Pic(k) of the Week: Running the rapids

Click on the image for a larger, hi-res version (on Flickr).

Rafters run the 'Olympic' rapids on the upper Ocoee River.

Ocoee River State Park in Cherokee National Forest.
Ducktown, Tennessee, USA.
1 August 2026.

The Toccoa River and Ocoee River are the names in use for a single 93-mile-long (150 km) river that flows northwestward through the southern Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States. It is a tributary of the Hiwassee River, which it joins in Polk County, Tennessee, near the town of Benton.

The river is called the Toccoa for its 56 miles (90 km) through Georgia, until it reaches the twin cities of McCaysville, Georgia and Copperhill, Tennessee. The remainder is called the Ocoee through Tennessee. The name Ocoee originates from the Cherokee name for Passiflora incarnata, the passion flower. Toccoa comes from a Cherokee word meaning "beautiful."

The Ocoee is known for its Class III-V whitewater rapids, appealing to kayakers and rafting enthusiasts. The upper section of the Ocoee was host to whitewater slalom events during the Centennial 1996 Summer Olympics held primarily in Atlanta, about 100 miles (160 km) to the south.

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Clifford Brown, Max Roach: The Blues Walk

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Pic(k) of the Week: Rafting the Ocoee

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A respite on the Ocoee River (calm between Class III and IV rapids).

Ocoee River State Park in Cherokee National Forest.
Tennessee, USA.
22 August 2026.

The Toccoa River and Ocoee River are the names in use for a single 93-mile-long (150 km) river that flows northwestward through the southern Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States. It is a tributary of the Hiwassee River, which it joins in Polk County, Tennessee, near the town of Benton.

The river is called the Toccoa for its 56 miles (90 km) through Georgia, until it reaches the twin cities of McCaysville, Georgia and Copperhill, Tennessee. The remainder is called the Ocoee through Tennessee. The name Ocoee originates from the Cherokee name for Passiflora incarnata, the passion flower. Toccoa comes from a Cherokee word meaning "beautiful."

The Ocoee is known for its Class III-V whitewater rapids, appealing to kayakers and rafting enthusiasts. It is also home to the local salamander, Desmognathus ocoee. The upper section of the Ocoee was host to whitewater slalom events during the Centennial 1996 Summer Olympics held primarily in Atlanta, about 100 miles (160 km) to the south.

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Duke Ellington: Suite from The River (Village Virgins)

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Pic(k) of the Week: Echo Lake arcadia

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A wooden fence and woodland suggest a picturesque rural location. Appearances can be deceiving. They're actually within the front yard of a house in a densely populated suburb of Metro Atlanta.

DeKalb County (Oak Grove), Georgia, USA.
24 August 2026.

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Geographical/historical note

Unseen in the image, there's a small, unnamed creek just beyond the fence. To left of frame, it flows under a suburban street into Echo Lake, an 18-acre private residential impoundment lake.

Echo Lake was built in 1938 by the Soil Conservation Service, now called the Natural Resources Conservation Service (part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture). Congress passed a law establishing the SCS in 1935 stating, “the wastage of soil and moisture resources on farm, grazing, and forest lands is a menace to the national welfare.” It was a massive national effort with most of the work done by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the Civil Works Administration (CWA), and the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Five lakes were built with earthen dams to control flooding and prevent soil erosion in tributaries of North Fork Peachtree Creek. At the time, this was a rural area of forests and farms. Today, only Echo Lake and a smaller remain.

— EchoLakeGa.org (accessed 2021).

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Art Pepper: Goodbye, Again.

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Pic(k) of the Week: Passion on the blossom

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A summer treat: a passion butterfly sips sweet nectar from a Texas lantana flower.

Avondale Estates, Georgia, USA.
9 August 2026.

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🐤 Fauna:

Dione vanillae (synonym: Agraulis vanillae) — commonly known as Gulf fritillary or passion butterfly — is a bright orange butterfly in the subfamily Heliconiinae of the family Nymphalidae. The Heliconiinae are 'longwing butterflies,' with longer, narrower wings than those of other butterflies.

