the eyes of youth

Haiku from nature . . .

It's all in the eyes;
curiosity of youth,
teaching me to see

covered bridge and the bear visit

Haiku from nature . . .


Bear and birdfeeder;
sunflower seeds strewn about,
free tasty morsels

We finally finished our little covered bridge; stain on siding, signs and farm implements hung.  However, our sign invited a neighborhood bear to visit.  Critter Corner is a name we have called our mountain top place since we moved here in the 90's.  We have so many critters here and of course the bear is evidence of that. He paid our birdfeeder a visit twice in one week and the second visit he literally demolished the feeder. I suppose the smart thing to do is to wait on replacing the feeder till bad weather arrives in the fall.

Cumberland Falls

haiku from nature . . .

roaring cumberland;
spray of mist on maiden's face;
eagles soar above

Not as grand as the Niagara, but still beautiful in it's own way.  A scorching hot day was turned into a very pleasant experience with a fine mist spray to cool the fragrant woodsy air of a forest whose floor was covered with musty leaves and pine needles. I would definitely go back here if I have the opportunity.

"peek a boo"

Haiku from nature...

Tall grasses swaying;

peek a boo and hide and seek...

young fawns playing

A recent trip to Kentucky's Mammoth Cave National Park left me fascinated with young fawns playing outside our RV one bright and beautiful  morning. Naturally I had to grab my camera and get off a few snapshots. These two deer paid very little attention to me except for an occasional game of peek a boo and allowed me to get fairly close in. The campground was nearly empty, so I was by myself with these little critters - me and my camera and the deer. Trusting little creatures they were. I wondered where Momma deer was. Maybe they were old enough to be weaned and left on their own. This was such a delight and I marvel at any chance like this to experience the pleasure of close encounters with nature.

clematis 2011c

clematis 2011c, a photo by songcatcher01 on Flickr.

This is one of my purple clematis blooms. With some tweaking of the photo, it made a very interesting pic.

Memorial Day Weekend

Our second road trip with our RV was over Memorial Day Weekend. I know it was a busy time to travel to Pigeon Forge, TN, but this was the first chance we've had this year to get away. We had a great time at Clabough Campground watching the antics of the multitude of kids running around. You had to watch your every move or you would have a bike or electric Razor  run you down. A nice gentle walk around the campground turned into a dash for cover behind a tree around nearly every bend. It was safer to stay under our little canopy and watch the activity. Saturday night brought some wonderful lively entertainment right outside our RV, when a young lady (I think her name was Carrisa) performed some great Hank Williams tunes with her beautiful voice and guitar.  She performs at various venues and is also co-host along with Pat Corn at The Cowboy Church in Pigeon Forge. Great entertainment!

And speaking of the Cowboy Church; you must make a stop on Sunday mornings at The Miracle Theatre at 10:00am for a wonderful church service. They have some of the best entertainers in the Smokies performing as well as a great message by Pat. If you haven't heard Pat play his guitar and sing, you've missed a wonderful opportunity. And Carrisa has the voice of an angel. Stop by to see them if you're in the Smokies.  You will be blessed!

Campers with golf carts which were decorated with colorful red white and blue flags put on a parade Sunday evening. A most enjoyable time as we watched the ducks go back and forth throughout the grounds. Something I had never witnessed before was a duck in a tree. A male Mallard was glued to a twelve foot stump and picking at some green vegetation growing from the top, while other males were circling the stump and trying to figure out how to get up there. They kept trying but to no avail because there wasn't enough room for them. Of course baby ducks and their mommas were everywhere, but they moved so fast that I couldn't get clear shots with my little camera.

We also spent a morning driving the cycle through Cades Cove. Many deer were along the side of the route as well as turkey. We only saw one black bear, which was far in the distance and could barely be seen with the naked eye. We did manage to stop at our favorite old homestead. Guy loves the old cantilevered barn and I'm enamored with the old home which reminds me of my Grandparents home back in the olden days. All in all it was a very good trip - one we've taken often and I'm sure we will be returning.

Spring has Sprung

April prepares her green traffic light

and the world thinks Go.  ~Christopher Morley, John Mistletoe

Beautiful flowers are popping up all over my yard. I love the azaleas, irises and so many other lovely beauties that bloom in April. I couldn't help but take a few snapshots in my yard this morning as I left for town. Their little heads dancing in the early morning sun will start your day off right.

barn quilts

Finally finished my barn quilts I've been painting for our covered bridge. Unfortunately, I will have to wait till it's warm enough to put a stain on the barn before I can hang them up.  My first barn quilts - they were fun to do. These are 3 x 3 on MDF board. I didn't realize how much tape or calculating would be involved, but it was worth it.