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.

Keep Out

Jackson Avenue used to be a bustling warehouse district at the turn of the 20th century. Now it is part of a designated Historic Warehouse District, officially on the list of the National Register of Historic Places. There are still old warehouses here. But being designated Historic doesn't mean that all the warehouses still exist.

Case in point: see this photo. 

I imagine some sort of warehouse used to occupy this plot of land. There is certainly an old building next door to speak to the truth of the existence of warehouses. But the beautiful entropy of Nature has interjected herself to remind us that warehouses are not forever, even in the downtown area. 

The weeds are high and golden in the late summer sun. Dark indigo elderberries hang in gracefully drooping clusters, and the kudzu sea tumbles down the embankment.

Perhaps the Built World is what's being kept out at this moment in time.

Late Summer

Summer may be winding down here in East Tennessee, but it's not gone yet. Early September is still packed full of heat and humidity and lush green growth, even in the heart of downtown. But there's a rhythm to the season as afternoon shadows grow longer and days grow shorter, birds migrate through town, and late blooming plants reveal their colors.

Here's a burst of color in a vacant lot on Jackson Avenue: thistle courts butterfly, afternoon sun glows through opaque wings and traces veins on leaves.

Rollerball

At 7 a.m. the sun looks like it's going to roll straight down Clinch Avenue and come to a gentle bumping halt at my feet. Unless a delivery truck runs me over first.

You want skies? You got 'em if you want 'em at Sky Watch Friday. Go! Now!

Hazy

The sun is shining through the haze of summer in East Tennessee. The Tennessee River meanders along, the Smokies wait for you in the distance. It's time to recover from the holiday. 

Soft Swirl

It's the Independence Day holiday in the U.S., and for many that means picnics, fireworks, and that favorite of summer, ice cream. Here's Mr. Freezo in the Happy Hollow section of Old North Knoxville to help you visualize your ice cream fantasies with the soft swirl of vanilla clouds in the sky.

For more fabulous photos of the sky above us, let Tom be your guide at Sky Watch Friday @ Wigger's World. You know you want to. 

Sumer Is Icumen In

Sumer is icumen in, lhude sing cuccu. That's a traditional English folk song to welcome in the summer season. (Poet Ezra Pound wrote a wickedly rude parody of this titled "Ancient Music"... but I digress.) I'm enjoying a walk outside before it gets too hot and humid.

Tomorrow is theme day, and good lord willing and the creek don't rise, I'll remember to post a photo of my local corner shop.

Song of the Open Road

This looks like a little country road in the middle of nowhere, doesn't it? But don't be fooled by appearances - it's part of the City of Knoxville. What I find interesting about Knoxville is this mix of built environments like downtown, and rural environments like this Northwest neighborhood on Pleasant Ridge Road. When I look at this scene, I also know it's the beginning of the summer season.  How? By the line of construction barrels, the unofficial state flower of the State of Tennessee, signaling the summer road construction season. How's road construction progressing (or not) in your area?