A Smokey Mountain Story

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The Smokey Mountain Haze












There is something only water colors can do: creating a misty, transparent atmosphere. It is the transparency of washes that makes water color so appealing for me. One of my favorite places to hike as a young girl were these mountains. The summer of my senior year I spent a month in an old CCC camp blazing trails and having a true bonding experience with 12 other crazy people. Since that summer I have loved those mountains, and when my children were still young: Robert not yet born and James still a baby, we began introducing my children to the wonderful experience of hiking and camping. I took thousands of pictures and hope to one day paint many of them some in water colors like the one above and I will try a few in oils; but water colors captures that blue haze that ever seems to haunt these mountains.

1994 Our First Trip

  This was our first trip to the Smokey Mountains. It was hot in Louisiana so we were little prepared for 32 degree cold front that hit those mountains in June...breaking a few records if I remember. After one freezing night on top of the mountains, we headed out for the closest Walmart and bought sleeping bags and winter coats. We had those coats for years, always reminding me to be prepared for anything when camping. I would learn that lesson again and again...

Abrams Falls 1995



This is my all time favorite shot of the kids in the Smokey Mountains. Our car broke down that year while in camp and Glenn had to spend the day getting it fixed while the kids and I roamed the camp and nearby stream. He brought back these shirts and I took this shot before the kids could get them dirty!

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