Winter Evening

I took these pictures with the night portrait setting on
my camera. Didn't use a tripod. I'm surprised they turned
out as well as they did :) I love experimenting with camera
settings.




There's something magical about snow at night.

"Snow provokes responses that reach right back to childhood." ~ Andy Goldsworthy

What a difference a day makes! Tennessee was under a
winter storm watch on Friday and the first part of the day
today. Although we used to get nice amounts of snow when
I was growing up, we just don't get as much as we used to.
So, when they were forecasting anywhere from 3 to 6 to 10"
of the white stuff, I was kind of sceptical. It started snowing
on Friday afternoon, lightly at first.


As the day wore on, the snow became heavier and heavier.
Last night we started receiving snow, sleet, freezing rain, then
back to snow again.


This morning there was a coat of ice on
top of the snow that we got, making for
some slick conditions. One inch of snow
can bring things to a standstill in Middle
Tennessee.


I ventured out this morning with my camera to record
the event. It was so pretty and peaceful. I took a massive
amount of photos which I'll be posting over the next few
days. For now, I'm going to stay inside and enjoy the snow.

Winter Sunset

We had a gorgeous sunset on the afternoon of January 22nd.


There's nothing more beautiful than the black silhouette
of bare trees against a sunset sky!


Ribbons of scarlet


The darker it got, the colors became more intense.



"A beautiful sunset that was mistaken for a dawn."
~ Claude Debussy

Winter Creek

With the last snowfall we had, we couldn't resist going
back down to Center Hill Dam. The river and creek were
way down, but still very pretty with the snowfall. I love
being in the woods. It's so serene.


The forecast for Middle Tennessee is calling for a winter
storm starting tomorrow into Saturday. Hopefully we'll
get a good amount of snow. Ice could also be a part of the
mix. I hope not! We've been through that before when we
lived in Kentucky. We didn't have power for three days.
You tend to take things like electricity for granted until you
don't have it.

Barns

Barns litter the rural Tennessee landscape.


Not really sure what this is. Looks like half a barn.

Barn idioms "He couldn't hit the broad side of a barn" is
a popular expression for a person having poor aim when
throwing an object or when shooting at something.

To "lock the barn door after the horse has bolted" implies
that one has solved a problem too late to prevent it.

"Were you raised in a barn?" is an accusation used differently
in various parts of the English-speaking world, but most
common as a reprimand when someone exhibits poor manners
by either using ill-mannered language (particularly if related to
manure), or leaving doors open.

Icicles

I've been dying to get some icicle pictures. I mean what
is winter without icicles? When we were out and about on
our snowy roadtrip a few weeks ago I got my chance.


Icy daggers!

Tennessee Winter

We haven't gotten a lot of snow in the past several years,
but when we do, we take what we can get. I took these
pictures in and around rural Smith County.


Horses enjoying some hay on a cold winter's day.


Old cemetary


Curious cows


I love taking photos of country roads. They're even
prettier with a layer of snow on them.

"If wishes were horses then beggars would ride."

Took some pictures of this pretty horse in a snow covered
field. I was wishing I had a zoom lens at this point!

"And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow." ~ G. K. Chesterton

After the storms on Thursday we were rewarded with
this incredible double rainbow.

"Don't Know Why, There's No Sun Up in The Sky Stormy Weather." ~ Harold Arlen

Yesterday was an unusually warm winter day in Middle
Tennessee. When we have temps in the 60's in January,
you know something is going to happen. The clouds started
building up late in the afternoon. Tornado watches and
thunderstorm watches were issued.


Then the storms came. In this picture you can see hail
falling. That's when it got scary.


We got some pea sized hail.


The rain was very heavy. The gutter on our backporch was
clogged and the water was coming down was like a waterfall.
We had a thunderstorm warning in Smith County, but no
tornado warnings, thank goodness!


The storms moved on east toward Cookeville where they
did have a tornado warning.

Tomorrow I'll be posting pictures of the double rainbow
that we had. It was gorgeous!

"Snowflakes are kisses from heaven." ~ Author Unknown

Oh! the snow, the beautiful snow, Filling the sky and
earth below,


Over the housetops, over the street, Over the heads
of the people you meet.


Dancing, Flirting, Skimming along.
~Joseph Warren Watson

"Each moment of the year has its own beauty." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I took this picture from the top of the Center Hill Dam.
It was beautiful with the snowfall!

Oh the Weather Outside Was Frightful

Maybe frightful was an overstatement. Tennessee has
had bigger snows than this, but it sure was a welcome
sight and was greatly enjoyed!




When these photos were taken two weeks
ago it was bitter cold. Today our highs got
into the low 60's. They say if you don't like
the weather in Middle Tennessee, wait an
hour :) No truer words were ever spoken.

Shades of Blue on a Snowy Day

“To appreciate the beauty of a snow flake, it is necessary
to stand out in the cold.”


"The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical
event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up
in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment
then where is it to be found?" ~ J. B. Priestley

Put Another Fake Log on the Fire

Thank goodness for our gas logs! They've kept us nice and
toasty during the recent bitter cold spell. And the best part
is you don't have to worry about buying firewood.

"As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat." ~ Ellen Perry Berkeley

I'm so thankful that we have a garage for our two outdoor
cats to stay in. It's well insulated and is warm in the winter,
but with the bitter cold temperatures we had for the past
couple of weeks, it was pretty cold. We drug out one of two
oil heaters that we have. We put one in the garage to take
the chill off. Jessica and Libby seemed to appreciate it.


You can't open a door at our house without one or both
cats trying to run in. Jessica is really good at it. She sits
right up against the door and when the door opens, she
darts inside. Sometimes Libby cat stands at the backdoor
on her hind legs and paws at the glass like a dog. This is
Libby sitting at the backdoor wanting to come inside. It's
hard to deny that sweet little face.