For the Love of Nature

Countryside

2012-01-31T13:00:00.003-06:00

I took this picture back in October of last year on one of our road trips.

Color on a Grey Day

2012-01-30T10:09:00.003-06:00

I took this picture on one of many grey days we've had this winter. It's
been so nice to see the sun shining for the past four days! Hopefully it
stays sunny for awhile.

Chillin'

2012-01-28T11:38:00.003-06:00

Bullet napping in the recliner in our office :0)

Unbelievable Northern Lights in Lapland, Finland

2012-01-27T10:30:00.010-06:00

Hope you enjoy this beautiful video!

2012-01-26T09:48:00.001-06:00

Kitty cat hide and seek :0)

2012-01-25T10:19:00.001-06:00

Bullet stalking one of his favorite toys, a blue mouse stuffed with catnip.

January 23rd Sunset

2012-01-24T10:34:00.003-06:00

We had the most stunning sunset yesterday! This is how it looked from
our back yard.

And from our front yard. The colors were changing constantly.

2012-01-23T12:21:00.001-06:00

This picture kind of freaks me out!

2012-01-21T19:31:00.002-06:00

Bullet making himself at home in our guest bathroom sink :0)

Even though we bought him a kitty fountain to drink out of, he still
likes to drink out of the bathroom faucet.

First Snow of 2012

2012-01-20T14:32:00.004-06:00

We had our first snowfall of 2012 on January 12th. It wasn't much, but
I enjoyed watching it fall :0)

It was really coming down late that afternoon.

Our cat, Bullet, enjoyed watching the huge flakes coming down as well.
He didn't quite know what to make of it all.

January Sunrise!

2012-01-19T10:37:00.004-06:00

This gorgeous sunrise picture was taken by my sis-in-law, Cynthia
Mabry. Thanks for allowing me to post this beautiful picture on my
blog!

2012-01-18T12:28:00.002-06:00

Full moon through clouds and our Yoshino cherry tree. I took this
shot with astrophotography settings.

2012-01-16T22:05:00.001-06:00

I took this picture back in October of 2011. I've never seen a butterfly
with green eyes before.

Mr. Bullet

2012-01-15T19:50:00.003-06:00

Our sweet little kitty, Bullet. I got him in mid eye opening :0)

2012-01-14T20:50:00.000-06:00

Stars and trees

Long May She Wave!

2012-01-13T14:06:00.003-06:00

I went back down to the cemetary on the night of Jan. 6th and took
this astrophotography shot of the American flag waving. The camera
shutter was open for 25 seconds, thus the blurred look. Thank
goodness it was a lot warmer that night than it was when I first
took pictures in the cemetary!

2012-01-12T11:33:00.002-06:00

Barn in black and white. This shot was taken on our road trip to Edgar
Evins state park.

Edgar Evins State Park

2012-01-11T14:14:00.003-06:00

Terry & I took a short road trip up to Edgar Evins State park on
New Year's eve day. I took these pictures at one of the boat ramps
inside the park. It was a gorgeous day!

Center Hill Lake at Edgar Evins State park.

2012-01-10T09:48:00.004-06:00

Through truss bridge over the Caney Fork river. I took this picture
from the Buffalo Valley rest area off I-40. This bridge was built in
1907 and was a part of the Tennessee Central Railway.

2012-01-09T11:00:00.001-06:00

The constallation Orion though the trees. This picture was taken
on Jan. 6th at 6:21pm.

2012-01-08T15:33:00.000-06:00

Moonset in Decemember.

2012-01-07T14:34:00.002-06:00

This little squirrel was enjoying berries from our Bradford Pear
trees the other day. The birds love them as well. There aren't
a lot of squirrels around our yard, so this was a pleasant surprise.

2012-01-06T12:51:00.002-06:00

I took this picture looking toward the hill where the cross was
lit up for the holidays. The cross is lit starting at Thanksgiving
and stays lit until New Year's. If you've ever driven I-40 near
the Gordonsville exit, you've seen this cross. It's cool to be
able to see it from our house.

Moonset Behind Trees

2012-01-05T12:50:00.002-06:00

2012-01-04T13:37:00.001-06:00

Looking toward the radio tower on the hill from our back yard.

