Cades Cove (Smoky Mtns, TN)

George and I had to go to Knoxville on Friday to take our Prius in for its regular maintenance.. SO--since we had to go there, we decided it would be a perfect day to head to the Smokies for the day. We visited one of our favorite places, Cades Cove. We have been there many times ---but this was the first time with the new cameras.. SO--we acted just like tourists --and took over 150 pictures!!! ha...

As you can imagine, I will post several blogs from beautiful Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains. If you want to read more about the history of this beautiful valley surrounded by mountains, click HERE. There is alot of info about the area including the 11-mile loop road which we took.

If you don't know anything about Cades Cove and its history, I encourage you to take time and read some of the information. It is truly awesome. Above is a map of the 'cove' and below are some more pictures showing this beautiful area.

A "cove" in the Smoky Mountains is a relatively flat valley between mountains or ridges. This cove is a showplace for some of the most intriguing natural and cultural treasures that the Southern Appalachian Mountains have to offer.

Join us for this 11-mile ride through the cove. The road is one-way --and there are pull-offs all along the way.

Both George and I took lots of pictures since we stopped all along the way.

You can see the road in this picture. There were quite a few people at the cove on this day--but it will be bumper to bumper in October. We usually stay away during the peak seasons---but this place is fabulous in the Fall.

It was a partly cloudy day --with big puffy clouds in the sky. It was also hotter than we thought it would be --since we have had such mild temperatures this past week. It was also quite hazy (but luckily, we had our filters on our cameras). I think it was in the mid-80's ----and it seemed quite humid, which made it feel even hotter.

Hope you have enjoyed this 'sneak preview' of MUCH more to come from Cades Cove. Besides the great views, people visit the cove to see the wildlife, wildflowers and plants, the log cabins, the old churches, the cemeteries, a grist mill, etc... You need to visit this area if you haven't been there before.

If you didn't read George's blog yesterday talking about his Daddy's 98th birthday, please click HERE. That man has lived an amazing life including moving to Arkansas by covered wagon when he was little. Check it out!!!!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend and are ready for a GREAT week!!!!

Hugs,

Paradise is Right Here

This past week, here in the Glade, our weather has been near PERFECT in every respect. As you know, I have complained about the unbearable heat and dry conditions all summer. Well--we are still dry, but today, you will hear no complaints from me at all. We are having milder temperatures, low humidity, and an abundance of sunshine. I know this is a 'tease'--and that we'll have some more HEAT and HUMIDITY before Fall really gets here. BUT--I needed this week SO much --and I'm sure that many of you, who are experiencing this Fall-like weather, feel just like I do.

I've enjoyed working in the yard this week, and I especially enjoy the cool nights and mornings. Since we've been able to turn off the AC and open the house, it's just wonderful hearing the 'tree frogs' at nights and waking up to the sound of birds singing in the mornings... God is Good and All is Right with my World!!!

Today, I'll share some pictures of our little home and yard which I took on August 23. Above is a picture of our home taken from the road. Below are more.

I was standing near the garage --looking across the front yard, toward the road.

This is the upper side of our yard , taken from the road --looking toward the backyard. You can see a bit of our deck in this picture. You can also see our Confederate Jasmine Bush on the right. I took these in late afternoon --so the shadows are taking over! Sorry!

This is the other side of our home (what we call the lower side) looking from the driveway toward the backyard. You can see the woodpile in the distance.. The English Ivy and Periwinkle ground covers have done well on that hilly, shady area. Grass won't grow in this area ---so eventually, we'll have more Ivy and Periwinkle taking over we hope.

I feel so blessed to have this little home as my own. God has blessed both George and me so very much --and I get really emotional when thinking about our country and how much I love it.... God Bless America!

I'll close with one more picture showing our new 'road' flowerbed --with our home in the background. Wish ALL of you could come to visit us!!!!! You would be welcome here!!! BUT---if you come in the Fall, I'll put you to work raking and blowing leaves.. As you can see ---we have tons of trees with an abundance of leaves!!

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UPDATE on who Woody Woodpecker is patterned after: My blog friend, CAROLYN, who is NCMountainwoman, sent me a couple of articles which clarified this mystery. It seems that Woody was patterned after an ACORN Woodpecker (which I have never seen)... How 'bout that??? We all learn by blogging, don't we?

One more update: My Orthopedic Surgeon released me this past week... Seems my knee is healed--and I am back to 'normal' (whatever that is---ha)... YEAH!!!!

Have a wonderful weekend. I'll see you on Monday.

Hugs,