Last two Eden roses before the cold snap; camelias are blooming!
Right before leaving for our Thanksgiving Hike, a winter hummingbird appeared and is still here. I believe he is a Rufous hummingbird.
Thanksgiving week a new trail close to home opened up through Conserving Carolina. Walked the original bridge which is now just foot traffic.
This area has such a great history.
Fresh, new trail. Sweet!!
Lots of downed trees everywhere from the hurricane.
This area is covered in old rhodies. We will be back in spring to see them blooming.
They built various lookout decks over the waterfall, which was really nice.
I try to imagine what this area must have been like back when Frank Bell was a whitewater guide. They were pioneers in a rugged area.
The road we would have taken one road over from our place is still closed, the bridge is out and the bridge on the other side of us is out, both roads on either side of us closed. We went up as far as we could and saw the Caro-Mi restaurant that is no longer. It was sad to see this beautiful road where "my" old house where I gather plants is. My house is still there even though there is a waterfall behind it, but so many other places are devastated.
Last spring I walked this place over the covered bridge and took photos of all the azaleas . . . all gone.
The little nature library was flooded, I'm sure all gone.
Cranes were in the river moving debris and rock.
Cars buried in mud. We are lucky we happen to be on a hill in just the right place. Seeing this one road over shows how bad the storm was.
Some of the Japanese maples were still standing, but so many trees lost everywhere we go. Thankful to still have our home.
Managed to get a few Halloween items on the mantle, but that was all, a pumpkin here and there. It was late, now it's time to put out the turkeys.
I finally got all the Black Barow Columbine seedlings in the ground.
They are planted next to the pale pink foxgloves. Planting around here takes so much extra work because of wildlife that like to dig everything up. I never had to put cups around seedlings anywhere else that I lived, but it's the only way I will get the flowers I want.
I finally finished getting two coats of masonry paint on the farmhouse chimney. This week Adam the sheetrock guy is here doing the corner of the living room, so finally finishing that.
When I went to get my Halloween items for the mantle, the outbuilding where I store a lot of things in bins had flooded. Of course, 40 years of photos, vacations and school photos all gone. We are going through all the bins trying to salvage a few, but not many made it.
A few of my black and white photos from Peru made it. A few others, but it is sad that back in the day we didn't have chips in cameras where all of this could be stored.
I was so happy I at least had one photo that proved I once had a waist! (That is one ugly lamp my mom had!) I see I am wearing my POW bracelet. I wonder if I still have that somewhere? Remember those?
Today will be a bit warmer than the past few days, you can see the fog rising and I will be outside trying to get as much done as possible before the cold sets in. Tomorrow is Bob's 68th birthday, I need to wrap some gifts and plan dinner.
