Rain or Shine??????? A Visit along the Highland Scenic Highway, West VA

Me standing at one of the overlooks;  I loved the Red Spruce trees which grow well in higher elevations.

Holy Cow--it's August!!!  Is it just ME --or is time flying????  Schools are already starting in Tennessee in certain places...  Mercy Me----Slow down World!!!!! ha

Today,  I'm sharing a wonderful scenic drive that George and I took on June 24, 2014 while we were there for a few days celebrating our Anniversary in the beautiful state of West Virginia.   We visited here after we had been to the waterfalls. (Click HERE for that post.)  We drove along the Allegheny Highlands in the Monongahela National Forest traveling on the highest major road way in West Virginia,  known as Highland Scenic Highway 150.  We took the 22 mile stretch of Highway 150 from the Cranberry Glades area to US 19 north of Marlinton.

The drive along this stretch of road took us to an elevation of over 4500 feet.  In fact, most all of the drive was over 4000 feet in elevation.   This road would remind you of the Blue Ridge Parkway and/or Skyline Drive in Virginia, with overlooks all along the way on both sides...  While driving north,  the Cranberry Glades and Wilderness was to the west and the Appalachians were to the east.

BUT--for us,  it was not just the drive on this beautiful road/area.  It was, on this particular day, ALSO the WEATHER... Rain was ALL around us --and we were so lucky that we didn't get wet where we were. But we got some fantastic Rain/Sunshine photos... Hope you enjoy this special scenic road trip through our pictures today!!!

Dark clouds in the sky ---but sunshine was peeking through!!

George standing next to Mrs. P  (our wonderful Prius)

Oops---Rain is NEARBY...  Still love those Red Spruces!!

Beautiful Red Spruce (see how much I loved them? ha)---but note also the BLUE sky --among all of the dark clouds around us!!!

We took a walk along a boardwalk --and I loved seeing these ferns and wildflowers.

OH MY----Rain is getting closer;  "Run to the Car,  George".... (It still missed us!)

I love this picture since it shows both RAIN and SUNSHINE....  (Photographers LOVE these kinds of days!!!!  We had so much fun..)

We made it down to the Williams River.  I read that this river is wonderful for trout fishing!!!

I caught George getting a shot of the Williams River!

I loved seeing all of the WILDFLOWERS along that scenic road.   See the BUTTERFLY????

Wooooo--This "Puff Ball" was gorgeous and HUGE.  It may be in the Dandelion family--but was MUCH larger and prettier... Beautiful!!!!  (Do you know what it is?)  UPDATE:  Thanks to Furry Gnome,  this is called Goatsbeard.  You can read his description in the comment section.

More gorgeous Wildflowers blooming all along our way

I also love this 'rain' photo--and I'm sure the Wildflowers love that water!!!  (NOTE--we did not get wet!!!  Amazing!)

More flowers;  more butterflies;  AND LOTS of rain in the distance!!

Beautiful views,  sunshine,  shadows,  and gorgeous skies-----what else could we  want???

I hope you enjoyed seeing these 'weather' photos... I hope you clicked on them for enlargements. We were truly in that area at the right time!!!!  To think that we saw so much rain on all sides of us ---yet it stayed away from us... We probably could never have a photo session like this again if we tried!!!!! What a fantastic day ---and SO SO SO many photos to share!

Here's a map showing you the entire area (Falls of Hills Creek AND the Scenic Road 150).  I got this map from the internet.

Hope you enjoyed this scenic drive. For more information about this area,  click HERE.  I'd love to be here in Autumn to see the Fall colors.  We highly recommend this area to ALL.  West Virginia is a gorgeous state.

Have a wonderful week/weekend.

Hugs,

Emoticons

Lilies in our Yard ---Part II

We didn't have many PINK PERFECTION LILIES to bloom this year due to a late Spring freeze where several plants got damaged.  Last year, it was this lily which bloomed the most... Many of you will remember Pink Perfection from last year!  (Photo taken on 6/22/14)

In June,  I published a post showing you 12 of the LILIES which were blooming in our yard... IF you missed that post,  click HERE to see it,  or look at it again!  Today,  I'll show you the remaining 11 different LILIES which have or are blooming now.  SO--as you can tell,  we had 23 different types/groups of Lilies to bloom this year.  Most are gone --or almost gone now!!!!  Sigh!

