sunrise hope today
with cooler temps; chance of rain
(yet not a drop fell)
Rays of Hope
Month: July 2022
Camp Lake Dreaming
if i could live here
it would be a peaceful life
under a rainbow
Blooming Bees
sunflower lessons:
never underestimate
the power of bees
Road Trip 2022, Day Fourteen: Dollywood
the best theme park rides
(Dolly doesn’t disappoint)
and wins all ages
our last day at home
(my husband’s former home, here.)
oh how we’ll miss them
Road Trip 2022, Day Thirteen: Reunion
now everyone’s old
but these pretty blond babies?
next generation
Road Trip 2022, Day Twelve: Lake Life
dock spider, mud, fish;
a small hardwood forest hike
to a man-made lake
you can feel the joy
seeping through this perfect view
of nature, reborn
lakes are in my blood.
i learned to swim in one
and love nothing more
Road Trip 2022, Day Eleven: Cades Cove
a magical place:
the only way to describe
these teenage smiles
even pup loves it
cycling past wildlife
below the Smokies
where can you see bears
and collect salamanders
under the same sun?
this mountain-framed pic
taken on the same soil
twenty-three years past
we’re fatter, older
while the mountains are hotter;
such is life—sad changes
yet look at our girls
fearlessly taking this on
one moon-wing a time
Road Trip 2022, Day Eleven: Cades Cove
a magical place:
the only way to describe
these teenage smiles
even pup loves it
cycling past wildlife
below the Smokies
where can you see bears
and collect salamanders
under the same sun?
this mountain-framed pic
taken on the same soil
twenty-three years past
we’re fatter, older
while the mountains are hotter;
such is life—sad changes
yet look at our girls
fearlessly taking this on
one moon-wing a time
Road Trip 2022, Day Ten: Gaps
through Cumberland Gap
we drive down to Tennessee
and stand in three states
it’s been many years
(the gap between visits here)
and everything’s changed
Pappy’s room is new
with the antique furniture
from their grandparents
a whole new kitchen
to fill Donna’s empty nest
with the light of love
this generation
will take the time to teach them
and fill in the gaps
they’ll learn who came first,
what they fought for, what they lost;
close gaps, open eyes
Road Trip 2022, Day Nine: Water
Kentucky River
holds the morning cliff paddle
(limestone for horses)
you can’t find this view
west of the Mississippi
(where it’s drought, drought, dry)
here? just paddling
along the river, the creek
till you find yourself
you might find turtles
(soft shells, even, a bonus)
as you move along
just like the sliders
they slip into the water
hoping for the best
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