“Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.”
Psalm 111:2-3 ESV
This scene looks wintry, but it was actually a very pleasant early morning last week…so pleasant Pam was out at sunrise getting photos while I was being lazy! The clouds are usually set aglow with fiery oranges by the rising sun, but this day the clouds reflected the light and the grassy fields were glowing! Much cooler, seasonal temps are predicted here for Thanksgiving. Pam thinks the colder weather adds a nice finishing touch to the holiday festivities. What do you think?
The golden morning glow was evident everywhere, but as always, like life, it appeared for a little while and then vanished away!
Glowing, glowing, glown!
I have given this fall season a verbal hard time about not displaying the overall vivid colors we typically see. With that said, there is no autumn that God does not allow us to witness His spectacular displays, by which we are always blessed. I made a decision to stop complaining and get out and find some awesome colors in spite of the dry warm weather. As you can see, I started with orange.
The Chinese pistache is an ornamental that is found in many landscapes and especially cityscapes lining streets and public areas. It is in the same family as cashew and sumac, and is not shy when it comes to showing off orange and yellow. Speaking of yellow…
…nothing says yellow quite like Ginkgo. This one in our downtown is an older tree and always popular for fall photos!
Let’s try red…Sumac is in a class by itself when it comes to red. The day after I found this sumac colony, state mowers came by and they are no more!
Many roadsides and undisturbed fields are covered these days with a November/December bloomer called groundsel bush or groundseltree. More of a shrub to me than a tree, but it provides a lot of white around the countryside this time of year.
If you’ve ever wondered what would make an old guy that loves the woods and all things outdoors sit for several hours at a ballet performance…you now have the answer. EM was in The Nutcracker Princess and, most definitely, Pam and I were in the audience!
Ole bushy bluestem I think it’s called (the “ole” is my addition), is a perennial grass which just joined the red sumac as falling victim to the state mowers making their final roadside swath of the season.
This trestle has seen a lot of years and supported thousands of railroad cars and locomotives. It is still active, and has been in place (over 100 years) much longer than the colorful oak that stands beside it!
My sister opens a Christmas shop in this building from Thanksgiving through January 1. The building is historic and was relocated to the Noccalula Falls Park, and of course refurbished as needed. The park hosts Christmas At The Falls beginning Thursday. The lights are spectacular and it is a fun place to visit during the holidays. We dropped by to look at the progress in her preparations for the first big night and helped a little (very little), but had a good visit before the crowds come on Thanksgiving evening. I think the building is from around 1840.
With Christmas At The Falls in mind, our look back today is from our visit to the park in 2021. We will have to select a night and get our tickets online for this year right away. Ready or not, the season is upon us!
We did not include this pic in our recent travel post, but I wanted to add it today because I liked this plant. I guess I should be focusing on the fact that this is in the garden area of Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. This is true, but I also thought this looked just like our lantana, and I’ve not seen it grown as a bush or shrub before! With everything else surrounding me here, why would that thought occur? The answer…I have no idea!
We decided to have a pretend campfire last week because we are under a no burn order. It was a nice autumn evening so we just used our imagination and went forward with plans to enjoy the outdoors. The nights will soon be too cold to sit out without a good fire!
Have A Wonderful Thanksgiving!!
“I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.”
Psalm 69:30 ESV
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Life and Linda
My Sunday morning is always blessed by your posts. Thanks for stopping to share all the beautiful things in life—and for pointing us to the One who created it all.
What a beautiful ballerina your EM is! Have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving!
Thank you, Cindie. Wishing you and your family a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving!
This post should be named The Princess and her Court. The only thing missing is the video you took which I want to see. She is so poised in her costume. And holds her bouquet of beautiful roses like Miss America. Proud you surely must be. Color color color. The orange tree is gorgeous. So are the others but my goodness this tree is showing off! So now are you planning to grow a lantana topiary? I think
You can do it. It’s very pretty. Have a glorious Thanksgiving week.
Alice, your comments about our EM warms my heart! Thank you, sweet friend. Wishing you and your a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving!
I’m with Pam, it needs to be cold for the holidays. Gorgeous trees! We look forward to Winter Lights at the NC Arboretum each year for seasonal cheer.
Thank you, Carole. I would love to see the Winter Lights. We did visit Biltmore for a few days several years ago and loved seeing all the Christmas lights and decorations!