As I have mentioned before (MANY TIMES I am sure---ha),  we have a huge chipmunk/squirrel problem here.  AND those cute little critters LOVE to dig up lily and tulip bulbs and try to eat them (thinking they are 'special' nuts for them)... Sometimes they just move them to another place --and when we get a flower growing in an odd place,  we know who did it!!!!!  Sounds like fun to them I'm sure,  but it drives us bonkers --as we have to work so hard in our yard --while sharing it with the wildlife around... Fun fun!!!!  WELL---to make a long story short,  we have lost many of our Lilies  (and Tulips) through the years due to this problem!!!! Oh Well--tis LIFE!!!


I'll show you a variety today (some as singles,  some in groups,  and/or both).  Hope you enjoy our Lilies... Besides the Roses,  I think Lilies are my second favorite of all of our flowers (especially the ones with fragrance).. BUT--as you know,  I love them all--and love to have something blooming most all seasons!!!! Be sure to click on the photos for enlargements....

GOLDEN SPLENDOR LILIES --taken on 6/28/14;  I LOVE the YELLOWS of Summer.

GARDEN PLEASURE LILY (taken on 6/26/14); 

AMERICAN ORIGINAL LILY (taken on 7/2/14);  I captured this photo with the afternoon sun behind it...

Here's a double of AMERICAN ORIGINAL LILIES.. (taken on 7/5/14)

STARGAZER LILY  (taken on 7/3/14);  This is a popular Asiatic Lily which many people have or know about.  It is such a beauty!

A Group of STARGAZER LILIES  (taken on 7/9/14);   I love seeing the lilies individually--but ADORE them in groups like this... Do you?

SIMPLON LILY;  Taken on 7/14/14;  If you love WHITE,  this one is for you!!

Group of SIMPLON LILIES;  Taken on 7/17/14;  This was one of our latest to bloom --and there are still more blooms to come!!!!  This one is gorgeous in a large group.

A Lily named DIZZY!!!!  (Taken on 7/6/14);  Like Stargazer,  Dizzy is another Asiatic Lily.

Group of DIZZY Lilies;  Taken on 7/10/14;  I absolutely love this lily.. It's guaranteed to make you SMILE ---or should I say,  it will make you "Dizzy" with JOY!!!

Lily named TOUCHING;  Taken on 7/5/14;  This cream-colored lily with its reddish insides is just so pretty.  As you'll see from the next photo,  this is the lily which bloomed the MOST in our yard this year...  AND--it's fragrance is FANTASTIC.  After Pink Perfection got damaged,  Touching decided it was her time to SHINE--and she DID..

Huge Group of TOUCHING LILIES in our yard;  Taken on 7/6/14;   I have probably taken WAY over 100 different photos of these Lilies ---so you have and will see them featured on other blog posts I'm sure!!!! 

CANNA LILIES are NEW to our yard (and to me) this year.  A great friend gave me some --and since we have no more sun areas in our yard,  we put them in containers along the front of the house... MAN--those things are HUGE... I am so excited to have them...Right now,  four of the five are beginning to bloom.  I love their brilliant red color.   (Photo taken on 7/20/14);  Do you have Cannas????

An up-close and personal view of one of the CANNA LILYblooms (taken on 7/18/14);

BLACK BEAUTY LILY in our yard;  Taken on 7/20/14;  Until I did some research,  I thought this was another 'tiger lily' with a different color---but it is not.  It is an Oriental Trumpet Lily.  (The Tiger Lilies are orange with black spots --and we used to have them... Guess the Chipmunks and Squirrels really enjoyed those bulbs!!!)

LOMBARDIA LILY;  taken on 7/1/14;  Along with Stargazer and Dizzy,  Lombardia is an Asiatic Lily.  I absolutely LOVE the color of this one... Do you?

