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...

Monday, November 13, 2017

Autumn's Final Hoorah!!!!!!

Our lower side yard ---11/4/17
Hello my Friends,   After a crazy (and very warm) Autumn this year,  we finally got a little Fall color here at home and in the TN mountains...  At home,  after one little cold spell,   the trees all seemed to turn about the same time --and most of them showed colors of yellows/golds/rusts.... Then, after turning colors, we had some extremely heavy rain and LOTS of wind --and most all of the trees lost their leaves quickly... But I did manage to get a few pictures here at home.  NOW--it is "raking and blowing leaves" time for me!!!!!

However, we decided this past Friday (since it was a beautiful,  sunny, and brisk day)  to head to Knoxville for some errands and then take a "Day Trip"  to visit the Foothills Parkway in the Great Smoky Mountains  (near Townsend, TN).

Since it was November 10,   we knew that  it was almost the end of all of the Autumn Colors in that area. But we lucked up and did see some pretty colors.   Needless to say,  except for the COLD COLD WIND,  we really enjoyed our little day trip!!!!!

Today I'll share some photos from the Foothills Parkway and also a few from here at home!!!    There is something special about the 'end' of the Fall season ---and I enjoy being out in nature ---with the leaves crunching under my feet when I walk...  There is also a special briskness in the air during this time of the Fall season I think... When I lived in Texas for 12 years  (and in Jacksonville, FL and New Orleans, LA before that),  I REALLY missed the  four seasons,  especially Autumn.   NOW---I LOVE LOVE LOVE everything about this very special season!!!!!    Hope you enjoy the pictures today!


Colors in our yard,  11/4/17  (I love the colors of our Pink Dogwood in Autumn)



Our Street,  11/5/17



Our Back Yard,  11/5/17



Beautiful Smoky Mountains --from the Foothills Parkway 11/10/17



Even though it was SO COLD and WINDY,   this old woman loved being there!



Here's a picture I took using my long lens...   That high mountain in the distance is Mt. LeConte. (Sorry for the quality.. It was SO hazy in the distance!!!)



One lone RED tree here along the Foothills Parkway!!!!  BUT--I love the green pines against the blue blue sky!!!



My Cutie Pie enjoyed the overlooks along the Foothills Parkway,  even though that wind was COLD.   11/10/17



You can still see some color along those mountain ranges, especially when the sun shines down on those areas.



How would you like a little farm down there in that valley?????   Wouldn't that be gorgeous,  surrounded by all of the beauty?   (Picture taken from an overlook on the Foothills Parkway,  11/10/17)



Another pretty colored tree we saw along the Foothills Parkway,  11/10/17



I loved the background here --showing some of the left-over Fall Colors in the distance behind George... 



Some pretty colors at the Look Rock Overlook along the Foothills Parkway, 11/10/17



At the Look Rock Overlook,  Foothills Parkway,  11/10/17  (NOTE:  We did not hike to the top of the mountain at Look Rock due to the high winds,  and the fact that we didn't have hats/coats/gloves with us!  We'll take that short hike another day!)



Finally,  here is a neat picture showing one of the gorgeous MAPLES at  the Look Rock Overlook along the Foothills Parkway.   Maples are my favorite Autumn Leaves/Trees....
WELL-----how did you like seeing "Autumn's Final Hoorah"????   I will say though that we have another short trip coming up soon ---so who knows????? Maybe (just maybe) we will still see more colors!!!!!  I wouldn't complain a bit!!!!! Like I said,  I just enjoy being out in nature!!!

Have a wonderful November Week...

Hugs,

34 comments:

diane b said...

It is certainly a beautiful season for you in TN. The trees in your yard and in the mountains are just beautiful. I can see why you love it there but..........that cold wind would chase me away.

Ann said...

Lots of pretty fall color in these photos.

Jeevan said...

Lovely fall capture and I see fall colors are richer at closer you take! Wonderful mountain views and shades of different… glad you both enjoyed the outing in nature despite the cold winds. Its monsoon here and it’s raining all the days with few intense spills

Cheers

linda m said...

The Fall colors were very pretty in your area. We really didn't get much here at all. Thank you for sharing your colors with us. Fall is my favorite time of year - when Mother Nature uses her paint brush to "color" the trees.

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

We were in the Smokies last week (Monday through Thursday). No leaves crunched on our walks. Instead, they squished. :) We had to leave on Friday, when the sun came out at last. So thank for showing us what we missed! Your yard and the beautiful scenes along the Foothills Parkway are glorious.

eileeninmd said...

Hello, Betsy! Your fall colors are gorgeous. Beautiful trees and scenes. Great shots of you and George. Happy Monday, enjoy your day and new week!

George said...

I really enjoyed our drive along the Foothills Parkway, and you got some wonderful photos of the autumn colors.

Busy Bee Suz said...

Such lovely fall colors; you're so lucky to enjoy it right outside your door. I especially love the pictures of you two cutie pies and your big smiles!! XOXO

Fun60 said...

