Frost

Cherry Blossoms in Brevard

Aaarrrgghhh! Claire got better shots than I did yesterday!

Pictures by me Claire Romanini

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Spring Blossoms

Yesterday, we drove into Brevard to go to the library and do some shopping. It was less than a week since we were last there but in that short time, the early-flowering trees have bloomed and there are daffodils everywhere.

Frost on Grass

Magnolia Buds

Magnolia Flower

Daffodil

Magnolia Flower

Cherry Blossoms

Cherry Blossoms

Magnolia Bud

Spring Equinox

Here at 35° 8’23.91″N 82°49’7.14″W, Spring will officially arrive at 11:57 today but we’ve been getting little hints for a week or two…

Flowering tree

Periwinkle

Spindly Hyacinth

Nest in flowering tree

My first daffodil is a little scruffy

Daylilies

Dandelion

Waiting…

Odie on her window seat

Odie seems to be gazing longingly out the window, waiting for warmer weather when she can be outdoors. She’s also gravid – so huge with eggs that she’s only able to eat a few nibbles of collard greens and a grape now and then.

Birdwatcher

Rainy Day

A New Toy!

I have been having fun taking close-ups of things but my lens won’t focus on anything that’s closer than about a half a meter. Being a snap-happy-tourist-grade photographer, I couldn’t really justify the expense of a macro lens, so I ordered a set of these diopter things. The set has four lenses in graduating magnifications that attach to my regular lens like a filter. I got them today and have been messing around with the +2 one.

Mountain laurel bud

Broken twig

Tree bark

Labradorite

Rust and scratches on oil tank

Drive to Sylva

We had gorgeous weather this weekend. There are dozens of chores that we’ve put off, waiting for some decent weather, but we sort of decided that driving to Sylva would be more fun than washing windows. Sylva is the county seat of Jackson County in Western North Carolina and is a popular tourist destination for outdoor-lovers: hikers, kyakers, bicyclists and fishing enthusiasts.

It is possible to get there on four-lane highways, but being shunpikers, we went north on NC 215 which follows the North Fork of the French Broad River and Big Bearwallow Creek as it climbs an ear-popping 3,000 feet to the Beech Gap Blue Ridge Parkway access point.

Alligator Rock hangs over the northbound lane of NC 215

We cut over to NC 281 on Tannassee Gap Road and continued north along the Cedar Cliff Reservoir.

Cedar Cliff Reservoir

Spotting a historical marker sign, we took a short detour to Judaculla Rock, a soapstone boulder which has Cherokee petroglyphs that overlay quarry scars from soapstone bowl manufacture.

Judaculla Rock

Detail of petroglyphs on Judaculla Rock

Drawing of petroglyphs on Judaculla Rock

Then, on into Sylva for a late lunch (and excellent coffee) at the City Lights Bookstore and Café and a browse through the books.

City Lights Bookstore & Cafe in Sylva, NC

Downtown Sylva, NC

Earrings