March was a Pretty Month in our Yard- 2016

Hello Friends,   YES---I know!!!!  It's MAY (can you believe it?)---but I am just now publishing my "March Flowers"  blog post.... ha ha ..... Where have I been?  WELL---we took two trips in April plus all of the Spring yardwork and all of the exercise/walking we do.  SO---that's my excuse and I'm stickin' with it!!!!!!

Anyhow---Spring is a wonderful time around our yard,  beginning with these March flowers...  Our biggest March joy this year was all of the many, many Daffodils we had.  They bloomed from mid-March to mid-April...  Amazing!  Hope you saw the Daffodil blog post I did this past month.

Next came the big flowering trees/bushes (Forsythia and Red Bud--shown today,  and Pink Dogwood in April)... Then came all of our Tulips (post coming soon).   and now we have tons of gorgeous Irises blooming.  The Roses are beginning to bloom --and next will come the Lilies and Daylilies.  SO--you can see how exciting life is here in Tennessee.

I went through all of my March pictures and pulled out 12 to share with you today.  Since I already showed the Daffodils (individually and up-close),  I skipped most of those photos.  I'm also skipping the Tulip photos since I will blog about them separately....

Now that it is MAY---it looks kinda funny to see our yard with no leaves on the trees in these pictures.  There's a HUGE difference now,  but that will have to be another future post.... ha..  Sit back and pretend it's still MARCH --and enjoy seeing our yard then!

The picture at the top and this one are of our little CROCUSES in our yard.  Crocuses are always the first little flowers to bloom in Spring and ours were so pretty.  This picture was taken on 3/7/16 and the one at the top of the post was taken on 3/16/16.

Next (after the Crocuses) came the HYACINTHS. We had 3-4 different colored ones this year and they were so pretty...  They have a strong aroma also.   This picture was taken on 3/13/16.

A pretty Hot Pink HYACINTH (taken 3/13/16)

A few years ago,  we purchased a small FORSYTHIA Bush.  This year was the first year that it bloomed  A LOT... SO pretty in spring!!!!  I thought you'd like to see a close-up of the blooms.  Photo taken on 3/16/16;

This picture of part of our front yard was taken on 3/25/16.  You can see Daffodils, Tulips, Hyacinths in this bed (which is one of our Rose Beds). You can also see Daffodils blooming in the two round beds.  At that time,  we were EXCITED about the GREEN grass... The trees had no leaves at that time....

Our Ground Cover (Periwinkle ---or Vinca Minor) is so gorgeous in March and April when it blooms and blooms.  We love the little blueish (almost purple) flowers.  (Picture taken on 3/25/16)

Here's a close-up of some of the Daffodils and Hyacinths in the bed in front of our Rose Bed.  (Picture taken on 3/25/16)

We have two gorgeous RED BUD Trees in our yard.  This is the largest one.   We love seeing the Red Buds bloom in Spring.  (Picture taken on 3/28/16)

Here's a close-up of some of the RED BUD blooms.  Pretty against that blue sky,  aren't they?    (Photo taken on 3/28/16)

Here's one more picture of this bed filled with Daffodils, Tulips, Hyacinths.  (In May/June,  this bed will be filled with blooming Roses.)  Photo taken on 3/31/16;

Our Home in March (taken 3/31/16);  We loved it then with the green grass and all of the flowers blooming....  BUT??????  (See next picture)

Can you tell a huge difference in ONE month?  This obviously is NOT a March picture of our home --but was taken on 4/30/16, from across the street....  AMAZING the difference,  isn't it?  Nature is just so awesome.  Oh how I love living here --where we have four very different seasons.

I just had to show you this last picture to compare with one a month ago. George and I get up about 5 a.m. almost every single morning and take a 2 mile walk on the golf course cart path next to our home.  We have been watching the leaves on the trees gradually come out this past month.  But seeing pictures like these last two really show the drastic changes.

Well---that was our March!!!  Next,  I'll show you April in our yard..  In addition,  I'll share a Tulip post.  AND---we took a short trip to the North Carolina mountains (Cashiers) this past month --so that's another post....   AND--when will I have time to do all of this since we also have a trip planned in May??????? ha ha ha

BUT---all you need to know is that LIFE for George and me is GOOD...  We both got one of the best medical reports (after our yearly physicals) that we have gotten.  SO--I guess for a couple of OLD people,  we are still plugging along.

