Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Weekend getaway

Went to the North Carolina mountains over the weekend with my dad and uncle for a sort of guys getaway (from what, I'm not sure!). They both have property up there, and we stayed at my uncle's cabin. Mostly a football weekend... watched the local high school game Friday night, watched the FL Gators Saturday night, and listened to the Jags/Broncos game on the car ride home Sunday. Got some decent photos during the trip and thought I'd share a few. Unfortunately, I had my camera ISO set wrong, so the photos came out a bit grainy, as well as blurrier than I wanted too. I hope to be able to upgrade from my fixed-lense camera to a dSLR soon.

Looking South at the top of Baines Mountain.

Looking North at the top of Baines Mountain.

The road near my uncle's cabin.

The southern end of Fontana Lake. That is The Great Smokey Mountain Railroad bridge in the center. They drain the lake in the cooler months, which is why you can see so much of the bank. What's cool though, is that they have a tour where you can see some of an old mining town that was covered when they flooded the area to create the lake.

Nantahala River just upstream from the Nantahala Outdoor Center.

I think this is a White Breasted Nuthatch.
They we in all the bird feeders at the cabin.


The tomato farm at a local market.

Saw this leaf in the driveway. I think it is obvious what it looks like!


Did two sketches while I was there, but really had no time for much (spent most of the time outside with the camera). Drawing in the truck was out of the question as the roads were just rough enough to create a problem. :P

9 comments:

Alicia Padrón said...

What a beautiful place Tom! Sounds like you had fun.

Jennifer Thermes said...

Beautiful part of the coutry! Looks like it was a good weekend.

Jennifer Thermes said...

Ooh, I meant "country," of course. I despise typos! ;-)

RyanLoghry said...

Great photos Tom, it looks like beautiful country back there. Thanks for sharing.

Kathleen Rietz said...

Beuatiful photos Tom! I would have loved this trip - except for all of the the football parts....that has got to be my least favorite sport. : )

Tom Barrett said...

Thanks for all the comments. Yes, it was fun and very beautiful there.

Ha, ha, Kate! Well, I am not in to it as much as my Dad and Uncle, but I enjoy watching it.

Edrian said...

Looks like a fun time and a wonderful place for a retreat...I'm sure you were glad to see some mountains for a change!

sketched out said...

Gorgeous photos Tom!! They might not have turned out the way you wanted, but they sure are great! Sure makes me wish I was there right now. Could use some nature!

Lori McDonough said...

Sounds like a great weekend! I envy the mountain view from here in flat Indiana! :-)

Tom, the new blog banner looks so AWESOME! The composition and colors are really fantastic!