Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Smoky Mountain Autumn

Thanks to Blog Friend,  SHARON,   George and I took a day trip to the SMOKIES yesterday (10/23/12) to check out the Fall Colors.   Sharon wrote me an email telling me how beautiful the colors were along the FOOTHILLS PARKWAY.    Thanks, Friend!!!!  The colors truly were marvelous and both George and I took a tillion photos I'm sure... ha

Hope you enjoy some of our photos.   We also took a hike to the big tower near Look Rock.  I'll blog about that another time.  The photo above shows all of the colors we saw on the road (along the parkway).




Here is a collage of some of the beautiful colors we saw along our way.  It's hard to choose favorites ---so I just made some collages.  (Be sure to click on all photos to see enlargements.)




I love this picture I took of George in front of some of that beautiful color.




Here is our beautiful SMOKY MOUNTAINS...  I love seeing the mountains all year long---but especially in the Fall.




Here is one very happy girl ---to be here in our beautiful Smokies!!!!!




Here is one more collage showing some of the beautiful colors we saw along the parkway.   I love seeing LOTS of different colors together in Fall---and today,  we got to experience just that!  Awesome!




Of course,  George and I can't go anywhere unless we pull out the tripod and take our picture together.   Hope you enjoy this photo of two very very happy people enjoying their day!!!!




Finally,   after a delicious steak dinner at the Texas Roadhouse (one of our favorite restaurants)---we headed home....  AND---to end a gorgeous day,  look what else we got to experience....   Here is a Cumberland Plateau SUNSET just for US!!!!

WOW---what an incredible day!!!!!

Hugs,
Betsy

66 comments:

Rose ~ from Oz said...

No wonderful day is complete without a gorgeous sunset - of course!
Oh Betsy and George, what a total feast for the eyes! The colours! The views! Spectacular is an understatement. You both look so happy :)

Andrea said...

You are so privileged in this lifetime Betsy! I am almost familiar with your autumn colors and whenever i think of this season i remember your photos. Do you still remember that i asked one of those old photos, a wide angle one? And the two of you are really lovely and happy, and you don't go out unsynched! I wonder, do you sleep in uniform too? hahaha!

Small Kucing said...

such wonderful view. But most wonderful is the photo of you and george :)

eileeninmd said...

Jo, what a beautiful day trip. the colors are just gorgeous. I loved the photos of George and the one of you and George. It makes me smile to see you two together smiling and so happy. Lovely photos and post. Have a great day!

Ms. A said...

Spectacular! Wish I was there!

Beth said...

My favorite is the last collage and the sunset. There is nothing quite like the Smokies in fall or in my local case--the foothills of the Appalachians in fall.
Looks like a spectacular day. :>)

Sharon said...

Thanks for the shout-out and so glad you enjoyed Foothills Parkway, an often overlooked area of spectacular beauty without the suffocating crowds. I drove across the mountain on Monday heading to Maggie Valley and it was an exercise in frustration. So glad you didn't choose that route. Thankfully, I was not in a hurry and didn't mind traffic gridlock or no chance of getting into most of the pull-outs! Your pics, as always, are wonderful.

imac said...

WOW what wonder you give us in this post Beysy, Beautiful Colours.

DeniseinVA said...

Oh my goodness, stunning Betsy! Absolutely gorgeous and I always love those pictures of you and George.

Elizabeth Edwards said...

wow, those fall leaves are just lovely. beautiful shots. you all are so cute. great couple. glad you had a chance to see them all in person. wow... (:

Christine said...

Beautiful photos! The Foothills parkway is always a favorite spot for us. I love walking up to the tower to see the view from there. We ate at the Texas Roadhouse while we were there too! Always a yummy steak there.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Beautiful fall photos, wish I could see it! You and George are such sweet souls- love your photos!

mamahasspoken said...

LOVE the fall colors!!!
I have yet to get out and enjoy them yet this year but this week-end I'm headed on a bus trip up into Amish country. I should be seeing some wonderful colors AND have the time to enjoy them.

Big Dude said...

The mountains are sure putting on their fall show - the sunset is gorgeous.

Miss Debbie said...

Oh, wow, beautiful! Wish I could have tagged along! I am making a trip to TN (Cleveland) next week to see our son and his family, maybe I will see some color then.

MadSnapper said...

spectacular colors and even the sky was showing you fall color. great shots of the two of you.

