Not A Cloud In The Sky

Gorgeous morning along the river...

 

Thanks for reading my blog, see you tomorrow,
Lise

A Little River Time

I have three full days to get ready to relocate. I say relocate because I'm not really moving; I'm just relocating my stuff (clothes, accessories, personal care items, favorite photos and stuff...like chimes, crystals, homey things) and living in another space (I really love this fact for some reason; yet another place to call home. I'll tell yo something funny about that shortly). I have to switch my winter clothing to professional (thank goodness the office is a casual environment), and collect all my accessories that I haven't had a use for in the cabin. That's to be done in between "taking care of business" and of course, visiting with friends (sorry to say not with Liam, the scheduling just didn't work out). But here I am, and I daresay, life is good.

Did I mention it's hot here? And yes, I'm already sweating. Thank goodness for air conditioning.

Thanks for reading my blog, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Turning The Page

Wow, my last day here at the cabin before turning the page and beginning a new chapter. I've packed all my belongings, filled the car, shed a few tears of sadness and clapped and given a woo hoo for the journey I'm about to begin. I'm attempting to soak in my surroundings to put the very essence of my mountains, woods and log cabin into my cells. I'm spending every possible minute together with my love Johny, (& Pogo and Fluffy) appreciating our last day together for a while. And I'm sharing some of what I've seen today with you, my loyal friends, family, and followers.

Last nights sunset...

Strike bean progress (see the new sprout pushing up on the right?)...

One of the many white trillium dotting the floor of our woods...

A Rare Pinkshell Azalea bloom that, unfortunately, won't open before I leave. It's my favorite bloom around our cabin, as there are no leaves to distract from the blooms (they come after the blooms). Click on this link to see them in their finest.

My favorite rhododendron, just beginning to unfold...

My Onearm. Looks like she's just had another litter...

Wild strawberry blooms...

A Pipevine Swallowtail...

I'll miss this place, no doubt about that. But I'm excited about this new journey and everything it holds for me and us. I'll be in Florida tomorrow, probably sweating. But that's okay, I'll get used to it.

Thanks for reading my blog, see you tomorrow,
Lise

My First Bear Sighting!

This is what we saw as we walked down the path from Clingmans Dome after watching the sun rise...

We saw it from a distance at the same time we heard someone walking up the path shout, "Shoo bear!". I quickly took a picture, and then not thinking fully, Johny and I immediately ran toward it. We couldn't help ourselves. We slowed down as we got closer, and watched the bear glance at the onlookers as if to think, "What, you've never seen a bear in the woods before?" No Little Bear, I haven't, I thought as I kept snapping pictures and watching him graze in the grass.

We moved a little closer, and he lost himself in the tall grass that led toward the edge of the trees. First an awesome sunrise, then a friendly encounter with a bear. What a day!

Oh, there's more fun. We came across several plump wild turkeys...

We drove through Roaring Fork, a one-way winding motor nature trail and found this beautiful rocky creek that meandered along the road...

...and these old log cabins that were homes to the pioneers of the area.

The sun shining on this stone bridge caught my attention,

as did this old grist mill,

with it's ancient yet functioning wheel.

It was a perfect way to spend my last Saturday in the mountains, and a day I will always remember. If you are ever in the Smoky Mountains, a visit to Clingmans Dome is a must.

Thanks for reading my blog, see you tomorrow,
Lise 

Watching The Sunrise From Clingmans Dome

Today is my last Saturday in the mountains for a while. Wanting to make the most of the day, we decided to drive to Clingmans Dome, the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and watch the sunrise. It meant getting up at 3:30AM, and driving to Tennessee, but it was worth it. It was still dark when we arrived. We stepped out of the car and were blasted by strong winds and freezing temperatures (shouldn't have been a surprise at 6600 feet, and though we had coats, we never thought to bring hats or gloves). But the sky twinkled with thousands (no exaggeration) of stars. It was awe inspiring. And then we saw it, a shooting star...the perfect start to our morning! When the tips of our noses were frozen, we got back into the car and turned on the heater for a while. I noticed the sky to the east beginning to brighten, so we made the half mile trek up the mountain to the observation deck. Another thing we didn't anticipate was the effect the altitude would have on us. We started up the path with lots of energy and enthusiasm, quickly finding ourselves winded and a little dizzy. We slowed our pace and made it to the deck. Remember that wind and freezing temperatures I mentioned? Of course, it was magnified at the top (click here to see the deck). But we were rewarded for the effort...

 

 

At this point, we were so cold we went down the ramp to get out of the wind. After getting some feeling back into my hands, I made my way back to the top. Johny decided he was too cold and would watch from a spot on the Appalachian Trail. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I knew sunrise from this vantage point would be breathtaking (in more ways than one). What I didn't realized was how emotional I would feel; it really did take my breath away.

Our day didn't end with the sunrise, I have much more to tell, including a bear sighting (no kidding), but will save the rest for tomorrow (too many pictures in this post already).

Thanks for reading my blog, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Rhododendron & A Black Morel

I love the colorful spring blooms that surround us with splashes of bright color. We're still waiting for our rhododendron to open around the cabin (we're at 3600 feet), but these, like the iris photos I posted yesterday were taken in town yesterday. The intricate center of rhododendron reminds me of a henna tattoo!

 

Much to our surprise, Johny found this black morel right next to our compost pile. We've never found a black morel before, they've always been yellow, (click here to see photos), and here one sprouted right beneath our feet! We'll be cooking it this evening, 

along with these yellow ones we harvested yesterday. I'm curious if there is a difference in taste--experts say the black are the best--we'll be doing our own comparison and I'll let you know what we think!

Thanks for reading my blog, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Iris, Up Close and Personal

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading my blog, see you tomorrow,
Lise