In the Still of the Night

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

Untethered

I've really been enjoying watching the full moon rise over the Smokies low on the horizon. Then it rises over the wires, the lights, and the trees. And in my imagination, I rise with it, slowly untethering my earth-bound thoughts.

Early Birds

A flock of birds dots a lavender sky at sunrise. You can barely see a pale crescent moon to the right. Do you think any of these birds will get the worm?

Austerity

Here's an austere winter scene: a full moon rising by a bare tree on a cold winter afternoon. This is one of the few moon shots I've taken that doesn't totally look like an amorphous blob. Progress!
For seasonal scenes around the globe, go visit Sky Watch.

Heavenly Peace

An archived image, but still lovely and peaceful: sunset and moonrise over Old North Knoxville.

Drink Down the Moon

We'll drink up the sun,

We'll drink down the moon.

Let the people say little or all.

- traditional folk song

For more skies, visit Sky Watch. It's become a Friday tradition.

I Saw the Light

Yes I did see the light: the reflection of the sun on the windows of the John H. Daniel Co. clothing manufacturing factory and warehouse. This is one of the few working warehouses left in the Old City. Most of the other buildings have been rehabbed into condos or turned into shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. And that's OK by me, because I've lived here long enough to remember when it was a pretty desolate and kind of dangerous place. Historically, the Old City was yet another area full of saloons and brothels and used to be known as the Bowery. Tomorrow I'll post a survivor from that era.
Oh, and the moon is just a little lagniappe for y'all.

Sphere and Crescent

Coming home from tai chi class yesterday, I noticed the crescent moon hovering beside the Sunsphere as the sunset faded to an oxblood red on the horizon. Well, who could resist stopping for a photo?

Whatever you do, don't resist Sky Watch Friday this week. 

And speaking of class, I volunteered to be in the group photo modeling our brand new Year of the Rat t-shirts. Our instructor had brought her camera for the photo, but when it came time to shoot, she paused and said, "Oh no, the battery's dead. I don't suppose anyone else has a camera I could use?" I smiled and pulled my trusty Fuji out of my bag to save the day. My friend Lynn looked at me for a moment and said, "you're going to blog this, aren't you?"

Yup.

Twilight Glow

It's twilight on Jennings Avenue. Moonglow and neonglow light my way. As I snap my photo, I wonder what kind of bodies Lusk actually sells. 

The city has recently designated this area Downtown North and has promised renovation. It's a mostly forgotten commercial/industrial area between downtown and the Old North Knoxville neighborhood. Not much happens there during the day, and it can be kind of dicey at night. But like many marginal areas, rents are low, and artists have discovered this and established studios there. I wonder how the planned renovation will affect them.

On the Grid

We are not a wireless society yet. And I'm glad, or else I would never have been able to lasso the moon for you. 

There's lots more skies to be rounded up at the Sky Watch Friday website. So go on over and have some fun.

Clefhenge

Who knew that the Treble Clef sculpture seen yesterday is actually an artifact created by an Ancient Extraterrestrial Civilization to record the position of the moon for Mysterious Yet Significant Seasonal Rituals that may involve Gratuitous Capitalization of Words. And here I thought it was just another piece of public art.

To see more skies with or without artifacts and public art, visit Sky Watch Friday. It's significantly fun, no mystery about that.

Lunacy

I am under the spell of the full moon, which compels me to post another lunar photo. Here it rides high, cushioned by clouds, on a collision course with the Holston building.

Moonlight & Architecture

The phase of the moon is "waxing gibbous" - not quite full. The architecture is a detail of the Arnstein building downtown. I was out for a walk last night and just liked the contrasting colors.