If you missed seeing two more gorgeous ROSES on my Photo Blog yesterday,  click HERE to see them...

Much LOVE to all of you,

Short Vacation to the Smokies (April 6--8, 2016)

Cades Cove ---a "not-to-miss" area in the Smokies!

George and I enjoy spending a few fun-filled days in our Smoky Mountains (which are only about 2 hours from where we live).  BUT--we like to go there during the 'off-seasons' when the traffic is not horrible and when there are not many people.  HOWEVER,  we blew it this year --by going the first week of April... There were TONS of people around (due to Spring Breaks in various states/areas I guess)---and it felt almost like it feels when one goes there during the summer!!!!

BUT--we didn't let that stop us from having a great time... We spent two nights at one of our favorite old Gatlinburg motels (Rocky Waters).   We enjoyed a couple of fantastic dinners while there (one at the Ole Mill in Pigeon Forge and one at the Applewood Farmhouse in Sevierville).... 

We hiked (DID WE EVER HIKE!!!!) for two days.  One was our visit to Cades Cove including the hike to Abrams Falls..  We finished that day with about 7.5 miles on our FITBITS.  Then the next day,  we drove to Cosby and hiked to Hen Wallow Falls.  That day we completed over 6.3 miles...   (Talk about being TIRED once we got home!!!! ha)

On our last day,  we spent the morning at one of our favorite RELAXATION spots in the Smokies,  Greenbriar.  George enjoyed taking his fabulous water shots --and I enjoyed sitting on a big rock enjoying nature all around me.

One last thing we did before heading home was stopping in Sevier County to see the Harrisburg Covered Bridge.  We were on the back roads between Cosby and Sevierville (trying to avoid the traffic) ---so we just HAD to stop and see this historic bridge.

Today I'll share some pictures of this wonderful trip...  Sometimes,  it is just FUN to get-away ---even for a few days!!!  Hope you enjoy this set... The picture at the top is at gorgeous CADES COVE in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.. IF you look closely, you can see deer grazing in the field.

Another picture at Cades Cove;  If/when you visit here,  take an entire day to stop all along the way, and visit all of the wonderful history about the people many years ago who lived in this valley.

Here's one more old cabin in Cades Cove.

The hike to Abrams is pretty--although quite long if you are not used to longer hikes. 

George got "up close and personal" with Abrams Falls.  See him there?

Here is one of George's FANTASTIC waterfall pictures.  This is Abrams Falls in Cades Cove,  Great Smoky Mountain National Park (4-6-16).

Here is a picture of us at Abrams Falls. 

The next day (4-7-16),  we hiked to Hen Wallow Falls.  The trail was pretty along creeks and rhododendrons, but the elevation change is wicked.  I got more 'floors' (stairs/hills) on my FITBIT than I have ever gotten (142) on a single day, since we got our devices in May last year.  The good news was that it was downhill most of the way back!!!!! ha

Again,  I captured George climbing all over the big boulders to get a good picture of Hen Wallow Falls.

This is one of the awesome pictures George captured on 4/7/16  of Hen Wallow Falls, near Cosby,  in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Here's a picture of George and me at Hen Wallow Falls.  There was another family nearby who sorta took over the area --so we didn't have a good place for our pictures... BUT--we had some lunch there and enjoyed ourselves anyhow.

The last day (4/8/16),  we visited Greenbriar in the Smokies.  George turned around when I hollered at him.  He was busy taking more and more pictures of that glorious water in that area.

Here's one of George's terrific pictures from Greenbriar (4/8/16).   We LOVE being there.  My kids used to swim in this area. 

Of course,  we just had to take our picture together in Greenbriar.   After those long hikes on the previous two days,  it felt good just RELAXING and enjoying nature.

The Historic Harrisburg Covered Bridge,  Sevier County, TN

After leaving Greenbriar,  we stopped to see this beautiful covered bridge (which they still use).  This bridge was originally built in 1875...   Amazing!!!!

Here's one more picture of this well-kept Covered Bridge.  It's not far from the hustle and bustle of Sevierville/Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg.  SO---if you are ever in that area,  do not miss this beauty!!!!

Well---that was our little trip in a nutshell!!!!  We accomplished everything we had intended to do:  lots of hiking,  seeing waterfalls,  good food and just relaxing and enjoying one another...

Have a wonderful week.  Can you believe that it's almost MAY?  And --we are headed out soon for another short trip!!!!

Hugs,