A walk in the Great Smokies

Once again my friend and teacher Dave B http://cynical-lens.blogspot.com/2014/04/here-and-there.html has inspired me to take up my camera and try again.  In the mean time here are some old photo's of a spot I really enjoy.  A few years back my wife Teresa and I spent a week in the Great Smokies.  The sights the LORD gave us were truly great.  I would like to share some of them with you at this time.  I wish the pictures were better and truly captured the beauty but, well here they are.

We had arrived and took a hike up this creek just after the rain had stopped.  It was so beautiful.You can see some of the mist still rising.  Makes me think of the Garden of Eden and how it says the mist rose up.

This was a waterfall we hiked back to.  It was about 5-6 miles off the trail in very hot weather but was well worth the trip back.  Needless to say the water felt really great. 

This was another creek we came accross and I had been reading a book about different settings so I practiced on this .

Another creek coming through the hills and over rocks 

Hope you enjoyed these 

Birds I have photographed

While I was walking out in California a few years ago I was looking across a stream when something hit my eye.  There was a little red movement and then I noticed this Merganser blending in with the cover.  The LORD had given it protection.

This Blue Heron knew that someone or something was out there.  The sun was at my back so he could not see and I just had to remain still.  It was very much fun to watch his eyes try to see.

Here was another Blue Heron croutched up.  Looks prehistoric.

As I was driving down a country road this Sand Crane caught my eye.  Must be a female as she did not mind being photographed as long as I was about 70 yards away.

This White Egret was in this swamp and so I had to crawl on my belly to get close without making noise.  I guess the Army was good for something.  Again the sun was at my back so even tho the Egret may have sensed it did not see me.

These Wood Ducks were out in a lake under a tree and I just loved to watch them.  The male here is so good looking with the markings on his head and those red eyes darting between the females and me.  It was fun.

Deer in the woods

As I was relaxing in the woods -10 degrees I noticed this doe laying behind a fallen tree

and the elements did not seem to bother her one bit.

As I was going along I noticed this doe and how she blended into the tree behind her.  I thought how beautiful this was.  

These deer were a bit camera shy.

On second thought maybe they were not camera shy but aftaid of the wolf in the trees.