I'll Be Back Soon

WELL...

You may or may not have noticed my absence this past week.

Between some Internet access issues and some major Life Happens Events, I will need to take a brief hiatus from my beloved Knoxville Daily Photo until I can get these things resolved.

So I will leave you with this shot of my magnificent obsession, the Sunsphere, until I return.

Bamboo Puddle

After another typical ferocious afternoon thunderstorm, I saw a Japanese print in this puddle in the road.

Urban Window

This lovely apartment has a beautiful view of Krutch Park downtown. I took a shot in color, but for some reason loved the monochrome better, so that's what you get.

Market Music

There are always lots of buskers at the Market Square Farmers Market. These guys actually sounded pretty good playing some jazz standards.

Market Saturday

The Market Square Farmers Market is bigger and better than ever. Local organic produce has never been easier to find.

Moth Rocks

I think that all the rocks are distracting me from seeing the moth at the center, but I think that's why I like it - I have to work to see the prize.

Bronze Morning

The sun burns through summer morning haze. It's the Bronze Age in Knoxville.

Macrolily

My supermacro lens gets to the heart of this daylily.

Daylilies

The daylilies are at their blooming peak right now. These have just survived another summer afternoon thunderstorm.

Finding Hope

I've had some technical difficulties with my computer since last week, but hopefully things are fixed now. So that's the theme for today - looking for the feature, not the problem.

And here's the feature - an advertisement for hope here and now is an odd sign to post by a cemetery. Well, I guess I hope I don't end up there anytime soon.

Gate

The wrought iron gate to the Crown & Goose beer garden casts a long shadow.

Clockless Hours

Dear friend now in the dusty clockless hours of the town when the streets lie black and steaming in the wake of watertrucks and now when the drunk and the homeless have washed up in the lee of walls in alleys or abandoned lots and cats go forth highshouldered and lean in the grim perimeters about, now in these sootblacked brick or cobbled corridors where lightwire shadows make a gothic harp of cellar doors no soul shall walk save you.

-Cormac McCarthy, Suttree

Viva Garbanzos

There's a new Cuban restaurant on the 100 Block of Gay Street downtown. I can highly recommend the garbanzos fritos.

Big Sky

The lake at Victor Ashe Park reflects a very big sky.

A Thousand Words

Tin Roof Rusted

Not very far outside of Knoxville, going for a drive along the back roads of Knox County, I stopped to admire this old barn.

Macro Shell

Here's a shell I found in Beaver Creek as I was sitting on a log pondering life, the universe, and everything. Any excuse for a macro shot.

Beaver Creek

Beaver Creek twists its way through Knoxville and Knox County. This particular spot is very shallow and cool. So take off your shoes and socks, have a seat on that rock, and enjoy one of the pleasures of an East Tennessee summer.

Dual Phoebes

My friend in Solway, just outside of Knoxville, has a phoebe nest right above her front door. Two of the chicks popped up to see what I was all about. Of course, I'm all about the photo.

Canine Thoughts

Cute dog contemplates pottery at a local festival this weekend. So tragic, he doesn't have opposable thumbs.

Placid

I saw the moon through a grime-caked window in the Old City. It seemed content to hang there.

Justification

This really is how I spend my time at the Crown & Goose beer garden in the Old City.

'Shine

This is an authentic moonshine still collected probably from the Back End of Nowhere, Tennessee, now residing in the Museum of East Tennessee History.

I won't go all Dr Science on you and tell you the chemical reactions involved in the making of moonshine. I will say: respect and handle with care if you intend to consume any of the product.

Not that I'd have first hand experience or anything...

Cupola

The Howard H. Baker Federal Courthouse downtown was originally built for the Whittle Communications company. When Whittle went out of business, the Feds took over this neo-Georgian building. The tower with cupola is now a familiar part of the downtown skyline.

Debord Falls

Honestly, sometimes a Knoxville Girl just needs a break from city life. So today I'm offering a photo from one of my recent hikes at Frozen Head State Park, which lies in Morgan County, just a bit northwest of Knoxville. This is Debord Falls, an easy quarter mile walk from the Emory Gap trailhead.

Llama Llama

Knox County Public Library sponsored the fifth annual Children's Festival of Reading at the World's Fair Park this past Saturday. There were all kinds of family-friendly activities going on all afternoon to help promote reading and literacy. This photo shows the literacy parade, featuring eight foot tall characters from the popular "Llama Llama" childrens book series. The guy in the suit is Tennessee Senator Tim Burchett, a local advocate for children's literacy.

The festival was a great success - an estimated 10,000 parents and kids showed up. I was volunteering in the Friends of Literacy booth doing face painting. Just in case you wanted to know, the most requested items in face painting are dolphins for girls, and Spiderman masks for boys.

p.s. oops, I had my post for theme day in draft form and forgot to publish it. Oh well, it was a rerun anyway. I have been greatly distracted lately by ... life.

