1999 picture memories of Perseid Meteor Shower & sunrise hike to Clingmans Dome summit with this week’s ‘Night Scene’ #art sketch
A good portion of my summer spent tucked indoors because of the pandemic I put to good use. I took on a huge chore and a long over due project to scan all photographs in albums. I haven’t completed the job yet but I’ve bad a huge dent in the stack. Today I’m sharing a couple of those old photos.
The below picture was taken August 1999. We went to the Smoky’s to watch the Perseid Meteor Shower. You can’t really see the shooting stars in the photo. DH used my little point n’ shoot 35mm camera which can only handle things close up under low light. You can tell DH used the flash for this shot, otherwise he would’ve gotten practically nothing. This is me far left as you might have guessed with our three kiddos. DD1 & DD2 are to my right and DS is standing in front of me and his big sis. We all wore shorts, not DH, but the cool night air required sweatshirts. My legs nearly froze off.
We’re standing in the parking lot at Newfound Gap in the wee hours to see the heavenly night display. After we got done, rather after we got too tired, we decided to hang around for the sun to break so we could take advantage of the timing to hike the Clingmans Dome trail to the tower. We managed to get a short nap in the car without a park ranger disturbing us. It was a chilly morning which motivated us to walk briskly up the steep half-mile trail. We counted ourselves blessed to have children who didn’t complain about being subjected to the horrors of exercise. It was a thrill for the whole family and the view breath-taking. Below, I enhanced the only image that I captured early that morning with the sun’s glow visible to the right of the weather tower. The old photo really needed the help.
After the trek up to the summit tower and back to the car, we were ready to head home after a very long night.
I’m plugging in Sandee’s (Comedy Plus) as well as Marie’s (XmasDolly) Wordless Wednesday linky parties, in that order, below for y’all to join. I’ll be back next month hosting once again the mid-week linky party where just about anything goes with #WildWednesdays! 😉
I’m going to step you through my process for my ‘Night Scenes’ art prompt sketches. The first illustration is my original pencil sketch but while resizing my image I decided to do a little photo-editing with Pixelmator Pro in my second image. I added a dark layer, then used a flare brush to add the points of the constellation. I knew straight off I wanted to draw Pegasus using my Procreate app more so after my photo play design. I wanted a truly dark backdrop but before I adjust the color to the background I sketched out Pegasus in a light grey, then added a black background color. Digital art allows me to jazz up things with the luminance brushes. I added star flares (yellow), lightbrush strokes (red), and constellation labels (light blue) using this tool but for my signature, I switched to a gel pen brush.
That’s it for today. I’ll be joining Rain’s Garden tomorrow and I invite you to check out the gallery of talented artists’ on display! Thanks for stopping by for a visit. Have a wonderful day! X💋X💋, Cathy
For more mid-week fun you may want to visit these communties: Wordless Wednesday &Wordless Wednesdays(Natasha).
35 Comments
Geri Lawhon
Wonderful art and photos, thanks for sharing.
Rain Frances
“The horrors of exercise” really had me giggling…you have a way with words! Great photos of your trip to see the meteor showers! Oh that is quite a task to scan all of your photos…I haven’t even tried to do that, but I mostly have photos of my late pug dogs, Winston and Spencer…just a few of me as a kid. Maybe I should take some time over the winter when I have cabin fever to scan them all! Oh your Pegasus is wonderful! Thanks for sharing how you did it! Very neat :))) Ha…I have Saturday Night Hot Flashes too lol! 🙂
Cathy Kennedy
Rain,
Seriously, our kids were good about not complaining about being active. There were many times in the past that we made that same hike to find kids wimping out. I’m pretty sure they were spoiled. That little short sprint is steep I admit but young folks shouldn’t have any trouble tackling it. You just have to yourself. 🙂 I need to finish up my scanning project. I got side track and need to get back to it. It’ll be awesome to have it done. I still have a big box full of things to scan that we brought home from DH’s late parents. I have a good portion of it done but there still much to do. My hot flashes aren’t an issue anymore. I get HRT about every 4-months that keeps menopause symptoms from being a problem. Thank God for modern medicine!
NatureFootstep
ouch, I am forgetting my astronomy it seems. As soon as I saw your Pegasus I thought: Big dipper. I had to check. 🙂
I love your winged horse 🙂
Cathy Kennedy
Monica,
Don’t feel bad, I forgot my astronomy long ago. lol The image I found on Google helped to refresh my memory. 🙂
soma @ whimsandfancies.com
Going through photos is a lot of work but a fun endeavour! The early morning photo is beautiful and Pegasus looks really wonderful. Brilliant stars!
