A Very Special Place

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Fall Creek Falls State Park here in Tennessee is a very special place for Betsy and me.  It wasn’t the site of our first date, but it was the site of our first kiss.  We’ve been to many wonderful places since then, but we manage to get back to Fall Creek Falls close to April 21 each year to celebrate that wonderful date. 

In some ways it’s hard to believe that first kiss was 18 years ago, but we do enjoy going back to recreate the magic of that day.  This photo of Piney Falls in the park was taken several years ago.

Above Ground at Mammoth Cave

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Most people go to Mammoth Cave National Park to explore the underground beauty.  But when Betsy and I visited Mammoth Cave with our friends Patti and Neal, we explored some of the above ground beauty of the park.  We enjoyed the quiet beauty of Sloans Pond one afternoon.  Peaceful and relaxing.

Desoto State Park

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Betsy and I have visited Desoto State Park in Alabama several times.  It offers beautiful waterfalls and good hiking.  Just above the brink of Desoto Falls is a dam which forms Desoto State Park Lake.  This dam can also present a beautiful photo opportunity, as can be seen by the photo above.

Cades Cove

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Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is beautiful any time of the year, and Betsy and I try to get there two or three times each year, if possible.  This picture, from my archives, was taken in September, 2010.  It shows a field near the old Methodist Church in the cove.

My Beautiful Bride on Petit Jean Mountain

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On our first full day in Arkansas last month, Betsy and I did some sightseeing and hiking in Petit Jean Mountain State Park.  I got this picture of Betsy on the top of Petit Jean with the Arkansas River and Valley below her.

Byrd Lake in October

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Cumberland Mountain State Park near Crossville is one of the smaller parks in Tennessee's park system.  But it does have a wonderful restaurant and a beautiful lake.  This autumn photo of Byrd Lake is from my archives and shows just how beautiful the Plateau can be during October.

Fall Creek Falls

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Fall Creek Falls is the iconic waterfall in Fall Creek Falls State Park here in Tennessee.  The park, and this waterfall, are favorites of ours, and we visit it a couple of times each year.  This picture of Fall Creek Falls, from my archives, was taken in September, 2002.

Twin Falls

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I went to my archives of this photo of Twin Falls in Rock Island State Park here in Tennessee.  Twin Falls is somewhat unique in that it did not come into being until the construction of Great Falls Dam.  That dam formed Great Falls Lake (on the other side of the hill that you see), and water seeped into caverns inside the hill.  The water leaks out this side of the hill forming Twin Falls.

Byrd Lake

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Cumberland Mountain State Park near Crossville is not a large park, but it does contain a beautiful lake, Byrd Lake.  One of our favorite activities at the park is to have a delicious buffet at the restaurant overlooking this lake.

Cumberland Mountain Dam

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The dam and bridge at Cumberland Mountain State Park near Crossville, Tennessee, is the largest masonry project built by the Civilian Conservation Corp.  The seven-arch bridge carries the road over the dam.

Caledonia Cascade

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Tallulah Gorge State Park in Georgia is one of our favorite waterfall and hiking destinations. The canyon is deep, and contains five major waterfalls. Another waterfall -- Caledonia Cascade -- snakes its way down the north canyon wall. I got this photo of the cascade on a foggy, misty October day in 2009.

The Parthenon

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Nashville's Centennial Park contains a full-sized replica of the Parthenon. I really like the beautiful reliefs in the pediment above the columns.

Centennial Park, Nashville

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Centennial Park in Nashville was the site of our second date on April 7, 2001. So when Betsy and I went to Nashville in June to celebrate our anniversary, we just had to check out the park. The gardens had summer blossoms instead of spring flowers, but they were still beautiful.

Lake Watauga

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Betsy and I went to Nashville on June 23 to celebrate our anniversary. We first went to Centennial Park, which we had visited many times when we dated and were first married. We've often walked around this lake, but it wasn't until I checked our photos taken with the GPS tracker that I learned it had a name -- Lake Watauga.

From My Archives: Blue Hole Falls

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This is a part of Blue Hole Falls in Old Stone Fort State Park near Manchester, Tennessee. Tennessee was in the midst of a drought at the time of our visit, so much of the waterfall was dry. But we did find a small flow near the edge of the waterfall and I snapped this picture.

The Tepees

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The Tepees is a section of cone-shaped multicolored rock formations in the southern portion of the Petrified Forest National Park. The Tepees contain layers of blue and gray in addition to the reds, whites and pinks seen in other parts of the Painted Desert.

To see a drawing based on this picture, click HERE.

Drawing from a Photo: Cumberland Mountain State Park

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I'm still experimenting with the conversion of photographs into line drawings. Most of the time I prefer the photo, but I do find the drawings interesting. I guess that goes back to my complete lack of drawing talent.

When Betsy's youngest son came up for the day earlier this month, we took him to Cumberland Mountain State Park near Crossville for dinner. The seven arch bridge over the dam forming Lake Byrd is a distinguishing feature of this park. I like both the picture above and and the drawing made from it.



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