2012-01-03T16:05:00.000-06:00

Bare tree at night.

Old Glory at Night

2012-01-02T10:41:00.003-06:00

I took this shot of the flag in the cemetary behind our house using
the astrophotography settings.

2012!

2012-01-01T08:32:00.002-06:00

Bullet says "Happy New Year everyone!"

2011-12-31T10:05:00.005-06:00

I hauled my camera and tripod down to the cemetary behind
our house the other night and took these shots with the
astrophotography settings. This kind of photography is
addicting :0)

Pretty, yet kind of creepy! The temperature was in the low 30's
and by the time I got back up to the house, my fingers and toes
were numb :0) Was worth it to get these pictures.

2011-12-30T11:36:00.002-06:00

December 28, 2011.

2011-12-28T11:24:00.006-06:00

More night time shots taken using the settings in my previous
post. I took both of these pictures well after dark. I had my
camera and tripod set up in our back yard looking toward the
back of our house. I love the surreal look of these pictures.

Sky and stars above the arbor in our garden. The streak toward
the top right of the photo is a jet flying over. The skies will be clear
tonight and I'm looking forward to taking more pictures. It's
amazing what the camera sees that the human eye can't see at
night.

Astrophotography

2011-12-27T10:05:00.006-06:00

This is one of my first attempts at astrophotography. Terry sent
me a link to a webpage about this type of photography because
he thought it might be something I would be interested in, and
he was right. I was surprised at how easy this is to do. The
following are the camera settings I used to capture these stars
in the night sky on December 2nd.

Camera settings

Program Mode - Set to Manual.

Autofocus - Turn off, or set to Manual.

White Balance - Set to Daylight or use a

custom white balance (especially if your

camera is modified).

Drive - Set to One Shot.

ISO - This is discussed in detail in a following section,

but generally should be set to 1600 or 800 for long

exposure deep-sky astrophotos.

Metering - Generally doesn't matter, but you can try

setting it to Spot if you are shooting the Moon or Sun

(with proper filtration)

Exposure Compensation - Set to Zero, no exposure

compensation. Doesn't really matter because you are

not using autoexposure.

Shutter Speed - Set to the exposure you want, up to

30 seconds can usually be dialed in directly. For longer

than 30 seconds, set to Bulb. On some cameras, Bulb

may be a separate exposure mode setting, or it may be

accessed on the shutter speed dial past the 30 second

setting.

Self Timer - If you don't have a remote release, you

can use the camera's self-timer to trip the shutter so

you don't have to touch the camera, which will help

reduce vibrations and possible star trailing.

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time!

2011-12-26T19:59:00.002-06:00

My family...Christmas 2011.

My mom and her younguns! :0) Let's do it again next year guys!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T19:03:00.002-06:00

Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas! My blog will be back on the 26th.

Happy Birthday, T!

2011-12-21T14:41:00.006-06:00

Happy 55th birthday to my hubby, Terry! Born
this day, December 21st, 1956 in Manchester,
Tennessee. I loves you so much!

2011-12-20T12:33:00.003-06:00

I wanted to share this freaky picture of tsunami shaped clouds in
Alabama. Click on this link for the story.

2011-12-19T13:53:00.004-06:00

I wish I had a creek running through my backyard. So peaceful!
I could've stayed here all day.

“Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your
hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall,
it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants
to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is
patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember
that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can't
go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.”
~ Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad

Country Creek

2011-12-18T15:28:00.003-06:00

2011-12-16T12:17:00.001-06:00

Just had to have a picture of this road sign :0)

Tightfit road indeed!

Tobacco Road

2011-12-15T21:05:00.003-06:00

Tobacco barn in rural Smith county TN. Buffalo Valley community.

Oh Christmas Tree 2011

2011-12-14T15:12:00.004-06:00

We found our perfect tree at Savage Tree
Farm. We've been going there for the past 4
years. It's kind of fun cutting down your own
tree. We got it up and decorated last weekend
much to the delight of our cat, Bullet, who
loves to lay under the tree and gaze up at all
the lights. You can see him in this picture. So
far he's been pretty good around the tree. He
will occasionally bat one or two ornaments down,
but that isn't a problem because they're plastic :0)

Red Barn, Blue Sky

2011-12-13T12:18:00.004-06:00

Love that gorgeous blue sky!

