Knoxville – Oh, the Places We See . . .

Light and Shadow: Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, Knoxville

It was more than a night to remember. It was light, shadows, music, effects — all of it — as the celebration of a life-long musical career came to a close with fans singing songs we grew up loving. The great thing about rock and roll is that someone like me can be a star. […]

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Re-birth Day: Knoxville’s Chalk Walk 2022

Making a strong comeback on the Knoxville Dogwood Arts scene, Chalk Walk 2022 brought crowds back downtown after a two-year hiatus (Covid, of course!). And since John of Journeys with Johnbo created this week’s topic Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #193: They Say It’s Your Birthday, we just figured the rebirth of Chalk Walk was as celebratory […]

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Adding a touch of color to Knoxville: Sunflowers at Forks of the River

Continuing our Summer Travel series focusing on places now open and ready for tourists, here’s another of our Places To See for those of you venturing forth whether near or far. A sunflower field is like a sky with a thousand suns. Corina Abdulahm-Negura They’re back . . . and it’s once again time to […]

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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #156: Black and White

Women think of all colors except the absence of color. I have said that black has it all. White, too. Their beauty is absolute. It is the perfect harmony. Coco Chanel This week, Anne Sandler, photographer and creator of Slow Shutter Speed, challenges us to find and share photos on the theme of black and […]

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Elkmont: Once upon a time in the Great Smokies

Summertime is always the best of what might be. Charles Bowden If you stand still at Elkmont, you can almost hear summer. Kids laughing as they play tag around the old log cabins. Or waiting for lightning bugs to flicker at dusk. Mothers calling their kids in for supper. Old timers swapping tales of the […]

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Enjoy the Roses

We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon — instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today. Dale Carnegie Perhaps the coordinators of Knoxville’s 2021 Dogwood Arts Festival events had Dale Carnegie’s quote in mind as they invited guests to stroll through Open Rose Gardens two weekends in a […]

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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #143: Colorful April

It may come as no surprise that the Bard of Avon had it right all along: April . . . hath put a spirit of youth in everything. William Shakespeare And so it is that Colorful April is upon us. In Knoxville, Tennessee, April brings on white and pink dogwood trees, inviting residents and visitors […]

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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #142: You Pick It — Spring Happens 2020 & 2021

Note: This post was first published April 1, 2020. At that time, the news of a pandemic was fresh, but not fully understood. The impact, of course, was in the beginning stages. I’m republishing so that you can read my thoughts last April — and now my new thoughts in April 2021. One thing’s for […]

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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #137: Soft

Ann-Christine’s challenge this week immediately brought to mind the softness of fog and gentle rains mentioned in poems by two of my favorite American authors. In the photo above, fog and mist crept in quietly as a cat — unexpectedly yet swiftly — forcing the surfer on St. George Island, Florida, to “hang it up” […]

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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #130: It’s a Small World

With the challenge from Anne Sandler whose blog Slow Shutter Speed features macro shots of flowers with welcome tips for improving any close-up shots. So, like Anne, I, too, am sharing flowers and a pretty seashell, but ending with something I love to get close to: good food! Flowers in the rain, like the tender, […]