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Country: United States
State: Georgia
Metro: Atlanta
Gender: Female


Interests: Decorating, Gardening, Cooking, Playing with Grandchildren, Teaching Sign Language, Sharing my love of Christ, Art, Photography, Travel, Camping, Auburn Football.
Expertise: Dabbling
Occupation: Consulting
Industry: Insurance


Message: message me
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Member Since: 7/5/2004

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Wednesday, November 04, 2009

ISSAQUEENA FALLS

This week’s photo challenge subject was suggested by living embers - Something Borrowed

 
  It appears that it has been difficult for folks to come up with submissions for this week’s challenge.  We just don’t borrow things like we used to,  so in this blog, I have borrowed the words from the plaque at the top of the falls and all the pictures from trail down to the bottom of the falls….taken by daughter, Angwith2

 

The Legend of Issaqueena Falls – Dramatic Cascades of the South Carolina Upcountry

 

“This beautiful waterfall is named for a Creek maiden called Issaqueena.   There are many legends about Issaqueena.  The most popular story tells how as a girl, Issaqueena was captured by the Cherokee and given the name Cateechee.  As a young woman she met and fell in love with a white trader named Allan Francis.  One day she overheard a plan by the Cherokee to attack the settlements on the frontier.  To warn her lover, she found a swift pony and rode 96 miles to his trading fort….

 

Fearing retribution from the Cherokees, Issaqueena remained with Allan, eventually marrying him.  In time, she, Allan, and their newborn baby moved back to Stumphouse Mountain where they built their home.

 

One day the Cherokee Chief, angered with the white settlers, sent his warriors to capture Issaqueena.  She saw them coming and ran toward this waterfall to escape capture.  Knowing that the Cherokee believed evil spirits lived in waterfalls, she pretended to leap to her death.  She hid on the ledge below the top of the falls where she remained until it was safe to rejoin her family.  Her dramatic escape began the legend of Issaqueena Falls.”

 

I was afraid to walk down to the bottom of the trail with these bad knees ....steep and rocky.  But I do appreciate my #1 daughter lending me the photos for all our enjoyment. 


Friday, October 23, 2009

Dawn till Dusk in the Smokies

This weeks photo challenge subject was suggested by LadyLioness1973 
"From Dusk till Dawn"
 
The Friday that Angwith2 and I took off for North Carolina, it was very overcast or raining most of the drive.  The challenge seemed to stay optimistic about the weather and to look for blue sky on the horizon.  We spent the night in Dillard, GA at Mountain Valley Inn. It offered comfortable, clean, and affordable lodging for our 1 night stay on our way to Asheville.  We thought we would do some sightseeing but decided that we were more intent on finding a place to eat before dark than noticing our surroundings.  We found a great, but crowded, restaurant just down from the motel, the Cupboard Cafe.  To my surprise, the owners were Billy and Charlene Johnson, old acquaintances who owned the Southern Skillet in Roswell at one time.  

Billy and Charlene have published their philosophy right on their menu,“Serve good food at a fair price and they will come back, again and again. We’re not satisfied unless they’re satisfied."  It also includes the promise that "you won't leave hungry", and we didn't.  While we waited for a seat, we strolled the gift shop and enjoyed the fragrance of the cappuccino and fresh-baked cookies coming from the coffee bar.  After a huge meal and a shared desert, it was very dark as we returned to our room. 

When I woke up the next morning, after a wonderful night's sleep, I opened the drapes of the back window in our room. The beauty almost took my breath away and I went quickly for my camera, snapping one picture from inside the room, then headed out the door, around the building and to the back of motel which overlooked the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The sun was not yet up, but beginning to give a glow that showed promise of perhaps burning the clouds away.  See why they are called the "Smokey Mountains".

I can't remember how long we took pictures of the rising sun, but from the number of pictures that we took, it was a long time.  Changing positions, several times to try to get the best view, the chill in the air and the dampness, finally got the best of us and we went back in the room before the sun broke over the mountains.

 

Ang went to take her shower and I stood by the window...camera ready...for the sun to welcome us to a new day...AND IT DID.

That night, we went to a 6:00 wedding in Marshall, NC.  We had thought about stopping back by a wonderful fast flowing creek we had seen on the way into town, but I knew how quickly it got dark in the mountains, so we reluctantly started back toward Asheville. 

We were rewarded as we got our first view of a huge harvest moon hanging over the mountain.  By the time we were able to find a place to pull off the road and get cameras out, the moon had already started to rise higher and smaller....but impressive still the same.

 

From the mountains to the City....I leave you with one parting photo.  This picture was taken with the intent of submitting in the challenge of "reflections in plate glass", but without a cloud in the sky, the sunrise was too brilliant and had no color.  I started to delete this picture when it was not "successful", but it held my attention and I'm glad I kept it.  It is such a contrast to the shots above, but none the less beautiful in a "cityscape" sort of way. 

There you have it....from dawn till dusk and back again.  

 

 


Friday, October 16, 2009

Local Wildlife

My contribution for the Weekly Photo Challenge for this week, The Wildlife living near your area

could almost fit for last week's "Seeing Double".   However this week was suggested by HereAreLindasPhotos so I located this cropped shot from a collection made at Oconee State Park in South Carolina.

052 Canadian Goose Many of the Canadian Geese, unlike the name implies, actually stay here all year.  They get very noisy when flying overhead, and hold up traffic on many side streets, but people often just gawk at them and don't complain.  With all the rainy weather, you might see the geese anywhere.  Last Sunday there were a bunch near the church parking lot and yesterday I saw about 7 in a grassy area above the parking lot at work.  Close up, they are really much larger than they appear in pictures.

The geese in this picture were attracted to us when #1 daugher and I sat quietly on a park bench.  Of course they probably thought that we had food, which we did not, but they came all the way across the lake to visit with us.

These may not be the greatest pictures....but they are probably better than the picture that I had planned to take of the field mouse that G-daddy caught in his "hav-a-heart" trap this morning. 


Friday, October 09, 2009

SEEING SEEING DOUBLE DOUBLE

This weeks photo challenge subject was suggested by photographics - Seeing double
 
The weather in Georgia has been much cooler in the last two weeks and we can all feel the hint of Fall.  Two weeks ago, the temperature suddenly made a dip into the low 50s.  We considered bringing the "house" plants in, but knew we would just be lugging them back out as soon as it warmed back up.  Our biggest concern are the orchids, as they cannot take cool nights in the mid 40s, but we know that the minute they come in the house, they start to bloom and I do enjoy having them in bloom for the holidays...so the longer we can wait, the better. 
 
I pulled this photo from my archives because of the double blooms.  Hope you enjoy as much as I do. 
Archive 05 004


Friday, October 02, 2009

Color and Black and White

This weeks photochallenge subject was suggested by StixandStonz - Anything in color and then in black & white.
 
These shots were taken while we were in Panama City, Florida during the summer.
Cousin Laura took us to the City Dock to get fresh shrimp for dinner.  I loved the view. 
I think I like the Black and white better.



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