Category: Photography

Lens Artists Photo Challenge # 222 – Mountains are Calling

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Amy has asked us to share our joy of visiting/climbing mountains. I live in coastal Georgia where the nearest mountains are many miles away. Some of our most memorable trips are ones we took to visit mountains.

A few hours north of where I live is Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia at 4784 feet in elevation. I don’t have a picture of the mountain itself but here is a view from the top.

View from the top of Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia

If we travel a little farther north into North Carolina, Tennessee or Virginia we can visit the beautiful Great Smokey Mountains National Park or take a ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Cataloochee Valley Overlook Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina

We can keep going farther north in Virginia to take a ride on the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.

Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

We’ve made a few RV trips to the western United States to visit the majestic mountain ranges there.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Storm over Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Colorado
Pikes Peak – “America’s Mountain”, Colorado
Sandia Crest, New Mexico
Bighorn mountains in Wyoming
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

We even traveled to the Canadian Rockies.

Banff National Park, Alberta

Of all the mountains I’ve seen, the ones in Alaska are my favorites. The rest of the images are from our RV trip to Alaska several years ago.

Denali (formerly known as Mt. McKinley), 20,320 feet tall, is the tallest mountain in North America. The last three images were taken from three different locations. No matter where you are when you see it, it is an amazing sight.

Many thanks for Amy’s Lens-Artists Challenge #222 – Mountains are Calling

Lens Artists Photo Challenge # 221 – Flower Favorites and Why

Posted in Flowers, Nature, Photography, WildflowersTagged , , 20 Comments

For this challenge Ann-Christine asks us to show our favorite flowers and share why they are our favorite.

How can I pick just a few flowers? I love them all. Flowers make me smile all year round.

Winter brings Camellias and Hibiscus blooms to the garden.

In spring I love to see the Azalea, Dogwood, Day lily, Magnolia and Hydrangea blooms.

The colorful blooms of summer are not only beautiful but often attract butterflies and other critters.

Fall in the garden is filled with butterflies drinking their fill of nectar from the last remaining blooms.

From Texas to Alaska to Virginia and here in Georgia wildflowers always brighten the landscape.

Roses always make me happy.

Many thanks to Ann-Christine’s Lens-Artists Challenge #221 – Flower Favorites and Why

Lens Artists Photo Challenge # 220 – One Subject Three Ways

Posted in Birds, PhotographyTagged , , 12 Comments

For this challenge Patti asks us to show one subject three ways.

Every time I drive to and from my neighborhood I pass a tree I call the bird tree because I often see birds perched on its dead branches. I’ve chosen three images of the tree. All were taken on the same day.

The image above is a recent photo of the tree will Roseate Spoonbills and a Great Egret. The image below was taken with a zoom lens for a closer look. The third image is cropped to show only the Roseate Spoonbill.

One Roseate Spoonbill and a Great Egret
Cropped to show only the Roseate Spoonbill

Many thanks to Patti’s Lens-Artists Challenge #220 – One Subject Three Ways

Lens Artists Photo Challenge # 219 – Treasure Hunt

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For this week’s fun challenge Tina asks us to go on a Treasure Hunt for the following items:

  • A pet or pets (yours or someone else’s)
  • The moon or the sun (extra credit for both in one image)
  • Clouds (extra credit if you also include rain or snow)
  • A reflection
  • A child (extra credit if with other family members)
  • An umbrella (extra credit if you include a person using it)
  • A truck (extra credit if you include the driver or what the truck is hauling)
  • Autumn foliage (extra credit if it’s something that only blooms in the fall)
  • Something fun you found on a walk
Pet- Grand Dog Jack the Dachshund and Our grand-cats at the top of the page
Moon – Moon rising in Labelle, FL
Clouds – Red Sky at Morning
Reflection – Reflecting pool, Luray Caverns, Virginia
Umbrella – Colorful Umbrellas and beach goers sitting under them at Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia
Truck -A 4×4 truck with adventure seeking passengers ready for a tour of the rainforest in Dominica
Autumn Foliage – West Point Lake, Georgia
Something fun seen on a walk – Glasgow, Scotland

Many thanks to Tina’s Lens-Artists Challenge #219- Treasure Hunt

Lens Artists Photo Challenge # 218 – Over the Hill

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Donna of Wind Kisses is our guest host for this weeks photo challenge. She invites us to show what over the hill means to us.

I can say that at my age I am definitely over the hill in years, but not in attitude. I’ve reached the age that I know my limitations and know that I can’t do everything I used to do. I also know I will never stop enjoying life to the fullest or stop having fun. Every day is a gift.

In my younger days I enjoyed hiking in new places. Back in 2006, the Delicate Arch hike in Arches National, Utah was probably the most difficult hike I’ve ever attempted. Yes, we hiked up that slick rock and along a very narrow ledge to get to the top.

It was quite a challenge but when we reached the top this view made it all worthwhile.

Many other times we drove up mountain for a scenic view instead of hiking.

This stunning view from an overlook made the drive up steep scenic Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park, California one to remember.

We were rewarded with this Alpine Visitor’s Center in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado at the top of Trail Ridge Road.

Sometimes life throws us a challenge we don’t want to face. My biggest hill to climb in my personal life was my Ovarian Cancer journey. There have been many bumps in the road along the way but today I am grateful that my cancer has been gone for over 11 years.

Did you know September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month? I was one of the lucky women to be diagnosed at an early stage.

Many thanks to Donna’s Lens-Artists Challenge #218 – Over the Hill