Asheville

Baby Wren Being Rescued

Belle Dancer (Asheville, N.C.)

Majestic Mountains

Long View Beauty in the Valley

We had a great road trip to Asheville, N.C. this
past Saturday. The scenic views include the
mountainous terrain of Asheville, with big mountain
tops looming and billowy blue skies rolling over
green valleys to ponder upon. Downtown
Asheville has its more unusual delights...
with skilled bluegrass musicians and
colorful mimes that line the building
fronts and the downtown square to entertain.
Top: We attended a local herb festival in
Banner Elk for a High Country Writers book
signing on Sunday. At the nearby orchid
selling tent, a women was diligently feeding
5 baby wrens that she had rescued.
Don't they look weak? Not sure if they
can survive their innate frailty without
their mother...Free bluegrass musicians
performed here for the day, as well!
And a good time was had...by all.

Saturday Road Trip

Belle Dancer

Fairest of Maids

Maidens of Gold

Rolling Clouds

Come on along!
We visited Asheville, N.C. (Saturday)
and were greeted by rolling clouds above the bluest
of mountains. In the downtown were these most
lovely maids on display to photograph and observe.
Each time you placed your offering in their basket,
they bowed down and curtsied. It was amazing talent and
quite beautiful to behold. Ahhhh. The beauty of a fair maiden!

Down in the Holler

Down in the holler
where the green grass grows
where the trout flops
the bear stops
and no one knows...
its coming or its going-
the rushing river rolls
over rocky boulder
slinking down the grassy knolls.

Down in the holler
you'll find me
basking in the spotty
sun in all my glory.
Down in the holler
where my dreams pass the time
with one toe dipped down in the stream-
a taste of the sublime.

Down in the holler
where everything is green
Come sit a spell and you will find
exactly what I mean.

Down in the holler
where wild flowers line the banks
My thoughts roll round and round my head
full of song and thanks.

Down in the holler
just let yourself all go
and find some peace and a resting place
with no one else to know.

Lovely May Morn Jog

(Just click to enlarge the shots...)
A little jog onto the Blue Ridge Parkway this
morning was akin to a slice...of heaven. The May
morning lighting was 'just right,' leaving
shadows to play. As you can see (from the two
long view shots) it is a hazy morn in the parkway...
(altitude for these shots 3750 feet above sea level.)
Bottom: The perfect plump reddish-peach rosebud
peaked out to as if to say "Lookie here! ...I am full of
the promise of an equally plump red rose to be!"
Next Up: The road stretches ahead in the
parkway on a sweet May morn. (Others) in Mid
Section: Subtle long views today. Can you see
the alligator hidden away? Top: Old, old huge
trees line the Blue Ridge. I particularly like
the weathering of the fence posts all in a
jagged line. In this shot you can see the tricky
but the pleasant to the eye morning lighting.
Do...enjoy the day.

Lakhi at Rest

Here is my pretty-girl friend Lakhi (pronounced
"Lah-key;" just bathed.) She is faithful
and only recently she has begun to lay down
(when we are outside) and to wait for me.
The hot sun (now) combined with the
rather cool mountain breezes make
for some pretty terrific lawn enjoying days.

Color Me Iris and (My) Teenagers :-)

Lovely Lone Iris

Elegant Sliver

Delicate in Color

I am in the middle (presently) of adjusting to my
(almost) 21 year old son being home (from college.)
He is a joy but...I could easily spend my entire
day cleaning (even if they assist) with 4 back in
our home. Teenagers (I have two) carry about
1/2 of their weight with household chores
if you are lucky. They just have so much
going on and still require a lot of sleep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(O.K.-I'll admit this one time that I am
having a slightly good whine with my gouda...
here :-) ) Oh...and their clothes are way bigger
so the laundry seems to grow and swell up and then
grow some more. You find (slightly dirty) clothes and
strange items in odd places; especially under the bed.
Things like nail clippers, pennies, pens, paper, lost clothes,
and many snack food items. Humph!! Then...they ask
incredulously..."Mom, do I have this and that?" or..."I am
missing this thing...can we go to the store and
get some more??! Like---now, Mom, really."
(I won't dwell on that. But, now I do know just
where all the snack foods go. Anyone care
for a pretzel...just look under the bed!)
On a good note, we had them both for a car ride
deep into the Appalachians (previous post) which
was a first in a long (long) time. Almost 21 year old
son slept most of the way and said "If you've seen
one mountain...I could say...You've seen them all...
Yawn... yawn...stretch and then yawn again...)"
And he meant it.
Fifteen year old daughter quietly watched out of
the window at gorgeous ravines and strikingly,
hauntingly beautiful gorges and mountainous
vistas (...places filled with the mystery of
serious untouched, pristine beauty) but would
not get out of the car (except to eat.) I think that
families should get a tax break just for
feeding their youth
(well.) :-)
An aside for today [as I am literally back
stroking in housework and...of course, to low on
petro (is it expensive or what?; we are feeling the
pinch here!!) for a trip to sooth my frazzled nerves
to the close by, ever patiently waiting Blue Ridge...]
Top: A sole iris delights me; Next Two: A study
in the wonder a of light purple frail flower as it looks
with setting sunlight passing through...and of course...
the 'inside' wonderment of the plant...
lg!
(and waving today!!)
:--)

