Dori DeCamillis

Mingus Mill is a historical grist mill from 1866 in the Smoky Mountain National Park on its original location. It is still working, only now it's for tourists. Note the big grinding stones in front.  Below the raceway Mossy detail From the beginning of the raceway, facing the mill. Raceway detail. Also called a millrace. The channel that leads from the creek to the raceway. Long and mossy. Fungus detail of the channel. A nearby tree.

I saw many elk in Smoky Mountain National Park last week, and because they had little fear of humans I got to see them up very close. Here is a sampling of other creatures I saw on my hikes and drives. Some sort of golden bee A mama wild turkey and her 8 babies A very big Daddy Long Leg The squirrels didn't fear people, either. This one hangs out at the Alum Caves Bluff Overlook. Saw this huge beetle in the parking lot of a nearby gas station.  Best of show: this massive elk only a few feet away when I was hiking. I was not supposed to be this close, according to the rangers, so I scooted (after taking a bunch of photos.)

Our trip to Smoky Mountain National Park was filled with breathtaking views of distant mountains. Scott fished all day near Cherokee, down in the valley, while I hiked all over the park. Here are some photos of vistas from various parts of the park on different days. Compared to back home in Alabama, where it was in the 90s when we left, we enjoyed temperatures from the 60s to high 70s.

We just returned from a long weekend in Cherokee, a touristy town on the Cherokee Indian Reservation. Many of the motels and businesses still have their old signs from days gone-by. Here is a sampling. All photos are taken from other photographers online. (I couldn't justify spending my precious time stopping for photos on the busy streets. I saved all my energy for hiking in the woods, and will post photos in days to come.)

I am honored to have been invited for a solo exhibit of my paintings at the Huntsville Museum of Art, February through June of 2015. The space is beautiful (and huge) which means a whole lot of paintings to have ready. In museum time, less than a year is not long. I look forward to a busy and exciting rest of the year getting ready.