Abba's Art

Tag: Beauty

  • Sanctuary

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    Fred D
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    As a child each summer was spent with my mother, siblings and grandparents at their cabin in Promised Land, PA . . . and indeed it was . . . my childhood sanctuary.  From sunup to sundown I delighted roaming its forests and streams . . . and a virtual little John Muir was born…

  • Thin Spaces and Bottled Tears

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    Fred D
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    Celtic Christians have a deep appreciation for nature and coined the term Thin Space . . . those transient, ephemeral moments when suddenly eternity seems to invade time, and heaven touches earth. Yesterday, my morning woods wander was graced with such a Thin Space interlude.  A brief cloudburst had soaked the forest in the fragrance…

  • Great Smoky Mountains Road Trip

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    Fred D
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    Blazing sunshine has pushed temps to near 80, a welcome respite from what has been an unusually cold winter here the Great Smoky Mountains. Energized, my permanent senior sidekick and I decided the day was custom made for a leisurely road trip. It quickly became obvious there were a million+ other individuals who had the…

  • Feral Family Gathering

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    Fred D
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    One of the joys of living in the ‘wilds’ up on the mountain – down in the ‘holler’ – by the ‘crick’ in the Great Smokies is enjoying the impromptu, ‘Stop By Anytime’ visits from the interesting menagerie of our friendly feral neighbors. “All creatures great and small, the Lord God made them all.“ We…

  • Volcanoes and Bucket Lists

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    Fred D
    in

    We’re in the midst of a several day Smoky Mountains liquid deluge. While grateful for the needed rainfall, it dampens my desire to go outside on wander woods wanders or splash around in the creek re-arranging boulders to create reflecting pools. It’s not cold enough to turn the landscape white and snap on a pair…

  • Frozen Wonder

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    Fred D
    in

    It’s been a tad ‘chilly’ here in the Smokies lately. Folks here aren’t accustomed to lotsa’ snowflakes and ‘black ice’, or even regular ice other than ice cubes when the thermometer bounces around zero . . . it’s definitely not Alaska Virginia 😊 The magnificent winter wonderland surrounding our home up here in the mountains…

  • Snow-er-cise

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    Fred D
    in

    Other than the Smoky Mountain’s peaks, unlike the Last Frontier, snow is not a frequent meteorological phenomenon in TN. Yesterday winter showed up and we were blanketed in 4 inches of snowflakes . . . Beautiful! Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no…

  • Quintessential Light Show

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    Fred D
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    No crowds  . . . No noise . . . No charge . . . A quintessential Aurora borealis display ushered in the Last Frontier New Year.  A friend of mine in Palmer, Alaska sent me this picture. Reason #1,001 to call the Greatland home 😊 “O give thanks to the Lord, for He is…

  • New Year Resolutions

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    Fred D
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    If New Year resolutions were as easy to keep as they were to make, 2025 will be a banner year for everyone! 😊 Each year (save leap years) has 365 days . . . bet you already knew that 😊. Each year is a one-of-a-kind, unique collection of opportunities, accomplishments, regrets, joys, and sorrows which…

  • A.I. Road Trip

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    Fred D
    in

    The Cherahola Parkway is a scenic, mile-high, two-lane highway winding over the Smokies between Tellico Plains, TN and Robbinsville, NC. Earlier this week Ellie decided to take a road trip along it before the forests shed their spectacular, multi-hued fall display of color. Somehow, I had managed to cajole my permanent girlfriend to explore a…