Rings /  by Dave Hileman

These very large sculptures appear scattered across a large area at the North Carolina Museum of Art. Yet if you get to the right spot they line up nicely. Especially in the later afternoon light.

Another view of the John Cooper Cabin /  by Dave Hileman

If you tour the loop at Cades Cove, the John Cooper cabin is about 1/3 mile off the road on a paved trail. There is also the old road that you can walk that goes to the cabin. At the cabin there are two other divergent trails if you wish a longer hike. Not too much traffic on these trails but pretty.

Big Bear /  by Dave Hileman

Driving through Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Easter Sunday evening. I stopped to photograph some turkey. (see last Saturday’s post) and while I was shooting inside a fence toward a large meadow, a bear emerged from the woods directly behind me. One large male Black Bear. I moved toward my car a few feet not sure which way he was going and took a shot of him. Then moving even closer to the car (although the top was down on the Miata, so more like an entree bowl to that bear) but he stayed on a course about 40 feet from me and heading out into the meadow. I get a few shots of him traveling in the grass toward the bottom and, I think, a stream. He even smiled for the camera as he crossed the field - so quite a friendly bear. Right?

Celebration Size! /  by Dave Hileman

Wild turkey are common in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park but this one was especially large and fanned his tail a lot. I expect the few ladies present were quite impressed.

Caspian Tern /  by Dave Hileman

This is a migrant on the east coast, with breeding ones in southern central Canada and the west coast of the US. I photographed this one in Oregon along the coast.

Sunset /  by Dave Hileman

This out-of-the-way alcove at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh takes on a nice glow at sunset. The silky water of the fountain and the glass walls add a lot of reflection.

Orchids /  by Dave Hileman

Brookgreen Gardens in SC has a new reception area. It is a large, airy space that has lots of plants that can be wheeled to different locations depending on the function they are setting up to present. We were there just as the large planters had been changed for spring. Very nicely done. But they also have a glass walled area over two stories tall that have dozens of orchids in containers that can be changed as different ones bloom. This was one of the striking colorful blossoms.

Birch Trees /  by Dave Hileman

A small grove of birch trees in Alaska. We had birch syrup on some pancakes here. It takes 10 times the birch sap to make a gallon of syrup as it does for maple say to be make into syurp. Still interesting flavor and one place offered birch ice cream, now that was good.

Bluebell Dreams /  by Dave Hileman

These bluebells are softly shaded by 280 year-old live oaks along the alee at Brookgreen Gardens near Murrell’s Inlet, SC. We spent a lovely day wondering around the extensive grounds and gardens interspersed with 4500 sculptures of figures and animals primarily. There are several fountains, a nice, new indoor reception area, a native animal zoo, low country exhibits and several other beautiful spots to view or for contemplation. Plus we had a most excellent evening meal at the Harvest Restaurant on property.

Little Green Heron /  by Dave Hileman

This small heron blends nicely into the surrounding foliage while waiting in perfect stillness for a small fish or frog to wander past. Shot from a boardwalk in the Corkscrew Swamp in Florida.