Recently I had the pleasure of a rare visit to relatives. With all of hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is hard to find the time to just take a day to just simply visit and enjoy your relatives.

My friend and I sat off early on this particular morning. The sun was shining down on us and it was a beautiful fall day; we couldn’t have asked for better weather. Not too hot, not too cold; just right. My friend said that she hadn’t seen some of these people in years. So we were both excited about our little adventure.

First we visited my aunt. The house soon filled up to overflowing once word got around, as it usually does here, and there was laughter and noise, among all of the hugging and catching up. One of my cousin’s came down the hill riding his four wheeler to see what was up and join in the fun. We had a wonderful short visit, and then made our way “up the holler” to visit more kin. We got lucky, as there were several relatives  already  there visiting each other, so we saw quite a few in that one stop. After another short visit there, we proceeded on out of the holler and headed off to see another cousin. This time we weren’t quite as lucky, as we found no one home there. We had already had a fairly long day, so we decided to make our way back home.

We decided to stop at a little country store on our way out to  get some refreshments. I knew the proprietor of the store, as we had worked together once in our “factory days”. (Before most of the factories left this area).

Little country stores like this are becoming a thing of the past, and I always enjoy stopping by  whenever I get the chance.

We watched the clerk as she put our burgers on the grill, and we stood there catching up with all of the news while she worked. I drank an Orange Crush, and my friend had a Root Beer. Soon the burgers were done, and we took them outside and sat on the bench in front of the store. The mountains surrounding us gave us a colorful background to enjoy as we ate our meal. Customers came and went as we sat there, nodding hello as they passed. One of my cousins came by as we sat there. We had missed him, so it was a special surprise to see him. We enjoyed some conversation as we finished our burgers. All to soon, it was time to end our visit and hit the road once more. I took one more look around, and just drank in the nostalgia. And thought how lucky I was to live in such a beautiful place.

As we headed back to the “city”, I reflected on the day’s events, and thought about how wonderful it is to just take the time to visit friends and relatives and how it connects our soul and warms our hearts.

We had a wonderful day on our “visit”. And I surely hope the next one is not so long in coming.

Have you noticed the October 12, 2010 picture of “Autumn Rose” on www.todaysphoto.org ? Beautifully breathtaking!!! So artistic in it’s simplicity! A simple rose is so romantic, and this beauty just begs to be admired!  Notice the skill of the photographer as he brings out the color of the rose from the dark background; how much it adds to the intensity!! Another stunner, Mr. Rockwell!!!

Hope you have a wonderful Columbus Day, and to those of you who don’t have to work, I am so jealous. It is such a beautiful day here in Northeast Tennessee, and I would so rather be out enjoying this fall day.

I wonder what Mr. Columbus would think of the world today if he were here to see it now. Would he be proud of his accomplishment, or do you think he might just turn that ship around and head back the other way?

Have a good one!!

How much is a heartfelt hug worth? I recently received one from my granddaughter that was worth a million dollars to me.

We were having a family get together and we were all sitting in a fast food restaurant eating our burgers and fries, and just all of a sudden, without any prompting or coercion, my precious little granddaughter leaned over and hugged me and said, “I love you so much!!”  And I knew she meant it with all of her little heart. That meant more to me than a million dollars!!

No amount of money on this planet could buy love like that; the pure love of a child. I am truly blessed!!! And truly thankful for such pure unselfish love.

The cooler weather has apparently “set in”  in our part of the country, and there is definitely some “frost on the pumpkin’ as the old saying goes. I saw on the news that certain parts of the Smokies even had some snow.

The fall foliage is still not in full bloom yet; although the leaves are definitely turning and starting to fall off.

I have been enjoying the cooler temperatures, but the blast of cold air we have had recently feels a little more like winter. Warmer temperatures are in the forecast, though, and it will be a good time to get out and enjoy fall. I just wish I had the amazing photographic skills of some of you featured on www.todaysphoto.org to capture such beauty. But instead, I will rely on your skills, and just enjoy the scenery myself. 

Put on a warm sweater, and get out and enjoy this wondrous season!!!