Pictures from Pigeon Forge, TN

What




Old Mill in Pigeon Forge

Old Mill Pottery Grill and Cafe'

Pigeon Forge and the Smokies

Our trip to Pidgeon Forge was highlighted by the good restaurants we tried. One of these, where we ate on two occasions, was the Old Mill Pottery Grill and Cafe'. which featured a beautifully designed outdoor garden. We ate there on the second occasion on a day warmed by a wonderful fall sun. We also enjoyed a trip into the outskirts of the Smoky Mountain National Park where we took a hike to a small water fall.

The Arduous Trail

Today, thanks to a generous anniversary gift from friends, Mary Lee and I drove to the Peaks of Otter in Bedford County in time to take advantage of a wonderful buffet lunch and overnight lodging. Our room afforded a view of the lake in the foreground and of Sharp Top mountain in the background. The leaves were just beginning to turn and in certain light the mountain glowed with an array of rather muted colors of oranges, reds, and yellows. Fall had arrived and the air was crisp with the freshness of the changing of the seasons. Today, the sun was shining brightly with very few clouds in the sky. The day was perfect for two lovers on a honeymoon-like occasion. We noted that the numbers of deer which we encountered were more bold that usual and we got some very goog pictures of them at close range. Their piercing brown eyes and unflinching gaze made us feel that we were the anomaly rather than the other way around.

After lunch and a change into more appropriate attire, we drove a short distance just north of the lodge where we were staying to the trail head leading to the Fallingwaters Cascades. This is a very beautiful and rather arduous trail that leads down the side of the mountain over many rocks and roots, ever descending for about 3/4 of a mile until one is alongside a rapidly falling creek that continues on down the mountainside. Finally we reached a point where the trail takes a sharp turn across a small foot bridge and over a glistening pool of water at the top of the falls. The trail becomes steeper at this point.

However, we did finally reached our destination at the foot of the largest cascade, which was somewhat smaller at this time of year because of the abating water supply from further up at the top of the mountain. This was quite a workout for the both of us, especially as we had to retrace our steps back up the trail to where we had begun our trek. However, the object of our hike was well worth the difficulties we encountered to obtain it.

God had richly blessed with another experience in the arena of the wonders of nature which His artful hand has created. And we wondered at his bountiful goodness to us.

"Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness;

And for His wonderful works to the children of men."

PSALM 107:8

The Sounds of Things

To be a poet one has to be curious about many things. One of my greatest curiosities is about sounds. I have an innate fascination about an innumerable host of them which I make myself. What sound does a piece of wood, or a metal box, or a even a pumpkin, evoke when knocked upon with my middle knuckle. I perform this simple curious practice constantly. I love the sound of the ring produced when I flip the edge of a piece of crystal with my index fingernail. That is music to my ears!

Ever noticed the difference in the sounds store plate glass windows have when knocked upon? And then there are the sounds of nature, like the wind blowing through the leaves on trees, and the eternal roar of ocean waves crashing on the shore, or fog horns on a mist drenched night! And the eerie screeching of an owl unexpectedly penetrating the quietness of a summer evening. Not to mention the loud rumblings of thunder following the sizzling crackle of lightening.

I would love to have heard the sounds of a mighty rushing wind on the day of Pentecost. And how I

read with wonder in Ezekiel's prophecy about the voice of the God of Israel having the sound of many waters, and how His accompanying glory made the earth shine.(Ezekiel 43:2) The Psalmist says that "The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea." (Ps. 94:4) When the Apostle John described the Lord Jesus Christ in Revelation 1:15, he said His voice was "as the sound of many waters." Wow, what must that have sounded like! John later heard a voice from Heaven, "like the voice of many waters, and like thunder. And I heard harpists playing their harps." (14:20) Finally, (19:6) he heard, "as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, 'Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!' "

The poet's ear, the poet's eye, is always open to what ever there is to hear and see in God's creation, both "under the sun" and even perhaps in the spiritual realm. His heart is attuned to things that others never perceive. His is the task of making others aware of things they are not normally in the habit of observing.

The Poet's Heart

Does the poet dare to think

He is the only one

Who has ever seen the rising

Or the setting of the sun?

Thinks he that his eye's the only

One that's been set free

To behold and true decipher

Nature's imagery?

Yes, of course he is convinced,

And truly stands apart...

For many have the eyes to see

But few the poet's heart!

L'ENVOI

L'ENVOI
By Rudyard Kipling

When earth's last picture is painted, and the tubes are twisted and dried,
When the oldest colors have faded, and the youngest critic has died,
We shall rest, and, faith, we shall need it--lie down for an aeon or two,
Till the Master of All Good Workman shall set us to work anew!

And those that were good will be happy: they shall sit in a golden chair,
They shall splash at a ten-league canvas with brushes of comet's hair,
They shall find real saints to draw from--Magdalene, Peter and Paul;
They shall work for an age at a sitting and never be tired at all!

And only the Master shall praise us, and only the Master shall blame;
And no one shall work for money, and no one shall work for fame;
But each for the joy of the working, and each, in his separate star,
Shall draw the Thing as he sees it for the God of Things as They are!

Beautiful Day for a Walk in the Cemetery

This morning it was a gorgeous day! A perfect day to visit an antiquitous cemetery. And this was a planned affair as a precursor to the Hunt Family Reunion tomorrow. Anyone who wanted to get in on a little history of the family were invited to meet today at Dixie Caverns and follow the leader, Larry Hunt, sort of the self-appointed family historian. The group consisted mostly of cousins and their respective family members. And, as I said, it was a perfect day for it. Glorious sunshine, cool fall weather, and some beautiful orange and yellow leaves adorning many trees. The Hill Cemetery is located in a very secluded and out of the way location in Roanoke County. Unfortunately, not secluded enough to ward off visits from vandals, who have broken or chipped several of the old gravestones. My, my, what fun that must have been!

Larry rehearsed a lot of family history, interesting stories that most of us had never heard. He seems to have the proper propensity and tenacity to sniff out information in the most unusual and unsuspecting places. Now our minds are all in gear for the fun and food and fellowship of the family gathering tomorrow.