Cathy Kennedy
Soma,
Yes, going through the photo archives is fun but the work not so much. lol I’ll be happy once it’s all behind me. People who grow up in the digital age has no idea how easy they have it. They take photo taking and sharing for granted. Even I do sometimes! 🙂 Thanks for visiting.
Andrea @ From the Sol
Oh, you have accomplished something I have said for years I was going to do. You put me to shame. I have tons of old pictures from back when you didn’t just download them onto your computer. The job seems daunting to me and yet, you have done it … well done!! I have seen the meteor showers often over the years, but only when I was able to get away from the city lights. Our best experience with them was in Michigan on a lake. The nights were pitch black except for the stars and the moon when it was out. This night there was only a sliver of the moon so it didn’t interfere … the shower was magnificent. A memory I will never forget. I think it is wonderful that you took your kids on your excursions. We always felt that it was the best way to educate the kids on nature and the science that goes with it. Even as a child, my father used to drive us out in the country to watch meteor showers and to watch the Aurora Borealis which is another treat if you ever get the opportunity. Now for your art, which is always wonderful, you did some amazing things with Pegasus and your knowledge of the stars is impressive. When I lived in a country town where there were fewer lights, we used to sit on our deck and find the different constellations. That has been long ago and I doubt that I would remember most of them at this point, but I would still love to try. Great post as always, Cathy … and I hope that isn’t you having “hot flashes” 🙂 Mine are long past … Stay safe and be well …
Andrea @ From the Sol
Cathy Kennedy
Andrea,
The scanning process is still a work-in-progress but I’m about three-fourths done I think. It is a huge job! I cheated with the Pegasus’ star labeling. When I came across the DuckDuckGo image it was already marked. I just replicated what I saw. But…back in the 80s before all the wiz bang star gazing apps, I use a Planetarium guide. It was a big circle with a few layers that you spin to match up the date with what’s visible in our hemisphere. Do you know what I’m talking about? I still have one around here somewhere but it’s been years since I laid eyes on it. Now, that’s an excellent way to educate oneself on the stars. I am not a die-hard star gazer but I do enjoy seeing the heavenly wonders, especially the extraordinary events when possible. Oh no, no my hot flash days are well under control thanks to my hormone replace therapy (HRT) that I receive every 4-months. But, the summer heat and humidity is Mother Nature’s having a hot flash. lol
Elke
Lovely, Interesting art and photos!
Cathy Kennedy
Thank you, Elke! 😉
Bleubeard and Elizabeth
I’m always impressed wth your sketches and drawings, but now I’m equally impressed with your photos and how you manipulated them when you scanned them. I see you must be the model for your pin-up girls, too.
I absolutely LOVE what you did with the Pegasus and the stars. That was brilliant and amazing. I love how you were able to identify several of the stars, too. This was definitely a great entry for Rain’s TAD. You absolutely ROCKED this week’s theme, dear.
Cathy Kennedy
You’re so kind. Well…I’m not my own model, although I do pretend that I am the girls I sketch just because…who doesn’t want to be a pin-up? 🙂 It’s okay to have secret dreams as such, right? lol I appreciate all of your encouragement. Rain brings out the best in me with her prompts. I hope my joy for art shines through as much as it eliminates me inwardly. Old prints you can’t just blow off the dust. You think nothing is on your picture but when you scan them, that’s when the truth is revealed. And…the quality isn’t the best. I scanned everything at 300dpi. This creates a fair sized file and doesn’t take forever. I could go higher on the resolution but I’m too impatient to wait for the scan. I would like to take my negatives to company who does this sort of thing and have everything scanned at super high resolution. I’m sure they can also clean the negatives before scanning making for even a better image. I might have to look into this to see what I can find online after I’ve done what I can on my end. I hate the idea of handing my negatives to someone and they get lost forever. That would be horrible!
barbaraooreBarbara
So exciting to see the meteor shower, I know! You are fortunate to have had such willing and enthusiastic companions to share the adventure. Lovely photos to capture the occasion beautifully!
Cathy Kennedy
Barbara,
DH and I have always been the adventurous type to do these sorts of things. I remember we drove to the mountains in the 80s to see Halley’s Comet passing. There were quite a gathering in the late hour, too. We got very little sleep that night but we were young and didn’t think much of it. Today, might be a different story. lol When our kids were small, we had a few opportunities to do fun things like this and they really enjoyed the experience. It was great family fun packed full of good memories!
