Here is my latest blog entry. Just to see if I can still do it.

Sheela and I went on a night hike in the Smokies with a leader and about 20 other hikers. These photos were taken by one of the other hikers just around sunset. Fuzzy pics but great memories. The last half of the six mile trek was done in complete darkness, with just an occasional red-lensed flashlight shining on the trail ahead to keep us from falling off the edge and down the mountain!

We were rewarded by the sight of at least three different types of firefiles (synchronous, blue ghosts, and some that stayed in the tops of the tall, tall trees.)

There were also glowing larvae of fungus gnats on the ground beneath the gorgeous white rhododendron blossoms (which also caught every bit of ambient light and sometimes almost glowed themselves.) The darkness was so complete, and the side of the trail so steeply angled upward on one side, that the effect of seeing the larvae glow was to feel oneself floating in space among the stars.
Magical.

The end of the trail, almost back to the parking lot, was marked by a large, football sized fungus brightly glowing as well. Oh, and the river, which we could hear below us on the downward side of the slope, occasionally gleamed like molten silver, reflecting the light of only the stars in the sky above the canopy.

Wow.

Here's a post just to show I'm still around!

I noticed that my last post was when Sunil was here for a summer visit; he'll be here again tomorrow for this year's visit, so that means it's been a whole year.
Yipes.

Par Three Golf

Just for the record - (no pix due to brutally hot, humid conditions which resulted in no one wanting to hold still one minute longer) - Sunil and I played par three golf twice recently. He had at least a couple of fours ... and I had one three. We both loved it, even if we were draggin' a by the end of six or seven holes!

Spruce Flats Falls Hike in the Smokies

This new-to-us trail is well marked and well maintained. It is not on the Smoky Mountain trails list because it is actually on the property of Tremont Institute.

It is rocky enough to be challenging, but is still very do-able.

Sunil stops at a high overlook to enjoy the view.

Spruce Flats Falls Trail

Sunil scraped his knee, and fixed it himself with his red bandanna. Grammylyn was right about always taking a bandanna!

Success! He made it to Spruce Flats Falls and they were awesome!

The carved log made handy steps for both climbing and descending.

Safari

Look for this design in a jigsaw puzzle coming soon to a Christmas present near you!

The water buffalo were right where they should have been: in the water. However, they soon hauled out and came up to our wagon to be fed. One of them licked Sunil's hand, as did one of the American bison, too, later. Slobbery, and AWESOME!

Briarwood Safari Part 1

Thw young bighorn sheep came right up into the wagon. While he was there, he scraped his horn against Sunil's arm, then (gently) headbutted him. Pretty exciting stuff.

Sunil fed the young elk directly from his outstretched hand.

The zebra got into the wagon as far as he could. He nipped a couple of people, but only adults and they were only startled, not hurt.

The male elk had large antlers covered in velvet. We got to touch them, and they were sooo soft. Actually, Sunil "head wrestled" him when he got too greedy and began gobbling the feed too fast. Quote: "He's really strong!"

The buffalo were shedding and shaggy, but still huge.

Briarwood Safari in Tennessee

Sunil feeding the beautiful little alpaca from the feed bucket while the Llama waits her turn.

Appropriate sign!

Yes, the Buffalo came right up and stuck out his tongue so we could drop the dry feed right onto it. Note said tongue is BLUE!

This emu was behind a fence, but others roamed freely.

Sunil and John are ready to hit the links at Kahite Golf course!

Grammylyn and Sunil ready for church.

Sunil looked great in his Sunday suit, white shirt and tie! (And so did GrampaJohn)

GrampaJohn and Sunil made a rough-sawn wren house for our deck.

Sunil loves to read his Mom's Kindle ... and does so for hours.

Spruce Flats Falls, Safari

Just an update: Yesterday Sunil and I went to the Briarwood Ranch Safari near Morristown, TN. It was awesome.

Today we took a new hike ... to Spruce Flats Falls, also awesome. It was a mildly strenuous but not very long (1 mile each way) hike to a tall falls with lots of smaller cascades and quiet pools where we could get wet on a brutally hot day. We both agreed it's our new most favorite hike. It's on the way to Cades Cove, but much closer - way before the traffic starts to back up, which is always a plus.

Pix to be added soon (if the boy ever goes to sleep before I do.) He's been good about going to bed around 9 PM, but lately so have I! Where he gets that energy, I don't know ... but if I could just get him to share, we'd be great.