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It's been been cold and wet (but not snowing) on the Plateau, and I felt the need for something to cheer things up. This photo, from late April, is of Honey Glazed Iris, a bright spot in our yard.

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While walking on the Great Wall in 1990, I spotted the ruins of a watchtower a little below where I was standing. Those ruins did a good job of depicting the history and age of the Great Wall.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

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The picture above shows the Color Guard of British Fort George carrying off the Union Jack after lowering the flag. Fort George is an 1812-era fort at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.

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Cane Creek Cascades is one of the waterfalls in Tennessee's Fall Creek Falls State Park. It's possible to access a rock shelf adjacent to the brink of the 45-foot drop. I think the water drops look like jewels as the creek begins its plunge.

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The picture above was taken about a week ago from our back yard, looking at our Christmas tree through the door leading out to the deck.

Betsy and I will be taking a long weekend from blogging to have time to celebrate Christmas with family and friends. We'll be back Monday, but in the meantime we want to wish you and your family a very merry and blessed Christmas.

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I was covering some of the roses in the garden this afternoon to get them through the winter. That made me think think about some of the beautiful blossoms we had this year. Tahitian Sunset has large, beautiful, long-lasting blossoms that are a joy to behold.

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Although much of this area was blanketed with snow this past weekend, I want to share a photo made this past October. We drove the Cherohala Skyway over the mountains from North Carolina to Tennessee and saw some of the most glorious autumn colors imaginable.

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I was able to get this picture of Bridal Veil Falls while on the Cave of the Winds tour on Goat Island while visiting the American Falls at Niagara. I only had one chance to get a picture without drenching my camera.

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We're blessed with some beautiful sunsets on this part of the Plateau here in Tennessee. The picture above was taken from the golf course fairway behind our house. It was taken this past September when there were still leaves on the trees. The next morning should have been nice since we had such a beautiful red sky at night.

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The first glimpse of the Great Wall that I saw was at Juyongguan Pass north of Beijing. In 1987, when this photo was taken, not much was left of the wall except the gate upon which I was standing when I took this picture of the pass through the mountains. Much of the wall in this area has been reconstructed since then.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

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It's cold and we're being threatened with rain, sleet or snow for the next 48 hours. Winter is definitely trying to put in an appearance, but I need a reminder of this past summer's color. Mero Star is another of the lilies in our yard.

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Northrup Falls is a pretty little waterfall about an hour north of our home. It's possible to hike from this vantage point down into the gorge and behind the waterfall. It's a great hike any time of the year.

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We had a light snowfall earlier this month. It wasn't nearly enough to make Betsy happy, but it was enough for me to get this picture.

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Even though Winter hasn't officially begun, I'm already thinking about Spring. More properly I'm thinking about Spring flowers and the color they bring. We don't have much color in the yard right now.

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Betsy and I got back Saturday from our trip to visit waterfalls in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. The picture above was taken in October of this year at the Yellow Face Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.

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The Niagara River below the falls is almost hypnotic as the water rushes between the walls of the gorge and over around boulders in the stream.

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After several gray and rainy days here in the Glade, I felt the need to see some color. Broadway Lily is one of the lilies we had blooming in our yard this year. It is the only pink lily that we have.

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The Sinks in the Smokies is where Little River drops 10 feet over sandstone bedrock. There is a large, natural pool below the cascades which is a popular summer swimming hole.

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Fort Niagara is an American fort built on the Niagara River to protect against an invasion by the British from Canada during the War of 1812. This picture was taken from Fort George in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. Fort George was built by the British to protect against an invasion by the Americans.

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The most visited portion of the Great Wall is the Badaling section near Beijing. It was the first section to be opened to tourists. The gate at Badaling is in the lower left-hand portion of the picture above. The picture was taken in 1987 when I hiked up the south section of the wall from the gate. When I returned in 1990 I hiked up the north section to the watch tower in the top center.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

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Veterans Honor is the last of the roses from our garden this year. This is another picture that was made in the Spring, although the rose itself was blooming in October. Veterans Honor doesn't have much of a fragrance, but it's beautiful red color makes it one of Betsy's favorites.

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Yesterday's post showed a little autumn color at the bottom of the picture, but the autumn color we enjoyed as we drove the Cherohala Skyway was so spectacular that I just had to share another photo.

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I took this picture in late October here in Tennessee on the Cherohala Skyway, a road over the mountains between Robbinsville, North Carolina and Tellico Plains, Tennessee.

I really like the moon in the blue sky. The autumn color of the trees looks rather nice as well.

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The picture above of Whisper was taken in the Spring, but I brought in the last bud from this rose on Monday. I guess that's not too bad for the last day of November!

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The Blue Ridge Parkway is a part of the National Park System and is sometimes called "America's Favorite Drive". It is also one of America's most beautiful drives. The picture above was taken in late October at Wesner Bald Overlook in North Carolina.

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The picture above of morning rush hour traffic in Beijing was taken during my trip to China in 1987. At that time the bicycle was the principle means of transportation for ordinary Chinese. The vendors in the background are selling breakfast foods. I guess they are the Chinese version of Macdonalds!

The picture above was scanned from a slide.