Monthly Theme Day: Feet

I know, I know: I posted this one before. But look! It has feet! And inches too!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Leading You Down the Garden Path

I just liked the way it curved.

Jurassic Sphere

What's as big as a tyrannosaurus and hides behind trees?

Y'all know this; we've been here before.

Drowsy

This kitty has the right idea: drowsing on a warm afternoon.

Up North

Here are a few shots of my all-too-brief vacation to eastern Pennsylvania. Knoxville will return tomorrow.

It's always sunny in Philadelphia, if you can see through the smog.
Cheese steak, wit wiz.

The bleeding heart in my brother's garden.

Sugar Magnolia

The two enormous magnolia trees by the parking lot of Church Street United Methodist Church are in bloom, white petals unfurling and lemony scent infusing the air. I took this with my 10x zoom lens.

Doors of Maplehurst 5

I couldn't decide which one of these I liked better, so today you get a twofer.

I like the monochrome for the framing of the university tower. I like the color for the shaft of sunlight that peeked through the clouds at that moment, and for the rich contrast of brick/ivy.

This concludes your tour of the doors of Maplehurst. I'll be back tomorrow with our regularly scheduled program, whatever that might be.

Doors of Maplehurst 4

Not only doors, but windows too. I'm not sure if this cottage is occupied. Those window panes are darkened, not broken.

Doors of Maplehurst 3

There's an interesting light coming through the window. Am I the only one thinking of extraterrestrial activity? Sigh. Don't answer that.

Yes, that is an alligator hanging on the door.

Doors of Maplehurst 2

I don't know why I'm thinking of the tale of Hansel and Gretel here. The person behind that door was up to no good. Perhaps it would be best not to knock and move on with alacrity to the next door.

Doors of Maplehurst 1

The doors of Maplehurst often have a storybook quality about them. This one looks like there could be a hobbit in residence.

And bonus! If you look at the window from just the right angle, you can see a reflection of my favorite magnificent Knoxville obsession, the Sunsphere:

Welcome to Maplehurst

Well, it's time for my annual pilgrimage to eastern Pennsylvania to visit the family. So while I'm flitting off to northern climes and stuffing my face with cheese steaks, I'm once again leaving this blog on autopilot.

As if it hasn't been there for the past few months.

At any rate, to amuse you for the next few days, I've wandered around the historic Maplehurst neighborhood, ensconced on a hill between downtown and the University of Tennessee. This tiny enclave of early twentieth century cottages may not be with us for long, as it has been bought out by a large property management corporation and the jury is still out as to whether they'll keep these buildings in good, historically appropriate condition.

But to hedge our bets, I've recorded some of the charming architectural details of this neighborhood in a series I'm calling the Doors of Maplehurst. Tune in tomorrow to begin the tour.

Swing Low

Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here at this unassuming sports bar on Clinton Highway on the anniversary of the fatal accident that took the life of James Agee's father, an event which later inspired his Pulitzer Prize winning novel, A Death In the Family.

That unfortunate plunge occurred in Beaver Creek, directly adjacent to this hospitable modern day establishment.

At 8 p.m., the time of the tragic auto crash, we raise a toast to Mr Agee Sr. The delightful proprietess of the Checker Flag, Earlene, will be glad to furnish you with the requisite bottle of Pabst Blue Ribbon if you are so inclined. Please join the band in a chorus or two of Swing Low Sweet Chariot.

To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, Knoxville is a drinking town with a literary problem.

Worth Two in the Bush

I spied this wood thrush as I was walking around Worlds Fair Park downtown. Since I didn't have him (or her) in hand, I'll offer you a second secretive and rather blurry picture of one in a bush:

Helpful Reflection

I love mirrors and reflections. This one made me laugh because it looked so incongruous stuck right up next to this tree. The image reflected is the university's new parking garage in the Fort Sanders neighborhood. The mirror is supposed to help you see oncoming traffic coming down the hill.

Candoro Reborn

Last year I showed you some of the ruins of the Candoro Marble Works factory. They're still pretty much in ruins. But the office building has been lovingly restored and now hosts many art and music events.

Honeysuckle

Walking the track at Lakeshore Park is a double-edged sword this time of year. There's a thin yellow-green layer of pollen covering everything, but the honeysuckle smells so sweet.

In the Still of the Night

This is what I do when insomnia sets in at 3 a.m.

Game On

I've been tagged by Jacob of Ocala Daily Photo to list six things that make me happy. The audacity! OK, Jacob, I'll play, starting with today's photo: this fellow is a service dog for the blind, still in training. Such a noble profile!

So, in no particular order, here are six things that make me happier than I can say:

Dogs - life would be too dull without them
Tai chi - good for the body and the mind
Travel - the world is my oyster, and it's always in season
Hiking and being outdoors - cures the cubicle crazies
Reading - but you might expect that from a librarian
Family and friends - I am blessed with abundance

And because I can't follow rules and don't play well with others, here is number seven:
Cheese steaks!

Generally, I don't tag others for a meme. So, participate if the mood strikes you.