Sailboats on Old Hickory Lake

One of my favorite things to photograph are sailboats. I have long had a passion for these free spirited, take me where the wind blows, boats. This is the yacht club on the south side of Old Hickory Lake. Many a sailboat calls it home.

It was late in the day as I made the drive around Old Hickory Lake north to my home in Hendersonville. I decided to make the ten minute drive back to the yacht club before leaving the south side of the lake. The sun was at a fairly decent descent so the light wasn't too awfully harsh. There was a subtle hint of Fall color on the trees in the distance.

Fall in middle Tennessee was subdued due in part to lack of rain. Drought is slowly creeping from southern Tennessee to middle and northern parts of the state. It is more severe in northern Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. This time last year it was a monsoon from a hurricane that came up from the Gulf in October and the remnants of the storm brought rain across the northern most part of the South. ENJOY!

One Seasons Ends, Another Begins

Fall is bringing a change in the leaves. Do you see it there?

Soon there will be yellows, oranges and reds. A new season is upon us. I wrap my arms around it relishing in all its glory. ENJOY!

Forgotten Fences

Walking among the wildflowers in the cedar glade, I turned to discover this old fence post standing alone off in the distance and wondered just what purpose it had served in another lifetime.

A few of the species I identified from my walk in Couchville Cedar Glade included Yellow Coneflowers, Tennessee Coneflowers, Daisy Fleabane and Roseroot, as well as many others. ENJOY!

Bee in My Bonnet, Bug in My Plant

I captured this beautiful Queen Anne's Lace with accompanying 'hanger on' at Couchville Cedar Glade. Have a fantastic weekend all. I hope to get outdoors at some point, albeit it is going to be 95 degrees this weekend, with the heat index in the 100's, with the only relief being the occasional thunderstorm. ENJOY!

Prairie Coneflowers, Couchville Cedar Glade State Natural Area

Today was not the best day to take a short hike at Couchville Cedar Glade State Natural Area near Hermitage. I did manage to hike about a half mile into the glade before the oppressive heat turned me back. This is a very small natural area east of Nashville and is one of the best examples of a real cedar glade left in middle Tennessee. A small parking lot sits right off the highway and a one mile loop trail takes you throughout the glade.

The many different native species of wildflowers that grow here, especially the rare 'Federally Endangered' Tennessee Coneflower, were amazing to see blooming in close proximity to one another. I counted at least six different species on my walk. On a much cooler day, this would be the perfect wildflower hike. With many different species to choose from, I decided to feature the Prairie Coneflower in this post. I took several images of the Tennessee Coneflower and some of the beautiful Queen Anne's Lace which I will post later. I also have several other wildflower species I captured images of that I can't readily identify. Did you happen to catch the fact that it is officially Summer. After my walk today, I believe it. Boy was it a scorcher out there. ENJOY!