The great outdoors

I have been over here for a month and have walked at least 100 miles over old battlefield sites, towns, cities basically everywhere, in my trusty flip flops and shorts. I have now seen a sign telling me to wear sensible footwear long trousers etc and not go anywhere at dusk or dawn because of the risk from ticks, chiggers, black widow spiders, mosquitos, yellowjacket wasps, red ants, biting flies and biting ladybirds, poison oak, poison ivy, not to mention the various poisonous snakes and of course black bears.

Just to make Keira , Kay and Anthony happy I have been bitten a few times since they left me and yes I did come out in lumps but today I went on my first proper walk in the Smokey Mountains with I must admit with some trepidation. I saw a lot of birds and quite a few deer so I was getting quite complacent when I spotted what I thought was a dog on a converging course with me across a meadow, as we got closer I realised it was a bear with two cubs - the worst combination so I had been warned - she wasn't worried and after having a quick look at me she continued on her way, thank god. The photo was  taken about 50 metres away from her and her cubs, I erred on the side of caution.

I had a great day out but the humidity was horrible apparently more humid than the Amazon rain forest (according to the local news channel). 

Blue Swallowtails getting frisky at the oasis.