Pineola (Gravel) Drive

Wild Bushes in Bloom

Tangled Mass

End May Long View

Saturday, we took a long car ride well deep
into the Appalachians off a gravel road called
Pilot Ridge. After traveling down and down
we approached an infinitesimally small town
(Mortimer) that has a general store in an old
white two story building (the kind with tin tiles
on the ceiling) built in the early 1900's. All around,
there are antiques (not for sale) and rather huge
hornet's nests tacked up near the top of the ceiling!
I always like stopping in small local mercantiles and
it is a 'must see' for me. It was the perfect place
to grab a lunch of snack foods and an ice cream
(from the old freezer) as the store
serves no 'real' food. The rather elderly
women serving us was on oxygen. There is a long, wide
stream down in this valley but instead, we started
back up to the mountains via another gravel road
my husband was 'dying' to take...Pineola. It is named
this for the local indigenous pine trees found along
the way. This long steep drive up (filled with switchback
after switchback) was awesomely gorgeous.
We passed hiking trail after hiking trail complete
with active waterfalls (to which we are going back.)
Around each bend is a new ravine or gorge filled with
the hugest of ancient trees; sometimes with a 500 foot drop
to a view of the river in the gorge down below. We know
that the area is filled with bear (didn't see any though...)
At one point I stood, staring down into a huge gorge
and about 700 feet down below was a wide river
with broad, flat rocks for its base. It just looked
like one would 'want to' sit down in there...but
the only way down would be to repel! Top Photo:
(I am nursing a rather nasty cold, however,
so my photos this time are sparse:) There were wild
bushes blooming everywhere throughout the woods
filling it with contrasting color. Middle:
Tangles masses of vine. Bottom: A long view from
somewhere near the top of our journey. Do remind
me to tell you a rather funny and odd portion
of what happened deep in the woods on this journey!

Flaming Peach Beauty

A flame of beauty burning brightly,
rose at setting sun.
Peachy hues and light amuse
me when my day is done.
Lovely presentation,
with curvaceous ruffled edge-
Little rose to you I say
"My tending hands to you, I pledge."

Little rose you greet me,
shy and near the ground.
You bring blessing to my yard
and joy in you, I've found.

Little rose please linger
to delight my sense
Bloom and bud perfect in form
despite your reticence.

Little rose adorning
my garden with fair hue,
bloom and bloom and bud and grow
'till I bid thee, "Adieu."

Smile

Smile

Smile in mouth

Smile in heart

Smile in thought

Smile in song

Smile in doing of small deeds done well;

Even smile…

in liver.

(derived from ‘Ketut;’ Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love.

Revision and additions by me.)

Twin Sisters

Water
spring fed
running bubbling trickling
crystal and mineral, fresh
liquid love.
I once touched the place where
it issued forth clear
from a cavern deep,
Twin Sister's wellspring
the source of all
pulsing-
pushing you back
wet suit and all,
crisp
and gallon by
the gallon.
To get there you must traverse
the shoot upstream,
a rocky narrow path strewn
with underwater freakishly large
boulder
pressing past the current
struggling, a must swim
full out
(alot like life)
to arrive then in grotto,
full of patchy
sunlight streaming and warmer
where one can rest
and take it all in.
I once held my finger
near the water's constant spewing
torrent
with cold
down deep
in my bones
but surrounded by lime, yellow and
flaming red
plant life
flourishing full
and beyond all reason
at the font.
Much like the fish who lie motionless
cooling themselves
here
in the quiet
I wait
cloaked
and holding onto
the quickening
feeling...
of one who
knows
nature's best kept
virgin
secrets
at the water's
source.

Watery Tuesday and 'Caught!'

It has been rain, rain, raining non-stop!
Bottom Two: Flowers that 'look good in the rain!'
In fact, it is supposed to be very cold the next two days...
and we might have to cut up sheets to cover our
planted, young and tender garden plants
for the next two mornings...
I will let you know!
:-)
And the Top: I have been chasing this
huge specimen of a bumble bee
for a (good) shot out on the front rhododendron
for about 3 weeks! He always 'gets the jump on me'
and whenever [and I've tried to photograph
this big fellow (or is it an elusive, mean
spirited female, I wonder...) many times
right now...] I do get set to snap the shot
...he (she) flies off...or...he (she?) dive
bombs me as if to say
"Away!! And I mean it!"
I am listening right now to a wet bird
chirping wildly in the yard...The birds in the High
Country are plentiful and very hardy ones.
Have a great and an imaginative day, friends...
lg

Stages

Peeling back, the clouds lift revealing stages of things...
peeping through here and there, they lay upon the hill
like the gentle glories that they are--
Oh sweet summer day!
With mist rising in the fields
and rolling back on mountain tops...
Leaving behind the reddening wild flower
dazzling in the sun's ray
and the ripening berries
dripping in the dewdrop...
I am seeing,
but for the mist that obscures,
the forest for the tree.

West Jefferson

All Metal Barn 'Fabulous!!'

Old Train Mural on White Building

Mountain Top Revealed

Hey! Come on along! We took a slow car ride
to the nearby farmer's market in West Jefferson, N.C. where
we bought a tall pink flowering bush and tomato plants to put in!
These are scenes that I love...found along the way!
May your weekend 'bust a move!' We are soaking in rain right now
and glad that we got out and about before the deluge....
:-)
lg!