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Thanksgiving With Friends

Published at: 12:11 am - Friday November 26 2010

The next best thing to being with family (mom, dad, grandma, cousins, brothers, … the “clan”) at Thanksgiving is spending time with cherished friends.  We have been closest of friends with the VanHooser family for well over 20 years now.   Almost each year for the past decade we’ve spent a holiday with them.  It is often Easter, but this year Cathy and Dale invited us to share a Thanksgiving feast since we were staying in town to be with our girls.  We “grew up” together for 3-4 as young adults and new parents in Dayton, OH.   Then we happened to reunite in Atlanta some 4-5 years later in 1994 after moving in different directions with our careers.

While we are enjoying staying at home this Thanksgiving and beginning our own Sisco traditions, we really miss being with extended family.  We have so many great memories from years past of time with Grown, Mimi, Homer, Nona, Sissy, Bear, Cam, Camille, Susan, Todd, Clayton, Jesse, Paul, Elizabeth, Mike, Dorine, and Eddie.  However, we love Cathy, Dale, Kelly (and Clint), and Katie like they are relatives.  Maybe even more than some of our relatives!  Sharing today with them was a huge blessing.

Click the Audio button for a few familiar holiday sounds, checkout the pics, and most importantly, stop and say a thankful prayer for those you cherish and who fill your life with joy and meaning!

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Posted in: People by Mark No Comments

Schoolhouse Falls #2

Published at: 09:11 pm - Wednesday November 24 2010

Here is a straight-on view of Schoolhouse Falls, featuring my best bud Carl.  This was taken from a small beach where met a couple who had camped overnight.  I had forgotten how cold it was this morning until Carl mentioned this in his comments on the prior post.  Ambient temps were not quite at the freezing threshold, but they were close.  There was a startling little breeze to exaggerate matters, too.  Unless you have still hunted or are a fairly hardcore landscape photographer who has stood for long periods of time awaiting first light or the prey of your choice, you may not appreciate why a breezy 38F in a hollow near water’s edge seems so frigid!

This viewpoint really helps display the scale of these falls.  The southwest corner of NC is so replete with falls like this.  I never knew how prevalent and magical they were until exploring the area on this trip.

Carl at Schoolhouse Falls

Posted in: Landscapes, People, Water by Mark No Comments

Schoolhouse Falls @ Panthertown Valley #1

Published at: 01:11 am - Monday November 22 2010

Panthertown Valley was one of my favorite finds in the Cashiers, NC area.  The valley contains a network of hiking trails that travel to a variety of popular destinations within a 6700 acre tract of high-elevation Forest Service land. At least 8 major waterfalls and countless smaller ones lie along the area’s streams.  It has not been determined that any permanent settlement ever existed in the Valley.  Pioneers termed the valley “Paintertown” (local for “Panthertown”) due to the wildness and (undoubtedly) the number of panthers, or Eastern Cougar, living in the area.

The main trails and old roadbeds were very obvious.  However, the area is somewhat remote and trail guides are sketchy.  Underbrush, especially Rhododendrons, were very thick off trail, so we spent a lot of energy and time backtracking after wondering off trail in pursuit of various falls.  It was a lovely combination of traditional trail hiking and adventurous excursions along the way.

Schoolhouse Falls is one of the better known and fairly easy-to-locate waterfalls in Panthertown.   Carl and I arrived just after dawn, only to find a couple of campers who had spent the night on the beach area across the pool from the falls.  The water volume was down due to the dry summer and autumn, but it was still high enough to make a beautiful cascade.  The surrounding colors were great, too.

The scale of the falls is a little deceiving in this particular image.  Stay tuned for more of Schoolhouse.

Schoolhouse Falls at Panthertown Valley, NC

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Posted in: Landscapes, Water by Mark 1 Comment

Chattooga River at Old Iron Bridge

Published at: 11:11 pm - Friday November 12 2010

One of my favorite places on our recent NC trip was Old Iron Bridge off of Bull Pen Road.  Bull Pen is east of Cashiers 6-8 miles, then another 5 miles south down Bull Pen’s dusty, gravel road bed.  There are wonderful rocks and falls under the bridge.  Scaling the rocks for a good vantage point was quite difficult, but well worth the effort.  I could have stayed here all day had the light been conducive.

I enjoyed the circular swirls and patterns of the flowing water, as well as the way they somewhat mimicked the rock formations.

Be sure to play the audio to listen to the soothing water.

