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,

Autumn Colors in North Carolina and Tennessee --October 2017

Us on the Blue Ridge Parkway-- 10/11/17

Hello my Friends,   Guess what?    George and I just got back from another TRIP.   This was a short one though --but OH,  did we have a great time...  We had reservations at one of our favorite Inns  (MT PISGAH INN) not too far from Asheville,  North Carolina.   We stayed 3 nights  (Oct. 10-12) leaving on the 13th.

Some of you may remember our last visit here (August of 2016) when George surprised me with my Birthday Trip.   This place is so popular that it's hard to get reservations especially during October... SO---we got our reservations a YEAR ago for this past week.

We highly recommend Pisgah Inn ---if you enjoy being on the mountain (over 5000 feet in elevation) with gorgeous views from your room.... AND--their restaurant is one of the best of any similar places where we have stayed all through the years...  IF you want more information about Piscah Inn,  click HERE.

Today,   I am just picking out some of the MANY pictures we took while on that trip.... Our main reason to go this time of year was to see gorgeous FALL COLORS...  BUT--we also saw several waterfalls,   did some hiking,  and even took long rides on the back-roads in the Pisgah National Forest....

Hope you enjoy the pictures.  We still don't have much color here at home  (nothing except dead leaves on the ground)---so it was great seeing color in the mountains...

Beautiful Lake Santeetiah on Massey Branch  Access near Robbinsville,  NC -- 10/10/17  (This was taken on our way TO Mt. Pisgah and it was the only day we had RAIN.  It rained hard coming across the mountain on the Cherohala Skyway --but then quit for the rest of the trip. We had PERFECT weather for the remainder of our time there.   AWESOME.)

 A beautiful yellow/red combination of colored leaves;  I love these two colors together,  don't you?    (10/11/17)

Along the Blue Ridge Parkway--10/10/17  (after the rains!!!!)

We loved the VIEW from our room at the Pisgah Inn  --  10/11/17

A gorgeous SUNRISE from our room --10/11/17   (We saw this beauty both on the 11th and 12th --but it was foggy on the 13th, the morning we left.)

Another gorgeous view from our ROOM (balcony)  early in the morning on 10/11/17;  I love seeing FOG/Mist in the valley below.

Another pretty ORANGE tree (found on the property of Mt. Pisgah Inn)--10/11/17

George at an overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway -- 10/12/17

Driving on the unpaved 'back' roads (Forest Service Roads) is one of our favorite things to do,  not just in Autumn,  but ANY time of the year.    Getting away from the main roads is a great way to experience nature --and the AUTUMN COLORS.   Doesn't this look just like a piece of heaven?  WOW!!!!   (10/11/17)

Here's one of the MANY beautiful waterfalls we enjoyed this past week.  This beauty  has two names:  Waterfall on the West Fork of the Pigeon River  AND  Sunburst Falls.  I prefer to use Sunburst Falls.  It is located off of Highway 215  not far from the Blue Ridge Parkway near Devil's Courthouse.    (10/12/17)

My favorite FALL COLOR;  OH --how I love RED TREES....  (10/11/17)

Beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway -- 10/10/17

Oh those gorgeous BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS --(10/12/17);   I love seeing the trees all dressed up with their new clothes on!!!!!!   This picture is just breathtaking to me!

On our way home,   we just HAD to check out 'our' GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS..  This beautiful picture was taken at an overlook just south of  Newfound Gap (which is the intersection where North Carolina and Tennessee intercept at the top of the mountain, at an elevation of over 5000 feet).  I love seeing all of the layers of mountain ranges from here...   (10/13/17)

A view along Highway 441 of the CHIMNEYS in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park-- 10/13/17;  This is where the horrible Gatlinburg fire started in November 2016.  We saw so much evidence of the damage that the fire did ---as we traveled down the mountain on the 13th.  Made me sad! BUT--nature has a way of coming back!!!!!  Hooray!

Finally,  here's another picture of a HAPPY COUPLE   enjoying AUTUMN.   This picture was taken on the Foothills Parkway near Look Rock on 10/13/17.

Hope you enjoyed seeing our pictures from this little trip.   I love Autumn ---so anytime I can travel to see beautiful colors this time of year,  I am a "happy camper" for sure!!!!!

Have a great week my Friends....

Hugs,