Fall is in the Air

Fall is in the air here in Boone, NC, although we've had mostly gray skies, and rainy weather for the past four days or so. That aside, I know my favorite season of the year is on its way, and I couldn't be more excited! What about you?

I love the crisp, cool air, and the vibrant display of leaves we get to see here in the mountains. It's a time for corn mazes, pumpkin carving, and apple pickin', some of my favorite fall activities.

I'm all about getting cozy and staying toasty with my fuzzy boots and comfy sweaters. Spending time with family and friends is also one of my main focuses. Something about this change in season always has me counting my blessings and giving thanks more often than usual.

There are so many fun things to do in fall that's it's sometimes hard to fit everything in. Our list is a mile long (not really, but almost). Next month, I'll be sharing posts every week all about FALL! I'll do my best to keep things interesting, or at least visually appealing!

So, tell me, what are your favorite things to do in fall? 

Please share in the comments!

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It's a WonderFall Life: A Tribute

{The soothing and serene scenes of Hebron Rock colony}



The woods were made for the hunters of dreams,



The brooks for the fishers of song;



To the hunters who hunt for the gunless game



The streams and the woods belong.



~Sam Walter Foss~



Don't know when I will
be ready to say farewell
Bittersweet goodbye.

Hebron Rock Colony is a very interesting place.
Rock hopping the boulder strewn ravine is fun, but it can be tricky.
Although, the hard work really pays off with its many great features.
It's one of my most favorite not-so-secret places to go around Boone.
This particular day was my first time venturing there during fall.
It was especially beautiful with the warm tones reflecting off the calm pools.
I so awfully miss those long, golden, breezy days....I need a little sunshine.
Aside from a few yellow-leaved trees, our colors have faded here in the high country.
Thank goodness I saved some fall photos for this fall withdraw I'm having.

Posted in Haiku Friday, One Single Impression, & Photostory Friday

Autumn Burn

Taken on a walk this past Saturday.
I was happy to still see signs of Autumn.

For the most part, we stayed close to home this weekend - I didn't want to overdo it.

I did, however, discover how much I love our new Planet Green channel.
Especially the show Wa$ted.

My mouth is on the mend, and I've been feeling better. Thank you for the well wishes.

I even finished organizing my little art station in the laundry room - even though it took all weekend.

We went out to breakfast this morning,
had some pancakes with pumpkin cream cheese topping,
cranberries, and walnuts -
they were delicious!

It's really 1:00am right now and I can barely keep my eyes open.
Hope you all had a great weekend!
Night-night.

Autumnal Portal

If you can find a path with no obstacles,
it probably doesn't lead anywhere.
~Frank A. Clark~

I know that you were hoping to see some "crazy" new adventures,
but I got sidetracked. I desperately needed to update the 366 Blog.
I've got some additional surprises in store for you this week,
I know...I know....promises....promises,
you'll just have to stay tuned.

I spent sometime this past weekend backing up my mountains of photos.
I have been putting that off for such a long time, and my guess is that you might be too.
Wouldn't it be dreadful to lose everything if our equipment fails?
It wouldn't be the end of the world, but pretty darn close!
Take the time to do it, you won't be sorry.
While I transferred huge amounts of files,
I spent time doing other stuff.

Speaking of dreaded tasks......
I had a long awaited dentist visit today.
I have had this crippling fear of going to the dentist for years,
but today I finally took that first step in fixing my plethora of chomper problems.
I go back on Thursday to get some extensive work done, I'm not happy about it, but I
will be since they prescribed me some happy pills to take beforehand.

I didn't get any more cleaning done today,
instead I'll just go and stare at the clutter-less laundry room
& uncluttered dining room table to remind myself that we've done plenty of things.
Tomorrow, I want to get started on micro-cleaning the laundry room.
I say micro-cleaning because that's where we need to organize the shelves,
and the place where I keep all my art-type supplies.
Maybe I'll share before and after photos of that?!

Etc.

• I took the above autumn photo last year in Hanging Rock State Park.
  
• I reprocessed it after coming across it while backing up my photos.
• See the one I did last year, HERE.
• I think the new one looks more rustic to me.
  
• Cody won last night in Scrabble (he usually does) - Elk
  
• For dinner last night we had Stuffed Shells with spinach and mushrooms - TD

I Heart Fall

Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking,
perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter.
~Carol Bishop Hipps~


My soul is enchanted by this season.
I'm also enchanted by all of that lovely feedback I received on my last post, thank you.

The "I Heart Fall" photo was inspired by my visit to a new blog today.
J.H has a lovely blog with some brilliant photos,
this one included.

Thank you all again for keeping me inspired.
For that very reason this has to be short;
I'm in my motivated-mode again!!

Posted in Love Thursday

Linn Cove Viaduct

North Carolina
Linn Cove Viaduct
Blue Ridge Parkway

Milepost 304.6

View Large

Commonly referred to as the "missing link",
the Linn Cove Viaduct spans one of our world's oldest mountains.
The modern marvel was designed with the intention of preserving this precious land.

• It was completed in 1983 at a cost of almost $10 million dollars.
• The viaduct spans 1,243 feet and contains 153 segments weighing 50 tons each.

I have driven this section of road many times, but until a couple weekends ago,
I never took the time to stop and actually admire the structure.
This fall, I wanted to change that.

We decided to take the trail that starts at the end of the parking lot at the visitors center.
This trail gives you the amazing opportunity of walking beneath the behemoth.
As I stood beneath one of the sweeping "S" curves,
I began to realize all that this bridge represented.

