fall

If it’s Fall, it must be the Mountains

Every time October rolls around, I am irresistibly called back to the mountains. This year, it will be twice. Right now I am in the far western part of North Carolina, crossing here and there into Tennessee, and in a couple of weeks it will be the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia. Today I explored the area around Robbinsville. Here are a couple of diverse snapshots from the area. The image of mountain layers was taken from the Sunset Overlook on the Cherohala Skyway; the waterfall is Yellow Creek Falls on Hwy NC-219, and the bridge is also on Hwy NC-219.

A Lowcountry Fall

The colors may not be as vibrant as those in the north or in the upper elevations of South Carolina, but Botany Bay Road at this time of the year is beautiful, and so typically southern.

Family Portrait Season

The family portrait season is upon us. Funny how the end of the year signals the time to tie up loose ends, accomplish the goals that were set at the beginning of the year, etc. This includes recording the growth of the kids, including new family members and perhaps visiting grandparents, etc. I have enjoyed photographing this family for years, and yes there was a new little one, and the others have grown and changed. The commitment to document the family progress over the years is a worthy one. As a grandparent who photographed her kids often as they grew, I now watch my grandkids going through old albums of their parents at their age, asking all kinds of questions and hugely enjoying the experience. Here are a couple of my favorites from last weekend’s session.

More from Western North Carolina

Prepare to be surprised by sudden and ongoing changes in the weather when spending time in the upper elevations of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Our biggest surprise this time was to get caught in a flurry of snowflakes while admiring the brilliant fall foliage on the parkway. Here are a few more of my favorite images from this trip. Until next time ….

Fall in North Carolina

It’s the second week in October, and time to make my annual pilgrimage to the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina. We are coming to the end of three wonderful days spent in the rural community of Valle Crucis, near Blowing Rock, and tomorrow we will drive south down to the Lake Toxaway area and spend a week there. So far, we have covered over 500 miles and tomorrow will add another couple of hundred. Here are a couple of snapshots from our wanderings up and down the BRP.

North Carolina in the Fall

Every year I go back to North Carolina at least once during the fall season. It’s definitely my prime “happy place”. This year, a few of us girlfriends rented a house on Lake Summit for a week, near Flat Rock / Zirconia. What a great getaway it was. We explored the Carl Sandburg National Historic Site, Brevard, Caesar’s Head State Park, Pearson’s Falls, the Sky Top Orchard for apples, apple pie, apple cider donuts … We took long walks to try and atone for all the food we ate. Just a really good time with good friends.

Bottlenose Dolphin Strand Feeding

This phenomenon occurs most frequently in the fall when the mullet are plentiful in the Kiawah River, and within two hours of low tide either way. It is a practice that has become fairly well known among the locals, and is exciting, fascinating and awe-inspiring to watch. To quote from Kiawah.com’s webpage:

“During low tide, the dolphins will herd a school fish, gradually pushing them closer and closer to the shore of the Kiawah River. As they chase the fish up the bank, they create a wave that then throws them out of the water. The dolphins then push themselves up onto the sand and eat as many fish as they can before sliding back into the water.

Keep in mind that not all Kiawah Island dolphins know how to strand, however. It seems that this behavior is passed from mother to calf. For reasons unknown to scientists, adult dolphins are not able to learn the feeding technique once they reach a certain age. Because of this, a little less than half of the Island’s dolphin population can perform strand feeding.”

Here are a few pictures of these amazing mammals in action.

Tail End of Fall 2021

Some years I have barely managed to get away to my favorite places in North Carolina once during the fall season, but this year I was blessed with the opportunity to visit three times. These photos were from this third visit over Thanksgiving, and in Tryon the leaves were barely hanging on to the tree limbs. Thick carpets of dried foliage on the ground crunched underfoot as we walked the trails. Everything looked a glorious mess, and it was cool and crisp but sunny. So grateful for these good times with good friends.

Upstate South Carolina

After spending some days in the Brevard area of North Carolina, I wandered back over the state line into upstate South Carolina where I stayed at a wonderful B&B in Salem called Sunrise Farm. Such fun to walk out of the door before sunrise and capture the light as it rakes across the pastures and signals the dawn of another day. Of course many farm people wouldn’t understand why this would be a big deal, but for a city girl, it’s a treat. Here are a few images from early this morning. These last few days of fall in the mountains have been amazing, but tomorrow it’s back to Charleston and the low country, home.

From the Sea to the Mountains

Every fall I try to spend time in Western North Carolina. I am like a child in a wonder world when surrounded by the brilliant colors of Fall. I don’t always time it right, but this time everything came together and I hit the peak for this area. I like to base myself in Brevard, because from here it’s a short run up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and elevations of 6,000 feet (where the trees are already bare) or I can wander around further down the mountains. Right now I’m socked in for a couple of days by a front that’s moving through and bringing a lot of rain, but here are a few from the last couple of days. No saturation added, in fact I had to back off the colors because they were almost an assault on the eyes! My favorite time of year.