LOMBARDIA LILIES (taken on 7/5/14;  I saved this one until LAST today since it truly is my favorite Lily of this season--even though several others are a close 2nd...  You almost have to see this Lily to appreciate its color.  It is VERY unique --and almost looks as if it would glow in the dark!!!!!!  Such a beauty!

Hope you enjoy seeing the remainder of the Lilies in our yard...  I was talking to George about my love for Lilies ---and he expressed his love for Daylilies... WELL--I too love the Daylilies... AND --since the critters don't bother the Daylilies much (except for deer which will bother most everything IF you let them),  we have many more Daylilies than we do Lilies.  (I counted 55 different varieties of Daylilies as opposed to our 23 varieties of Lilies.)   SO---SEVERAL more Daylily posts are upcoming sometime....

NOW---let me know your favorite Lily featured today!!!!!  I'd love to know!  Thanks.

Have a wonderful Monday and I'll see you on Thursday.
Hugs,

Emoticons

July in the Glade

Looking at the blue sky while featuring the Lilies and Daylilies in our Road Flowerbed-- taken on 7/6/14;

I last showed you some photos taken on July 4th around our home and yard... SO---today,  I'll share more July photos  (not counting individual photos of Roses, Lilies and Daylilies which I will feature in future posts) taken this month.

Please click on the photos for enlargements.  Hope you enjoy seeing more of the beauty around our yard in summer.

A view of some of our front yard, featuring the lilies in the Lamppost Round Bed and the Roses, Daylilies and Lilies in the Road Bed--taken on 7/6/14;

This is the top part of our HUGE Glossy Abelia  (which I used to think was a Confederate Jasmine bush);  This beauty has little bells as flowers---taken on 7/7/14.

A beautiful Hosta given to me a few years ago by a friend--taken 7/7/14

One of our larger Hosta plants which was blooming;  taken on 7/7/14

Another view of the Lamppost Round Bed and the Road Bed --showing all of the pretty colors;  AND---also included are some Daylilies in the Small Daylily Bed near the big Rose Bed.  Taken on 7/8/14

Two Daylilies (Orange Vols and Lavender Deal);  I love these two color combinations.  Taken on 7/8/14

I not only look at flowers when we 'walk our yard' each morning and evening.. I also look at the sky.  These clouds were so pretty I thought..  Taken on 7/8/14

I love this particular Hosta...  As you probably know,  I have fallen in love with Hostas --and they do well here in our shaded yard. Taken on 7/9/14

Some of our Semps (Sempervivum) in bloom;  Semps are also called Chicks and Hens.  Love them!!!  Do you? Taken on 7/11/14

This is our Daylily Bed (although we have Daylilies all over the yard)...  I love seeing all of the different colors in this bed...  Taken on 7/12/14

Another pretty Blooming Hosta in our yard;  Taken on 7/13/14

This is a new flower in our yard this year---the blooms of a Canna Lily.  We have 5 of these beauties in pots along the sunny side of our driveway.  This special lily is HUGE --and was given to us by a friend... I'm so excited to watch it grow and then bloom.... Awesome!  Photo taken 7/15/14;

This is only one (of 5) of our new Canna Lilies... I love it!!! --Photo taken 7/15/14

The Orange Vols Daylily is really showing off this year.  Since I LOVE my Tennessee Vols sports teams,  you can imagine how much I enjoy seeing this daylily.  Gorgeous!!!  taken on 7/16/14;

Looking out toward the Golf Course Fairway from our Deck

Finally,  here's a picture of our Swing (on our deck)...  We sit on this swing early in the morning for our devotion time together.  Sometimes we go to the front yard and have our devotions on the bench--but most of the time,  we end up on the swing.  That photo also shows the late afternoon sun shining on the Golf Course Fairway out back of our home.  Oh --how I love sunset around here.

Hope you enjoyed seeing more of our Summer photos and colors around our home  today... Summer is my least favorite season (because of the heat)--but I do like it in June/July so that I can enjoy our Summer flowers.

Thanks for stopping by... You are special!  See you on Monday!
Hugs,

Emoticons