Tennessee!!!

My trip to Tennessee was so incredible. Of course, it was awesome being with family, in particular my Mother. We went on a 6 mile hike through the Smokies, walking alongside a roaring river, tumbling over rock faces with small waterfalls, and covered with awesome autumn trees. The leaves were falling around us... it was so cool. A definite highlight. We also went barn-quilt searching. There are actual maps that lead you to hundreds of these quilt patterns on the sides of barns. Of course we only got to about 15, but it was a lot of fun and very interesting. It took us to places we never would have gone otherwise. We also took a two day trip to North Carolina, to tour the Biltmore Estate and stay one night at the Biltmore Inn. This is a world I'm not familiar with... the ultra rich. It was incredible, and again, so gorgeous set against the spectacular fall splendor. We took another drive through the Appalachian mountains, getting a different, more landscape-like view of the Fall color, and discovered a cool, small, somewhat undiscovered campground that the Ranger says never fills up. We are going to go back there some day, I hope, for actual camping. And then it was the best part... simply time with family... Mother, my sister Stacey and her husband, my niece and her family. That is my niece Megan's son in one of the pictures... Riley. He is just adorable, and treated me like he sees me every day... allowing me to love him up and play with him. And it was my Mother's 82nd birthday. It was so great spending this time with them all.