Nymphaea Almost Black Waterlily

Such a beautiful image of a deep red waterlily growing in the pond at Bernheim that I just had to share with you guys. ENJOY!

A Flower, A Memorial

In honor of all of the courageous soldiers who gave their lives so that my life could be free and that others could know freedom as well. Thank You One and All. Happy Memorial Day. ENJOY!

The Outhouse

At the end of the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park sits a very old mill and a tiny gift shop. Next to the shop sits this old outhouse, which to my surprise, was still in use. No, I didn't go in. I just opted to shut the door to take this photo. In this day of modern technology, it's nice to know some things sustain the test of time.

Before I leave you, if you check the weather in my sidebar, you'll find a red bar across today. The high is supposed to be in the mid 90's. I won't be venturing out today. Yesterday we had an ozone action day, so no outdoor activity. Tomorrow it's a repeat of today. I guess I'll be posting more images from my recent outing. Stay cool America and especially those Indy car drivers 100 miles up the highway. ENJOY!

Out to Pasture In the Smoke

Out to pasture in a field far from the stables at Cade's Cove, these ponies seemed perfectly happy grazing in the mist. It was late afternoon and while the mist afforded less photo ops, it made for an interesting experience driving the loop road. Hope your weekend is well on it's way. ENJOY!

'30's Vintage Ford

OK, a little something for the boys today. A vintage 1930's Ford Pickup Truck showing its age. This rusted out old jalopy is sitting right at the very end of the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail as you exit the tour. I see it every time and every time I do the tour, I say I'm going to stop one day and take a photo of that old jalopy. So this time I did. In some ways you could say this is a nature shot because it's definitely being taken over by nature as is witnessed with the moss growing on the windshield. ENJOY!

Rushing Waters, Little Pigeon River, GSMNP

Just a quick note to point out there was very little sunlight yesterday morning as I stood beside the Little Pigeon River taking images of the rushing waters in the Greenbrier section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As a matter of fact, as I made my way out of Greenbrier it began to mist very, very lightly. I didn't mind the inclement weather this trip. When you're in the Smokies rain can be a good thing as steam tends to roll off the mountains in pockets, slowly wafting its way up into the horizon, hence the name. This particular image is one of my favorites from my trip. I like the way your eye travels as you take in the elements in this photo. ENJOY!

Cascading Waters, Greenbrier

Earlier today before departing for home, I headed over to Greenbrier in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to photograph the beautiful mossy rocks and boulders and gushing water along the Little Pigeon River. The Little Pigeon runs right alongside the road for many miles as you drive back into Greenbrier. This area of the park is very under utilized and, oh, how I love that. This was the first time I had given my new Nikon a real workout using the Aperture and Shutter Priority settings. I think it was a total success. Hope you agree. It's nice to be home. ENJOY!

Wood White Butterfly

A beautiful Wood White Butterfly dining on a wildflower at Falls of the Ohio. This image was taken about six or eight weeks ago on a brief Sunday visit across the pond, aka, the Ohio River. Obviously this image is heavily cropped and isn't the crispest image in the archive, but it's seldom you can get a Wood White Butterfly to sit still at all to take a really decent image. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I'm hoping to get some images to add to my archive on my upcoming outing. Until then. ENJOY!

Pink Waterlily

A lily . . .

A lily pond . . .

I felt a little pink needed to be added to your day. These beautiful Pink Waterlilies are growing at a local pond about a mile from my condo. I love it when you find an unexpected gem close by your house. It's like you unwrapped a special surprise gift. It's a magical lily pond to say the least. This has been another picture perfect day here in Kentuckiana with highs in the 70's, no humidity, a gentle breeze, and well, it just can't get any better than this. ENJOY!

Great Spangled Fritillary

Just a quick pic of the Great Spangled Fritillary double dipping on this Thistle in a recent visit to Bernheim. Today was a spectacular day with a great breeze, no humidity and 76 degrees. I hope your weather is great wherever you are. ENJOY!

Waterlily

What is more delicate and beautiful than a Waterlily? I believe this particular Waterlily is a Peach Glow. I don't know what I love more, the blooms or the lily pads that surround the blooms. ENJOY!

