Tennessee White House

I'm deliberately being ambiguous with the title of this morning's post. There are certainly many white houses in Tennessee, and this just happens to be the one I photographed on my early morning walk today.

Interestingly enough, there is also a small town in northern Middle Tennessee, just off Interstate 65, named White House.

Unexpected Encounter

On my walk this morning, as I rounded the corner, I saw a neighbor who lives on the street that parallels mine to the west, out walking his Alaskan husky, whose name is Husky.

All summer we would happen, from time to time, to be walking at dawn's first light, and we could usually  chat for a second or two, though Husky would always be eager to get on with his exercise. I longed for a picture of the beautiful dog, but there was never time to ask for one, with Husky straining at the leash, longing to continue with his morning constitutional.

Today, just at sunrise, he paused to mark a bush, and I captured two shots of him. Only his flank in the first--but in the second, a slightly out of focus portrait.  

It was the best I could do. By the time the view screen had faded, 
he and his master 
were half a block away.

I walked on in the opposite direction and began the project I had in mind for my walk. I plan to photograph the old houses along the residential streets that are my usual route for my own morning exercise. Some of them have very beautiful architecture and lovely landscaped front yards.

Along with Husky, my picture for today is a stone-faced cottage.

Poke Berry Rainbow

On this overcast afternoon I've been scouting for responses to today's showers, and I found a tiny volunteer pokeweed about 12 inches tall in my  south-facing side yard, already sporting one brave little white raceme. In the tangle of growth at the southeast corner, I spotted its likely parent, shading with its large leaves on their red stems little curving bows of red and purple berries.

Poke has been very hardy through our summer's drought this year, growing luxuriantly near
every neglected roadside fence. Its early spring shoots are edible greens, much prized by Tennessee pioneers and enjoyed even 
today by their descendants who have kept to 
the old ways.

Poke (Phytolacca americana) is native to the Southeastern United States and is also known as pokeberry, poke salad, and poke sallet.