The Most Magnificent Oaks in the Carolinas

I had the opportunity to photograph my favorite oak trees this afternoon.  They are on private property and so not very accessible, but I was given permission to be there and I hope these images go some way towards doing justice to the subject matter.

More Images from the Road

Well 800+ miles later I'm back home, always with heartfelt gratitude to my ever-vigilant guardian angels, as I wade through rivers, climb and wander along trails, usually alone and usually without a cell signal.  I am particularly grateful that I have repeatedly survived driving the I-26, especially through the Columbia portion, but that diatribe is for another time.  For the record, I believe that there will still be great color to be seen next weekend between elevations 2,000-3,000ft.

Portion of US 276 near the Cradle of Forestry

US 276 near the Blue Ridge Parkway

The Davidson River near Brevard

Rural Brevard

One of the trails in the Caesar's Head State Park

Campbell's Covered Bridge, Landrum

Weekend Wandering in North Carolina

Fall is so brief and often very difficult to call.  Pundits will make predictions based on the rainfall and the elevation, etc. but nature has a way of doing as she pleases.  Many years I have been just too early or a little late, but this weekend the fall color is exploding in Maggie Valley, my base for a couple of days.  Just one thing messed things up - the dull and dreary weather.  Those drop dead gorgeous images you see in magazines happen either with a lot of luck, or a lot of planning and persistence.  Sometimes, as was the case this weekend, you need both. 

Cataloochee Valley

Elk in Cataloochee Valley

Road from Cataloochee to Big Creek

Sherill Cove Tunnel, Blue Ridge Parkway

Soco Twin Falls, Hwy.19

Sweetgrass is Flowering

It's hard not to notice, because Sweetgrasss is everywhere in Charleston, but it's in flower at the moment and it's beautiful.  I planted a Sweetgrass bed a few months ago, so I've been very gratified to watch as it daily explodes with purple hues.  As the sun was setting this evening I grabbed by camera and played with some compositions.  Funny how sometimes the neatest photo opps are right under your nose!

My Favorite Photo Subject

Every time I get to babysit, she is fair game, and she knows it by now.  She's kinda passive aggressive about the camera.  Doesn't actively photo-bomb everything, but doesn't exactly cooperate either, so we both know where we stand!  Nevertheless, I constantly strive to communicate the beauty in her, because there is much.  This is Euphrates, my granddaughter, who will be three years old next month.

I love Fall on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Last weekend, in between the early morning and afternoon balloon launches in Anderson, I broke away for awhile to see how the fall color was developing along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It is almost like a mandatory pilgrimage for me every year - I have to visit the Blue Ridge Mountains when the leaves change.  Sure enough, color was peaking at the higher elevations, +/- 5,000 feet, and these are a few images taken at Devil's Courthouse (totally fogged in at the summit) and Graveyard Fields.

Balloons over Anderson

This past weekend, I drove up to Anderson, South Carolina for the Balloons over Anderson hot air balloon festival. Saturday was a washout due to more rain (sigh), but Sunday was better.  Balloons launched into cloudy skies early in the morning, but by the afternoon, everyone was having a great time.  It was a free event and perfect for families who enjoyed food, carnival rides, music, and of course the balloons.