Valerie-Jael
Lovely art and photos. Well done on getting those photos scanned, I did that with old family photos a few years back, so I could send copies to all who wanted them, and it is a lot of work. How lovely to see the meteor shower. It was visible here for some days – we had clouds!! Next time perhaps! Very interesting to see how you worked on pegasus, well done. Have a wonderful day, stay safe. It’s time for my afternoon nap here! Hugs, Valerie
Cathy Kennedy
Valerie-Jael,
After I get all of my scanning done, I probably will share with the kiddies, as well. What I’d like to do is take a select number corresponding with specific memories and put them in a book format. There are a lot of online sources to use as well as doing something simple as creating my own document from my desktop. I think I like the later option the best. Photos and someone’s thoughts on the moment would be purrfect. Thanks for stopping by today, my dear. Enjoy your nap!
Christine
Lovely art and photos.
Cathy Kennedy
Thank you, Christine! 😉
csuhpat1
So very cool and I love your sketches. Very nice. Thanks for hosting.
Cathy Kennedy
Patrick,
I’m happy you found time to join me and to check out my latest artwork, my friend.
Memories of Eric and Flynn
I love your Pegasus sketch with the illuminated stars. It is really effective.
Cathy Kennedy
Thanks, furriends! I’m glad you like my Pegasus design. 🙂
Birgit
A wonderful memory that you shared with family and friends. I remember camping and wearing shorts with a sweatshirt and my legs being cold as cucumbers . One very, very hot night there was a meteor shower and it was so magical. I love your pegasus drawing with the lit up stars that make pegasus.
Cathy Kennedy
Birgit,
My bestie girlfriend and I would camp out in her front yard in southern WV as kids. Those early morning hours were chilly but boy how I loved waking up to that fresh feeling in the middle of the summer. 🙂
messymimi's meanderings
How precious the memories!
Cathy Kennedy
Mimi,
Indeed moments frozen in time forever in old photographs are precious. I knew then those days were numbered and I tried to make them last but they still got away from me way too fast.
Brian
We have too much light pollution here too. Cool art and cool walk throught!
Cathy Kennedy
Brian,
Yeah, Knoxville is the same. That’s why we go to the mountains for night time sky shows. 🙂
Sandee
What a wonderful memory. Those photographs are wonderful memories.
Your legs looks like the pin-ups you have on your site. Just saying.
Thank you for joining the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.
Have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday. Love and hugs. ♥
Cathy Kennedy
Sandee,
Oh, you flatterer! blush DH calls me ‘Legs’. It has nothing to do with my height. He calls me this because he likes my legs. 🙂 Thanks for making my day with your sweet compliment! 🥰
15andmeowing
That must be a nice memory for you and the kids. We love meteor showers, but rarely see any because of light pollution. Nice sketching. Have a great day! XO
Cathy Kennedy
Ellen,
We can see the stars over the city lights but for the Perseid’s shower one needs to be out in the boondocks to truly experience the heavenly show!
Thomas Anderson
Hi, Cathy!
Happy Wild & Almost Wordless Wednesday, dear friend!
I’m happy to know you put your quaran-time to good use and scanned a bunch of old pictures in albums. Thanks for sharing the 1999 photo of you and your children gazing at the heavens and watching the meteor shower in the Smokys. It’s interesting that it was August and yet your legs nearly froze. High up in the mountains, I am sure the temp dips substantially in the wee hours every month of the year. You guys were really up for adventure as you snoozed in the car and then climbed the Clingmans Dome trail to watch the sun rise over the mountains. I can imagine how invigorating and awe inspiring it was to reach the summit and view the mountain tops by dawn’s early light. Your enhanced picture captures the mystery and wonder of the moment. I am sure your whole family experienced peace and serenity that morning and all seemed right with the world.
I am amazed at the magic you performed to transform that monochromatic sketch of the constellation Pegasus into something really special. The stars outlining the winged horse pop in bright yellow from the black background of space, and some of the main stars are identified. Your rendering of the flying horse connects the dots and completes the composition. It’s wonderful, Cathy – suitable for framing!
Thank you very much for the art, the nostalgic pictures and the stories that went along with them. Have a happy Wednesday and enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend Cathy!
Cathy Kennedy
Tom,
You always leave such warm, delightful comments. Thanks for constant encouragement and visits. I count myself blessed to have you as a friend! 🙂