Lunch time in the Smoky Mountains

© Kay E. Mahoney

Lunch time in the Smoky Mountains

Uploaded: June 10, 2005

Description

This picture was taken a long time ago. I'm putting it in for this months category which is scary travel photos. It doesn't look scary but it was very scary. My husband and my three kids and me were sitting here eating lunch when two bears came out of the woods towards the table where we were eating our lunch. The kids were so scared. We all ran to the car. I grabbed my camera and my husband grabbed the video recorder. Taken before the digtal camera era. I had put this one on before but I used the painted effect in the background this time.
The bear had fun eating the cookies and they even drank out of the cups. It was really a kodak moment. My kids still talk about it even though they have really grown up. It was one of our most talked about vacations. My son and husband are no longer here to talk about it. They both passed away over 5 and 6 yrs ago. My daughters and I talk about it still.

Comments

Robert K. Bemus level-classic June 10, 2005

Classic shot! Sorry about your losses... #261461

Darren K. Fisher June 10, 2005

OH wow what an awesome sight this had to be well of course your story tells us that....LOL...And to capture it so well. I love it. Would also give anything to see soemthing like this myself sometime. #1456497

Kay E. Mahoney level-classic June 10, 2005

Thank you Robert. I'm so glad I have all my photos to remember all the good times I had with my loved ones. You never know what a day brings.

Thank you Darren. It was an awesome sight. It is something my girls and I will always cherish as one of our favorite vacations. Every time I hear about the smoky mountains I think of this vacation. #1456515

Rosemary Buffoni June 10, 2005

Yes, I'd say this qualifies as a scary moment. Great capture and I agree about photos and memories. When you think about it...it's amazing that we can capture a moment in time...forever.
Ro #1456824

Kay E. Mahoney level-classic June 11, 2005

Thak you for commenting on my photo Rosemary. #1457570

Melissa L. Zavadil June 11, 2005

What a wonderful shot! You were very brave to have taken this shot!

When I was about 5 years old my family camped in the smokey mountains and we came across a similar experiance! WE were NOT brave enough like you to photograph our experiances! :) We stayed in our tent and the rangers came by to shoo them away. But, what was so scary is that we still had our fire going and we could see their outline on the tent!! I remember this and I was only 5 at the time! :) #1458984

Linda D. Lester level-classic June 11, 2005

Wow! Story time, I was a child and we were on vaction we were feeding the bears cookies out of the car window. How stupid was that!
Don't you wish you had a zoom lense!
Great shot and story! Remember the good times! #1459071

April Riggs June 11, 2005

This would be scary! This is a great shot, sorry for your loss, but what a great memory. #1459435

Kay E. Mahoney level-classic June 11, 2005

Thank you Melissa. Yes it was scary. It seems like you had a scary time with the bears being so close to your tent. You should write it down in a book so you'll always be able to share it with someone.
Thank you Linda. I bet you loved feeding the bears cookies. Yes I do wish I had a zoom. Would have been able to get really close.

Thanks April for commenting on my photo. #1459517

Terry L. Ellis level-classic June 11, 2005

What a wonderful, exciting memory for you and your daughters, Kay! Preserving that special moment in time means a lot to us all! Thank you and so sorry for your loss. #1459560

Kay E. Mahoney level-classic June 11, 2005

Thank you Terry. It was a very exciting time to remember. I'll always cherish those memories. I'm so glad I got to go so many places with my family members. I have always loved taken pictures. I'm glad I have them to look at all the time. #1459582

Connie J. Bagot June 12, 2005

This definitely qualifies in the scary travel category, wow! I'm amazed that you got a photo of it. I'm sorry for your loss, Kay. Thank you for sharing your memories of this day----between the photo and your story I can picture it so vividly. #1460454

Kay E. Mahoney level-classic June 12, 2005

Thank you for commenting on my photo. I'll always treasure this picture. It brings back so many memories of the great vacations I had with my family. We can never take enough pictures of the places we go and of family members. #1460476

KHAWLA Haddad June 12, 2005

Kay sorry for your loss
this is great shot for the monthely them and story to go with it well don!!! #1461246

Kay E. Mahoney level-classic June 12, 2005

Thank you for commenting on my photo Kelly. I forgot to mention when I was telling about my photo that my son was 3 yrs old at the time and had a full length cast on his arm from a fall a few weeks earlier. When we saw the bear coming he just sat on the bench screaming. He had a hard time getting down. We all did get back to the car. He was sitting in the car with his two sisters. You can hear him screaming on the video tape the whole time. The girls were saying "It's o.k. Jusitn they won't get us. They want our food". He just kept sceaming. Like I said in my earlier comment it was a kodak moment. We even stopped by there on the way back home to see if we could see any again. #1461342

Laurence Saliba level-classic June 12, 2005

A photo that brings memories Kay!!! #1461389

Kay E. Mahoney level-classic June 12, 2005

Thanks Laurence. Yes it does bring back the memories. #1461402

Gail Vitikacs level-classic June 12, 2005

Such a unique photo....and the story you shared is quite delightful! Thank you so much for sharing it with all of us! #1461550

Kay E. Mahoney level-classic June 12, 2005

Thank you Gail. It was a great time with my kids and husband. #1461559

Stacey M. Seufert June 16, 2005

WHAT A GREAT PHOTO, KAY! AND ONE WITH SO MANY MEMORIES THAT COME WITH IT TOO! THANKS FOR SHARING IT WITH US! #1478038

Kay E. Mahoney level-classic June 19, 2005

Thak you for your comment Stacey. #1490196

June 25, 2005

I guess Boo Boo found the picnic basket. I would be terrified. I too am sorry for your losses. We need to treasure our memories. #1520316

Kay E. Mahoney level-classic June 25, 2005

Thank you for commenting on my photo Jennifer. #1520377

Bill Wyatt July 14, 2006

This is so funny! It happened to me on more than on occation. Terrific capture, Kay! #3028232

Kay E. Mahoney level-classic July 14, 2006

Thank you very much Bill. It was a wonderful trip. I'm glad I always took lots of photos. I'll have them as memories forever. #3029169

November 13, 2006

Kay, I live in the Smokies, and I'm here to tell you that we don't see things like this every time we go picknicking or camping. You were right to keep and treasurer it. We were sitting on the table one time, and a skunk walked right under us. Alas, no camera on that trip. #3582375

Kay E. Mahoney level-classic November 13, 2006

Thank you Lynn. I am thankful that I have so many pictures to look back on and remember all the memories. #3583615

cheryl m. phillips June 28, 2007

Kay,
I happened upon this in your gallery tonight and really enjoyed the story that went with it.
Wow! What a great story to tell!
Thank you for letting us in on it with this image!
Very sorry to hear of your loss. What a memory here!
~cheryl #4455276

Kay E. Mahoney level-classic July 01, 2007

Thank you very much Cheryl for your comment. It's nice to have pictures to look back on so we can remember those special memories. Never stop taken pictures. #4463516

Jim A. Carlson July 29, 2007

This is a funny pic.. #4574211

Kay E. Mahoney level-classic July 29, 2007

Thank you Jim. It was a fun time for our family. Brings back a lot of memories. #4575416

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