A MORNING SQUIRREL AND A WATERFALL

 A deer poked her head around a thick bush and stared straight at me with that deer in the headlight  look.

This morning found me driving toward the Cherokee tailrace prior sunrise.  I wanted to be at the water's edge when the sun came up to be sure and catch the fishermen who would be launching their boats.  Seems river anglers always launch boats just at sunrise.   A steady drizzle started to fall about a half hour before old Sol made his appearance and a cold chill lingered near the water.  I waited and waited and no anglers.  It was then I noticed the little squirrel.

 He came down the tree head first chattering all the way until he saw me.  Then he froze as if he were concrete.

He was caught out in the open and vulnerable and he knew it.

 I couldn't even see him breathe.  Funny.

I don't want to stress the little fella out so I took a parting picture and eased down the gravel road.

Everyone who knows me understands that I like old buildings, especially barns and will stop at nothing to photograph them.  I also like old wood fences and lately I've discovered that I like to photograph the wire that is attached to the fence posts as well as fence post supports.  Here's what I mean.  Below:

 Look how that tree has grown around the barbed wire.  The tree has adapted to the foreign entity that doesn't belong in or on its space.  Beyond that little detail - notice the colors on the wood.  The greens come in about four different shades and represent molds and mosses the likes of which I'm lost concerning their origins.

 These old fence posts have character.  They are chock full of character and charm!

 When I see one of these old posts with barbed wire my mind conjures up visions of farming in the late eighteen and early nineteen hundreds.  Visions of a team of oxen or mules pulling a single bottom plow appear before my eyes as I push the shutter button on the camera.

 But most of all these old rotted posts with wire represent everything that is "not" today.  I am reminded about sweat and honesty, love of family, land and country, respect for mom and dad who work the land so that I might enjoy a better life later on.

 And these old posts remind me of the farm I grew up on and loved so much - the parents who pulled me up by my boot straps and made me successful, if only in their eyes.

 Yep;  these old posts with their pieced together wire represent an earlier life that I now miss with my heart and sole.  Would I go back if I could?  Yer darn right I would.

And finally, "the waterfall"------------

EAGLE AND "A" HAWK

The eagles are lined up on the shoreline at Douglas Lake this month just like last year.  I really don't understand why but I'm happy for the opportunity to photograph and observe them.  They will disappear in a month or two, heading back north to the big lakes, streams and rivers in the northern states and Canada.  These shots were pure luck as the sky was bright and the eagles all back lighted.  I'm amazed I got any useful shots.

 Below:  An immature eagle rests up in a tree before hunting over the lake.

 The last shots here are of a red tail hawk.

NO - NOT FOR FISHING

The aluminum boat above is the boat I went to Pennsylvania to pickup a couple weeks ago and today is the first time I've had it on the water.  It was necessary to replace the fuel line (thanks ethanol) and the impeller (water pump).  I did some cleaning on the electrical contacts in the main switch box which was minor and the boat ran perfectly today.  I had the day off and needed to get away from these mud lakes around here so I headed for one of my favorite rivers, the Holston River at Rogersville.  What a beautiful river!  The morning wasn't too bad either.

What a sunrise.  The woods appeared to be on fire.  Even the mud flats on Douglas Lake were haunting with the sun piercing the fog and striking the wet land and mud in just the right places to instill mystery to the place.

That entire area in the picture above will be under 40 feet of water next March.  Amazing!

Above:  Yes, its a real plant - some sort of reed.  Notice the edges of the leaves pealing back.  I don't know the name of this plant but if all goes well I'll have it in my yard next spring.  

 These shots were taken early morning on or near the shores of Douglas Lake.  Its neat to have soft light at day break and I didn't want to waste the opportunities to collect unique images.

Odd Friends

I haven't been to the Holston River since early last spring.  The picture above is of the bridge (blue) that spans Beech Creek on the Tunnel Hill Road and the old rusty bridge is the railroad bridge that is used daily still today.  Lets get on the water.

 The morning light is perfect for photography.

 The aluminum boat is equipped with a electric motor as well as a 9.9 hp two stroke Johnson engine.  There is plenty of room as the deck area is wide open.  Plenty of room for dogs, tents and the like.

This is the first run for this boat and I put it through its paces.  She ran perfectly.

The surface of the water was like glass and the sun was creating some fantastic colors on the water and shoreline.

The next couple shots are amazing.  I've not seen anything to match their beauty in quite awhile.  What a fantastic morning!

 The shot above is dazzling.  No, I didn't make it.  Nature did.  I just took the picture.

 Notice the soft yellow light invading the upper left corner of the shot below.  Wow!

The shot above shows an island in the upper right corner of the shot.  I call this place beaver island and I headed for it so I could tie the boat off on the shore and sit down on a stump and survey the surroundings.  The shots below are what I had to look at while stump sitting.

The picture below was the view directly in front of me as I sat on a really nice log.  If I would have had my notebook along I would have done some writing.  The place had the perfect ambiance and tranquility I require for serious writing.

I looked down river when I left the bank and the view made me stop for a moment to drink in the beauty of the river.  Then I thought of Douglas and Cherokee Lakes.  I laughed out loud.

 Mallard ducks were crossing the river behind me.

 I noticed a large red tail hawk high in a tree on the right side of the river.  They always pick the tallest trees and seem to be very distant when I try to photograph them.  This guy is really, really far away and I couldn't enlarge him reliably when cropping the shots.  But, he came out pretty good.  These pics of the red tail are what I mean by documentary shots and not really well thought out museum quality shots.  Wildlife offers little time to plan.   I got two shots at this fellow and he was gone.

The shot below is my portrait shot.  Funny!

 Above is a bald eagle nest belonging to the resident pair of eagles who have lived here over the past seven years.

The critters were in their dens or out hunting, in the case of the eagles, and I didn't have an opportunity to capture any wildlife shots.  Spring is coming though all in good time.  Hope you enjoyed the pictures from today.