"Friday in the Cove"

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

 Butterflies rehydrating and soaking up the sun in Cades Cove.

 A black bear eyeing another black bear up in this tree near the loop exit in Cades Cove.

"Standing Tall"

A sunflower shines in a field at Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge in Kodak, Tn.

"Photo Bomber"

I was zoomed in and focused on this sunflower and right before I pulled the trigger, look who showed up! Photo bombed by a butterfly! At Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge near Kodak, Tn.

"Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail"

 Here is one of my favorite stops along Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, so if you think you've seen this before, you very well may have. Not the same picture, just the same scene!

Just finished up a long weekend in the Smokies. This was our first excursion coming in and the photos here, from our last excursion, on the way out!

"Blue Heron at Douglas Dam"

A Blue Heron at Douglas Dam on the French Broad River in Sevier County, Tn.

"A Day in the Cove"

Okay! This was a little more than "Just Another Day - 2013" This was a day spent in Cades Cove, one of my favorite places ever. I spent around 8 hours in there today and not because it was stand still crowded, but because I just spent that long in there. God is good ..... Here is a little proof! .....

The first encounter. Just after entering the cove I spotted this dew covered spider web!

 My second encounter was this wildflower spotted from a bridge on Sparks Lane, still early in the morning.

 On the other end of the same bridge, I spotted this bee doing what bees do.

 Then after killing the morning away, checking out part of the Abrams Falls trail and having a picnic lunch at a remote cabin on Forge Creek Rd., we finally got down to business. After all, this was a "Bear Hunt"!

 

We finally found our bear looking up into this tree trying to figure out how to get to those cherries!

 

After looking up into the tree for so long, I guess he figured the best way to get to the cherries was to climb the tree!

"Standing Proud"

Standing proud in the forest, this tiny wildflower jumped out and caught my attention! Blooming along side Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.