Looks like someone started to paint this barn, but didn't finish
the job :0)

This Old House

2011-12-12T14:24:00.003-06:00

We found this dilapidated house in the woods on our recent road
trip through Buffalo Valley. I wonder who lived there?

Close up shot.

Rin Tin Tin

2011-12-11T16:32:00.003-06:00

I snapped this action shot of a pretty German Shephard as he
ran alongside the Jeep on our road trip :0)

2011-12-10T11:35:00.003-06:00

I took this picture on "Happy Valley" road in the Buffalo Valley
community. Old barn, dry creek bed and country road :0) I
love rural Tennessee!

2011-12-09T14:09:00.000-06:00

I love the colors of this old barn!

Garden Sunset

2011-12-07T13:42:00.001-06:00

Dec. 1st sunset~

Freezing Fog

2011-12-06T13:18:00.003-06:00

We had an amazing freezing fog on the morning of
Dec. 1st. I took these pictures around our yard.

You could hardly see our garden for the thick fog.

Bullet Drinking Out of The Bathroom Faucet - YouTube

2011-12-05T11:46:00.000-06:00

Bullet Drinking Out of The Bathroom Faucet - YouTube

2011-12-04T16:05:00.000-06:00

One of the many pretty backroads in the
Buffalo Valley area of Smith County.

Happy Birthday, Knox!

2011-12-02T12:39:00.004-06:00

My niece, Kelly and her hubby Kerry welcomed Knox William
Kimbrough into the world at 4:07 am this morning. He weighed
in at 7lb 15 ounces. Congratulations guys!!!! You done good :0)
Here he is sporting his cute Santa hat.

I'm looking forward to meeting my new great nephew!

2011-12-02T00:03:00.001-06:00

Backroad barn.

2011-11-30T14:07:00.002-06:00

"And there is the headlight, shining far down
the track, glinting off the steel rails that, like
all parallel lines, will meet in infinity, which
is after all where this train is going." ~ Bruce Catton

2011-11-29T12:43:00.002-06:00

Huge tree in Buffalo Valley. This picture doesn't do it justice.

2011-11-28T14:30:00.002-06:00

Me and Terry took a road trip the day after Thanksgiving. We
found some really beautiful backroads in the Buffalo Valley area.
This is one of the many barns we found on our journey.

2011-11-27T16:16:00.001-06:00

Kayakers on the Caney Fork.

Squirrel!!!

2011-11-25T15:16:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, after our Thanksgiving meal at my sister's house, I
went outside and took some pictures of the little squirrel that
frequents her bird feeders :0)

Buddies

2011-11-23T12:28:00.002-06:00

Our cats, Bullet and Jessica enjoying one of the warm and beautiful
November days last week.

The Butterfly Nebula from Hubble

2011-11-22T20:34:00.000-06:00

APOD: 2011 November 13 - The Butterfly Nebula from Hubble

I didn't have a picture for today, but wanted to share this beautiful
shot from the Hubble telescope!

Attack Cat!

2011-11-21T12:16:00.003-06:00

Our cat, Bullet has this really annoying habit. He likes to bite!
He loves to attack feet and legs. I have read that kittens bite
as a form of play. It's called "play aggression". Kitten and cat
play is replicating hunting behaviors, which are instinctive. I
hope as he gets older, he'll outgrow it.

2011-11-20T13:38:00.001-06:00

Big orange moon rising behind a tree in our backyard. This
shot was taken on 11-11-11.

Hello Kitty!

2011-11-18T13:38:00.000-06:00

2011-11-17T10:45:00.002-06:00

I took this photo at night with my flash and the night portrait
setting. Can't believe my roses are still blooming in November.

Red Barns

2011-11-15T12:19:00.003-06:00

On our recent road trip in rural Smith County, we came across
this huge farm with all these awesome red barns. I love old barns
and enjoy taking pictures of them.

