Friday, November 26, 2010

Thoughts of Thanksgiving......







A couple of Thanksgiving quotes.......

- As we express our gratitude, let us not forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

- Thanksgiving dinner takes 18 hours to prepare. They are consumed in 12 minutes. Half-time takes 12 minutes. This is not a coincidence.

Erma Bombeck

- In America, Thanksgiving means many things to many people. May it always represent the treasures and blessings of family, freedom, bountiful harvests, open roads, mountains and plains in our window, birds soaring in blue autumn skies, and deer peering from behind a bush. Add an imagination that can visualize smiles from those who truly care, and the hope of transformation for those who do not.

- Unseasonably warm (upper 60s) and windy yesterday. As so often happens in November, often called one of the transition months by meteorologists, atmospheric dynamics have changed considerably the last few hours.....Cool (30s) and relatively calm this day after Thanksgiving, 2010, after a night of refreshing rain.

Photos.......Top to Bottom.....
- Got to admit...this one was special. While traveling along a roughed-in road in a private, undeveloped part of our mountain properties, opportunity came calling a few days ago. Looking down through the woods through the passenger side window, from the driver's side of the vehicle, I got the sensation that something did not fit in the late autumn landscape...a glimmer...sunlight moving...something...not sure...but then a large male deer walked from behind a clump of trees and stared at the vehicle...from a range of about 150 yards (I had seen sunlight glinting off a tine of his antlers). A magnificent animal to be sure...but was there time for a photo? On full zoom, as he started to walk away, starting snapping photos.....don't hurry......so rare to get a good photo of a big buck in the wild......surely one will be good....he's leaving...there is another deer...he's a big one.....surely one of these will reveal this experience....I need some luck...... As the buck began to show more alarm, and his gait quickened, I delivered the camera to my friend and colleague, Bill Newsome, who was in the passenger seat. He tried a few more shots as the deer made his way into the thick tangles of vegetation. Thankfully one of the photos was usable, thanks to some photo-shopping by Bill. Thanks Bill for helping preserve one more natural treasure. Only later, when examining the photos, did we realize the other animal, feeding in the background, was also a buck....with high curved spikes. The Tennessee gun season for deer is now open, and many are seeking trophies similar to the one in this photo. This deer will not appear on my wall, but he will remain in my memory for a time, and to me, it is a comforting thought to know he is still around. And the next time I drive by this area.....anticipation.....priceless.
- A whitetail doe....looking back at me and perhaps thinking.....What's up?
- A beautiful late autumn sky over Lake George, in the direction of northeast.
- Late afternoon.....overcast, misty day......taken at long range.....a Pileated Woodpecker outlined against the gray clouds, probing a dead snag for one more morsel before retiring to a nocturnal perch.





Monday, November 01, 2010

And Then I Remembered......










- Why do I remember November 1-2? Living in a rural section of northern Middle Tennessee in my teenage years, I always looked forward to autumn..... basketball season, hunting season, holiday family gatherings, and so on. But I remember this date in 1966 not for Vietnam, The Beatles, or any of the previous reasons, but for the weather forecast...one that wound up being mostly accurate. On this date in 1966, my Tennessee location received 10" of snow. Shortly thereafter, in December of the same year, while standing around a pot-bellied stove in a country store, having a snack (probably a bologna sandwich, Coke and moon pie), two military men in full uniform walked into the place, which was located in as rural a location as can be imagined. They asked for my uncle, who happened to be standing nearby. We knew. Military men with lots of medals on their attire did not frequent our country store. A few moments later I found out that my 18-year old cousin had become the second Tennessee soldier killed in Vietnam. Some things are hard to forget.
- Brillilant weather continues in our southeast Tennessee location. A couple of good rains last week. Today is another 'Chamber of Commerce' day.....upper 60s, 25% humidity, and brilliant skies. Later in the week, below normal temperatures are forecast. I feel another long hike coming on.
Photos....Bottom to Top......
- The Northern Mockingbird, the state bird of the great state of Tennessee. This one seemed to be enjoying his perch atop an American Holly....so much so that I included two photos. These bold, energetic birds often return to the same tree each spring to build their nest. They are well named, as I have heard them mimic a variety of sounds, some natural and some no doubt unnatural, in their loud, vocal expressions. They even sing at night, often perched atop a utility pole or tree, especially at/near the time of a full moon.
- Acer rubrum....The Red Maple. Some specimens in our area of The Cumberland Plateau are more brilliant than others, but this very common tree is always beautiful in autumn.
- The Praying Mantis...Family Mantidae, Phylum Arthropoda, Genus Stagomantis....These carnivorous insects are unusual in many ways. They are the only insect that can rotate their head 180 degrees...and the triangular shaped head is distinctive. They feed on other insects primarily, and the jaws are powerful for so small a creature. Coloration varies from green to various shades of brown. They grow to 5"-6". This one, in the typical 'praying' posture, was photographed on a home within our properties. The last segment of the front legs is folded back.
- Top photos are of local specimens of genus Carya....the hickories. Both the Pignut and Mockernut Hickories are common here. The Shagbark Hickory, like the Black Walnut (Genus Juglans), is found here, though rarely at the elevations of the Cumberland Plateau. The latter two species are more common in the lower elevations and rolling hills of Middle Tennessee.