Wednesday, December 9, 2009

My Favorite Things


"Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens... " You know that song, don't you???? WELL--I have a couple of favorite things also to share with you today, Waterfalls and Christmas Wreaths. You could have guessed them both, couldn't you????? Of course I have ALOT of favorite things---but these are two of my VERY favorites.

The first set of pictures are from another waterfall which George and I visited on Black Friday when we were on our trip to Erwin, TN. Of all of the waterfalls we visited that weekend, this one was definitely one of the prettiest--but also one of the hardest hikes. The book listed it as a HARD hike but it was short---so we did it. There were 2 water crossings. I did okay rock-hopping!!! BUT--there were tons of huge rocks to climb up and down --and my old short legs don't do well climbing like that. Luckily, George helped me--and I made it to the brink of the falls.

I sat and 'allowed' George to hike DOWN to the bottom of the falls for some great pictures. It was a pretty waterfall for sure. Below are five pictures of RED FORK FALLS in Unicoi County, TN. Red Fork Creek rushes 50 to 60 feet over a precarious rock escarpment.

This is a picture of Red Fork Creek--as it starts down the rocks.




I sat at this little cascade at the top of Red Fork Falls ---and enjoyed the sound of that water --after that hard hike!!! SO relaxing!!!




George climbed around to get some pictures of the creek and the cascade at the top of the waterfall.




This shows the bottom of the waterfall ---as it cascades on down the mountain.




Here it is!!!!!! THIS beauty is Red Fork Falls. George was so glad that he climbed down to the bottom of the falls ---since this one is a gorgeous waterfall. Seeing this one and getting its picture made it one of our more memorable hikes!!!!





My other 'favorite thing' to show you today is another Christmas wreath. In a previous post, I mentioned that Christmas Wreaths are always (and have always been) some of my favorite Christmas decorations. I already showed you our two lit wreaths hanging on the house in our front yard.

SO---today I will show you two more wreaths at our home. The one above is the wreath on our front door. This is not my favorite wreath; however, after I added the big red bow and the big jingle bells, it became more appealing. AND--my sons should recognize this one since it has been in my family for LOTS of years!! So it has sentimental value also!




And this wreath is over our fireplace. This one came from George's family --and it looks so perfect over the hearth.

Hope you have enjoyed some of my 'favorite things' today. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Hugs,
at

52 comments:

  1. JaneDecember 9, 2009 at 4:55 AM

    Oooh, I like your favorite things! I need to get my wreath out as well.

    J

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  2. ShelleyDecember 9, 2009 at 5:42 AM

    I love your favorite things too! I've gotten to experience so many beautiful waterfalls thru you and George. Now greg and I want to go hunting for some - most of the waterfalls in michigan are in the Upper Peninsula. Love your wreaths too! I'm hoping to hang a big one on the front of our cabin this weekend.
    Hugs,
    Shelley

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  3. BethDecember 9, 2009 at 5:52 AM

    Your wreaths are so pretty, Betsy. I can see why you love them so. And your waterfall pictures are gorgeous, as always. I love your (and George's) adventurous spirit. You don't let much stop you, do you? I really admire that.

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  4. TDecember 9, 2009 at 5:58 AM

    Lovely wreaths and the waterfall is breathtaking!

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  5. RADecember 9, 2009 at 6:16 AM

    I can see why these are your favorites, Betsy. Beautiful! Have a wonderful week and holiday. Hugs and love :)

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  6. CherryDecember 9, 2009 at 6:35 AM

    the Christmas wreaths are beautiful!

    just droppin' by to greet you and your family a Merry CHRISTMAS! :)

    big hugs,
    cher

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  7. Arkansas PattiDecember 9, 2009 at 7:11 AM

    I see where you make George your "runner" for the hard to get pictures, smart lady.
    Kind of like the wreath with tradition written all over it the best.

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  8. Carol MurdockDecember 9, 2009 at 7:16 AM

    Betsy....the falls are always a treat and I love wreaths too! I'm still trying to get over Sunday! :(

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  9. DorothyDecember 9, 2009 at 7:43 AM

    You have some wonderful 'favotire things'! Beautiful falls, too!

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  10. AnonymousDecember 9, 2009 at 7:46 AM

    Hi Betsy, I went back and looked at all your Christmas Pretties. Your house looks just beautiful and I love your wreaths. I really enjoyed your Favorite things and Red Fork falls, too.