From the Kitchen said...

You know how much I love those trees!! This year, for the first time in a few decades, I didn't go to Virginia for a fall visit. There was just too much going on with the opening of the new library. It was quite nice to find a lot of beautiful fall colors right here in C.P.. There are no mountains, however!!

Best,
Bonnie

Travel Quest said...

Lovely photos of Fall , you two were such a sweet couple Love it :) Anyways Betsy i have question i just noticed you are using Canon Rebel and so do I , I'm planning to buy a better lense may I ask what type of lense are you using. Thanks. Happy Fall season!

Anonymous said...

To me nothing compares to the changing of the seasons in the Smokies...these are the most beatiful photo's I've ever seen!
Thank you sooo much for sharing yall's daytrip!

Beth said...

Beautiful photos, Betsy! I was not familiar with the Foothills Parkway, but plan now to look at the map to figure out just how far away we are from it. We're taking a week off next week, so we're looking for places to see that might still have color, so this sounds splendid! Many thanks to you...and Sharon for the information.

By the way, I love that shot of you and George.

Janice K said...

It is amazing how much color and how many leaves still are on the trees down there. Up here we are to the place where it is mostly just the oaks that are still hanging on. Beautiful pictures...and of course, a beautiful couple! Have a great day!

Donna said...

Just beautiful! This has been one of the prettiest falls in quite a while. I hope that we can head out tomorrow and catch some more colors before it's all gone!

LOL, I had to laugh when I spotted the remote in George's hand. You two look so cute together...

Sweet Posy Dreams said...

So gorgeous with the colors and the blue, blue sky. Makes me homesick for Tennessee.

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

I enjoy your photos...the Smokies are gorgeous in the Fall

Grandma Bonnie said...

Those are such beautiful colors. I would love to see fall stay around for a couple extra months. Its my favorite season.

MTWaggin said...

No kidding those are fabulous colors and a great couple too!

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

So beautiful, Betsy. I know what you mean about the variety of colors. We love the yellow aspen that is so predominant out west, but there's nothing like coming home to the wide range of colors found on our end of the continent.

TexWisGirl said...

you live in a gorgeous area, betsy. so pretty.

Sylvia K said...

Gorgeous, breathtaking colors, Betsy, and your photos are awesome! What a wonderful place and wonderful day the two of you had!! Thanks for sharing the beauty with us!

Jeanne said...

WOW - amazing colors! Great pics of you and George too. We have a Texas Roadhouse here and my favorite is the fried catfish!
Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures!
Jeanne

joy said...

really an incredible, colorful and full of love day!

Nellie said...

Spectacular colors! I think this is the most beautiful fall we have had in a number of years.

We have been at that tower at Look Rock, and also enjoyed the colors from Foothills Parkway, especially the part that leads from I-40 into Cosby.

Amy Burzese said...

Just beautiful. I'm so glad you got to enjoy a day at the park with the foliage and of course, the steak dinner!

KathyA said...

I enjoy all four seasons, but I must admit fall colors, as evidenced by your photos, are absolutely breath-taking!
(You and George are cute, too!) :)

Kay said...

Fantastic photographs! Fall is beautiful in your part of the country.

Connie said...

What a wonderful day, Betsy! You saw beautiful colors every way you turned. The photos are great!

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

Love all that color!

Ann said...

What a wonderful way to spend the day. The colors are just beautiful. It's almost all done around here now.

GreatGranny said...

Wow, Beautiful TN is all ablaze, loving it. Good photos of you and George.

GreatGranny said...

Sorry, should have said 'all ablaze in colors.'

Beatriz said...

Hello Betsy!

Every time I come here is a great surprise! What an amazing trip you did! Unfortunately we don't have these fall colors in Brazil....Indeed we're almost in the summer now, and it's very hot all over the country!!!
You should make postcards with your pictures, they're really nice. I loved all of them, specially the 4ºth one, it's like a mosaic among mountains and trees!

Kisses

Bia

www.biaviagemambiental.blogspot.com

Diane AZ said...

Spectacular fall colors, Betsy! Beautiful pictures, especially of you and George. :)

Chatty Crone said...

I think the color of orange behind George is one of the prettiest colors of orange that I have ever seen.

Looks like another beautiful trip. ANd you guys look so happy together.

Chatty Crone said...

