Mountain Wildflowers

You've probably figured out by now that I really, really love flowers.  Yes, I'm smitten with them and have been for as long as I can remember.  Not only do I like to plant them and watch them grow, take pictures of them, and put them in my house to enjoy; I also like to try and identify them when I see them in a garden or growing along the roadside.

A few weeks ago when we were in the mountains, we drove across the Cherohala Skyway from North Carolina to Tennessee.  We did this a few years ago, and I wrote about it Here.  This year, I was just bowled over by all the wildflowers we saw growing along both sides of the road almost the entire length of the skyway.  It was amazing!  I've never seen such a profusion of wildflowers -- it's like they were on steroids.

I was able to identify 11 different varieties of wildflowers this year (I had to look up some of them online); that's the most I've ever seen in one area.  These flowers were so pretty, I felt like most gardeners would be pleased to have them in their own gardens.  Yet they were just growing wild with no one tending them but Mother Nature.  Have a look and see what you think... 

   Wild Phlox

The Church on the Hill

Last year when we took our trip to the mountains, we visited Highlands, North Carolina.  I wrote about Highlands the year I started my blog in 2011, and I shared some images of the pretty churches there.  Most of my readers were really taken with the Episcopal church in Highlands (You can see the Episcopal Church in this post.)  I think it's very pretty, too; but I was intrigued with the Presbyterian Church, which I didn't get to see up close in 2011 because we ran out of time.  I finally got a chance to view the church at close range, and I wasn't disappointed.  Founded in 1885, it really is a charming little church.

Summer Touches Around The House

This summer is flying by for me.  For the first time in several years, I haven't found myself wishing for it to be over by July 5th.  :)  We've had some of our normal hot weather this year, but we've had some very nice, milder weather too.

When we were raising our son, I never gave much thought to changing things up in the house throughout the different seasons.  Even if I had thought about it, I didn't really have the time or resources to make a lot of decor changes.  Christmas seemed to be the only time I made a real effort to make the house look different.  Now I'm not one to follow the trends, but I do enjoy a fresh, new look for the different seasons.  Switching things up throughout the year allows us to display (and enjoy) our various treasures and usually doesn't require buying a lot of new stuff or calling in a professional decorator.  ;)

The Clock Shop

Last week when we traveled to the mountains of western North Carolina and the Blue Waters Mountain Lodge, we stopped for dinner in the mountain town of Hendersonville, as we often do.  I wrote about Hendersonville a few years ago; you can read that post Here.  There's a clock shop there that always catches my eye, but I hadn't gotten around to taking pictures of it until this year.  They're always closed when we arrive in town, but I love looking in the windows.

It was closed when we arrived this year too, but we did finally manage to take some pictures.  It's hard to get good pictures looking through a plate-glass window from outside, so please excuse the quality of some of the pics.

A Little Mountain Therapy

Hi everyone!  I want to thank you all so much for your kind visits and thoughts for my family.  My father is still in the hospital; he's currently undergoing physical therapy.  I just spoke with my mom, and she said he's doing well.  It is a very slow process, though, for him to recover his strength and stamina.  By the time he's able to go home, he will have been in the hospital for about a month.

Lake Santeetlah

I'm Sorry I Haven't Been Visiting You...

Hello all!  I just want to say "Thank You" for all your wonderful comments on my Fourth of July Tablescape and Happy Fourth posts.  I look forward to your visits so much and appreciate that you take the time to leave a comment to let me know you were here.  :)

Happy Fourth of July

Today we celebrate the birth of our nation.