A Perfect Weekend

I love fall weekends! There is something about the way the chill in the early morning air melts into the warmth of the afternoon. There is also something special about the way that the sun's light illuminates the glorious colors that are found all around.

This past weekend our family traveled for the day to the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway once again for some sightseeing and a picnic. I can't think of any better way to celebrate a fall weekend than time spent together enjoying God's creation. I thought I would share just a few of the pictures that I took of our drive.


The trees are just beautiful when clothed with fall colors.


This is my husband's favorite part of the parkway.


Everyone loves a picnic!


Who could resist a little shopping?


We had to visit Ben Long's fresco painted on a little country church's wall.


Isn't the church absolutely beautiful?


We have been studying Michelangelo's art and fresco painting. When you home school, every trip becomes a field trip.


When your hobby is photography, everything becomes a photograph.


I love the cross against the blue sky.


Every trip to the mountains has to include some exploring.


Isn't it amazing how a little trickle of water...


...can turn into a beautiful waterfall?


Michelangelo could not have painted a picture as lovely as this.


Stopping in Hickory to have dinner with my nephew was a great ending to a perfect day.

The Blue Ridge Parkway

This weekend our family traveled to the mountains with the youth group from our church to go rafting. Spending the weekend with over forty teenagers just about did me in. Just kidding...they are some of the best young people around. After a rainy day of rafting, an evening of bowling, and night with little sleep we left the group to travel from Asheville to Boone to explore the campus of Appalachian State University. Catie has decided to leave the five year early college program that she is in to graduate this year and attend a four year university. One of the schools that she is interested in is ASU, so we decided to take a look at it. Instead of traveling the highways, we decided to ride along the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway. I took a few pictures on the way.



I love the shadows of the clouds on the mountains.



This picture makes me wonder what lies around the bend.



I love this one with the light and trees at the end of the tunnel.



Can you see a little glimpse of fall color in this one?



Of course, what would a September visit to the mountains be without a trip to an apple orchard?

Hopefully, in a few weeks when the leaves have changed colors I will get to take another trip to the mountains to enjoy the beauty of fall.

A Perfect Day!

Every once in a while, I travel with John to one of his job sites. He builds all over North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia so he has to travel quite often. I enjoy the special days that I break from normal routine and accompany him on a trip. Today was one of those special days. We traveled to Swananoa, North Carolina where a site was being surveyed for a building. After spending some time on the site taking care of business, we were able to spend the rest of the day exploring. The mountains of our state are absolutely beautiful. Although there was not much color in the landscape yet, there were still beautiful sights to see.


Doesn't the water in a mountain river always look clearer than anywhere else?



I took some pictures of Chimney Rock as we traveled through the picturesque town. One of my girls' favorite vacations was spent on that mountain. If you have seen "The Last of the Mohicans," you will understand how beautiful the scenery is on the trails near the water falls.



The weather was gorgeous today. The temperature was around 65 degrees F. so we ate our lunch outside on a deck overlooking Lake Lure. Beautiful!




I couldn't help but notice that the rhododendrons were starting to bud.





After lunch, John and I went to the town of Flat Rock to the home of the great American writer, Carl Sandburg. After spending much of his life in many different places, he and his wife, daughters, and two grandchildren settled on the farm in the beautiful mountains of our state.



After a relentless winter, it was wonderful to have such a beautiful day to explore the western part of our beautiful state! A day spent with John is always a perfect day!

I'll share more pictures and information on Carl Sandburg's home tomorrow!