Purple mountain majesties

I spent this past weekend with two good friends, camping, hiking, and sightseeing in the Great Smoky Mountains near Gaitlinburg, Tennessee. Taking in the majesty of the mountains, the awe-invoking vistas, the peaceful meadows, the bright green tree-canopyed forests, the burbling brooks, the clear rushing streams, the graceful waterfalls and the tiny trail wildflowers, was refreshing to my soul, indeed!

Just peachy

I love peaches. They are one of my favorite summer fruits. Especially really fresh, sweet, juicy local peaches.

Now that I live in the South, I am much closer to "peach country." This weekend, I decided that it would be fun to visit a peach orchard and pick my own peaches off the vine. Although trekking to Georgia to get the full "Georgia Peach" experience wasn't really an option, I figured that finding an orchard in south central Tennessee was my next best option.

Hence, this Saturday, my friend Manda and I found a delightful pick-your-own-peach orchard just an hour south of Nashville. Manda is a native Southerner, hailing from Alabama. So she was able to add to the authenticity of the experience, along with sharing tidbits with me about peach preservation and peach recipes from her 'Southern Living' magazine.

The afternoon was just lovely. The weather, although quite hot, was sunny, blue-skies, and there was a nice breeze in the air.

I never realized peach trees were so pretty! I had just trying to capture the scene on my camera, although my cheap-o camera does not begin to do it justice!

After we arrived at the orchard, Manda and I strolled through the orchard with the provided wooden baskets and joyously plucked the peaches off the branches. We harvested two different varieties - Red Fury, a tarter, large peach, and the Contender, a sweet, smaller peach.

I think I gathered about 20 peaches or so. Some ripe, some still a bit hard so I can space out the use.

After we finished with our harvest, we sat out at one of the picnic tables, took in the beautiful rolling hills of the Tennessee countryside, and each enjoyed one of the warm, sweet juicy peaches. There is nothing like fresh fruit, sun-warmed and straight off the vine!

Now I get to experiment with ways to use the peaches. Yesterday I made a "Peach Crumble" which I took in to work with me and seemed to be a big success. I am excited to find creative ways to use the peaches, and perhaps even preserve some so that I can enjoy their deliciousness in the coming months.

Hope you enjoy some of the photos of my little orchard trip!

~ Yum! ~

Great Plains Tour

Hello readers! I thought I would stop in for a quick post before I finish cleaning my room this evening. It's been a busy few weeks, with family weddings and visits from out-of-town friends! It's lovely to be able to spend time with long distance relatives and friends and definitely has added color and liveliness to my summer.

Most recently of note, was the 800 mile+ road trip to Nebraska with my family for my cousin's wedding! What an adventure!

Throughout the trek to Nebraska we encountered various mishaps, including my Grandmother forgetting to bring dress to wear to the wedding, (and hence a impromptu shopping expedition in Des Moines, Iowa), my brother's car breaking down in Missouri and having to get a rental car while his got towed away, and the flooding of the great Missouri River causing a two-hour detour for our trip.

It was a very memorable time though and worth the mishaps we encountered. Along the way, I got to see four states for the first time: Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas. We decided to call our expedition the "Great Plains Tour", and that it was! I enjoyed seeing the lovely rolling hills of Iowa (who knew Iowa was so scenic?), the wind gracefully blowing through the prairie grasses, the expansive open skies of Nebraska, an art exhibit which payed tribute to Willia Cather (one of my favorite writers), and the St. Louis arch.

Enjoy some photos from the trip!

Pit stop, Hannibal, Missouri, Mark Twain's Hometown

Iowa Countryside

Waves of prairie grass

Nebraska Sunset

4th of July parade in St. Charles, MO

St. Louis, Gateway to the West

Sunrise at the sea

My Memorial Day weekend included a trip to Daytona Beach, Florida, where some friends of mine got married at the Basilica of St. Paul.

What a wonderfully restful and rejuvenating weekend it was -- a wedding, a vacation, and a reunion with old friends all wrapped into one -- what a blessing!

Five other gals and I stayed at a hotel right on the beach. I just love the ocean, and the way that it allows me to contemplate the wonder, glory, and beauty of God. On the last morning at the beach a few of us got up early to see the sunrise. Glorious, indeed!

"He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea and everything in them— he remains faithful forever."
~ Psalm 146:6

Happy Spring!

I celebrated the first day of spring by visiting Cheekwood Botanical Gardens. What a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I will definitely be going back to catch the landscape in bloom throughout the spring and summer!

Frost

I am a photographer wanna-be. If only I had a good camera. Maybe some day...when I have more money for frivilous things like that! In the meantime...here are a few of my little snapshots...trying to capture winter's silent beauty.

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
(by Robert Frost)

Whose woods these are I think I know./His house is in the village though;/ He will not see me stopping here/ To watch his woods fill up with snow.


My little horse must think it queer/ To stop without a farmhouse near/ Between the woods and frozen lake/ The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake/ To ask if there is some mistake./ The only other sound's the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep./ But I have promises to keep, / And miles to go before I sleep,/ And miles to go before I sleep.