Gulf fritillaries are found primarily in the southern parts of the contiguous United States, from Florida and Georgia to Texas and California, in open habitats near open grasslands, parks, and woodlands.

In its adult form, the gulf fritillary is a medium-sized butterfly with extended forewings and a wingspan of 2½ to 3¾ inches (6½ to 9½ cm). The underside of the wings is brown and speckled with silvery white dots. In contrast, the top surface layer of the wings is deep orange, with black streaks running across.

— Wikipedia.

❀ Flora:

Lantana urticoides — commonly known as Texas lantana or calico bush — is a three- to five-foot (0.9 to 1.5 m) perennial flowering shrub within the verbena family (Verbenaceae), that grows in Mexico and the southeastern U.S. states of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, especially along the Gulf coast.

Flowers are colorful red, orange, and yellow small tubes with four flared lobes; in dense, rounded clusters with a leafy bract [specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure] subtending each flower, at the ends of peduncles [long paired stems] usually extending beyond the leaves, appearing from April to October.

— Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
— Wikipedia.

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Cannonball Adderly: Poor Butterfly

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Pic(k) of the Week: Woodland summer verdant

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If you hold my hand and sit real still,

You can hear the grass as it grows.

It's a lazy afternoon,

And I know a place that's quiet.

Some landscape photographers dislike summer, if only because of all of its greenery. I embrace it.

Here, there's a flowing creek hidden under dense summer foliage.

Seminary Wood in Decatur Legacy Park
City of Decatur, Georgia, USA.
2 July 2026.

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Grant Green: Idle Moments

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Pic(k) of the Week: Dogwood riverside

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Its teal-hued drupes fruiting, a small, native silky dogwood shrub (Cornus amomum) grows on a rocky bank of the Ocoee River.

Ocoee Whitewater Center in the Cherokee National Forest.
Ducktown, Tennessee, USA.
1 August 2026.

Cornus amomum — commonly known as silky dogwood — is a deciduous shrub in the dogwood family, native to central and the eastern part of the United States and parts of Canada. It is typically found in swamp borders and wetlands, and near streams and ponds.

Silky dogwood may grow 6 to 12 feet tall (1.8 to 3.6 m). The leaves and twigs have silky hairs. A distinctive feature of this shrub is the dark brown pith in 1- to 2-year-old stems and the dark reddish twigs. Clusters of creamy white flowers bloom in the spring followed by small, 1-inch (2.5cm) blue drupes [stone fruits] that ripen in late summer.

— North Carolina Cooperative Extension.

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Duke Ellington: Suite from The River (The Giggling Rapids)

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Pic(k) of the Week: Orange, then green

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A native, wild trumpet creeper vine blooms in mid-summer, as seen from a vantage along the South Peachtree Creek Trail, on an elevated boardwalk over the wetlands of Burnt Fork Creek.

Mason Mill Park: DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
21 July 2026.

Campsis radicans — commonly known as cow-itch, cow vine, devil's shoestring, foxglove vine, hellvine, hummingbird vine, trumpet creeper, trumpet vine — is a dense, vigorous, woody, deciduous, perennial vine in the trumpetvine family (Bignoniacea) that attaches itself to structures and climbs by aerial rootlets. It is native to the central and eastern United States, inhabiting woodlands and riverbanks (and growing on roadside telephone poles).

The trumpet creeper has clusters (terminal cymes) of orange to reddish-orange trumpet-shaped flowers, 3 inches long (8 cm), with a yellowish throat and 5 shallow lobes bending backward. They appear throughout the summer (June to September), and are very attractive to hummingbirds.

— North Carolina Cooperative Extension.
— Wikipedia.

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Freddie Hubbard: Open Sesame.

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Pic(k) of the Week: Under a twisting mulberry tree

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Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend,

For the lesson thou hast taught. ^*

An old, gnarly red mulberry tree (Morus rubra) lives on.

Decatur Legacy Park
City of Decatur, Georgia, USA.
26 June 2026.

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Lester Young: There Will Never Be AnotherYou.