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  11. SunnyDecember 9, 2009 at 7:49 AM

    It's always enjoyable to see your waterfalls. Your wreaths are so pretty. We just hung one on our front window at the weekend.
    It's like a blizzard here right now!
    Stay warm.
    Sunny :)

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  12. JLS Hall (Joysweb)December 9, 2009 at 7:50 AM

    You have such interesting favorite things! Love that waterfall, but I'm afraid my "rock-hopping" days are far behind me, so I'd never get there! And your wreaths are very pretty and festive-looking. I'd have wreaths all over the place year-round if my hubby would go along with it!

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  13. SnapDecember 9, 2009 at 8:15 AM

    Two of my favorite things also. Thanks for dropping by. This is our first round with the big C ... once is enough!

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  14. Small City ScenesDecember 9, 2009 at 8:17 AM

    Such wonderful 'favorite things'. Oh I have to get my Christmas stuff out. I did put up some outside lights---which I have never had before. I missed the wresth making party last weekend (watching grandsons instead) so I will just make some swags. Enjoy today. MB

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  15. SusieDecember 9, 2009 at 8:34 AM

    Those falls are beautiful so thank you for making the hard hike.

    Nice wreaths!

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  16. Thoughtfully Blended HeartsDecember 9, 2009 at 8:39 AM

    That waterfall is so gorgeous Betsy, thank George for the great photos!!!
    Your wreaths are so very pretty also!

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  17. Busy Bee SuzDecember 9, 2009 at 8:41 AM

    I love your wreaths too Betsy!! You know what would have made them cuter? If you put some of my cats in the middle...for your 'whiskers on kittens' cute factor. I will send them to you. I just caught one eating food off of the kitchen counter. gads!!!
    Great waterfalling pictures...you guys are die-hards!!!

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  18. PeggyDecember 9, 2009 at 8:42 AM

    I loved seeing some of your favorite things!

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  19. Becca's DirtDecember 9, 2009 at 9:08 AM

    What a beautiful waterfall. It looks peaceful even though you hear the rush of water - a soothing sound.

    Beautiful wreaths. I love them too.

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  20. JenDecember 9, 2009 at 9:36 AM

    Your Christmas wreaths are beautiful - I love the real ones - and smelling them as I come into the house.

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  21. SmilingSallyDecember 9, 2009 at 9:36 AM

    I'll bet George has gotten his feet wet a time or two.

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  22. BettyDecember 9, 2009 at 9:38 AM

    I love your favorite things. You wreathe are beautiful as are your waterfall, I bet your other favorite things are birds and roses.(LOL)
    ~~Hugs~~

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  23. Ruth's Photo BlogDecember 9, 2009 at 9:58 AM

    Thanks for sharing some of your favorite things.The waterfalls are gorgeous,but that hike sounds too strenuous for me,so I'll just enjoy your pictures.The wreaths on the other hand look fabulous and I don't have to exert too much energy to enjoy those.Lovely.:)
    Blessings,Ruth

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  24. CherylDecember 9, 2009 at 10:08 AM

    The waterfall were beautiful! I definitely think spending Black Friday there hiking and enjoying the falls was much better than battling the crowds in the stores! I love your wreaths, how wonderful that they are favorites and decorate your home year after year.

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  25. DianeDecember 9, 2009 at 10:14 AM

    Thanks, Betsy, glad you shared a couple of your favorite things. Your new look is pretty.

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  26. MadSnapperDecember 9, 2009 at 10:35 AM

    love the wreath over the fireplace. I am so glad you were not Stone Hopping. and that you were safe while hopping on those rocks. George looks like he is in on a place i would not stand.

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  27. ~from my front porch in the mountains~December 9, 2009 at 11:58 AM

    Those "snow falls" pics are beautiful! And your home is lovely. I would love to have a huge a tree like that. But with so many felines that turn into monkeys-no way!
    Misha

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  28. pamDecember 9, 2009 at 12:14 PM

    Thanks for sharing your favorite things! They're my favorites too!

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  29. AnonymousDecember 9, 2009 at 1:08 PM

    Beautiful Beautiful & Beautiful! Decorating w/ red berries at Christmas is one of my favorite things

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  30. AnonymousDecember 9, 2009 at 1:24 PM

    Great photography - it feels if you can just relax and start dreaming...

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  31. Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪December 9, 2009 at 2:46 PM

    Love your header photo, The beautiful tree, the fire and reddish orange colour. Such a warm room.

    Who's coming for Christmas?

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  32. KellyDecember 9, 2009 at 3:12 PM

    ...how many wreaths do you have in total? They are so pretty... I love them too! (and waterfalls of course!) ...my favorite things....family and birds...and the smell of pine at Christmas.

