I’ve been uninspired this week, but some habits are hard to get away from – especially shooting every day.  I noticed this little spot on the Natchez Trace today on the way home from work.

It’s so-so, but at least I did get a shot for today.

Alum Creek is at the head of one of my favorite trails – Alum Bluff trail that goes on past the bluffs to the peak of Mount Leconte.  I’ve hiked the entire trail once, not realizing that my D200 was too tight and restricting my blood flow.  I struggled up the last few miles, seeing black spots and feeling as if I couldn’t breathe.

I’ve photographed this creek in three seasons now – spring (May 2009), fall (October 2009), and summer (August 2010).  Even though this shot is not technically perfect, I believe it’s my favorite of the three seasons.  I went out on the rocks in the creek and sat for almost fifteen minutes taking exposure after exposure trying to capture the morning light, the fog, the moving water just right.

I’m not shooting daily pictures this weekend for several reasons:

• I’m processing my shots from this little excursion; I’m trying to get better about not archiving a shoot and not processing the files and “showing” the images until two or three years later.
• I’m trying to exercise this weekend in preparation for some hikes I have planned in a few weeks, and I’m already exhausted.

I’ll have a few more I’ll post then I’ll get back to some daily shots.

While in Gatlinburg, you must do as the tourists do and stay in the historic Gatlinburg Inn.  Before I left yesterday, I stopped to photograph this print.  I loved this print and wanted it quite badly.  However, it was probably purchased around the time the Inn was constructed (c. 1930s), and I doubt I could find one now.

The hotel still runs by the precision of a staff that was obviously trained in another century.  At a chain hotel, you can often stretch your stay one or two hours past the check-out time; even with the convenience of electronic reservation tracking, chain hotel employees often don’t care to check who’s late in checking out or not.  Not here – even without computers to track reservations, the room phone rang at 10:50 with the clerk crisply inquiring, “You will be checking out at 11:00?”

Photographing in the middle of Alum Creek, Smoky Mountains. Looking rough, but I was just happy I got up early enough to get some morning shots.

Yesterday, I almost made myself sick by staying out in the heat and working on the garden stream. The stream is now operational although there’s some cosmetic work to be done. Even though I was exhausted, I went out at dusk and shot several exposures of the stream. This morning I woke up just as exhausted and formatted the memory card before I realized that I had not yet imported in those photos.

After lunch today, I was drenched in a sudden thunderstorm as I left work to go visit my kitten. Due to my upcoming schedule in the following weeks and the kitten’s need for lots of attention, the breeder and I decided he would keep him until the first of September. I’m disappointed, but it’s going to work out best for the kitten and me. So instead of leaving this morning, we delayed the departure until this afternoon and started out in the middle of a seeming monsoon.

The rain stopped soon enough, but as we drove, the fog and mist thickened from the rain that had come through earlier. I was listening to my iPod and staring out the window as we were going down the Interstate when I saw a Caney Fork River sign and a flash of river and fog. “That’s a photo I wish I could get” I thought. Then another crossing over the river and a flash of more fog and river. When when we went by over the last river crossing, and I saw this bridge, I couldn’t take it any more. And, back we turned and doubled back on the interstate (which was not easy due to the lack of turnarounds). Also, not easy: pulling off a full interstate and squeezing onto the shoulder with semi-trailers going 80 on one side and a concrete barrier on the other. But, I got these photographs! I was thrilled, and later that night, I even tried some street photography in downtown Gatlinburg. If I remember, I’ll try to update this post with some of those images.

I’m starting to get excited because I’m probably going to get my new kitten this week.  I put together his cat tree last Friday night; getting ready for his arrival is part of the reason I’ve had some missing posts this last week.

His cat tree is awesome – complete with a “cave”, rope ladder, hammock, and a lookout at the very top.

My muscles are absolutely screaming from the lifting rocks for the garden stream yesterday.  To top it off, we went to Shiloh early this morning to bike (approximately 9 miles), and that just helped the rest of my leg muscles to start screaming.

The humidity and heat was awful yesterday and today, and being out so long in it yesterday has just about made me sick.

I rode with my camera again, and I just love the trees at Shiloh.  I could just stop and take pictures every few minutes if I had the time, but that wasn’t a luxury today.  However, I did make sure I photographed this tree.  The vertical shot is my favorite.

Today was filled with thunderstorms and lightning and brownouts, but at the end of the day, we went biking with some friends at Shiloh.  The humidity was awful, but as soon as we started biking, it and the heat was unnoticeable as the ride was filled with fresh, cool air.  I had almost forgotten how incredibly peaceful and still Shiloh is; it’s the perfect place to bike.  The roads take one through Civil War battlefields, past rows of cannons and monuments; the stillness and feeling that something monumental and bloody happened here is eerily present.

I have quite a few shots that I really liked from the ride; I plan on developing it more so I think I’ll start a portfolio for Shiloh at my Zenfolio portfolio.  When I have it up, I’ll post a link here.

Incredibly tired today as I think I overexercised yesterday.  A short bike ride tonight to stretch the muscles and to enjoy the falling dusk.  Exercising with the M9 is much easier than trying to support the DSLR; however, I’m still thinking about looking at some holsters to relieve the weight on my neck.

Leica M9, 35 Summicron, ISO 400, f2, 1/16 – Biking through Covered Bridge