Fall Colors Marching On

 

The way the light is coming across the scene it looks like the trees are marching up over the hilltop. There is a feel of movement in a very static scene. Sort of weird. 

A Very Little House on the Prairie

 

This is a very little house on the prairie, except it is not a house, probably the corn shed, it is not on a prairie, it is in a clearing at the foothills of the Great Smokies on the North Carolina side and it is probably a recreation of an original homesteaders creation before it was turned into a tourist attraction, oh, and the colors have been popped a bit with the yellows, greens and reds all enhanced. Otherwise, it is perfectly authentic. Really. 

Silky Tuesday

 

Just a little time exposure, which makes for a silky river shot. Enjoy. 

Fall Colors in the Smokies

 

The title of this shot says it all. We caught a pretty good week for fall colors. Not as many reds as I expected (maybe not as many maples high up) or perhaps we were a week short of full color but a nice mix of color nevertheless. 

How the Smokies Got Their Name

 

Here are four shots (two from this fall and the two below from back in the summer) to help explain how the Smokies got their name. You would think it was from all the trees and condensation that forms their own cloud cover. The "smoke" and "blue mist" comes from plants, which not only give off oxygen in exchange for carbon dioxide but also chemicals, which we can smell when we walk through an area heavily dominated with plants. Those chemicals combine with the oxygen to give a blue colored mist that you see in the distance when you look through the forest, especially from above. 

Anyway, whatever the science, it makes for great views!!!

Smokies in the summer:

Just short of peak colors but a peak experience

 

We were probably just short of peak fall colors this week in the Great Smoky Mountains but nature gave us a wonderful display, nevertheless. Lots of greens still around with yellows and reds blending in--depending on what elevation you were at.  Lots of greens and yellows down low, with more and more red blended in near the top. Elevations in the park range from 876 to 6,643 feet and my legs felt every foot of that rise from sea level. Michael Jr had us on hikes all the way out to 8 miles. It is not the distance but the elevation changes that kill your legs. Still, lots of fun hiking, camping and seeing the park in the fall. Highly recommended. 

Nature, Red in Tooth and Claw

 

Turns out we are feeding more than Sparrows, Nuthatches, Finches and Morning Doves. This Cooper's Hawk caught a Morning Dove right off the feeder. Those Morning Doves much be pretty easy to catch, as they seem quite slow to take off. They spill a ton of seeds with their take-offs every time they leave the feeder. Luckily, Cheryl wasn't around when the hawk made his kill because she would have gone nuts. I figured, no sense chasing the hawk off as he will just have to go to get another meal somewhere else. He (she?) is quite striking. It looks like he is wearing pjs to me for some reason. Very striking.  

It's not all for the birds around here

It's not all about the birds in this Shot of the Day pandemic shut down. I occasionally get out of the backyard and look for other animals. Caught this squirrel out of the corner of my eye enjoying a nut in the crook of a tree. Although the shot is messy, I thought the squirrel made an interesting composition. Not wall-art but an ok shot. Now, as to an up date on my personal enemy, the bane of my life, Mr. Backyard Squirrel, I had to move the feeder for the 5th time to try to defeat his antics. He is Super Squirrel since he can leap from great distances to make it on top of the feeder. Watching him trying to figure out how to beat my feeder is both fun and frustrating. He will keep trying but I will defeat him in the end!!! I think this move makes his leap an impossible distance, but I have said that before and he found a way to make the leap. For example, he learned that if he does a speed run from the center of an evergreen way above the feeder, the branch bends as he hits it and then he can launch at an angle that gets him to the pole and slide down on to the plate for a nut filled treat. It is like you basically throw yourself off of an unsteady ledge and you hit a pole where hopefully, you can slide down and catch yourself before you hit the ground. If there are any birds there, so be it. They might stop your fall. Anyway, this guy here is enjoying his treat without having to work all that hard to get it....

Moon and Mars

 

A nearly full Harvest Moon and Mars made a visit. This was a handheld shot at 500th of a second from my backyard. Tough to hold it still with my very large and heavy 150-600 Sigma telephoto zoom. A tripod would have been better but it worked out for a quick snap. You are probably going to have to click into the picture to see Mars but it is there, right above the moon. Can't miss it. 

Who there? Hoodoos. That's Who.

 

This is a shot of the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon and they were just spectacular. Absolutely as advertised. The view from this ridge just takes your breath away. And it is only 20-25 feet from your car if you can believe it. As I said before, you should have to start from a day's hike away to get to see something like this. It is a long drive from Vegas or Phoenix but that doesn't count. The Grand Canyon is something to see but I think this matches it and then some. Anyway, one day I hope to bring all the grandkids to see Bryce. That would be a trip!!!