• landscape,  mountains,  National Parks,  Smoky Mountains National Park,  sunrises

    Sunrise at Foothills Parkway

    November 14, 2019
    Sunrise on Foothills Parkway in the Smoky Mountains

    In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy skips and dances down a yellow brick road in hopes of finding the Wizard of Oz who will help her return home to Kansas. Traveling that yellow brick road lead her to new horizons, discovering her gifts of wisdom, courage, and love. I like to think of Dorothy’s yellow brick road as a metaphor of our spiritual journey to new horizons.

    Some of us live in the shadow of an illusionary self, a false-self that alienates us from reality, much of this world and a Creator. We can be blind to the possibility of the horizons yet to be discovered, paralyzed with fear, failing to venture forward on our yellow brick road and discover our gifts of wisdom, courage, and love, which I choose to call our true-self.

    “May we seek this inward path to encounter the true-self, the essence of who we are, and allow ourselves to be embraced by love.”

    Read More
  • landscape,  National Parks,  sunrises

    First Light

    July 8, 2010
    Foothills Parkway

    Earl’s been posting images of the Smoky Mountains and stirring up  some fond memories of a trip I took back in October of 2003 with fellow photographer Jeff Svoboda.  Jeff and I spent a week shooting early mornings and late afternoons. My first experience in the park, loved it and hope it was not my last one. What a great place to experience. As I’ve been cleaning things up on my hard drive I’ve also been finding images I’ve forgotten about. Here’s a morning sunrise from Foothills Parkway: First light.

    Read More
  • National Parks,  sunrises

    Sunrise at Foothills Parkway

    November 20, 2008
    Sunrise Along Skyline Drive
    Sunrise Along Foothills Parkway

    I’ve found searching our archives to be a good learning experience to touchup a few of these images using the tools and experience we have learned over the past. In October of 2003 a friend and fellow photographer, Jeff Svoboda, and I made a week long trip to the Smoky Mountains. He had been there before and knew where to go and where to stay. If you have never visited the Smoky Mountains I suggest you put it on your list of places to visit. Taken along Foothills Parkway.

    Read More