A fall adventure in West Virginia

Happiness is... having a friend with whom you can enjoy shared  interests.
Sharon is such a friend. We enjoy getting together for lunch, and various
kinds of outings...especially where we can play with our cameras.
Back in August, we decided on an outing to Blackwater Falls in West
Virginia, to enjoy the fall foliage at its peak color. Yesterday was a day
that suited us both. The weather forecast was calling for a cool day in
the forties, cloudy, with an occasional light rain. No problem...we would
dress in layers for warmth, and not having a sun to cast shadows might be
a benefit.
Early in the morning our fall adventure started out every promising...

 

 

The distant views were a bit hazy...

 

 

But quite colorful up close...

 

 

So onward we traveled...

 

 

 

Surprise!!! Snow flurries on top of the Allegheny Mountain...just small snow flurries

...no stopping us.

 

 

At Canaan Valley the snow flurries became big snow flakes,with the temperature

hovering at thirty-six degrees. 

 

 

 

No turning back for us...onward to Blackwater falls we headed.

 

 

Walking along the trail with a light snow falling...

 

 

The boardwalk down to the falls...a little slippery...but no stopping us.

 

Taking pictures of the falls...playing with our camera settings.

 

 

 

Looking more like winter wonderland than fall...

 

 

 

Our outing went like this... :)  This picture of Sharon pretty much tells the
story of our Blackwater falls adventure in the snow.

 

 

Traveling toward home after a fun day.

 

 



My zinnia experience

I enjoy visiting local garden centers and greenhouses. While on the farm, such spring outings would result in treating myself  to various annuals to fill in  for continuous flowering throughout the summer. Since moving though, my time, energy, and resources have been devoted to establishing trees, shrubs, and perennials, instead of planting and tending to annuals. However, in early 2011, while obtaining seeds for my vegetable garden, I spied a pack of  zinnia seeds. The package displayed a picture of a large beautiful purple flower with a yellow center...minimal cost, drought tolerant, easy care...how could I resist. It was a good decision. They germinated very well, and bloomed profusely. Plus, they were a hummingbird magnet. They were more pink than purple, but still  beautiful large flowers...

 

 

...a must repeat again this year experience. But I goofed! It was a crazy mild winter, and early spring. Over taken with spring fever, I made the mistake of setting them out too soon... :( ...there were only two survivors, plus a volunteer from last year. I resolved to be content with the three plants.
Well,...maybe I wasn't content after all. While checking out an end of season sale at a local greenhouse, when asked if I needed help, I responded..."do you have any tall zinnia plants?" Much to my surprise, she replied that they had eight leftovers. There was no label, but she was sure they were tall and red. She would let me have them for the sale price of six. With such a great price, even though they were root bound it the tiny six pack containers, I didn't have to think twice!

They turned out be a very rich vibrant red...

 

...beautiful to behold at all stages of development...

and a great long lasting cut flower to be enjoyed indoors...

 

I'm enjoying both the pink, (that's not really purple), and the red...but I think I like the red better.

 

 

Recent outing to wonderful West Virginia

I like country road outings!  ...roads that wind, and twist about,...and I especially like to travel on mountain roads.  Recently, Daryl and I enjoyed such an outing to Black Water Falls, and Seneca Rocks in West Virginia.

A close up view of the black foamy water...







 

Getting to the falls from the parking lot was quite easy...venturing off the trail  strongly discouraged...

 

 

I also enjoyed viewing the Joe-Pye-Weed  in bloom at the time of our outing...

...if only I had a damp meadow to enjoy this butterfly magnet at home.



Our stop at Seneca Rocks...

No rock climbing on the day of our outing...but then it was a damp, off and on light rain kind of day... :)

The river at Seneca Rocks...

All in all it was a fun, but short outing.

 

 

 



A blue moon month

Wednesday evening, (August 1st), it was partly cloudy..overcast, and not as bright as it could have been, but there was a full moon...

...so what's the big deal!  There is one every 29 days...once a month. This month, however, there will be a second full moon occurring on August 31st.

When two full moons occur in a calendar month, the second full moon is called a "blue moon" ...thus the phrase, "once in a blue moon". A phrase that refers to occurrences that are uncommon, though not rare. The next time for two full moons to occur in a single month will be in 2015... July 1st and 31st.

Whenever I view the moon, I can't help but recall a rhyme from  my childhood...

"I see the moon, and the moon sees me. God bless the moon, and God bless me".