Falls on Chattooga River near Old Iron Bridge

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Posted in: Landscapes, Water by Mark No Comments

Fall in North Carolina

Published at: 07:11 am - Tuesday November 02 2010

This is my best bud Carl (left) and me.  We recently visited the Highlands and Cashiers areas of North Carolina to shoot streams and autumn colors.  Highlands and Cashiers are about an hour south of Asheville.  The area is a stunningly beautiful part of the state, lined with rolling hills and mountains and a wonderful array of waterfalls.  Roads are narrow and winding with a small town feel, and the people are kind and warm.

Our weather was perfect.  Evenings dipped to around 40F, while the daytime temperatures hit 60-65F with sunny skies.  Each day was filled with tons of hiking and photographing.  Hiking was quite strenuous, not necessarily from length or elevation, but from venturing off trails and into remote areas.  The forest underbrush was about as thick as I have seen, filled with logs and rhododendrons.  And our stream adventures required scaling large boulders and slippery rocks.

This image was taken at Glen Falls.  I will be posting several landscape images from the trip over the next couple of weeks.  Stay tuned.

Thanks for a great time, Carl!  It was the perfect combination of friendship, hiking, and photography.  By the way – keep your boots on, would you!?

Carl and Mark @ Glen Falls; Highlands, NC

Posted in: People by Mark No Comments

Unconditional

Published at: 08:09 pm - Wednesday September 01 2010

It’s often said that “dog is man’s best friend,” and I wholeheartedly agree.  No wonder, the love they give is unconditional.

This is our little Sophie.  She’s 4 years old and was a birthday gift for our daughter Katie.  Sophie is tenacious, feisty, a squirrel hater, cute, adorable, our home security agent, and most importantly, as in love with us as we are with her.

She is by our side through thick and thin.  She loves to cuddle and to sit at our sides.  Sophie would rather “rough house” with one of us than eat (well, that may be a slight exaggeration).  She is very protective.  It matters not whether we’ve had a bad day, good day, or just a boring day.  She always has a tail wag in store for us.  A lick and a kiss.  A welcome home second to none.  And a repetitive 2 ft. jump from our feet to waist until she gets the acknowledgment she needs and deserves.

Hmmm, sounds like your dog, doesn’t it?  Nonsense!!!  There is only one Sophie!

"Sophalicious"

Posted in: Pets by Mark 2 Comments

Sink or Swim

Published at: 09:08 pm - Friday August 13 2010

Just when I thought I had “seen it all,” I witnessed a herd of bison swimming across a river in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley.  Most of these beasts weigh 2,000+ lbs, mind you.  Carl, Brent, and I happened upon this late one afternoon, and it was truly a sight to behold.  This was more than your average witnessing of a few bison crossing the river.

Baby bison are affectionately referred to as “red dogs.”  They are cute and playful, and they have a LOT to learn when spring arrives.  Case in point:  There are no bridges or ferries to cross the river.  Mom can’t carry baby across.  Baby can’t stay behind.  What is little red dog to do?  Jump in and learn how to swim!  Quickly!

The stream was deep and swift, and this little red dog got separated from mom.  We witnessed several bison staying upstream from the babies to block the current and protect them, but this little guy was somehow left behind midstream.  Once mom got across, she quickly realized he had not made it.  He continued to fight and struggle to get across while continuing to float downstream another couple hundred yards.  Mom immediately wandered down the river bank to find him.  She then awaited patiently as if to say, “You can do it!  I’m right here to catch you when you reach this side.”

It was a scary moment.  Somehow moms always inspire the best in us.  They are there to warmly pick us up, dust us off, and offer an assuring hug.

Posted in: Wildlife, Yellowstone by Mark 3 Comments

Out Standing in his Field ;-)

Published at: 11:08 pm - Wednesday August 04 2010

Credit goes to my friend Carl for this telling portrait.  This was our last full day in Yellowstone, and we stumbled upon this beautiful valley just as it was starting to snow.  (See previous post “Against the Odds” for my image from this spot).

Solitude, peaceful, the sound of running water, a slight breeze in the trees, sounds muffled by the falling snow as if we were in a sound chamber, the smell of evergreens and sage … these are only a few thoughts that immediately come to mind as I think back to this moment.  The park was full of wildlife shooters, so we found it humorous that cars began pulling off the road to see what exotic creature we had spotted and were stalking.  LOL    Au contraire; we were only enjoying the beauty of the morning landscape.  Not a grand vista well known to all, mind you, but a micro-scape that was “so” Yellowstone in every way.

Firmly Grounded

Posted in: Landscapes, People, Yellowstone by Mark 2 Comments

Among Giants

Published at: 09:07 pm - Friday July 30 2010

Yellowstone’s northwestern region is full of landscape beauty and wildlife.  The green rolling hills are splendorous and sprinkled with colorful evergreen forests, cottonwoods, and aspens.

