God sure can paint

The remainder of the really bad weather rolled out this early evening just before the sun set. What was left was some amazing artistry. God has one huge paintbrush and the talent to use it.

Here are a couple of teaser shots. To see the rest, follow the link to my Flickr page. 

Click the link here

What we see when God paints

Cades Cove

For those that don't know, Cades Cove is in Tennessee, in the Smoky Mountain National Park. It's a very beautiful place to visit with an 11 mile loop road that you can drive. While there you will encounter loads of wildlife. On any given day you will come across deer, bear, elk and turkey just to name a few. The summer is the busiest time to visit as the park itself gets 14 million visitors a year, which makes it the most visited national park in the country. I think that the fact that there is no admission fee has a lot to do with that. Here are some photos taken in Cades Cove. Enjoy.

As you can tell, I like photographing birds.

We've got several bird feeders near our back deck. I spend a descent amount of time out there with the camera; you just never know when something really nice will land for a bite. Below are a couple of captures from this past winter. They seem to eat more seeds in the winter. During the spring, there are a lot more bugs and worms for them to munch on. Enjoy.

Baby Robins

Every spring we get the pleasure of watching adult robins sitting on their eggs, watching those eggs hatch into alien-like baby birds, and watching mom and dad feverishly trying to keep their little bellies full. This year was no exception. These little guys are just outside of our upstairs window. Mom and dad take turns bringing them worms and grubs all day long. I'd say that in about another week, the little nest will be empty. Then of course, we'll have to wait a whole year to witness it all over again. Enjoy.

Ozone Falls

Just a short walk, well climb (down) from HWY 70 in Tennessee, you will find Ozone Falls. To get there, take exit 339 from I-40 and head west to HWY 70. There you'll take a right and drive 5 or 6 miles until you see signs for Ozone Recreation area. If you blink, you will miss the signs. If you walk straight from the parking lot, you'll be at the top of the falls looking down. Not for the faint-of-heart or anyone with vertigo. WARNING, there are no handrails. A buddy of mine told me that when he was a kid some 30+ years ago, people used to push stolen cars over the edge.

If you go right from the parking lot, appox. 50 yards are so, the trail leaves the road to your left and you will quickly descend to the pool where the falls comes crashing down. The fall itself is over 100 feet high and you can hike behind it. I was told that a portion of the movie "Jungle Book" was filmed here, but have no proof. If you are traveling through east TN, I suggest that you stop by and view this spectacular falls for yourself. Picture don't do it justice.

Mama feeding her babies.

Nature is so awesome. At one of the local parks on the lake, there is a dead tree with a hole in it about 15 feet up. There are baby starlings living in the hole and every few minutes, mom comes by with a mouth full of "something" and feeds them. Of course, when I show up with the camera, she seems to stay away. However, I did manage to squeeze off a few shots of her. Not the best quality, but good enough to see how cool feeding time can be. Hope you enjoy.

Aphids, they're eveywhere............

Took this quick Macro shot of one of my wife's rose bushes today. How many Aphids do you see???????