DAYBREAK? SUNSET?

If this man is gazing at the Atlantic Ocean, then this sky must be a morning sky? An evening sky? What comes to your mind first might well be, "Well if Lorna took that picture, it must be an evening sky."

C'mon ye of little faith...he's looking at the ATLANTIC. It certainly is NOT a sunset! OK, yes, I did take this photograph. Now you may well wonder, "But was she actually awake?" The answer to that one would be "apparently not," for I didn't notice the human being standing on the sand dune until exporting the photo to my computer!!!

I hope you're having as beautiful a morning as this one was for me!

CONGAREE NATIONAL PARK

Well, I didn't know there was such a place, smack dab in the middle of South Carolina minutes away from the state's capitol, either. And if it's a national park, this adventurer has been known to backtrack; curiosity getting the best of me, backtrack I did.

Most of Congaree National Park is wilderness bordered by the Congaree River. It's a small park, with two canoe/kayak trails and four or five hiking trails, one of which is an elevated boardwalk. Setting it aside as a National Park insured protection of the last old growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the country. Translated for the casual visitor, Congaree National Park is a tranquil forest ecosystem that supports diverse wildlife and towering trees of record size. It is a peaceful sanctuary with no commerce other than a simple visitor center and a parking lot "campground." And a "Mosquito Meter" that didn't lie!

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These photos don't tell a story so much as illustrate Mother Nature's luminous patterns and the unique sensory opportunities found in this little park. Follow me!

It's call Dorovan Muck. I'm not going to get sidetracked in "Dorovan Muck" -- you can Google it. Suffice it to say it made headlines in the 1980's for its ability to break down pollutants. Essential stuff, that muck. Good gooey muck, found in several locations along my path!

Fungi, not muck!
Red lichen, not too common.

Cardinal flower.

Congaree's most interesting (to me) feature is its flooding cycles, about ten a year, when the Congaree overflows its natural banks. Within the Congaree NP floodplain, water courses and scours through the park's creeks, guts and sloughs, disperses across the flat ground (there is only a 20' drop in the course of the 23-mile long river); and deposits the nutrient-rich soil that sustains magnificent canopies of bald cypress, loblolly pines, hickories, beeches and tupelo trees. And an understory of pawpaw trees, vines and switchcane (more akin to sugar cane than bamboo) and mini forests of bald cypress "knees."

Some of the "knees" reminded me of little knobby gnome families standing at attention!

And from a distance, this knee forest reminded me of cavern stalagmites emerging from the grass and muck.

This one's a flat top holding secret moss treasures.

Like a graceful, velvet theater drape

I loved this little park, warts and all!

THE CRAFTY GENE

I was definitely behind the door when the art and craft genes were dispensed. And that's OK because artists need art appreciators too; that's where I come in. My appreciation of those with the crafty gene is limitless, and I do my best to support the arts by being a frequent buyer! Visiting Southern Appalachia presented many, many opportunities to appreciate the distinctive creative expressions of the region. Second to none (well, maybe to New Mexico's art communities), we're not talking church raffle projects or crocheted hanger covers here!

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The Blue Ridge Parkway is more than just a lovely scenic byway. In addition to its grand, breathtaking vistas, campgrounds, parks, visitor centers, historic, restored buildings and museums can be found along its length. It also has a music center with weekly concerts and daily "porch music," and it has two folk art centers displaying and selling works by regional artists.

During this year's adventure, I've had one minor setback: a camera memory card, containing art center photographs, that "died" and whose contents could not be recovered. Here, however, are a few examples of Southern Appalachia artistry from one of the five Southern Highland Craft Guilds. Visiting these centers was like visiting museums, and many pieces were unfortunately encased in distorting glass.

Notice the bump in this snake puzzle? There's a tiny carved mouse inside!

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52nd Annual Mt. Mitchell Craft Fair

The Mt. Mitchell Craft Fair is traditionally held on a Friday and Saturday in Burnsville, Yancey County, the last remaining dry county in North Carolina. I asked a half dozen denizens of Burnsville why it wasn't held over an entire weekend. Finally, the answer that made sense: Because it's held in the town square; there's a church at each end of the square; the square is closed to traffic during the fair; if it was held on Sunday, no one could get to church! Ah-HAH!

The artist's name is Fisher! First he paints the fish (or crustacean), then presses the fabric or paper onto the fish ... wallah!

Eye of the beholder and all that, but it sure looked to me like these could be self portraits. Except for the hair color. Yes?

These sculptures were amazingly detailed -- and amusing, as was their creator.

Exquisite Appalachian hardwoods are a woodworker's dream. I couldn't resist one of this local artist's pieces -- just jumped right into my hand!

And another -- different woods, style

Every single little detail on these bird houses is hand crafted; the flowers are made of that plastic clay stuff -- name escapes me!
He was so proud of his bovine creations, and they all had names!
These whimsical girly skirts were a big hit among young and old alike.

The Mt. Mitchell Fair had plenty of demonstrations and opportunities for hands-on learning.

The "Butterfly Fry" maker

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Painted Quilt reproductions were hung on buildings throughout the town.