Hubby Terry was talking about how he would love to turn this
barn into a house :0)

Fall Colors 2011

2011-11-14T11:25:00.002-06:00

All of these photos were taken in and around my yard 4 days
ago. After the recent rain and wind most of the leaves are gone.
The only leaves remaining are the bradford pear trees.

Mid November Sunset

2011-11-13T16:44:00.000-06:00

2011-11-12T21:30:00.008-06:00

We had a most awesome day with the Sissom/Ashcraft family.
Terry's adopted sister, Cindy, her husband Rob and their
daughter, Caitlin drove from Chicago Friday night. We haven't
seen them in over a year. Terry's mom made a great lunch for
everyone. We watched some football, got caught up and had some
nice family time. As always the good times seem to end too soon.
Rob, Cindy and Caitlin will be driving back to Chicago tomorrow
morning. Hopefully it won't be another year before we get to see
them again.

The Ashcraft family...Rob, Caitlin and Cindy.

Happy Veteran's Day!

2011-11-11T11:44:00.004-06:00

Thank you to my dad, my brother Ken and everyone else who
has served or is serving in the military! Thank you for your
service to our country! We honor you!

2011-11-11T11:41:00.001-06:00

Sunflowers before the hard freeze last night.

And after the hard freeze. Lows here got into the 20's last night
with heavy frost.

November Moon

2011-11-10T13:07:00.000-06:00

On the Banks of the Caney Fork

2011-11-09T13:10:00.002-06:00

I would love to canoe down the Caney Fork some time.

2011-11-07T14:09:00.002-06:00

Looking the other direction from the bridge. There were kayakers
on that little island jutting out into the river. The Caney Fork is
known for it's canoeing and kayaking.

Country roads take me home!

2011-11-06T15:20:00.001-06:00

Caney Fork river somewhere near Smith County. I took this
shot a month ago and am just now getting around to posting
it. More to come!

Feather Toy Fun

2011-11-04T10:17:00.005-05:00

Our 4 month old kitty, Bullet, with one of his favorite toys.

He loves feathers. Guess they remind him of chasing birds, which
he can't do because he's an indoor kitty.

This picture was taken before we got the Soft Claws for him.
We've been very pleased with how they've worked out. Look
at those knives! Check out the link for more info on Soft Claws.

Bullet is rough on the feather toys. We've gone through two of
them already :0)

2011-11-03T14:48:00.002-05:00

The maple trees in our front yard are finally
showing some color.

Jessie cat enjoying the beautiful fall day the other day.

2011-11-02T10:01:00.007-05:00

Our cat, Bullet, loves to drink out of our bathroom faucet. He
jumps up on the side of our tub...

then leaps to the bathroom counter top. He's quite the acrobat.

Curious kitty.

It's funny watching him play in the water.

I've heard that some cats like to drink out of faucets. Bullet also
likes to drink out of the toilet, so we keep the toilet lids closed.

He likes to stick his head under the running water. It's become
a game for him and it's fun to watch. Not sure he would let me
give him a bath though.

"Witch and ghost make merry on this last of dear October’s days." ~ Author Unknown

2011-10-31T09:23:00.004-05:00

"When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam,
May luck be yours on Halloween."
~ Author Unknown

Happy Halloween everyone!

Happy Birthday Jane!!!!

2011-10-30T17:16:00.002-05:00

My baby sister, Jane, turns the big 5-OH today! Happy Birthday
sister! I love you so much!

"How do people make it through life without a sister?"
~Sara Corpening

2011-10-29T11:42:00.002-05:00

One last shot of my beautiful red roses before the freeze comes
tonight. We had a heavy frost this morning, but the roses
survived. I can't wait until they bloom again next year!

Lady Bug & Zinnia

2011-10-27T12:38:00.001-05:00

I took this picture with my macro lens.

Demon Cat

2011-10-26T11:22:00.002-05:00

Snapped this picture of Bullet running down our hallway.
He looks like a little demon cat. I love how the glow from
his eyes are reflecting off the hardwood floor. Spooky!

Trash Truck Fun

2011-10-25T14:26:00.003-05:00

Trash pickup in our neighborhood is every Tuesday morning.
This cute little dachshund mix dog loves to run behind the
trash truck. When the truck stops, he stops and watches the
men empty the trash cans.