Foxgloves in the Flower Garden

Gorgeous Foxgloves are blooming in full force in the flower garden that sits next to the Pavilion at Bernheim. The Barn Swallows have made their nests there under the eaves and have layed their eggs for the next crop of Swallows. I'm keeping tabs every week to try and catch the babies learning to fly. I'll keep you posted if I go by and get lucky enough to take a few photos. With my telephoto I'm hoping to get better images this year. In the meantime, I cropped this image to give it a panoramic view. Please click on the image and it'll go full screen and you can see this beautiful flower garden up close and personal. Hope your week is going well. ENJOY!

PHOTOGRAPHER'S NOTE: A warm welcome to Willow Wisp Cottage, my newest follower.

Fir Trees

On my last visit to Bernheim, with the sun hanging low in the sky, I stepped off the beaten path and walked under the canopy of this clump of fir trees situated just off the main road. Completely surrounded by fir trees and their low lying branches, totally ensconced in the pungent scent of pine cones, and feeling the crunch, crunch, crunch of fir shavings as I walked amongst the trees, it felt as though I'd been transported deep into a forest. That's the beauty of Bernheim, finding solitude and tranquility in a beautiful place such as this. ENJOY!

Mushrooms

These beautiful mushrooms are growing in the crevice of a huge maple tree situated right inside the main walkway to the Pavilion in the Arboretum area at Bernheim. I featured a photo in a post last Spring of the mushrooms from the front side, but decided to walk around to the back side of the tree to see if any mushrooms were growing there, only to make this discovery. The detail on the mushroom caps is fascinating to me. Only Mother Nature could paint such a perfect looking canvas. The vertical lines are perfection. ENJOY!

Grace in Nature

Sometimes we find such beautiful grace in nature. Have a great weekend everyone. ENJOY!

Canadian Goose and Goslings

There are two families of Canadian Geese who have taken up quarters at Lake Nevin at Bernheim this Spring. It has been such a beautiful week that I couldn't resist making a trip out tonight to check out the Goslings. You have to admit they're cute. These Goslings appear to be about two weeks old as they still have all of their down. In another two weeks or so, their feathers will start to come in. ENJOY!

Spring & Things

Anyone know what this is? I thought it was interesting so I took a few images weeks ago while walking around Bernheim. I'm already missing all the beautiful blooms of Spring. ENJOY!

AFTER THE POST: Thanks to Steve and Mia, I've discovered this is a birch catkin. Thanks guys.

Holly Berries

In Spring you don't expect to find berries like these, but there they were growing fruitfully on this holly tree in Cave Hill Cemetery a few weeks ago. The comic book texture in my Picasa software gave this whole image a warm, fuzzy feeling. Yes, I've been playing again. ENJOY!

Sunset, Morton Overlook, GSMNP

I'm planning a trip in a few weeks to the Smokies. My goal is to visit several times a year on short trips. Hopefully I can get a few decent black bear images in Cades Cove this year. Until then, I thought this image of the Morton Overlook at sunset might keep us inspired. It was taken years ago using my old trusty Pentax camera (all manual settings) and Fuji slide film. Have I said lately how much I'm lovin' my new Nikon camera with the telephoto. If I haven't, it bears repeating. I'm lovin' my new Nikon camera with the telephoto. I especially love the vibration reduction auto focus lens. Very few of my images are even the slightest bit blurry which means I can shoot more images without the tripod. And it shoots so so much faster than my older digital camera. So I can take several photos quickly just in case one is blurry. ENJOY!

Pink Peony

When a subject keeps beckoning you as you review your photographs, at some point you have to listen. As was the case of these pink Peonies. As I kept going back to this series of images, I kept honing in on these deep pinks. Ah pink. ENJOY!

Call to the Post

The most exciting two minutes in sports takes place later today. Will you be watching? ENJOY!

Blue Flag Iris

There is something about Flag Iris's I just can't explain. They make me smile. Perhaps it's the way they lay wide open as though they are beckoning you in. Have a great weekend. ENJOY!

My Wish for Summer

Summer I am waiting . . . waiting for your long, sunny days, tall grasses blowing in the breeze, blue skies shining brightly in the sky, fluffy white clouds floating aimlessly by, flower gardens overflowing and evening's fireflies lighting up the night skies. Summer I am waiting. ENJOY!

Wisteria

Wisteria image I captured last Spring in Nashville, Indiana, at the arts and crafts village, with a little texture added on. ENJOY!