SUNSHINE on my shoulders Makes me HAPPY

SUNSHINE on my shoulders Makes me HAPPY,

John Denver was my favorite singer and he passed away too soon! I miss him--but his music will live on forever.
We have a sweet couple of sunflowers blooming in the yard at this time, and of course I am attracted to them as much as the bees--
Flowers really make me happy, as much as anything else I find when Im out and about in Nature --and the Sunflower is my very favorite! One year I grew some with heads as large a fry pans!

SO its almost the 4th of July and I don't know how I will celebrate I used to live at Coney Island in NYC...and the fireworks on the pier were so fabulous...things are much calmer here...there is a lake display...but we have no boat--so I will see what comes my way on this our Country's 233 rd Birthday!

I recall I grew a nice big Sunflower in a pot then transplanted it into my landladies garden at her request...when I lived @Coney Island, what fun!!

Fall Creek Falls SP

I ran into this racoon fishing for her breakfast while riding along the bike path that follows the shore line of the lake at Fall Creek Falls SP in TN.

This is a female and she is nursing...if I had time to wait her out after she went up the tree I could have found her "den"..but she looked much more patient than me, so I left her alone.

If you've never visited Fall Creek Falls in the Cumberland Mtns. you really should its a jewel in the rough. We had so much fun we behaved as children hiking, swimming, kayaking, birdwatching, biking, scenic driving, photographing....the swinging bridges, the waterfalls, the woods, the wildlife--we saw many deer, I just never had my camera at the ready to get a good shot. So if you really want to enjoy the outdoors, I suggest you go.

The main attraction is the waterfalls! There are several all big, and delicious to view and photograph!

This is the longest one, Fall Creek Falls...there are some others getting longer every day

                   
  There are plenty of scenic views, and tough hikes! Lots of bridges to cross. And the lake is awesome!!

Wren hatchlings

 Mom wren was not too happy when I came lurking around to get a shot..but she stayed close by....they grow so fast---! Bright and early tomorrow we leave for TN! I hope the weather is cooler there than here..last night we had rain again, we've had over 375 severe thunder storm warnings so far since January one. I would love to get some shots of lightening, but Im afraid I'll be struck!

LONG WEEKEND TRIP

 WOW its so hot! We are melting in humidity~ Literally. Just an hour ago we had the tiniest rain show...only made the humidity worse..but it was enough to water my flowers & garden. This weekend Im headed up to my birth state for a visit and hopefully weather allowing some hiking, birding, and just plain fun! We have reserved 3 nights at the Inn of Fall Creek Falls State Park in the beautiful state of Tennessee! My family has old connections with this park since much of the land was owned by the Walling family from which I came.

They were NOT wealthy people, most of them were moonshiners and farmers...and the land was sold to the Federal Govt for as low as $1 per acre! Even though that was really not a fair price, Im glad this land was procured and made into a State Park...I cant imagine this area NOT being protected! The photos are from last fall's trip up. My father is buried in the family cemetery located just outside the parks entrance...that bit of land remains in the family hands, so we will be visiting him on Fathers Day. . Ill be posting current shots. ITS a wonderful place to visit. the leaves were awesome...but we had a lot of rain so misty, and damp was the word. We are hoping for better weather this time.

Wrens Just Hatched

Wrens Just Hatched, originally uploaded by dixxebell.

The Carolina Wren's are hatching! SO far it looks like 3 have hatched so 2 more to go!..The nest is located in my lawn mower bagger, so its quite easy to check on...I hope to get more shots as they grow and mature!..HOW fragile they look almost transparent...
I took 2 shots of them and dont want to push my luck and scare Mom away.
My garden is coming along nicely I saw small acorn squash on the vine today and Ive got some green and bananna peppers coming along too...Ive had ripe tomatoes and squash, peas, green beans, and onions so far.
We have had terrific storms with hale and wind every day with the high humdity...so some of my taller flowers got knocked over I tied them up and hope they will continue to grow.

Picture Perfect LIGHT-

Picture Perfect-LIGHT

This is one of my recent photos, taken at a spot only 5 miles from home, one of my Local Haunts I guess you could say... the Cypress Tress are awesome.

Camera:	Kodak Z712 IS Zoom
Exposure:	0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture:	f/3.2
Focal Length:	22.2 mm

Body Beautiful

Art comes in many forms! The human body can be a canvas. If you have read my blog before you know my son is into fitness & body building! He does not take drugs to get the body he has he works hard....he diets and he has what so many of us lack...discipline! So this past Saturday he competed in his 4th exhibition and he looked fantastic.
He was in the Light Heavy Weight division this year he weighted in at 209 he is 5'11" tall. Congrats on a great show son!

Plans

I'm having visions of grandeur about a lake surrounded by red sandstone cliffs carved by eons of time, wind, and water...Lake Powell. This September Im taking a little trip out west and I hope to visit Lake Powell. I wont be able to spend a week on a house boat like so many vacationers do, but I am planning a 1/2 boat tour of the lake that will include a stop and hike to Rainbow Bridge Arch. I cant wait so...the excitement got me to painting--this watercolor of what I think I will be seeing...a look into my future. I know I cant paint....thats why I prefer digital painting...but I try! I'm going to be doing more painting..I can Draw quite good, but then applying the color is not my thing...I have purchased a couple of types paper, some acrylics and a couple of canvases also....so beware you will be seeing even more bad painting...I refuse to give up....

OK back to my mid-summers Day Dream.....I hope to see other fantastic formations. Another spot we will visit is called the wave! in a place called Coyote Buttes If you click this link you will see why I havent tried to paint this breath taking spot.

We have to apply for a day permit from the Bureau of Land Management of prior to going, they restrict use to only a few visitors a day. I booked my flight today!...I cant wait for September to arrive. I chose Fall for a couple of reasons, 1. ITS cooler! 2. I couldnt get out of other commitment's life has thrown me.

We will also see Monument Valley and many other natural wonders in the area of Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. Today I have to wade through the quagmire of trying to get the best deal on a rental car ( I feel frustration coming on) so I can drive from the airport in Denver west about 200 miles to the Rocky Mountains where my Sister lives. I will take my laptop so maybe I can find Wi-Fi so I can upload my photos. I say MY photos cause last year we went to Utah, I took over 800 photos used up 2) 2 g cards...

My sis is the opposite of me, she took one of those cameras you turn into the store for developing, and she took 3 photos!..lol They came out quite good tho!