The Last Roses

Fall seems to be well and truly here now, in our part of North Carolina.  We definitely had an Indian Summer this year, because after a cold snap around the middle of October, we then went back to temps in the 70's later in the month.

Our David Austin roses have been continuously putting out a few blooms all through September and October.  We've had this Gertrude Jekyll rose for three years, and this is the first year it has bloomed  into autumn.  In addition, there were buds, promising more blooms to come (as long as they didn't get caught by an early freeze).  You can see previous posts on our David Austin roses Here and Here.

Well it's been cold and windy here this week, folks, and yesterday I was amazed to see two beautiful blooms still on the stalk, along with several unopened and partially-opened buds. The temperatures have been dipping into the 30's at night, but apparently they've stayed just above freezing, so these flowers were still healthy and intact, rather than brown and drooping.  And best of all, they still have their wonderful fragrance.

Southern Bloggers Conference 2012

Hi folks!  Is it cold where you are tonight?  The sun has shone (for the most part) the last two days, but it's still been quite chilly here in our part of North Carolina.  Brrrr.

I was very excited to be able to attend the Southern Bloggers Conference 2012, which was held in Raleigh, NC, October 12th - 14th.  I was only there for one day, Saturday the 13th, but it was a busy day.  It was great to meet other bloggers (from near and far), as well as get lots of good information and tips on how to grow my blog.

Fall Fireplace

Hi all!  I haven't posted in a few weeks, and I'm determined to show some fall scenes around the house before we start decorating for Christmas.  I cannot believe Thanksgiving is next week -- Yikes!

I have so many things to share with you; I still haven't posted on my trip to the Southern Bloggers Conference in Raleigh back in October.  I'll be doing a post on the conference very soon because I got to meet two bloggers that I've really wanted to meet in person -- Barbara from Two Birdies and a B. and Shirley from Housepitality Designs.  These are two very sweet ladies!

Autumn on the Blue Ridge Parkway

I'm writing this post as a follow-up to my story on Holy Trinity Church of the Fresco.  We drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway after touring the church, and the leaf colors were really gorgeous that day.  Sometimes I save my pictures and material and wait weeks (or months) to write about them; but I wanted to go ahead and get this out because the leaves are being blown off the trees faster than I've ever seen before.  There have been years where some of our trees in the area still had pretty leaves as late as Thanksgiving.  I'm pretty sure that won't be the case this year.

Not only were the leaves spectacularly colorful, but the sky was colorful as well, and full of interesting cloud formations.  I love the different layers of sky colors in this picture.  There are violet, pale rose, white, pale blue, and then the smokey blue of the mountain ridges in the distance.

A Mountain Treasure -- Church of the Fresco

Autumn is so beautiful -- and so fleeting.  Just last weekend we were out enjoying the colorful leaves and gorgeous mountain views; and now, this evening, the wind has whipped up and is blowing the leaves off the trees.  I'm not ready for them to be gone yet; fall is our favorite time of the year here at Forest Manor. Somehow, it always goes by much too fast.

I think that winter can be beautiful too, with the bare, lacy branches of the trees stretched across the sky.  But for now, I'm celebrating autumn, and I hope all the leaves won't get blown down just yet.

In the mountains of North Carolina, in the small town of Glendale Springs, stands this tiny wooden church.  Holy Episcopal Church was built in Glendale Springs in 1901, and is now called Holy Trinity Church of the Fresco.

October Note Card Party

Hi everyone!  I love the monthly Note Card Party hosted by Vee at A Haven For Vee.  We always get to see the prettiest pictures submitted by bloggers with an eye for a good photo.  Mr. Forest Manor and I were watching the presidential debate last night, so I'm linking on a bit late.  This is my favorite time of year, so I didn't want to miss the party.

This month, I titled my note cards "Sunday Drive".  The pictures were taken on two separate afternoons when we took a Sunday drive to enjoy the beauty all around us.  You can find the posts for these pictures Here and Here.

Keep Calm and ...

Hi all!  Happy Tuesday to you, and I hope you're having a great week!  It's such a beautiful fall day outside that it just makes me giddy!  I love, love this time of the year.

I'm back from the Southern Bloggers Conference in Raleigh, NC, and it was just great!!  The organizers and speakers did a fantastic job; it was obvious that a lot of work had gone into this event.  I'll post more about that later in the week.  At the moment, our son is home from college on Fall Break, and he goes back this evening.  It's been a short visit.  I still can't believe he's a senior this year.  My grandmother was right; the older we get, the faster time flies.