Plaasabilities

Snow White goes to Grandfather Mountain on the Blue Ridge Parkway  I admit it. I hate the hassle of taking my car in for servicing. I hate having car trouble more so I try very hard to do the routine things to keep my car running well. That meant sitting in the waiting area at the car dealer this afternoon while they changed the oil and other tasks. As I waited I engaged in an attitude improvement exercise of thinking about what my life would be like if I didn't have a nice, safe car to drive. I couldn't drive to the grocery store or church, or take Daddy to doctor's appointments or out to eat. I couldn't go to the university or to the Smokies. I would be stuck at home -- horrors! I drove a family car in high school and college, but bought all my own cars after that. A few years ago when my old car started needing one costly repair after another to keep it running safely, my parents started to worry. It wasn't so much about fixing the radiator or the air con...

Blue Ridges A dark, cloudy evening at the Caney Fork Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway MM 428 ©2013 Kristina Plaas, All Rights Reserved I guess it had to happen some day, but now it is official -- I am a photographer. For many months my dear friends and family members have been encouraging me to take the big step and move beyond the ranks of casual amateur to a serious photographer. To say I was reluctant would be an understatement, but I have heard your cheerleading and am taking the plunge. From now on this blog will be the home of Plaasabilities Photography, where I will share my images and my adventures. I will post my best images on my newly developed artist page on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/plaasabilities I'm also in the process of setting up a gallery and retail page at Fine Art America. You'll be able to browse my images, vote for my work in periodic contests, and customize purchases to meet your specific desires. it will be a few days before I have my FAA page...

Not all those who wander are lost.  J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973); Writer, Poet, Philologist, University Professor I inherited my wanderlust tendencies from my father. I consider it to be one of the greatest attributes he has given me. I am rarely content to be stuck indoors -- be it work, school, or at home. After a while I have to get out and get into nature. Living in East Tennessee, that often means heading to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park or one of many state or local parks. But really, any road or path that piques my curiosity will do as long as I am exploring. Daddy used to call it "getting lost."  He'd pile all us kids into our big Plymouth station wagon and say, "Let's go get lost." Translated, this means let's go to an area that we sort of know, drive down roads we've never been on before, and see what we can discover. We rarely ever got truly lost, but we saw things we might have missed had we opted to not go down the roa...

Caney Fork Sunset, Blue Ridge Parkway October 2012 Copyright 2012 Kristina Plaas A few weeks ago I expressed my feelings about watching a beautiful sunrise, but I feel the same way about a gorgeous sunset. I was reminded of this while driving home from Kingsport on Saturday afternoon. As I rolled down I-81 the sun descended from the clear blue sky above into the low-level clouds and smoky haze (from wildfires) near the horizon. It was a cold, low humidity day making conditions perfect for a colorful sunset -- and colorful it was! My only regret was that I was not in a position to get off the interstate and snap some photos of the glorious scene. A stunning sunset always reminds me of the blessing of adversity in life. Watching a sunset when the sky is clear is nice, but not especially beautiful. The right combination of clouds and sky are required for a spectacular sunset, one filled with a rainbow of yellows, oranges, reds, and purples. Similarly, it is the challenging times ...

I was visiting with a friend last night and we were talking about an adorable little girl that we know from our church family. We shared our respective experiences on how this child had touched our lives, not by anything major, but simply because she was who she was. I thought back to the countless smiles and cute remarks that had melted my heart, how much this little girl resembles her mother, and how I could see the impact of a loving family and nurturing home environment in this child's demeanor. In short, the cumulative effect of a lot of little things brought out the best in this child of God. She is beautiful in every way. Children are good at noticing little things. It doesn't take much to please a child. Simple things are often the best things to a little child. As adults we tend to focus of the big things. In our busy lives we fail to take time to notice little things, let alone be grateful for them. One of my favorite scripture verses from "The Book of Mormon: ...