Tag Archives: Grandfather Mountain

One swan a swimming and other cherished sights

Posted on by
3

I’ve had the Twelve Days of Christmas going through my head this past week. Well, truth be told, it’s Jimmy Buffett’s new version (where “a purple parrot in a palm tree” replaces the partridge).

I love Christmas music—both holy and secular. It fills me with joy, delight, peace, faith, or even a longing for home and family and slowing down to enjoy cherished moments. This year’s Christmas for my husband and me will be here in California, and that means no trip to North Carolina. But we recently snuck in one last trip of the year to the western part of North Carolina, and today’s photos come from a most cherished place.

This swan is one of two that has taken up residence in a lake I love to visit. I’m not sure where its mate is, but seeing it reminded me of the seven swans a swimming.

swanandcherishedplaces2016_1ft

A watchful swan at dusk

Continue reading →

Lions and otters and bears, oh my!

Posted on by
2

My husband and I had a fun opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes tour at Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina recently. There’s an animal preserve on the mountain where animals who might otherwise die go to live out their lives.

I thought you might like to come along for a virtual journey through the preserve.

The weather was beautiful, and we were excited to start out with our guides. While the behind-the-scenes tour will take up to six guests, my husband and I were the only two for that day’s tour.

It was such a treat to escape the crowds and get to see the animals more up close than we would have otherwise. We had to promise to stay at least three feet from the fences, an easy thing to do when it came to the mountain lions and bears!

Our first stop was the new eagle enclosure: Continue reading →