The Saluda River, as it flows through Jones Gap State Park.

Here's what it looked like at my house at 6:00 AM this morning. It was very peaceful. Then there was cooking, and picking up Moms, and eating, and opening presents, and visiting, and cleaning up, and taking Moms home. Wow... And now a soft snow is falling and it is peaceful once more. Merry Christmas everyone.

Yes, it's a downspout. But I also see a light saber. Hmmm...

From the Greenville Christmas parade last Saturday. It was cold out (for here), so we ducked into a restaurant before Santa made his appearance.

Camping by the lake in Paris Mountain State Park.

The little town of Saluda, NC, on a drizzly Saturday.

Downtown Greenville, SC

At the Greenville Drive game.

Manipulation notice: Shot this with my G11 at 28mm equivalent, pointed up at the building. Result: barrel distortion and converging verticals. Yuch. But, I had just gotten Lightroom 3, and the G11 lens was profiled. So I had Lightroom fix the barrel distortion. Then I used the manual controls to fix the verticals. The picture looks much better now, but I didn't respect myself in the morning.

Hanging out at Jack of the Wood in Asheville during Bele Chere.

This concludes our display of beach pictures for the year. Thank you.

OK, back to the beach for a few more.

A female Fiery Skipper.

This, I think, is a Zabulon Skipper, folding its hindwings flat and its forewings at an angle in typical skipper fashion. It's got that swept-wing fighter jet look.

This is a Gulf Fritillary. Don't see too many of them in these parts.

A Fiery Skipper, I think.

We'll take a short break from beach pictures to feature some of butterflies. Here's a Painted Lady. In late summer and autumn I break out the macro lens and chase insects around the backyard. It's fun for all of us.

Folly Beach, SC