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Pic(k) of the Week: Elegant zinnia

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A common zinnia flower blooms in a summer garden.

Briarlake Forest Park
DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
6 July 2026.

Zinnia elegans — commonly known as common zinnia, elegant zinnia, and zinnia — is an annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Mexico but naturalised in several places, including the United States.

The uncultivated plant grows to about 5½ inches in height (15 cm). It has solitary flower heads about 2 inches across (5 cm). The purple ray florets surround black and yellow discs. Flowering occurs during the summer months.

Zinnias are popular garden plants with hundreds of cultivars in many flower colours, sizes, and forms. The garden zinnia was bred via hybridisation from the wild form.

— Wikipedia.
— North Carolina Cooperative Extension.
— Wikipedia.

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David Murray: In the Spirit (composer: Don Pullen)

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Pic(k) of the Week: Clover envy

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Some call it a weed.

Feh!

That's clover envy.

A red clover wildflower (Trifolium pratense), blooming in spring.

East Decatur Greenway
DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
18 May 2019.

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• This is a close-up. The clover appears much larger in the image than it did in 'real' life. Somewhat paradoxically, photographers refer to this technique not as 'micro' but 'macro.'
• To 'isolate' the blossom from the weedy background, I employed an off-camera flash. The light diminished quickly beyond the flower, producing a dark background.
• Seven years ago, I submitted the photo to a YouTube photographer for critique. He dismissed it as too 'hot,' over-exposed by the flash. Looking at it now, I disagree...or, should I say, feh!

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Quincy Jones: Soul Bossa Nova

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Pic(k) of the Week: Echinacea garden

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Native purple coneflower wildflowers (aka echinacea) blooming in a pollinator garden.

City of Avondale Estates, Georgia, USA.
7 June 2026.

Echinacea is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family. It has ten species, which are commonly called coneflowers. They are native only in eastern and central North America, where they grow in wet to dry prairies and open wooded areas

Echinacea purpurea — commonly known as purple coneflower, eastern purple coneflower, purple coneflower, purple rudbeckia — is an herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae (daisy) family that is native to the central and eastern United States. The Genus name is Greek for meaning 'spiny one' and the species name means reddish-purple.

It may grow 3 to 4 feet tall; attractive ray petals surround a center of dark purplish brown disc flowers in summer and are long-lasting through mid-fall. The plant prefers well-drained, moist loam but is adaptable to various soil types. It is drought tolerant once established and can grow in full sun to partial shade. It is also deer, heat, humidity, and salt resistant.

— North Carolina Cooperative Extension.
— Wikipedia.

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Buster Williams: Batuki

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Pic(k) of the Week: Hydrangea on creek

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A wild bigleaf hydrangea shrub (Hydrangea macrophylla), illuminated by riparian morning light.

On Glenn Creek in Melton Park
DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
23 May 2025.

Hydrangea macrophylla — commonly known as bigleaf hydrangea — is a species of flowering plant in the family Hydrangeaceae, native to Japan, that has become naturalised in the Americas. It is is a deciduous shrub growing to 10 feet tall (3 m) with large heads of pink or blue flowers in summer and autumn. The opposite, serrated leaves can grow to 6 inches (15 cm) in length.

— Wikipedia.

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Coleman Hawkins: Body and Soul

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Pic(k) of the Week: Jerusalem artichoke...in Georgia!

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A native Jerusalem artichoke blooms in an urban meadow.

East Decatur Greenway
DeKalb County (Forrest Hills), Georgia, USA.
4 June 2026.

Helianthus tuberosus — commonly known as Jerusalem artichoke, sunchoke, sunroot, wild sunflower, or earth apple — is an herbaceous perennial edible root vegetable that is a species of sunflower in the Asteraceae family. It is native to the eastern and central United States and parts of Canada.

Helianthus tuberosus grows 5 to 10 feet tall (1.5–3 m). The leaves have a rough, hairy texture. The flowers are yellow, 2-4 inches in diameter ( 5–10 cm), with 10–20 ray florets and 60 or more small disc florets. The flowers are briefly fragrant, giving off a light, vanilla-chocolate perfume.