I think the color of orange behind George is one of the prettiest colors of orange that I have ever seen.

Looks like another beautiful trip. ANd you guys look so happy together.

Ruth Hiebert said...

That colour is amazing and then to have that beautiful blue sky as well,wow. Looks like it was a perfect day be out in the beautifies of nature.

Farikica said...

Very very beautiful, betsy...! I never thought autumn can be this beautiful... i live in a tropical country, never had a chance to experience an autumn season like this...:)

Faye said...

Betsy, I love yours and George's vest for life and adventure. You get the e-mail that the mountains are blazing with color and you head out, cameras in tow. Makes for an interesting life.

Glad you chose to do some photo collages, that way we can zero in on the ones that we especially like--make it easy to choose!

diane b said...

Sorry I've been out of blogland for a while, busy with other engagements. Anyhoo I hope to be more regular from now. The Fall colours in your Smokies are just simply stunning. I can see why you are so happy, to be able to spend a day amongst all that splender. I also enjoy seeing pictures of you both enjoying yourselves.

Poussy Stitches My Love said...

oh very beautiful your blog


amitiés de FRANCE

Lady Di Tn said...

Great photos of our state's treasure SM. I enjoy the photos that yawl take together. What a wonderful way to make MEMORIES. PEACE

Anonymous said...

Wow - those vibrant colours are amazing. So beautiful!

Rose said...

These are simply gorgeous shots! I can never get enough of them.

happyone said...

Wow what gorgeous colors. I think this fall is prettier than usual. : )

Out on the prairie said...

what a fun area to enjoy all the colors.They came and went fast here it seemed.

Small City Scenes said...

Every one a beautiful shot. Specially the one's with you and George. Our Mountains are mostly Conifers so we see Green, Green, Green all year long. Although they are interspersed with Sycamore, Big Leaf Maple and Larch so there is the breath-taking gold to see in the Fall too. Thanks for the journey. MB

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I think I found your blog a few years ago when you showed the beautiful autumnal colors of the Smokey Mountains, Betsy, and your photos of them are as beautiful this year as they were then! I love the red trees and my favorite photo was of you and Georgw together!

Rohrerbot said...

Looks like anther great day Betsy. Beautiful weather. Beautiful scenery and a great dinner to boot:) You both truly live in a magnificent part of the world and it's a treat to follow you on your journeys. The closest we get to that color is up in our mountains and most of it is aspen yellow...which is still pretty....but not quite the same:)

Neal said...

Very, very beautiful. Hopefully I got some good pictures down home.

Carletta said...

I've always wanted to go the Smokies in the fall and your photos definitely still make that a bucket list wish!
Beautiful color! There is a lot more red there than here.
Gorgeous sunset!

Dee said...

Dear Betsy, truly a glorious day with the two of you surrounded by color and the blessedness of nature.

I've been to the Smokies only once. A friend and I camped there--close to Gatlinburg--way back in 1971. A bear came to our campsite while we were eating supper and gobbled up much of the food on the table. An exciting time! Peace.

Busy Bee Suz said...

It was gorgeous from the beginning to the end; loved it.
You are so lucky to be so close to all the 'fall action"!
XO

Jeevan said...

The places look gorgeous in autumn colors! So fascinating... Hope u enjoyed indeed while capturing the beauties around.

Lynda said...

You had a PERFECT day! We missed the peak of the color this year. It wasn't as much in our neighborhood but more in the mountains as you showed. Most in our area just turned brown and let loose it seems like. Oh well - - - next year I will be retired and can maybe catch the colors. Until then, I will admire yours!

Janie said...

The Smokies are certainly spectacular in their autumn glory. Love that photo of you and George!

Jo said...

The fall colors are spectacular and I've never seen the "Smokies" till you showed them to me! Thanks. The photo of you and George tugs at my heart. You are two very beautiful people, Betsy and George. Love your header too! Thanks for your advice on my header photo issue. I am busy working on the suggestions and have linked this post to mine. Have a great weekend, (((Hugs))) Jo

Jo said...

The fall colors are spectacular and I've never seen the "Smokies" till you showed them to me! Thanks. The photo of you and George tugs at my heart. You are two very beautiful people, Betsy and George. Love your header too! Thanks for your advice on my header photo issue. I am busy working on the suggestions and have linked this post to mine. Have a great weekend, (((Hugs))) Jo