UNBELIEVABLE SUNRISE!

It felt good to get back on the lake again, even if it was Cherokee Lake.  As usual there was no wildlife or birds anywhere.  That's ok because nature put on a great show at sun-up.

I haven't seen a spectacular sunrise like this ever on any water in East Tennessee.

I had to rub my eyes to be certain I was seeing what I was seeing.

Over to my right, the sun was just starting to poke through the night.

There isn't much more I can say about it.  The pictures say it all.

And, the only little critter I saw all morning - a grebe.

I took a chance yesterday afternoon and drove out to Panther Creek State Park to let Shade have some tree time.  I didn't see any "no dogs" signs, so up the trail we went.  She was delighted.  We took a two mile loop that went near the water.

Shade kept ahead of me on the trail and I could tell she was having a ball out here.  Close inspection of the trail revealed mountain bike tire prints intermingled with hiking boot tracks.  I'd have to be careful with her as I wasn't sure how Shade would react to bicycles - especially in the woods.  I'd soon find out.

Taken from the shoreline of Panther Creek.

She was really excited about the trail and ran to the water when it appeared.  She has a habit of rolling in the grass to dry off, when there's grass.  Dirt is the surface of choice when grass is not present.  Oh boy!

A guy and a girl drove by on the trail with mountain bikes and Shade made quite a noise over their passing by.  They stopped and I got Shade quieted down and they finally petted her to Shade's delight.  No big deal.

What a dedicated sweetheart!  She's my baby and best friend.  Love her.