The plant's tubers are edible, similar in texture to water chestnuts, with a nutty flavor. They may be boiled, mashed, roasted like potatoes, or eaten raw. They do not contain starch like potatoes; instead contain inulin, which converts to fructose, and may be tolerated better by diabetics. The knobby tubers are harvested in the fall, approximately two weeks after the flowers fade (October-December).

Despite its common name, Jerusalem artichoke is not an artichoke and not associated with the city of Jerusalem. The 'artichoke' in its name comes from its similar taste. 'Jerusalem' is believed to be a corruption of the Italian word 'girasole,' meaning sunflower. Italian settlers in the United States likely referred to the plant as girasole because it resembled sunflowers.

— North Carolina State Cooperative Extension.
— Wikipedia.

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Freddie Hubbard: Little Sunflower

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Pic(k) of the Week: Coreopsis lanceolata

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A field of native lanceleaf coreopsis (coreopsis lanceolata), initially planted along a city street, now blooming wild every spring season.

DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
5 May 2026.

Seen along (and planted by) the East Decatur Greenway (part of a 342-mile network of off-road trails in and around the metro Atlanta, Georgia area, built and maintained by the non-profit PATH Foundation for walkers, runners, skaters, and cyclists).

Coreopsis lanceolata — commonly known as lanceleaf coreopsis, lanceleaf tickseed, lance-leaved coreopsis, or sand coreopsis — is a North American wildflower, a species of tickseed in the Asteraceae (daisy) family, native to the south-central US. It typically grows to 2 feet tall (60 cm) in prairies, glades, fields, and roadsides, thriving in sandy and rocky soils. The plant produces yellow flower heads singly at the top of a naked flowering stalk, each head containing both ray florets and disc florets. Each flower measures 2-3 inches across (5–8 cm).

The genus name comes from the Greek words koris meaning "bug" and opsis meaning "like" in reference to the shape of the seed which resembles a bug or tick. The specific epithet means lance-shaped referring to the leaves.

— North Carolina State Cooperative Extension.
— Wikipedia.

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Lee Morgan: Häschen

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Pic(k) of the Week: Live. Laugh. Love.

  Click on the image for a larger, hi-res version (on Flickr).

Decatur Arts Festival
Decatur, Georgia, USA.
4 May 2024.

A jewelry artist was using a street mural as a backdrop for her product photos when she glanced my way. I captured the moment, unposed. Her clothing complemented the mural's pastel tones. Her hat bore the phrase, "Live. Laugh. Love." The image isn't askew; it's the slant of the city street that creates the illusion of tilt.

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Art Blakey: Once in a While

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Pic(k) of the Week: Joe Alterman

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Atlanta-based pianist Joe Alterman and his trio delivered a rollicking performance at the Inman Park Festival.

Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
26 April 2026.

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Joe Alterman

Joe Alterman is an Atlanta-based jazz pianist, composer, and storyteller known for blending joyful swing, deep groove, and heartfelt narrative into every performance. A bandleader with an international touring career, Alterman has performed across the U.S. and Europe and released numerous acclaimed albums spanning solo piano, trio, and soul-inflected jazz. Deeply influenced by mentors such as Les McCann, Ramsey Lewis, and Ahmad Jamal, his music emphasizes melody, feel, and emotional connection over flash. In addition to performing, Alterman is a radio host on Atlanta’s NPR affiliate WABE and a sought-after cultural curator, weaving history, humor, and humanity into his concerts. Whether on stage or over the airwaves, his mission is simple: to remind listeners that jazz is joyful, accessible, and very much alive.

📷 More photos of Alterman and his trio: here.

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Inman Park Festival

The Inman Park Festival & Tour of Homes takes place in Inman Park, one of Atlanta’s oldest and most scenic neighborhoods. First developed in the late 1800s, Inman Park features an abundance of historic homes and several scenic parks.

