Abba's Art

Tag: Great Smoky Mountains

  • 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
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    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
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    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
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    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…

  • A.I. Road Trip

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    Fred D
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    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…

  • Farewell Road Trip

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    Fred D
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    Prior to jumping on a jet headed to the Greatland we and took a Great Smoky Mountain road trip to bid adieu to some locals, who graciously obliged us to pose for a few photos. Lord willing, I’ll send along some of pics of their brother Grizz and  and uncle Bullwinkle relatives after arriving. All…

  • ‘Lions’ and Lying

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    Fred D
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    The game cam recently captured this large local bobcat strolling along the path by our stream-side ‘Quiet Bench’. A persistent rumor exists that mountain lions still roam the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Mischievously curious (one of my ‘Needs Improvement’ character traits), I envisioned an opportunity for prime rumor enhancement. Stretching the truth just a…

  • Creation vs. Invention

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    Fred D
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    Fur and feather together . . . from my Quiet Bench I watched these two of His wild creatures sharing the stream together, and got to a-musing . . . Who among mankind could have designed a sleek otter or gangling heron with their intricately functioning life support systems uniquely suited for their survival, and…

  • The Quiet Bench

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    Fred D
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    Ever been so busy you skipped a meal?  Way back in career mode times, I often did. Retirement eliminated that. Now when I skip a meal it’s because I forgot 😊 Mark 6:31 tells of a time when Jesus’ disciples were so busy with the crowds they didn’t have time to eat, and Jesus told…