Negotiating a compromise for the sake of our environment wasn't easy,
but there were people who were very passionate about its impact,
and they found a way to make it happen.
thank you.

I had this video that illustrated how busy the Blue Ridge Parkway was
when we ventured there a few weekends ago,
but way too much is involved for me to get it up so......
Anyway, it was crowded, jam packed with people crawling everywhere.
We were lucky to find parking spaces.
The above photo was taken between cars whizzing by.
Cody and I worked as a team, he was my lookout!
This is a very common shot taken of the viaduct.

Read more about the viaduct: HERE

Posted in Wordful Wednesday

Moments : Affluent

haiku friday & one single impression

You can't put a price,
on knowledge that comes with age.
More precious than gold.




Thank you for the very thoughtful comments on my previous post,
I really appreciate each and every one of them.
I hope you all have a terrific weekend!
And hope you like the fall color :)

Moments : Seasonable

Haiku Friday & One Single Impression

Golden Mosaics
Express Restoration
Bittersweet Harvest


We learn and grow and are transformed not so much
by what we do but why and how we do it.
~Sharon Salzberg~


I was so happy to hear your 'Motivational Moments' commented in the last post,
and even the lack there of offered wonderful insights too.
I might not tell you this enough, but I am so grateful for the
tremendous amount of support you provide.
My life is that much richer as a result.

The weekend weather isn't fairing to well because of an impending storm.
It also happens to be causing panic at the pumps yet again.
I'm wondering if it will have any bearing on the
trip we're planning to take next week for
my birthday?! I sure hope not....
We'll see what happens.

We just had a power outage in the middle of this post!
It went out for a short period of time,
but by the time we hunkered down for the night, it came back on.

This morning it's dark, cloudy and rainy.
I'll just try to keep Autumn (which was the haiku prompt) on my mind,
along with the above photo. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Compared to Garbage

(Click here to see the same chair captured differently)

I found myself brooding upon an opinion of someone who left a 'trashy' comment about my photo. I know that people are entitled to their opinions, and that I can live with. What I have a problem with is their close mindedness...........it's apparent that the chair was in fact 'trash' and that is was discarded, but should that really matter?! Driving along the road I saw this chair marooned behind an abandoned house, it called to me, as bizarre as that may seem, but it's the truth. I continued to drive by week after week before I finally said to myself, "Self, you've got to take a photograph of that chair!", and finally, I did. To consummate what was merely a thought to begin with is a beautiful and fulfilling thing which may be why a dumb comment bothers me.

Have you ever seen beauty in what could be construed as garbage?

Autumn Omission

The acoustics of the season tend to change as the month wears on, most of the trees are, for lack of a better term, naked now. I can't help but gawk at the branches and how beautiful they look against the sky. What lies beneath is just as interesting to me as they were with the changing leaves. I can appreciate a tree in any condition it seems, although this picture wasn't really about a tree.

This picture was inspired by the lonely chair I spotted behind an abandoned house located on Hwy 105, which is a main stretch of road I travel on occasion. I saw it, oh probably about a month ago, and instantly had the urge to pull over and photograph the lone chair, but I resisted.

Until the perfect day came along, and I was prepared, it wasn't really meant to happen. On the way home from Grandfather 2 weekends ago I finally decided it was time I brought my idea to full fruition. Cody definitely helped motivate me as well, the awesome assistant he is. Okay, that's sort of our joke, that he's my assistant - sets up the tripod, carries the equipment, etc.
Anyhow, the mission was accomplished and I was pretty pleased with the results.

What are your thoughts about the lone chair, or have you ever had the idea to photograph something out of the ordinary?

Orange Blaze.................

Achieving the things that are important to me can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. I have been in this mode where ideas and projects are abundant. For me it is hard to pour everything I have into something that I have yet to determine what the outcome may be. Being scared of the unknown is something that has held me back quite a bit in my life, but I have done my best to shed the habit of not having enough faith in all that I am and all that I have to give. As time goes by I let go a little more and I worry a little less. I always want things to happen a lot faster than they usually do and as a result my patience wears thin. On the other hand I know these things take time and I understand our paths are not always ones of least resistance, and where I am today is not where I thought I would be had you asked me 4 years ago. This goes to show exactly how much and how often we deviate from our paths. That brings up another point, are we deviating from our paths or is that precisely where we are meant to be? I suppose I agree with that statement a little more than the previous one. I have always been a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and it's that adage I have referred to on many occasions to get me through some very trying times. Even if at the moment I was telling myself "Everything happens for a reason" and I didn't necessarily trust it at the time I still knew deep down that it is what was true. Now I am at a crossroad, ready to pursue my next path as I desperately try to decide which way to go so that I may realize these dreams that seem so far out of reach. As I am unsure of what each may bring I will simply do my best to keep my dreams alive...................

The Prodigal SUN Returns..............

This weekend proved to me once again why I am so very thankful when the sun shines. The weather of last week can get you down right depressed when the deficiency of the sun lasts that many days in a row. By Saturday morning I felt normal again, and was ready to get outside and enjoy the day. I couldn't stop smiling because I was so happy that the sun had returned. These pictures were actually taken yesterday when Cody and I took a walk around Bass Lake. I've had this idea of taking the throwing leaves pictures for a few weeks now but until yesterday we weren't able to do them. Although Cody was the one behind the camera I merely had the idea, set up the shot, and supplied the enthusiasm - not that Cody wasn't a willing subject or anything, he just didn't get into it at ALL. I fulfilled my picture taking goal this weekend and throughout the week I will be sharing some of those favorites with you, as usual.