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  33. Diane AZDecember 9, 2009 at 3:23 PM

    Good for you two to go hiking to waterfalls even in the cold weather! The water looked beautiful and soft the way it was photographed. I enjoyed seeing the wreaths too!

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  34. LVDecember 9, 2009 at 3:49 PM

    I enjoyed seeing the great falls trip. You two are braver than I would be, I would probably slip right into the falls. All your wreaths are so pretty. Where you live, nature provides a lot of great beauty for the outside decorations.

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  35. Kathy WDecember 9, 2009 at 4:13 PM

    George is a brave man. Love those Christmas wreaths.

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  36. AnonymousDecember 9, 2009 at 5:16 PM

    One of my favorite things is your blog with it's lovely pictures.

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  37. Joe ToddDecember 9, 2009 at 5:31 PM

    I must be nuts I was out in todays wind storm looking for a waterfall and found a small one. Should show up next week in a post. Then I climbed a Fire Tower with winds gusting to 50mph It was exciting.. Stay warm

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  38. AnonymousDecember 9, 2009 at 7:08 PM

    Hi Betsy, I saw your name on Ann's post and see we are neighbors. Those pictures of the falls are amazing. I am a fairly new blogger and really into photography among other things. I is cold and so windy here in Ky. It is unpleasant outside. Stop by for a visit.
    QMM

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  39. Mary Isabella and Kiley too!December 9, 2009 at 7:46 PM

    Love them all...hugs..m.

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  40. KimDecember 9, 2009 at 8:02 PM

    Love those waterfalls Betsy! Really like your new header too!

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  41. ConnieDecember 9, 2009 at 8:14 PM

    I can almost hear those waterfalls, Betsy. So peaceful looking. And your wreaths are gorgeous--really makes things look festive! :)

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  42. UnknownDecember 9, 2009 at 9:01 PM

    One of the off shoots of blogging is that I've become quite the obsessive photographer. It's amazing how much they help me put together ideas and tie things together hydrologically (in my case).

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  43. Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪December 9, 2009 at 9:09 PM

    Thanks for your comment,

    Re mood of Christmas, some people do celebrate Christmas in July so that it has the "Cold" atmosphere.

    For most people here, they are used to it, Christmas is the long summer break, schools and offices are closed.

    Christmas for me is not traditional, Dad was a Roman Catholic, he went to England. He showed us some Christmas things. Christmas was a Church thing.

    My own family, my husband was not a Christian until he was a university student. His thoughts are Christmas is too commercial, so we don't celebrate it in a big way.

    This Christmas, I am going to Australia to my siblings. there we celebrate it in a big way despite the heat.

    I did have one white Christmas, 1975 when I was invited by my Canadian room mate to her parents' home.

    Thanks for asking.

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  44. RoseDecember 9, 2009 at 9:43 PM

    That waterfall is a real beauty. That first shot looks so inviting....

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  45. MaryDecember 9, 2009 at 10:59 PM

    Wonderful favorites...all so very pretty. This is a good time of year to think about favorites. We all have so much to be thankful for when we look around.

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  46. SquirrelQueenDecember 10, 2009 at 1:36 AM

    I love your favorite things. Just when I think you can't possibly find a waterfall more beautiful that the last one you posted you go and find one. That is a gorgeous falls. Love the wreaths.
    Hugs,
    Judy

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  47. diane bDecember 10, 2009 at 4:57 AM

    Those waterfall shots are magic. I haven't been able to master that technique yet. I always end up with a blurry background through camera shake.Come over here for a holiday and george can teach me. The wreaths are beautiful too.

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  48. AnonymousDecember 10, 2009 at 6:10 AM

    Betsy,
    You have visited so many waterfalls you could assemble all this good info into a quide book.

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  49. This Is My Blog - fishing guyDecember 10, 2009 at 8:46 AM

    Betsy: It is neat the way that falls cascades down the mountain.

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  50. JoDecember 10, 2009 at 11:46 AM

    Thanks George for climbing down and giving us the water "falling" down to the end. Betsy, your photos are amazing. How do you get the water to look "frozen" Slow shutter speed? Thanks for doing the hike and sharing with us. You are two WONDERFULLY fit and healthy people. I trust you're enjoying your weekend as I post this comment. (((Hugs))) Jo

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  51. JanieDecember 13, 2009 at 9:50 PM

    Your waterfalls and wreaths are beautiful. I can see why they're favorite things. A couple of mine are horses and wildflowers. Bet you'd never have guessed!

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  52. The Retired OneDecember 21, 2009 at 4:18 PM

    That one shot of the waterfalls looked so dreamy...I am curious...did you use a tripod and slow your shutter speed down to get it that way?

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