Why Folks Moove to the Country

Cow, Valley Head, Alabama, USA

Relaxing scenes like this are why folks move to and visit rural areas.

On Schedule

Dogwood Blossoms, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

The 78th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival is this weekend.  It doesn't always happen, but this year the dogwoods are in full bloom at the same time as the festival.  In fact, we took this photo just the other day.

Waiting to Azale

Azalea Bud, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

This bud is just beginning and will one day blossom into a beautiful azalea flower.  Spring is springing!

The Upside of Pollen

Zinnia, Pine Mountain, Georgia, USA

This spring, the pollen has us absolutely miserable.  Although the pollen count is not very high yet, this spring pollen season began earlier and contains more varied pollens than at the same time in previous years.

Even though we have red eyes and congested noses, we know pollen is the reason we can enjoy beautiful blossoming flowers like the zinnia above.  We saw this beauty in June a few years back at Callaway Gardens.  It was still unfolding and revealing it's many colors.

Practice Makes Perfect

Camellia Flower, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

When at first you don't succeed, keep taking photos!  This photo was one of the last of many that were taken of this camellia's flowers.  Among the challenges were wind, changing light, incorrect camera settings, and lots of stooping.  We think our efforts were rewarded with this shot.

A Grand for Around $400

The Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

Overflying the Grand Canyon in a Delta Airlines Boeing 757 cost us about $400 each, but the view was priceless.

Tree Love

Trees, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Marietta, Georgia, USA

You've heard of true love.  This is tree love!  We adored these two trees who appeared to be embracing each other.

Up the River

Seagull, Savannah, Georgia, USA

This seagull was hanging out along the waterfront on the Savannah River.  Savannah isn't very far from coastal marshes and the Atlantic Ocean, but this seagull was definitely up the river.

Tragic Beauty

Toccoa Falls, Toccoa, Georgia, USA

This beautiful spot was the site of tragedy in 1977.  Toccoa Falls is on the campus of Toccoa Falls College.  After 5 days of heavy rains, a dam above the falls burst and killed 39 people on campus as they slept.  The dam was never rebuilt to ensure this would not happen again.

Mountains Come Out of the Sky

Cattails, Evergreen Lake, Evergreen, Colorado, USA

This picture speaks for itself.  We were driving around Evergreen Lake to see the ice, and discovered this beautiful fall scene.

Name that Flower

Flower, Zion National Park, Utah, USA

We found this flower near the base of a "beehive" formation at Zion National Park.  We have no idea what kind of flower it is, but it sure is unusual and beautiful.

Sit a Spell

Bench, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Marietta, Georgia, USA

It may have been a frigid day in the middle of winter, but this spot still was alluring.

Sticks and Stones

Gumballs and River Stones, Helen, Georgia, USA

Laying atop these river rocks are two fruits on stems from the American sweetgum tree.  The fruit are known as gumballs.


If you've ever stepped on chewing gum, you might make exclamations from how hard it is to remove from your foot.  If you step on these gumballs, you'll likely yell from how much these hurt your feet.

Dig A Pony

Pony, Palmetto, Georgia, USA

Seeing this little fellow reminded us of the Beatles' song Dig a Pony.  We met this cute pony and its friends during a visit to the Serenbe Community.  Serenbe is a planned community with wide open spaces and some nice shops and restaurants.  Next time you're in this part of North Georgia, check out Serenbe.

Good Morning 2014

Sunrise on the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii, USA

This was the beautiful sunrise that greeted us the morning we sailed into Hilo.  As the sun rises on 2014, we wish everyone a beautiful year.  Happy New Year!

Treemendous Sunset

Sunset, Denver, Colorado, USA

Beautiful sunsets are not just about unobstructed skies and ocean reflections.  This stunning sunset in Denver showcases the silhouettes of trees and the vibrant colors of the sky to make a wondrous landscape.

As today is the last day of 2013, we thought we'd send the year off with a beautiful sunset.

Ice Themed Cone

Pine Cone, Evergreen, Colorado, USA

We saw this pine cone sitting on Evergreen Lake and zoomed in on it to capture this magical scene.

Cone of Lula

Pine Cone, Lula, Georgia, USA

We really struggled to come up with a title and text for this photo.  We decided to be simple and title it "Cone of Lula".

A Trifle of an Orange

Trifoliate Orange, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

This is a trifoliate orange, also known as a Chinese bitter orange and a hardy orange.  It is a relative of citrus, but is grown on a thorny shrub instead of a large tree.

To take this photo, we put the fruit on a white table and placed the iPhone 4 just inches away.

Before the Latkes

Young Apple, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

This little apple was just beginning to grow from a bud and blossom.  By mid-summer it was ready to be made into apple sauce, a perfect condiment for Chanukah latkes!

Tonight is the first night of Chanukah, so we'll be getting stuffed with latkes, sufganyot, and more.  There will be no break for our tummies, as tomorrow is Thanksgiving!