Lucky you finding so many of the trees in full colour.

Latane Barton said...

Although it was slow getting here, Fall has been lovely this year. Glad you and George got out to see some of it.

Lady Fi said...

The colours are just gorgeous!

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Beautiful colors still- not that much here...I am waiting for fall to really shine, but I am afraid summer stuck around too long and most leaves will just go ahead and fall. Have a blessed day!

David said...

Betsy, You're right... Fall colors came and went in a hurry this year! Here one day and gone almost the next. Spent hours blowing leafs on Saturday...with at least one more big blowing session to go yet. As for the foothills parkway, we usually take first time visitors up to Look Rock for the views...whatever time of the year it is. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Ginny Hartzler said...

Beautiful photos! Yes, only now we have having leaf color. You are George look like the prettiest yellow leaves with your sweatshirts!

Arkansas Patti said...

Nice to see all the lovely colors. We are pretty brown here.
I love how you and George are so spontaneous. You don't wait for things to come to you , you seek them out. Kudos.

Betsy said...

Ohh, how beautiful the trees are. Those maple trees put on a show and then as soon as they turn, they are falling. I feel we are in for an icy winter this year. Will be out soon to put lights out as it's gonna be way too cold in December I fear. I love the color of your home, fits perfect with the nature that surrounds it.
Betsy

Barb said...

You have such beautiful mature trees on your property and in the neighborhood. Our fall was so short here that I'm really enjoying seeing fall in other parts of the country. Mt LeConte looks like it's floating on a cloud. Don't blow away Betsy!

Betsy said...

Beautiful Betsy! Our fall colors didn’t last very long since we had so much snow last week. Although the snow has melted, the hard freeze took every leaf along with it. I’m looking out my windows and there’s not a leaf to be seen on any tree within my vision. Thank you for sharing the beauty of your area with this post.
Blessings always,
Betsy

Happytrails said...

Being out in nature in every season is fantastic. Your day trip brought you out to enjoy the beauty of fall and you and George enjoying ti all together. Remember, when you rake those leave, make the stack big enough to play in a bit and have some fun after all that work raking them.
Fall is even more splendid in the mountains...as you well know! Thanks for sharing!

Ruth Hiebert said...

The colors may be subtle but they are still beautiful. I think you may feel the same as I used to, just being out in nature with the man you love makes for a perfect day. we used to jokingly say that if we got one good picture than the day was a success. I do think it was good even without any pictures.

Cheryl @ TFD said...

I enjoyed your fall colors, Betsy. Our trees here are fading fast and the leaves are dropping quickly now. Soon they will be bare and old man winter will arrive. I don't like cold weather but I do enjoy the four seasons, too. Well, I'd skip winter if I could and replace it with another autumn. lol!
Have a nice week!
Hugs, Cheryl

The Furry Gnome said...

Looks like you got more colours than we did!

BeachGypsy said...

What beautiful scenery Betsy!!---love all the pretty colors!! Yall got some great photos!!!

Lowcarb team member said...

Autumn is just fabulous ...
You've shared a fantastic collection of photographs. Such lovely scenery and wonderful colours.

This time of year there is always a lot of raking and blowing leaves to do. Hope all goes well.

All the best Jan

Connie said...

Beautiful photos and scenery, Betsy. I know you enjoyed all those colors.

Chatty Crone said...

Beautiful trip and I love the fall colors. I am deciding if we are going to have a cold winter or a warm winter - what do you think?

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Fall showed up late here, but then passed super fast. We're beyond peak now, and everything just looks brown. You got pretty pictures!

Rose said...

Oh, Betsy, these were beautiful. Your fall sounds like ours. almost all the color is gone here, and with the rain we had in the wee hours and the first half of this day will probably make the last of them drop soon.

Pat Tillett said...

So many beautiful photos Betsy! Out here we keep waiting for the palm fronds to turn colors, but I don't think it's going to happen. So what do you do with all those fallen leaves every year?

Small City Scenes said...

Seems like there was lots of golds this year. Out here too
MB

Dee said...

Dear Betsy, thank you for sharing such loveliness with us. The scenery is breathtaking. Like you, I want always to live where there are four discernible seasons. My favorite of them all is autumn, followed by winter, then spring, then summer. Here, there was not as much color as usual, but the sumac was gorgeous. Peace.

Small Kucing said...

so fast. Time sure rush by this year. It was hardly January and now it's nearing Dec.

have a good weekend my dear Betsy

Linda P said...

Very pretty. There's nothing better than the beautiful colours of nature in autumn. We had a lot of wind and rain early on in the season and some trees lost their leaves quickly. Colours were not so vivid this year, but now the weather is calmer those leaves that are left have a beautiful golden hue. Trees look gorgeous when the sun shines on them.

Annie Jeffries said...

Hi Betsy. Love seeing this and thinking to myself, "THIS is mine, too".