The Festival began in the early 1970s as a means to attract attention for revitalization efforts in the community. Now, it is a full weekend jam-packed with events: music, kids' activities, a Tour of Homes, a marvelous street parade, an artists’ market, not to mention some of the city’s best people-watching. It is organized annually by the Inman Park Neighborhood Association on the last full weekend in April.

📷 More festival photos: here.

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Joe Alterman: Blue Moon

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Pic(k) of the Week: Winter fiddleheads

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Fiddleheads of Christmas ferns unfurl in late winter. Spring is nascent.

Glenn Creek Nature Preserve
City of Decatur, Georgia, USA.
12 March 2026.

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Christmas Fern

Polystichum acrostichoides, commonly denominated Christmas fern, is a perennial, evergreen fern native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and south to Florida and eastern Texas. It is one of the most common ferns in eastern North America, being found in moist and shady habitats in woodlands, stream banks and rocky slopes. Christmas fern has a tufted, clumping habit, with its fronds arising from a central growth point. It can form colonies, but frequently grows singly or in twos or threes. The common name derives from the evergreen fronds, which are often still green in winter, at Christmas.

— Wikipedia

🔥 Unlike Ostrich ferns, whose cooked fiddleheads are edible, the fiddleheads of Christmas ferns are NOT EDIBLE and can be toxic if ingested. Observe; don't forage!
— Old Farmer's Almanac.

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Wayne Shorter: Footprints

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Pic(k) of the Week: It's a hazy, hazy sunrise.

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Looking southeast from the summit of monadnock Arabia Mountain, one could see a noticeable (yet lovely) haze just after sunrise, produced by a combination of high humidity, 50% cloud cover, and air rife with pollen.

DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
3 April 2026 (8:06 am EDT).

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Ella Fitzgerald: I'm Beginning to See the Light

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Pic(k) of the Week: Diamorpha daybreak

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Tiny crimson diamorpha wildflowers, blooming at sunrise, near the summit of Arabia Mountain monadnock *.

DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
3 April 2026 (7:37 am EDT).

Diamorpha smallii — commonly known as diamorpha, elf orpine, or Small's stonecrop — belongs to the stonecrop family (Crassulaceae), in the Sedum species of plants: succulents possessing thick, fleshy sections which retain water, allowing them to survive in drought conditions.

Diamorpha smalli is endemic to the southeastern United States, where the densest populations appear in Georgia, particularly in Panola Mountain State Park and the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve. Two to four inches in height, Diamorpha smallii grows in areas with granite surfaces, appearing in vernal pools (seasonal puddles of water contained by rock or dirt) and solution pits (thin patches of dirt isolated on rock outcrops), adapted to survive in harsh conditions, including high temperatures and limited soil.

Hidden most of the year, Diamorpha smallii emerge in late winter, producing dense rosettes of tiny red succulent leaves. Then, in late March, the plants produce small white flowers (~ ¼ inch). As temperatures rise, the plants lose their bright red color, taking on the appearance of little brown stems sticking up from the ground, holding on to their seeds to forestall dessication during the hottest months of the year. The seeds drop and germinate in autumn.

— Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance.
— Scott Ranger's Nature Notes.
— Wikipedia.

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Dizzy Gillespie: Tin Tin Deo

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Pic(k) of the Week: Piedmont sandwort

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Looking down at tiny Piedmont sandwort wildflowers, blooming in a sandy, dessicated solution pit.

This is a close-up. These tiny blossoms — about 3 millimeters wide, on stems about 4 centimeters long— appear much larger in the photograph than they did in 'real' life!

Geocarpon is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family (Caryophyllaceae). It includes seven species native to North America, including Geocarpon uniflorum — commonly known as Piedmont sandwort (or one-flower stitchwort).

Geocarpon uniflorum is native to the southeastern United States, where it is primarily found in the Piedmont. Its preferred habitat is sandy or granitic rock outcrops. Prior to 2022, the plant was known botanically as Minuartia uniflora.

— Wikipedia.
— Flora of North America.

On the summit of Arabia Mountain
DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
3 April 2026.

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Jaco Pastorius: Donna Lee

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