The Path Ahead

I was going to do another insightful post about chosing the path ahead as a follow-up to the Reflections post...

...then this happened...

Up Hill, In The Snow

A Path Not Taken

The Road Ahead

It Is The Time of The Year For...

...Reflection...


Burj Khalifa

Tree in Autumn

Barn and Willow

The Holiday Season

Lots of Holidays are happening. My favorite is actually the solstice, it means the daylight hours are getting longer!



Santa Claus

Nutcracker

Doll as Tree Ornament

The Golden Gingko

My very favorite
Of all the neighborhood trees
The Golden Ginkgo



Ginkgo Leaves

Ginkgo Leaves

Ginkgo Leaves

Ginkgo Leaves

Ginkgo Leaves

Ginkgo Leaf

Ginkgo Leaf On The Fence

Every Leaf Dropped in 12 Hours

Great Smoky Mountains and the Tremont Institute

The Tremont Institute offers a variety of programs right in the Great Smoly Mountain National Park. Their "mission is to deliver experiential learning for youth, educators, and adults through programs that promote self-discovery, critical thinking, and effective teaching and leadership."

I've been there now three times for the photography workshops. They offer a "Springtime in the Smokies" workshop (generally a weekend around mid-April) and an "Autumn Brilliance" workshop near the end of October - beginning of November. Next year's dates are already set, April 11, 2025 - April 14, 2025 and October 31, 2025 - November 3, 2025, respectively. The workshops are a great chance to get away from it all, learn something about photography and have a good time with other like minded photographers.

This past year they added a Writers Conference which sounds really interesting. A 2025 conference has its dates set too. Check out their page to see if any of their programs are of interest to you.

In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite photos I took during this November's "Autumn Brilliance" workshop.


Spruce Flats Waterfall

Rushing Water and Rock

The Swirl

Ruins

Brilliance in the Fog

Rickett's Glen

Back in September I spent a couple days meeting up with an old friend and hiking around Rickett's Glen State Park in Pennsylvania. One of the hikes we did was a 7+ mile hike taking us past 21 waterfalls. Even though I didn't take as many photos as I would have had it been a photography trip, I still have a lot to go through. It's an amazing and somewhat challenging hike if you ever get a chance.

A Waterfall

A Waterfall

Another Waterfall

And Yet Another Waterfall

Taking the Kids on a "Bug Hunt"

Sometimes it's difficult to get my grandkids interested in getting outside and walking around, just looking at things and exploring. They'd rather play inside, play on the computers, other electronics, or boardgames. A few days ago I made them go on an "adventure" with me, a short walk in a nearby nature preserve. They didn't fall for the "adventure" gimmick so there were complaints... but then I got them looking for bugs and butterflies for me to photograph as we went along. Lots of butterflies were spotted but wouldn't stop to pose. A few dragonflies were the same, but then a couple decided to be perfect models.

Dragonfly

Dragonfly

Dragonfly

Dragonfly