Autumn at its BEST in my Area of the Country

Around our home

Dear Friends,   I am desperate for some Autumn Color.  SO----today  I will jump back into the archives and show you some beautiful Fall Colors in our area.  As I've said in previous posts,  our area of the country has been in a horrible drought recently --and that,  along with an extremely hot September,  "did a number" on our leaves this Fall... Most of the leaves just died on the trees --and are now falling.   IF we get any color at all this year --I'm sure it will be sometime in November (instead of our usual October colors).

SO---today I will share with you some beauty from past years.....  Sit back,  get a cuppa,  and relax and enjoy!!!!

Love the colors in this tree near our home

Along one of the back roads in the Catoosa area near Fairfield Glade

Looking across one of the many lakes in Fairfield Glade

One of the gorgeous Maples ---in the Catoosa area, near Fairfield Glade

Glorious 'carpet' in the Great Smoky Mountains

Along the Foothills Parkway, near Townsend, TN in the Smokies

After a hike to Look Rock (off of the Foothills Parkway in the Smokies),  I was checking out the valley below from the Look Rock tower..

Also from Look Rock,  I love this picture of the Foothills Parkway below --and the Smoky Mountains in the distance!!!

The Great Smoky Mountains,  near Newfound Gap

From Newfound Gap in the Smokies,  showing the fog in the valley below

Along the Blue Ridge Parkway

From the Blue Ridge Parkway

So much beauty along the Cherohala Skyway 

A favorite picture from the Cherohala Skyway showing the Sunbeams peaking through

More beautiful Fall colors from our area of the country

Hope you enjoyed see AUTUMN in our area ---as it usually looks. I am so glad I have lots of beautiful colored pictures in my Archives to share this year....  We may still take a trip to the Smoky Mountains soon just to see if they do have any color much there this year... But--I'm spoiled by the colors which we usually have around here.  I'll keep you posted.

Have an awesome week.   It's hard to believe that November will be here very soon!!!

Hugs,

Emoticons

Take Time to See the Beauty ABOVE!!!!

From Abbott Lake in the Peaks of Otter on 8/5/19;  Love seeing the clouds reflecting in the water!

Hello Blog Friends/Family...  Hope you are all doing well!!!!   Today's post is a compilation of pictures from two recent trips... I love watching the SKY --so when I started working on pictures,  I enjoyed finding pictures from those trips to share with you... Whether I am looking at sky reflections in water,  OR puffy clouds with a pretty blue sky,  OR clouds that look like 'critters in the sky',  OR clouds before or after sunrises or sunsets  OR just a beautiful clear day with a gorgeous blue sky----- I just love it all!!!! Hope you enjoy the pictures today. There's just so much beauty all around us ---if we LOOK.   (NOTE:   I think that you will enjoy these pictures SO much more ---if you click on them in order to see the details.)

Another reflection picture from the Peaks of Otter, 8/5/19;   This is when you can enjoy seeing the clouds/sky without looking UP!!!!! ha

After sunset at the Peaks of Otter, 8/5/19,  We took a long walk after dinner --and enjoyed seeing this beautiful area.  Again,  the reflections in the lake were awesome.

On 8/7/19,  we drove north from Skyland Resort (where we were staying) and stopped at several overlooks along the way.  This picture was taken from the Thorofare Mountain Overlook, elevation 3595'.

Crazy Critters in the Sky as we waited for the sunset;   Skyland Resort--8/7/19, which has an elevation of 3710';  

Clouds are so gorgeous as the sun begins to sett!!!   We were at Skyland Resort off of Skyline Drive on 8/7/19 when this picture was taken.

On 8/8/19, we took a hike to Little Stony Man Overlook (elevation--3642').     I love the mountains and those pretty clouds from that overlook. Our elevation gain on that hike was about 450 feet.    Can you see the road (Skyline Drive) below?

From the Crescent Rock Overlook (elevation 3550') along Skyline Drive (south of Skyland) on 8/8/19

Another gorgeous sky with the Shenandoah Valley below;  Taken along Skyline Drive, at the Timber Hollow Overlook,  elevation 3360',  8/8/19

A picture of the sky/clouds taken after sunset from our balcony at Skyland Resort, VA --on 8/8/19

All of the pictures above were taken on my Birthday Trip to the Peaks of Otter and Skyland Resort  from 8/5-8/8, 2019.   The pictures below were all taken on our little trip to Pisgah Inn on 9/25 and 9/26,  2019.

On 9/25/19,   we headed north on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Craggy Gardens area.   The elevation here is 5497'...   As I've said,  I love being at the higher elevations along the parkway.  This year,  I was thrilled to see the Mountain Ash Trees in bloom  with lots of little red berries... Mountain Ash trees LOVE higher elevations.  SO pretty!!!