EM is beautiful in her tutu. The lantana “tree” is indeed interesting. It has to be in the same family. The golden glow is so pretty. All the fall colors are gorgeous. We’re supposed to get a decent amount of rain tomorrow. We’re under a burn ban too. We hope the rain comes your way. We saw a few turkeys in a field near us this week. That’s a rare site for us. Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃Clara
Thanks so much Clara. We are expecting rain on Tuesday and hopefully it will happen. Happy Thanksgiving 🧡🦃
EM looks beautiful in her costume. Butch, we’ll make a ballet connoisseur of you yet! Love all the plant varieties you name. I’ve never seen a groundsel bush/tree that I know of, nor the bushy bluestem. That tree form in Venice does look like a trained lantana. I love holiday markets. Your sister’s looks like a great place.
Happy Thanksgiving to the Richardsons, and also greetings for the official start of the holiday season!
EM was a darling cupcake! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Rita!
Beautiful Fall photos, especially the Nutcracker Princess! Christmas at The Falls sounds so special, I hope you get to go again this year. I know your family will have a very blessed Thanksgiving. We arrived at the beach house yesterday and are planning our Thanksgiving menu today. It’s a joy to be here with family, what I am most thankful for!
Jenna
Thank you, Jenna! Wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving at the beach house…I know lovely memories will be made!
Now that is one talented and charming Nutcracker Princess! And of course, I love the sprinkling of fall from around the USA and across the pond!
Thank you, Mary! We are so proud of our ballet dancer!
As you should be, she is a real gem!
On my way to see the Nutcracker in a bit with a friend’s daughter as Clara. Your ballerina is divine! I love the word “delight” as in the opening verse. Those who delight. – I delight in God’s beauty you share with us!
Thank you Leslie Anne. I know you will love seeing your friend’s daughter as Clara!
Ohhhhh EM is gorgeous as a ballerina. The fall pics are beautiful. Happy Thanksgiving. Hugs. Kris
Thank you, Kris! Hugs to you!
Pam
So many lovely photos of the beauty around you, but Queen EM absolutely stole my heart. She looks so beautiful and graceful with her bouquet. Your hearts must have been bursting.
Thank you, Roxanne. We were so excited for her. She thoroughly enjoyed the experience!
Pam
Pam is right…to everything there is a season, with the right temperatures in place, but this year’s defies prediction. Beautiful EM is so poised and graceful…
the glow of pride surrounding you in the audience must have been radiant.
Thank you for today’s lessons in plant identity, good ole American Christmas
celebrating, and the beauty of heart-rendering Scripture.. so perfect on this
Sabbath. heritage
Mary, yes we were glowing in the audience. She loves ballet and did a wonderful job!
Pam
Thanks so much for brightening my day. I came from the Mid Atlantic and miss spring and fall. Do you know what a Calacanthus or Sweet Shrub is ? My grandmother had one I loved. Not sure why two doting grandparents would think EM is the cutest thing ever, but we agree. Happy Thanksgiving.
Thank you, Myrna! Yes, we know about a sweet shrub. My husband’s grandmother had one. Happy Thanksgiving!
Pam
EM is so beautiful! Gorgeous Fall colors. Have a lovely week ahead dear friends!
Thank you, Maristella!
Pam
Pam, your granddaughter is so sweet. I am sure the ballet was beautiful!
The color, I could scroll all day looking at these beautiful photos! Thank you for sharing.
Have a wonderful week!
Thanks so much, Elizabeth. Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Pam
Amazing Autumn colours Pam, great photography.
And what a special event to watch your granddaughter in her special ballet production.
Blessings to you both,
Jennifer
Thank you, my friend. We loved watching our granddaughter, she is precious!
Pam
so beautiful Pam….thanks for the photos and the colorful lights….and your grandbaby’s ballet is special…she is growing up so fast. Have a great and wonderful week. hugs
Thank you, dear one!
Pam
What a beautiful Princess ballerina! She looks so pleased holding the pink roses! What wonderful memories for all of you!
Thank you for a lovely stroll of Autumn that surrounds you!
Thanks be to God!
Happy Thanksgiving dear friends!
Thank you, Nancy and wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving!
Christmas at the falls sounds just lovely. I hope your sister does well. And as usual, it’s just beautiful in your neck of the woods this season! Happy Thanksgiving week!
Thank you, Jeanie and Happy Thanksgiving week!
Butch, you did a fantastic job of capturing all the fall colors around you – love the gorgeous reds, oranges, and yellows. And the white too. EM is indeed a beautiful princess and you must be so proud of her. I hope that you can get your tickets to Christmas at the falls – enjoy! Wishing you both and all your family a lovely Thanksgiving!
Thanks so much, Kim! You are so sweet, dear one!