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.

Sunset Fountain /  by Dave Hileman

At the western end the property at Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina, is a large fountain that the water sits flush with the sides and that makes for nice reflections. This one is after our evening meal at the Harvest, a really fine restaurant on property. Then we took a bit of a stroll that took us past this nice sunset view.

Country Store /  by Dave Hileman

I ran across this country store near the Kentucky line in Western Tennessee. Not sure if it was Watts Grocery or Spot Cash Grocery - might have been both sequentially. Nice patina on the roof.

Galaucous-winged Gull /  by Dave Hileman

This bird was seen in Alaska racing across a marsh just a short distance from the shore south of Anchorage. I had never seen one of these before and it was a treat to see not just this one but several more in the same area.

James River Trees /  by Dave Hileman

There are some beautiful and rather untouched places along the James River across the length of the entire river but you don’t expect them, perhaps, close to population centers like Virginia Beach, Richmond, Portsmouth and Newport News. Yet this serene shot was made between Richmond and Portsmouth along the James on the south shore. Note the eagle’s nest in the low tree toward the center.