July 2003

July as rolled around and the Ranch is in full swing Summer. Believe it or not, Summer is the least impressive season here at the Ranch. But even now there are moments of incredible beauty. At least the Summers here are comfortable. The usual Summer highs here at 4000 feet are around 75-80 degrees. The hottest I've ever seen it here was the very dry Summer of 1998 were it reached 86 degrees!

July wouldn't be July without fireworks....

... here's a few from the 4th fireworks at Lake Junaluska.

Here's me holding my two week old niece. She's adorable and melts her uncles' heart.

The garden is limping along. With all the rain, my lettuce and okra has pretty much stopped growing. The broccoli, brussel sprouts, squash, beans and corn are doing pretty good.

The house on this Summer afternoon....

... The sun sets so late and so far to the north this time of year. It makes it nice.

The late afternoon thunderstorms have made for some spectacular sunsets. Check out the colors before my eyes here as the sun sets on the Smokies.

There are white violet lighting bolts coming down out of this thunderhead. My camera was never lucky enough to catch one.

The colors and shapes are awe inspiring.

On this day, a double rainbow appears at sunset...

...it looks like there is a pot of gold over at the pond

Another incredible sunset. This is looking down into the Tennessee flatlands.

A threatening, brooding, dark, but spectacular sunset over the Smokies. This picture still gives me the chills. I can remember the tension in the air. Just a few minutes after this picture, the skies opened up and it poured, the wind howled, and the the lighting storm lasts well into the night.