October Photos through the Years

October 2, 2016:  Not much Fall Color ---but our ROSES are doing GREAT!  (No matter how dry it is,  George does a good job keeping the roses watered.)

When the seasons change,  I always enjoy looking back at some of the pictures I have taken during the same season in past years... Today,  I chose one picture taken during October for the past 10 years,  since October 2006.  Pictures give us so many great memories --and I am finally beginning to keep them organized enough to be able to easily find them  (although --before 2010,  I have to do more searching in my archives)!!!!!

I love OCTOBER.   Do you?  What do you think of when you think of October?  I think of cooler weather (yeah),  beautiful leaf colors,  walking/hiking --in the crunchy leaves,  fires in the fireplace,  raking (YES---I do enjoy that),  homemade Chili,  Hot Apple Cider,  Pumpkin Cheesecake and and Pumpkin Fudge (ah heck--pumpkin everything!!),   traveling, being with friends,  etc. etc. etc.

Hope you enjoy today's pictures... I chose only one per year (which was hard) --That is just a smidgen  of our lives during the month of October!!!!  You can click on the pictures for enlargements.

October 2015:  In gorgeous West Virginia with friends,  Neal and Patti

October 2014:  We cannot resist a Fall Trip to Cataloochee in North Carolina to see the ELK.

October 2013:  We were at Pine Mountain State Park in Kentucky (again with friends,  Neal and Patti)

October 2012:  We were in Hocking Hills,  Ohio (again with friends,  Neal and Patti)

October 2011:  We seldom miss an October without going to the Smoky Mountains to see the colors.  This picture was taken EARLY in the morning from the Gatlinburg Bypass --looking toward Mt. LeConte.  Don't you just love the sunbeams?

October 2010:   Taken right here in Fairfield Glade,  in our own backyard.  Mama Deer is feeding THREE babies!!!  How can that be?

October 2009:  Taken from a cabin in Maggie Valley,  North Carolina--on the LAST trip with four childhood friends;  Two of them are now deceased --and greatly missed by ME....We did have a wonderful time on this trip.

October 2008:   Besides our Roses,  we love seeing the RE-BLOOMING IRISES bloom in Fall as well as spring.  

October 2007:  They had just delivered our big pile of wood for the winter... We were in the process of stacking that wood that year...  BIG JOB!!!  A couple of years ago,, we opted to get a Gaslog Fireplace ... It's not nearly as messy or as much hard work --especially on George's back!!!!

October 2006:  Even 10 years ago,  I loved to hike in the Fall......

Well---I will stop.   That is only a tiny bit of what we have been up to these past 10 years during October..... BUT--it is so much fun to re-live all of those wonderful memories...

This year,  here at home,  we are having a very different Fall from usual.... We are in the midst of a terrible drought (have I mentioned that before??? Nah--only about a hundred times) and we are just not sure how much pretty color we are going to have this year.  The tree leaves just seem to be dying and falling off...Maybe our main color this year will be BROWN.    Stay tuned during October and November and I'll keep you posted... BUT--even if we don't get much pretty color here,  we have a couple of little trips planned!!!!!  

Have a wonderful week---and get out and enjoy yourself no matter where you are!!!!

Blessings to you,

Around Abbott Lake at the Peaks of Otter, Virginia-- 9/13 and 14, 2016

CATTAILS around the Lake 9/13/16

In my last post,  click HERE,  I talked about one of my favorite things to do when we were on a little vacation at the Peaks of Otter in Virginia... That favorite thing was to walk around Abbott Lake both evenings we were there close to sunset,  August 13 and 14.   Today,  I'll share some of the little things we saw while walking around the lake...  Hope you enjoy the pictures.  You can click on them for enlargements.

WILDFLOWER  9/14/16

FERNS growing in the woods around the lake  9/14/16

So pretty,  don't you think?  I love WILDFLOWERS this time of year.   9/14/16

The WILDFLOWERS were so pretty as we walked.  9/14/16

FISH in the water;  Ready to go fishing?????  9/14/16

Cute little BUNNY searching for dinner  9/14/16

Beautiful big leaves on this GROUND COVER  9/14/16  (There was a bench in this area where one could enjoy nature and a lake view.)  9/13/16

A group of very pretty WILDFLOWERS  9/14/16

A tree shaped like the top of an ELK;  Use your imagination!!!! ha  9/14/16

First Lodging for Travelers in the 1830s;  This cabin was called the Polly Wood's  ORDINARY and was a small boarding house until the early 1850's.   9/14/16

Double your Pleasure!!!!   Here are some pretty orange WILDFLOWERS with an added spider web.  I didn't see the cobweb until I got home and pulled the picture up on my computer!!!!  9/14/16

And my FAVORITE capture on our walk:  A GREAT BLUE HERON enjoying the evening;  (I tried to find some OTTERS since they 'say' there are two in the lake --but I was unsuccessful this time.)  9/13/16

Another picture of the GREAT BLUE HERON  9/13/16

Our Inn from the other side of the lake... It is beginning to get dark.. You can see the lights on in the rooms.. AND--when we walked by there,  people just like us were sitting on their porches enjoying the sunset.  9/13/16

Night-Night!!!!!   We are back to the room enjoying the sunset  9/14/16

IF you ever get to the Peaks of Otter,  be sure and stay in one of the inn rooms --and don't miss the little walk around the lake...  SO beautiful and relaxing especially at sunset.

I  took lots more pictures as we traveled around that lake --but I'll show more of them in another post when I share more of the lake, sky, sun, and reflections... What JOY.

Hope your life is wonderful.  They 'say'?????   that we are supposed to get some cooler weather this week...  Hope we can also get some rain --but who knows??????

Blessings to you.

Hugs,