives this quote a different, more ominous, less inspirational meaning. But that wasn't really my intention! :)

The Autograph of God

Everywhere I find the signature, the autograph of God, and he will never deny his own handwriting. God hath set his tabernacle in the dewdrop as surely as in the sun. No man can any more create the smallest flower than he could create the greatest world.
–Joseph Parker (1830-1902)

Wild blueberry blooms.

We will always remember.

"Someday, Lis, I'll go back,'' said Private First Class Peter Robert Zanatta, of the 37th Engineer Combat Battalion, and first assault wave to hit Omaha Beach. "I'll go back, and I'll see it all again. I'll see the beach, the barricades, and the graves.'' .... Lisa Zanatta Henn began her story by quoting her father, who promised that he would return to Normandy. She ended with a promise to her father, who died 8 years ago of cancer: "I'm going there, Dad, and I'll see the beaches and the barricades and the monuments. I'll see the graves, and I'll put flowers there just like you wanted to do. I'll feel all the things you made me feel through your stories and your eyes. I'll never forget what you went through, Dad, nor will I let anyone else forget. And, Dad, I'll always be proud.''

Through the words of his loving daughter, who is here with us today, a D-day veteran has shown us the meaning of this day far better than any President can. It is enough for us to say about Private Zanatta and all the men of honor and courage who fought beside him four decades ago: We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free.

--Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) 40th President of the United States

Today marks the 65th anniversary of D-Day, the monumental, heroic allied invasion which ultimately led to the liberation of Europe from the dark grip of tyranny. I've collected some speeches and videos to help us remember and honor the courage of the soldiers who stormed the cliffs on that fate-filled day...

Click here to watch clips of President Reagan's two magnificent speeches made on the 40th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion. Click here and here to read the complete transcripts.
Click here to listen to General Eisenhower's speech to the troops the day before.

Click here to listen to President Roosevelt lead the American people in prayer on the day of the invasion.
Click here and here to listen to powerful speeches by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as he rallies his nation.
Finally here is a video with D-Day footage and speeches from Reagan and General Patton.

Above: A small waterfall located above Laurel Fork Falls in Carter County, TN.

Jones Falls Revisted

Jones Falls is found along the Appalachian Trail near the TN/NC border. As I explained in greater detail in my initial post, there are different theories on which is the best way to get to this remote waterfall. Today, I went in the way I know: on the AT from the Tennessee side. But I met someone at the falls who I convinced me that the trail from Elk River Falls is the easier trail (though it takes about the same amount of time). So I'll try that one next time and will give my take on the trail coming in from the NC side. If you click on the above link, you'll find a number of very helpful comments left by fans of this unique and beautiful waterfall. Pictured here is the profile view of the top portion of the falls.

Update: Head over to RATtreks for a description of the Elk River Trail to Jones Falls.

be thou the rainbow

Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.
--Lord Byron (1788-1824) British poet

Reflection

Every moment and every event of every man's life on earth plants something in his soul.
--Thomas Merton (1915-1968) Author and Monk

Price Lake at Sunset, Blue Ridge Parkway Mile 297

Happiness is...

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
--Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948) political and spiritual leader of India

Happiness is flame azaleas in bloom.

The Art of Walking

Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing too much.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American Poet, Lecturer and Essayist

Old fence posts along the Appalachian Trail on the TN/NC border, south of Sam's Gap.

meaningful life

The man who regards his own life and that of his fellow creatures as meaningless is not merely unfortunate but almost disqualified for life.
--Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-born theoretical physicist

Above: Storm clouds gathering over Watauga Lake in Carter County, TN.

What is real?

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, ... "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

--Margery Williams (1881-1944), author of the 1922 classic, The Velveteen Rabbit

peace like a river

One can not reflect in streaming water. Only those who know internal peace can give it to others.
--Lao Tzu

The Weir Dam south of Bristol is one of the most unique sights (and sounds) in East Tennessee. The zig-zag dam serves a couple important functions. It keeps the water above the dam at a constant level for fish and birds and its thundering water aerates the South Holston River below the dam. During the drought of the last three years, this sight wasn't as common because South Holston Dam (a mile upstream) didn't generate electricity as often. Still, check with the TVA website to find out when they're generating, because then you'll know when to visit to see the water flowing over the Weir.

Directions: From the intersection of routes 394 and 421 south of Bristol, continue 2.9 miles south on 421 (toward Shady Valley). Turn right at Shelley's Chicken House onto Emmett Road/Holston View Dam Road. Continue for 1.6 miles (bear right at the fork) to the recreation area on your left. After taking in the sights and sounds at Osceola Island, continue on Holston Dam View Road 2 more miles to the top of the dam. Here you will see a beautiful view of South Holston Lake.

Honoring the Heroes

Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet, you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief; it was loyalty and love.
--Ronald Reagan, Address to the Heroes of the Normandy Invasion, June 6, 1984.

Click here to read a thoughtful Memorial Day tribute by Peggy Noonan (who, by the way, was Reagan's chief speechwriter), honoring three heroes, including Tennessee's Alvin York.

High Rock

Today I discovered a wonderful destination in Carter County called High Rock. Now this is not to be confused with High Rocks in Unicoi County. Both are similar hikes (steady inclines) which lead to rock formations offering terrific views. But the view from the one in Unicoi County is obscured by trees during the summer, so it is best visited from late fall to early spring. High Rock (in Carter County) offers year-round panoramic views of nearly all of east Tennessee -- Roan, Unaka, Stone, Buffalo, and Holston Mountains and everywhere in between. The above photo shows both Roan Mountain (left, covered with clouds) and Unaka Mountain (upper right).

Directions: I've had to take down the directions. The rock itself and most of the hike is on public property but to get there you have to cross over private property.

renewal

We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden.
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German writer

I believe these are the blooms of a tiny red bud tree, no more than a foot high -- growing through the charred soil on Buffalo Mountain. It was just a year ago this month that a huge forest fire engulfed the mountain. Today, it's interesting to hike the 'Tip Top' trail to see all the ferns, sassafras, rhododendron, mountain laurel, maple and pine trees springing up amidst all the devastation.

Click here for trail maps and more information about Buffalo Mountain.