Corny!

Because I am going home for the long weekend, I am posting a picture of my grandparent's farm. I have spent many a happy hour roaming these acres, and plan to spend a few more here shortly.


I am lucky to have been born into a gifted and camera-crazy family. Both my father and my uncle are crack photographers, and both have taken many wonderful images throughout the years of their time on "the farm". I cannot tell you if the vintage shot below was taken by my uncle or my father, but I do know that a neighbor took one look at it and said "Corny!".

Carved in Stone

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado is well known for the many stone dwellings that cling to its cliffsides. Surprisingly, these are the only petroglyphs the public can readily access. The meaning behind these symbols is ultimately unknown, although modern-day tribespeople have made interpretations. Their permanence intrigued me; they've lasted for centuries.

What words and ideas are important enough that you would carve them in stone?

A Change of Pace

Since I have been bombarding you all with mountain vistas, I thought I would take a break and look at something very closely :)


I think this is jimsonweed. It is a noxious plant but the blooms are quite pretty. I shot this in macro mode. The lens was more or less inside the flower, accounting for the shadowy edges and backlit center.

Here it Is!

I had to scan in a page from a scrapbook to get this picture - this was well before I went digital! This is Pilot Peak in Yellowstone. It supposedly got its name because pilots used its distinctive shape as a landmark in the old days. I read in the guidebook that it looks somewhat similar to the Matterhorn in Switzerland. I don't know whether either fact is true, but this remains my favorite mountain :)

It is at the beginning of an abso-frickin-lutely beautiful drive called the Beartooth Highway. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Feeling Panoramic

While I'm in the mood, here's a panoramic from an entirely different set of mountains:


These are the Spanish Peaks. At least that's my best guess,based on my trusty roadmap/gazeteer. They are in the general vicinity of Pueblo, Colorado. These peaks definitely rank on my top ten list of "favorite scenic mountains." Hmmm. That gives me an idea for some future blogging :) I'll work on digging up a photo of my #1 favorite mountain of all time (are you filled with suspense yet?!?) :P

Cades Cove

An panoramic shot from the Smoky Mountains, taken on the same trip as the picture below. You can get a better sense of it if you click on it.

Frosty Mountains

This cold November morning, the Smoky Mountains had frosted over. My father and I were two of the few people out and about at this time and temperature. He was looking for bucks, and I was looking at plants. Pretty typical for the two of us :)

I have been posting some of my archived photos lately. Hope you enjoy them!

Night in Knoxville

This is the downtown Knoxville skyline reflected in the Tennessee River. The color paired with the tree silhouette make this one of my favorite pictures.

Quilt Barns

In an effort to get visitors out into the countryside, some areas have decorated barns. This is one of many "quilt" barns near Athens, Ohio. I like the contrast between the crisp paint on the quilt square and the worn, but still bright, paint on the much older barn.

You Never Know Who's Looking Over Your Shoulder

I plan to occasionally post about comical things I've seen while hiking, and/or while traveling in general. I'll start with what is probably my most amusing shot - Justin and a mule deer sharing a trail in Colorado. It was hard getting a picture where both of them had their eyes open, facing me. This deer and her companions were obviously unafraid of humans. A few minutes later, another deer in this group kindly posed for me with the sand dunes as a backdrop.