01 February 2009

Sunday Scenery


Cades Cove
Great Smokey Mountain National Park


My grandparents loved to travel. And Mimi loved to make photographs. Her media of choice was Kodachrome 64 and I have inherited all of her slides. One of the things I would like to pursue this year is getting them transferred to digital format. I think I inherited my love of photography from her. (And my Papa, though he did prints more than slides).

BC (before children) I was a Kodachrome 64 slide person, but switched to digital and am now using a Nikon D90. (Have I mentioned that Paul Simon's Photograph is one of my favourite songs?) Mostly my grandparents travelled out west, but one year they went to Great Smokey Mountain National Park. I remember seeing those slides and wanting to visit this beautiful place.

In 1982 Mike and I moved to Alabama. GSMNP is within 4 hours of our home. Since moving here, we have been there many times and it never fails to excite, soothe, be different and provide more than ample opportunity for fabulous photographs. This particular one was made in November of 2006.

It had been cloudy all day and we went to Cades Cove after lunch. We were on the south section of the loop road (past the mill complex) and Mike was driving top down so that nothing would obscure the view. All of a sudden there was a break in the clouds and this fabulous rainbow appeared. It was very low to the ground and we could see it from end to end for several minutes. It just seemed to hover out in the middle of the Cove and I felt blessed to see and shoot it.

And I'm also happy to be part of the Sunday Scenery crowd. I love the whole premise of this meme, which was started by Lee over at Tarheel Ramblings. Check it out if you get a chance.


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8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, Becky...the low-lying rainbow is fantastic. It gives a totally different feel to a scenic view where you would expect to see the rainbow above everything else. Great shot!

And thanks for being part of Sunday Scenery this week!

Becky said...

Thanks Lee. Iw really was astonished at how that rainbow appeared. It was the first time I had ever seen one low like that. One of the rangers said that they do sometimes appear that way in Cades Cove. Have you ever been there? The entire cove is encircled by mountains and often the mist is trapped inside the cove. It's a very interesting microcosm of weather.

Thank you for starting Sunday Scenery. The whole idea of it really speaks to me. When I was little we used to go out for Sunday drives. Something my children have difficulty understanding. LOL

Flo said...

That is a fabulous photo!! What a fantastic shot.
Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Anonymous said...

I have never seen such a low arc -
fabulous.

Becky said...

This really was a case of being in the right place at the right moment. I have never seen another rainbow like this one. It was so awe-inspiring to see it in person. And it's hard to tell the distance, but it is probably several miles wide.

wendysito said...

Great shot, Becky. I spent many, many years in Alabama and we always went to the GSMNP often, too. I have very fond memories of that place.

Thanks for reminding me, once again.

Four-eyed-missy said...

What a superb shot! The picture does remind us of God's wonderful creations.

Thanks for visiting mine earlier :)

Dughallmor Beagles said...

What a truly stunning photo, love it! You really were blessed, i've never seen anything so beautiful, lucky you!
Thanks for visiting us xx