Autumn Days

Scarlet & Gold

The twins and I gathered a few things from our yard yesterday and made our 2014 "Thankful Tree."
They are laughing at Bo, our dog. He was doing some crazy things and not behaving at all, but I am thankful for their laughter. ;) I am also thankful for the beauty of November:

~Come said the wind to the leaves one day,
 come o'er the meadows and we will play,
 put on your dresses scarlet and gold,
 for summer is gone and the days grow cold.

                                             ~George Eliot 

Halloween

If you hear a bloodcurdling howl tonight, it might be Isaac:

He's the scariest Werewolf around. And Savannah is Madeline Hatter, the Mad Hatter's daughter. Come to her tea party and you might have tea - and you might not.

Happy Halloween!

Fall Camping Trip

Earlier this month, on October 1st, we packed our tent and many other belongings, the most important one turning out to be the coffee percolator, and started a long journey to who knows where. We didn't know where we would camp, but "a camping we would go". We ended up at Roan Mountain State Park and I'm happy we did. Here are some snapshots I took along the way:

Covered bridge in Elizabethton, TN.

Pretty and maybe a little creepy white house.

Glimpse of Watauga Lake.

The Doe River. We camped close to this river and also crossed it several times and Isaac reminded us each time we were crossing the Doe River.

A fairy tale setting by the river for a picnic area and a swing set.

Misty morning at the campground.

Warm fire on a cold night.

These two had the very best time. I think they are hooked on tent camping for life!

 Scenes from around the camp.

 We desperately needed coffee after cold, wet, sleepless nights.

Mmmmm, it's like magic in a stainless steel cup.

I was excited that we cooked on my Grandaddy's WWII camp stove and it still worked well!

 Hot dog roastin'.

They're sitting on a small bridge behind our camp that lead to a trail, which took us to this playground:

Talking through the "telephone".

Walking out to see the mountain views.

Cheesy smiles.

Leaves already falling.

Kiddos exploring.

They road their scooters around the park and around the park.

Family camp.

Savannah took Raggedy Ann everywhere.

 A day trip to Boone, NC.

Trying out disguises at Mast General Store in Boone, NC.

All in all we had a blast! Good times spent with those we love = not overrated.

I hope all of you are having a lovely fall!