St. Augustine Lighthouse "Christmas"

 

 

Over the weekend, we toured the St. Augustine Lighthouse with friends from Bad Axe, Michigan.  The lighthouse has a lovely Christmas Tree at the beginning of the stair case leading to the top.  Our lighthouse is ranked as one of the ten most beautiful lighthouses in the world.  That is impressive!

 



January Sea Breeze

Why I love living in St. Augustine.  Beautiful Anastasia Beach that has been preserve as a park.  No crowd, no cars, all natural Florida.

Raquette River "An Unchanged Eden"

These photos were taken in October at the peak of the fall foliage.  Beautiful orange and golden trees along the river banks.  The Raquette River is the second longest river in New York State.  Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem "The Adirondacs" is about his explorations in 1858.  He made the journey with several prominent men of the time including painter William James Stillman and the group became known as the Philosophers Camp.

 

 

"The Philosophers' Camp" painting by William James Stillman, at Follensby Pond, 1858, a momentary natural center of the Transcendentalist movement, w/ poets Ralph Waldo Emerson and James Russell Lowell, and scientist Louis Agassiz. 

The Adirondacs

DEDICATED TO MY FELLOW TRAVELLERS IN AUGUST, 1858

Wise and polite,--and if I drew
Their several portraits, you would own
Chaucer had no such worthy crew,
Nor Boccace in Decameron.

We crossed Champlain to Keeseville with our friends,
Thence, in strong country carts, rode up the forks
Of the Ausable stream, intent to reach
The Adirondac lakes. At Martin's Beach
We chose our boats; each man a boat and guide,--
Ten men, ten guides, our company all told.

Seaway Trail - Shoreline of St. Lawrence River to Messena, New York

Massena is located on the northern Canadian border of St. Lawrence County, New York.  The town is named after one of Napoleon's field marshals, Andre Massena. The Seaway Trail scenic drive begins in Massena, New York.  The gallery above are pictures taken along the shoreline of the St. Lawrence River outside of Messena.

Rich Mountain Road

 

We drove to Cade Cove and turned onto a dirt road that took us on an adventure that was more then what we had anticipated.  Rich Mountain Road is steep, winding, and rough with many a sharp turn and very risky for a car.  We crossed Indian Grave Gap Trail and one will have to be physically fit to hike that trail.  It was a 8 mile, one-way gravel road winding around Rich Mountain that leads to Tuckaleechee Cove and Townsend, TN.  The road has stunning views down into Cades Cove.  You can see Cades Cove Missionary Baptist Church.  It is one of the most remote locations in the Smokies.

Clouds Came Down to Earth

"Clouds Came Down to Earth"

 

Clouds came down to Earth

And sit at my feet,

No place to wander

Not far the eye could see,

For thick and grey was the air,

The trees did not bend,

from the whisper of the wind

Nor did the birds whimper

As stillness fell on the earth

Covering her in blankets of grey...

By PL Fallin

August "Land of Blue Smoke" Gallery

Cloudy but hot August day in the Smoky Mountains.  The pictures speak for themselves. 

Fort Fremont at Saint Helena Island

Fort Fremont is located on Saint Helena Island, South Carolina.  The beach is not accessible except for a over grown trail and there needs to be cleanup from trash people have left on the beach.  The park is small and it only took us less then an hour to tour the fort. 

Among the Driftwood at Hunting Island Beach

Hunting Island Beach is covered in driftwood.  We visited the island in August and it was not very crowded since most people were interested in touring the Lighthouse and walking the trails.  Beaufort is part of the South Carolina low country famous for it's southern cooking, marshland, and beaches.

Lagoon Access and Marsh Boardwalk Trails, Hunting Island

The Lagoon Access Trail is 1.4 miles and winds along the lagoon.  It leads you through the maritime forest.  The Marsh Board Walk Trail and Crossover are easy hiking trails that connects the Lagoon Access Trail and the Maritime Forest.