At the same time, it is common to see large boulders, rock formations, and layered cliffs.  These are remnants of years past, formed by either glaciers, volcanic activity, or a combination of both.  Such random contrasts add to the mystery of America’s first national park.

This youthful, yellow flower is both welcomed and sheltered by a stalwart that has seen many seasons come and go.

Generations Embrace

Posted in: Landscapes, Yellowstone by Mark 2 Comments

When in Rome (um, I mean Wyoming)

Published at: 07:07 pm - Sunday July 25 2010

Those who know me well know I love to wear hats.  Ball caps, that is.  I have an old photograph of me in a cowboy hat when I was about 3 years old.  But aside from then, I can’t ever remember liking them or wanting to wear one.

“When in Rome,” as they say.  Brent, Carl, and I were checking out a western store that sold not only clothing, but bridles, saddles, and all kinds of cool stuff.  The real deals.  So we more or less dared each other to all get a cowboy hat.  A dare or challenge is all 3 guys need, as we all know too well!

The hidden story for me is that this took me back to my childhood.  Not so much the aforementioned kid in a hat, but back to my dad.  “Daddy Gene” loved horses all his life.  I cannot remember a day during my lifetime that he did not have at least 1-2 horses on hand.  His small shed out back behind our rural TN home smelled of leather from the saddle hanging on the wall.  There were a couple of bridles beside it, as well as a set of spurs.  I didn’t care much about the horses then.  I took them for granted because they were always there.  What I loved was not the horses themselves, but the Thursday afternoons I spent with dad after school.  Thursdays were his day off.  He would pick me up at 3 o’clock, and inevitably, we would “piddle” with the horses which meant caring for them, mending a fence, riding them, or plowing the garden with one.  There were plenty of tractors and automation around for working in the garden, but he adored the manual labor of walking behind an old plow or riding an old sled.

So the western store brought back lots of memories with its horse tack.  It seemed fitting to wear a cowboy hat for a day while in WY.  It was also a means of reminiscing my dad’s love for horses.  By the way, I don’t think I ever saw my dad wear a cowboy hat, but the store didn’t have any horses for sale.  🙂

Brent (aka "Hoss"), Carl (aka "Festus"), and Mark (aka "John Wayne!")

Posted in: People, Tetons by Mark 3 Comments

Hidden Falls @ Cascade Canyon – GTNP

Published at: 11:07 pm - Thursday July 22 2010

Hidden Falls lies at the end of a 3-4 mile Cascade Canyon trail in Grand Teton National Park.  It’s very difficult to capture an image here that shows the true scale of the 200ft. cascade since the area is fenced off for safety.  I’ll let the audio file help tell the story.

We could hardly hear each other speak, even though we were at least 100 yards from the foot of the cascade.  Also, our lens continued to fog over every 30 seconds from the cool air and heavy mist coming off the falls.  As a matter of fact, Brent’s camera was out of commission for about 18 hours afterward due to absorbing moisture during our 15-20 minute visit.

It’s worth noting that Carl and I hiked another 500ft. (elevation) to Inspiration Point, at which time our altitude challenged lungs were met with thunder and lightning!  We started high-tailing it back down, only to be caught in a hail storm.  Ouch.  Hail, lightning, mountain peaks, and middle-aged guys – the perfect storm (NOT!).

Hidden Falls at Cascade Canyon

Audio:

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L to R: Mark, Brent, and Carl (gotta love the Marty Feldman hat!)

Posted in: People, Tetons by Mark 4 Comments

Against the Odds

Published at: 10:07 pm - Tuesday July 20 2010

Let’s go over a few facts about Yellowstone winters:

  • Snowfall – Avg. 150 inches, 400 inches in higher elevations
  • Temps – Avg. Highs around 20F, Avg. Lows approx. 5-10F (sub-zero not uncommon)
  • Coldest recorded day – -60F
  • From 1995-2005, Yellowstone was the coldest place in the USA 337 days (10% of the time)

For those of you who live in cold climates, this may not seem all that bad.  But the temperatures and snow, mixed with winds and unpredictable extremes on any given day, make for a long, brutal winter.  Bear in mind that the park is subject to extreme winter conditions anytime between October and May.  I am amazed at how wildlife survive such a long, threatening season with little food.

Somehow, against the odds, spring awakes from a long, stifling slumber year after year!  This scene of grass sprouting eternal through snow after an extended winter’s nap brought to mind a couple of thoughts.  Perseverance and patience are almost always the victors.  There is a sprig of youthful energy and hope in almost every gloomy day … if we open our eyes to look for it!

No Winter Lives Forever, No Spring Skips Its Turn ~ Hal Borland

Posted in: Landscapes, Yellowstone by Mark 1 Comment
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