He waits until they're finished, then he follows them back down
the road.

Ah, the simple joys of being a dog!

2011-10-24T13:18:00.001-05:00

Jessie cat enjoying a beautiful fall day.

Bullet watching Jessie cat enjoying a beautiful fall day :0)

2011-10-23T18:11:00.001-05:00

Bullet in one of his favorite spots...the trash can in the office.
He loves to sleep in there :0)

2011-10-21T13:42:00.002-05:00

Jellyfish paperweight that I bought in the
gift shop at the Tennessee Aquarium.

Fall Flowers

2011-10-20T12:58:00.005-05:00

Our rose bush always gets it's second wind
in late summer and early fall.

We decided a few weeks ago to try and grow some
sunflowers in our planters since we didn't get to plant
any at the beginning of the growing season. We found
some seeds and planted three or four. This one is the
biggest of the ones we planted, but I fear they're not
long for this world with a possible freeze in the forecast.

Our Jackamanii Clematis are pretty hardy as well. I hate to see
them go. Wish we could skip winter and go directly to spring!

Our Zinnias are showing some wear and tear, but are still pretty.
They can tolerate some frost, but not a freeze.

2011-10-19T14:15:00.001-05:00

I took this picture of my kitten, Bullet, with my macro lens.
The great thing about that lens is not only can you take
macro shots with it, but you can also use it as a regular
lens. Sweet!

2011-10-18T12:42:00.003-05:00

Because of my recent knee surgery, I've gotten
a late start on my Fall decorating. I told Terry
that the neighbors were making us look bad :0)
So, we got these beautiful Fall mums and a couple
of pumpkins. Can't believe Halloween is less than
two weeks away.

Welcome Fall!

What's Up Doc?

2011-10-17T12:20:00.003-05:00

Terry took this picture of a cute bunny in our back yard.

Parting Shots

2011-10-16T16:52:00.005-05:00

These are shots taken in and around the Tennessee Aquarium.

Looking down from inside the Ocean Journey building.

Tennessee River...Chattanooga riverfront.

This was the longest elevator I've ever ridden! I took this shot
halfway up the elevator ride looking down.

Riverfront in Chattanooga from outside the aquarium.

Waterfall inside the butterfly santuary.

Looking toward the Tennessee River from inside the
aquarium's Ocean Journey building.

Assorted Fish at the TN Aquarium

2011-10-14T14:19:00.001-05:00

2011-10-13T16:38:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure what this is, but it sure is scary looking!

Sea Turtle

2011-10-12T09:49:00.003-05:00

My favorite turtle at the Tennessee Aquaurium was the Sea
turtle. I spent a lot of time watching him. He was very curious
and would swim right up to the front of the tank to check me
out.

Turtles, Turtles and more Turtles

2011-10-10T15:06:00.005-05:00

If you love turtles, you need to take a trip to the Tennessee
Aquarium. They had all kinds, shapes, sizes and colors of
turtles.

Giant Snapping turtle.

River Otters

2011-10-09T13:14:00.004-05:00

The River Otters were so cute and very fast. It was hard to get
pictures of them, but I managed to capture these.

Blur and swirl :0)

Saltwater Fish

2011-10-08T15:12:00.003-05:00

This picture doesn't do the saltwater tank justice. It was absolutely
gorgeous! I wish I had one of these at home.

Snakes of the Tennessee Aquarium

2011-10-07T10:47:00.006-05:00

I don't care too much for snakes, but I have to say some of them
were pretty. They had a wide variety of snakes at the aquarium.

Nemo!

2011-10-06T14:28:00.005-05:00

It was so funny hearing all the little kids at the aquarium yelling
"Nemo!" when they saw the Clownfish. Beautiful little fish!

Giant Japanese Spider Crab

2011-10-05T12:09:00.004-05:00

These giant Japanese Spider crabs were on display in the Boneless
Beauties exhibit at Ocean Journey. Incredible!

Click this link for more info on the Japanese Spider crab.

They're considered a delicacy in Japan. Pass the lemon butter
sauce please :0)

Seahorses

2011-10-04T13:11:00.002-05:00