Happy to Be Back Online and Back Home from Vacation

I am delighted to be blogging again on our brand-new IMac. Have missed all of you and hope to begin catching up on visits to your blogs as well.

Part of the reason it took awhile to post again is that Mark and I (and the intrepid Shih-Tzu traveler Magnolia) have been on the road for a couple of weeks to spend time with members of each of our families. After a rich time with people we love, we are happy to be home again--especially after putting over 3000 miles on the car. (Little known fact: if you try to type "miles" with your right hand on the wrong keys--due to ineptitude on a new style of keyboard--the result is "nukes". Glad nothing we did involved even one nuke, much less 3000!!!)

Our road trip took us from our North Florida home to Wisconsin via a visit in Tennessee. Oh no, here comes the "what she did on her summer vacation" part! Not to worry, friends, will keep it as brief and painless as possible. The photos show scenes from a hike to Cataract Falls in the beautiful Smoky Mountains where we enjoyed a weekend family reunion with my siblings and their families at a wonderful, affordable lodge just the right size for all of us. From there, we drove to Wisconsin to see Mark's siblings and their families--may show you a few photos from there in a later post.

Question of the day: Well, not really a question; a hope and prayer that all of you have loving, supportive friends or relatives in your lives.

Exploring--Autumn in the Smoky Mountains

We have just returned from a wonderful vacation, enjoying visits with family and natural autumn beauty. Driving through the Smoky Mountains this time of year is a delight, although I should have taken more photos on our way in when it was sunny:>). We had been delayed by heavy traffic on the way and wanted to keep going, so I promised myself photos at several scenic overlooks on our way south again. However, the Smokies lived up to their name as we drove back through the park, so my mountain vista photos are quite subdued. The mountain stream right next to the main north-south drive through the park, bubbling through a mix of autumn colors and trees still green, provided my best photo op that day.

We had come from the Atlanta, GA area after several days with our older son and his wife in their new home. Although they are not exactly around the corner from Jacksonville, we are thrilled and very grateful to have them so much nearer than their long-time home in Southern California. We then drove to Gatlinburg, TN to research a lodge we hoped would prove to be a good location for a summer 2011 family reunion of our immediate family, my three siblings, their children, and grandchildren. One of my brothers and his wife met us there, and we judged the lodge to be perfect for our purposes--hope the rest of the family enjoys it as much as we expect they will. It is surprisingly affordable, with 12 bedrooms, each with a private bath, an amazing kitchen which will easily handle our meal preparation needs, large dining room, two lounges with fireplaces, a pool table, and more. Since our family members live in various cities, we have few opportunities to gather all of us together, and we look forward to the reunion.

A couple more nights enjoying time with our son and dear "daughter" ended our delightful autumn vacation--now home again.

Question of the day: What natural beauty are you enjoying this season? I love our fall beauty, but also know it is spring for our southern hemisphere friends--love to visit your blogs and get a sense of our larger world.