Hunter Art Museum, Chattanooga, Tn

We left Cloudland Canyon State Park, drove to Chattanooga, and with about six hours to kill, tried for the Chattanooga Aquarium, but it was totally crowded, so we tried for the Hunter Art Museum of American Art, and what a find.  A superb collection covering all periods, and all periods with a number of great examples of the best.  Well worth a visit.  Who knew?
A lot of art to look at.

William Merritt Chase (1849-1916)

The Croquet Game

circa 1889

Francis Luis Mora (1874-1940)

An Out of Town Trolley

1916

Childe Hassam (1859-1935)

French Tea Garden (also known as Terra Cotta Tea Set)

1910

Childe Hassam (1859-1935)

Reading

1888

View from inside the museum to the Tennessee River

Tiffany & Co. 

Coffee Set

1902

Sorry, I lost this info.

Beth Lipman (b.1971)

Flowers, Bread, Chalice and Sticks

2012

Severin Roesen (circa 1815-1872)

Nature's Bounty

circa 1852-54

N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945)

Just as the baby's feet cleared the ground Padfoot

leaped into the air and buried his teeth into the feathers

of his old enemy.

1923 magazine illustration

Thomas Hart Benton

The Wreck of the Ole '97

1943

Rockwell Kent (1882-1970)

Glen (Ireland)

1926-27

George I. K. Morris (1905-1975)

Arizona Altar

1949

Reginald Marsh (1895-1954)

(Gaiety) Burlesque

circa 1930-33

Paul Jenkins (1923-2012

Phenomena Royal Violet Visitation

1977

This canvas was about 8 feet wide

Kahn and Selesnick (b.1964)

Currency Balloon 

2008

detail of above

Chuck Close (b.1940)

Self-Portrait

2007

Dale Chihuly (b. 1941)

Macchia

1986

Stephen Rolfe Powell, b. 1951

Torrid Lascivious Gasp

2001

The title is almost as great as the work of art. 

George Inness (1825-1894)

Rosy Morning

1894

Martin Johnson Heade (1819-1904)

Thorntails, Brazil

circa 1863-65

It is always such a pleasure to come across one of these miniatures.

Edward Moran (1829-1901)

Burning of the "Philadelphia"

Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860)

Portrait of George Washington

Katie and Matt's Wedding

What a party!
I have to say that maybe the best part for me was when we arrived at the site ("Group Shelter 1", Cloudland Canyon State Park, Ga.)  when about a dozen youngsters, ages 4 to 15 all rushed over, shouting "Grandpa! Grandpa"!.  Of course they all thought I was Don, but it was thrilling, none the less.
One of the most charming weddings I have ever attended, and what a glorious bunch of friendly, loving people.
Here are a few shots.

All brides are beautiful, but....wow.

Cloudland Canyon State Park, Ga.

Susan and I flew to Chattanooga and then  drove to this wonderful state park for Matt and Katie's wedding last Saturday (more about that next blog).  Great hiking trails, views, and the cabin was such a great place to stay (central air, would you believe).

When I heard we were staying in a cabin, I dreaded it.  I cannot sleep in a warm room, and 

when we arrived, I walked in, the cabin felt really cool, and I thought, how did they build a cabin that stayed so cool. 

Of course the answer was central air. Fully equipped, fabulous shower, direct assess to the West Rim Trail, and great views down the canyon. This is cabin 14. 

I drove to the Main Overlook trail at 6:30 AM and in almost complete darkness hiked to the 

overlook every one comes to the park to see. The Canyon is 1000' deep.

In the distance, it could have been the view from Pounding Mill Overlook in Pisgah NF, NC.

Far less mountains, of course, but still beautiful. 

A little more light on the scene at 8:00 AM.

All the trails are followed by these fences with their stone supports.   

We heard Pileated Woodpeckers as soon as we arrived, but they can be hard to see. 

This is as close as I got to a decent shot. 7:30 AM.

This is the lookout just below the cabin. 

Rather magnificent wasp of some kind.  The picture is just slightly larger than life-sized. 

Speaking of insects, Susan got up one morning, and thought she saw a monogram on a towel that looked unusual. 

Then it moved!  It was a scorpion!  I had to look them up in Barbara's Nat. Geo. book on resident 

things to be convinced. There are two species of them in North Ga. 

While we were at the Main Overlook, we found Jane and John Royal, cousins from Decatur.

Jane sings in Matt's church choir. 

The Main Overlook at 1:00 PM.  

Barbara and Bill hiked down to the canyon to see two waterfalls, but they had just a trickle of water. 

A Georgia Mockingbird.

Paper wasp nest, football sized.  The last time I saw a nest this size, it turned out to be a

Great Horned Owl.  (I was hoping.)

Thistles mean butterflies.  

It was a wonderful place for a wedding, and I would definitely go again. 

Thank you, Barbara and Bill, for arranging it all for us.