Waterfalls and Wildflowers

Heard long before seen,

Water trickles, gathers, then

Rushes over falls.

Fall Creek Falls

Breakfast Campfire

Falls Creek Falls campground was our base for three days of exploring the Cumberland Plateau. We hiked to the base of Fall Creek Falls and to Piney Falls on Tuesday, drove and hiked to Cummings Falls and Burgess Falls on Wednesday, and to Savage Gulf State Natural Area on Thursday. At Savage Gulf, we hiked to Savage Falls, Laurel Falls and Stone Door. We also explored Beersheba Springs, a Methodist retreat center.

Laurel Falls - Savage Gulf SNA

Showy Lady's Slipper - Savage Falls trail

Stone Door Bluff, Savage Gulf
We hiked to the outcrop and the Stone Door formation

Little Stream feeding Burgess Falls

Buzzard's Roost - Falls Creek Falls SP

Falls Creek Falls at the base

Contemplating the waterfall

Caney Creek Cascade, Fall Creek Falls SP

Burgess Falls, near Cookeville - the best of the waterfalls

Savage Falls

Savage Falls - That's a bear whistle around my neck, but we didn't encounter any bears.

Savage Falls, the most scenic waterfall

Big Rock

Imagine! After almost 40 years of gardening this plot, I dug up this big rock with my digging fork today. I am used to picking out smaller rocks every time I turn the earth, but I haven't come across one this big in years. Anna, remember, in the first year of gardening here beside the barn, how frustrated we were with all the rocks to be cleared. I remembered trying to use a hoe for weeding like I learned in the Miss. Delta, only to have it bounce back at me off the rocks. That is one reason that I gave up row cropping for raised beds.

If gardening is a spiritual practice (and it is), then the rocks are a reminder of the hard places in life - obstacles to be overcome, but ones that weather to soil in God's time.

Assorted Grandchildren - April 2014

Allison Clark in the dress that Mammaw (my grandmother) made for Laura

Allison is crawling and pulling up

Amanda in action

Claire wins 4-H demo contest

Laura's Birthday

Owen and Allison playing

Owen and Allison pose with Trisha

Owen at Cape Rock

Owen loves to slide

Owen learning to ride his bike

Looks like a spring garden - April 24

Bill and I took out all but two blueberry bushes because they were infected with twig blight. The last ones may have to go as well. We expanded the bed to accommodate a row of tomatoes. Now we have to hope for no tomato blights.

Melton Hill Wildflower Hike

Friends who know wildflowers, please help me identify the unnamed flowers or correct the identifications I've given. I need more expertise (and a better book).

Barren Strawberry

Common Blue Violet

Please help me identify this lovely little flower. I saw several clusters.

Wild Dogwood

Fern Fiddleheads

May Apple...lots of colonies of these were seen

Wild Redbud

Toothwort

This is a common shrub or small tree.

What will this be?

A common shrub or small tree

Common blue phlox

Yellow Trillium - these were surprisingly abundant

Early April

Swelling buds of green,
Red, orange, purple and white,
Leafless trees springing.

March Garden

Snap Peas, Early Peas

Spinach, Chard, Kale, Beets, Lettuce,

In the ground today.