On 9/25/19,  we continued driving north on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Mt. Mitchell State Park.  We hiked up to the summit for some great pictures.  The elevation here was about 6700 feet.  I love seeing the Balsams and of course the layers of mountain ranges..  There weren't many clouds in the sky on this beautiful day!

After our day on the Blue Ridge Parkway (9/25/19),   we headed back to Pisgah Inn --just in time to see this marvelous sky after sunset...

The next day (9/26/19)---our journey took us south on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  This picture was taken near the Looking Glass Rock Overlook,  Elevation--4492'

The wildflowers along the Blue Ridge Parkway Overlooks were gorgeous this time of year (9/26/19).  This picture was taken at the Caney Fork Overlook,  elevation 5650'.

The higher we got,  the more beautiful Balsam trees we saw... This picture was taken (9/26/19) at the Haywood Jackson Overlook,  elevation 6020'.

WELL--I hope you really liked this post...  (At least you can tell me you liked it!!!!!!! ha ha )  I have spent more time on this one than most others in a long time.... Working on two trips at the same time isn't always easy --especially when I have SO many pictures to choose from.  Then I wanted to see where the pictures were taken --so had to research that,  etc. etc. etc.   GADS---sometimes I try to do too much since most people (me included) don't have time to even read what another person writes....  'Tis the busy lives we all have.....

Have an awesome day ---and THANKS for taking time to read my posts!!!!!

Hugs,

Emoticons

A Kentucky Trip with Good Friends (October 7-9, 2019)

Our good friends,  Neal and Patti

Hello Blog Friends,   There's nothing better in life than visiting with family and/or friends.   We met with great friends,  Neal and Patti, at a little cabin in Cave City, Kentucky for a couple of days of FUN, FELLOWSHIP and FOOD.... We had a huge amount of all three of those!!!!!! I never laughed so much in my life,  never talked so much, and never ate so much!!!!!!!! ha ha ha....  It was GREAT...

Cave City is near Mammoth Cave National Park, and when the four of us visit that area,  we don't do what most visitors do at Mammoth Cave. We don't tour the caves.  Instead we love the other areas of the park....   SO --today I'll share some of our little trip with you and show you around the area and around out little cabin.. Hope you enjoy seeing a little piece of southern Kentucky.

We took a little hike on the Sand Cave Trail.

This is SAND CAVE....   Don't think I want to go into that cave.  You?

Patti (she is SO tiny and cute),  Neal and George along the Sand Cave Trail

We also walked around the Sloans Crossing Pond... This little froggie was enjoying the day!!!!

Our little cabin on the hill near  Mammoth Cave National Park;  The Cabin was TINY for four of us adults---but the view was AWESOME.

The view of the valley below from our porch

Looking the other way from the porch;  See the field of cows below?  

We all got up early on the 8th to see a beautiful SUNRISE... WOW---it was awesome.

BEFORE the sun popped up,  this was the early morning sky!   Neat,  don't you think?

Want to travel down this road with me????  These are the kind of roads I LOVE to explore as we traveled back into the deep woods.

This is what we saw at the end of that little road (in the picture above)... This is Good Spring Baptist Church --established in 1842.

We also visited the Nolin River Lake (and dam).  Gorgeous day in Kentucky!!!

We didn't see much Fall Color that week --but here's one tree trying to show off some of its yellows and oranges.

Want to come and have a picnic with us --and wait to see the sunset?????  This picture was taken  from our porch the late afternoon on Oct.8...

Taken from our porch the same late afternoon (as the picture above);   There's more Fall color when the sun hits those trees...

 SUNSET the evening of October 8;  Such a gorgeous sky!!!

One more picture of the SUNRISE on October 8--since I managed to take a huge bunch of pictures... ha ha

Us at the Mammoth Cave sign!!!!!

We 'forgot' to try to get a picture of the four of us together --like we usually do --but they took a picture of us and we took a picture of them at the sign.....

The weather was good... It was drizzly and cool the day we got there (7th)... That's why we all have on our rain jackets.... The next day when we spent the day out-and-about,  the weather was PERFECT  (sunny and temps in the low 70's).....

Several of you have asked about my health...   My heart rate is still GOOD (normal sinus rhythm) --and I feel good... I'm off all of the powerful medications except the blood thinner (Xarelto) which I'll be on for the remainder of my life. A Fib is never completely cured --and can come back at anytime....  SO---if it ever does come back,  the Xarelto keeps me from having a stroke (which, as you know, is a good thing NOT to have)....  SO----other than getting older and slower and having less energy ---I'm doing fine!!!!!  Thanks for asking.

Have an awesome week --and catch up with some friends SOON...  It's just SO much fun!!!

Hugs,

Emoticons