Inspiration

Rain is splashing in puddles on the concrete, there is a chill in the air. A new season is beginning. A leaf or two begins the subtle change from green to orange, yellow and red. It's a glorious season one I love for reflection, meditation and making improvements. Preparing to hunker down for the winter to come. Or for us in the South the promise of Winter. It is a quiet Friday and I am prone to daydreaming...the dripping rain beckons me back to the window! Browsing thru some shots of things... I derive inspiration for future projects...
This humble cottage would make a lovely vacation home in the mountains. It's definitely a fixer. It is in fact in the Smokey Mountains. Can you just hear the rain tapping on the tin roof? A couple rockers on the porch. Pure Ecstasy.

The clouds rolling over the Great Smokey Mountains...all around one is engulfed in this smokey haze...it has an ethereal feel to it.

The lines of this bench and the way it felt against my back...I could nap here. Oh yeah...Me and Moe, our feline son.

On a walk in the country at the family ponderosa...I have no idea what these are...reminded me of some alien pods........

What's not to love about this wiggly, little guy. Can you look at him and not smile for all his being so very "twee" (as my friend Dorothy would have called it) This was on the dash of my friend Kelly's car. He was rescued from a thrift shop in Florida.

Nature's beauty discarded from the sea for us to look upon and enjoy. I could sit there for hours and sift my hands through the fragments. Some shells were selected to be added to jewelry projects...nature graciously provided holes for them to be re-used as jewelry or in other art.

Kinda what today looks like, shades of gray...behave... we are not talking about my hair! This day has a reflective, meditative, silent deliciousness about it...hope you enjoy your weekend!

Great Smokey Mountain Weekend Getaway

Dear Husband decided that we must have a weekend get-a-way! We packed a couple of bags and took off in the general direction of "the mountains". It looked stormy when we stopped for dinner in Spartanburg. We love us some "Cracker Barrel". After dinner, we drove to Bryson City, North Carolina. After riding around a bit we decided the Sleep Inn looked like our best bet. It was a very nice room! The hotel was tucked into the side of the mountain.Sunset through the windshield of the car. Somewhere in North Carolina.

Saturday morning we went to the Station Restaurant and had a fabulous breakfast. I had Crab Benedict. It was super delicious! After which we purchased tickets for a train ride through the "Smokies" We decided to ride in the over 21 Club Car which proved to be highly entertaining. It was very comfortable, air conditioned, snacks and beverages were served. If you were inclined you could purchase cocktails. Several ladies near us purchased "Railroad Relaxers" and they had a lively time! We met a group of eight "church" ladies and they were very entertaining. DH was surrounded by women and very happy!
Conductor Willie punching our tickets. Dear Husband surrounded by a bevy of women!

Fontana Lake and house boat type structures. Accessed only by boat or swimming! You would have to be very careful not to step too far off the front porch.

Fontana Lake Trestle. The water was beautiful, however we were a wee bit high up for a jump into the lake!

We spent a one hour lay over at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. We enjoyed watching the kayaks and canoes navigate the whitewater rapids. DH and I sat on the rocks by the shore and put our feet in the frigid water. It was sooo cold, icy cold. After our lay over at Nantahala Outdoor Center, the engine was moved from the "front" of the train to the back for the ride back. Conductor Willie is making sure everything gets hooked up and we are on our way!

Yes, this is an old door handle, I'll let you guess what is behind door # 1. My battery on the camera died and I purchased one of those throw away cameras to take pictures at Nantahala. Sunday was spent driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Riding along the mountain ridge we could see why parts where called the "Great Smokies" A layer of mist and cloud coverage gave the appearance of huge smoke stacks! Dear Husband and I ate lunch at the Mt. Pisgah Inn nestled in the mountains. The view was stunning and our food was excellent. My car is the perfect mountain touring car! Safer than a motorcycle yet you get the outstanding views. Dear Husband is already planning our next excursion.