Fall Fun-- and it ain't even Halloween yet!

This is the kind of fun we've been having 

around the Loyd place in the days leading

up to Halloween 2014.

Wood scrap becomes a welcome sign.

Hunter has rediscovered my old Civil War pistol.
It's a toy, but looks authentic.  Made by Kadets of
America after World War II.

He actually found both of my pistols. And they
double as pirate pistols, too.

Our new adventure is to take Judy's truck down to
the creek and waterfall.  And sometimes we're packin'.

Checking out a new bridge.  Cedar logs under it
should last a good while.

I guess Bri could be called an Eclectic Cowgirl.

Hunter likes to help the leaves fall.  In fact, all
of the grandkids do.

Would ya like to see some rootin' tootin' shootin'?

Better hoist up that gunbelt, ma'am.

Modern cowpokes are adept with lacrosse rackets
and hockey sticks.  Don't leave home without 'em.

Now it's Claire and Evan's turn to head to the "crick."

The long and winding road . . . .

I've heard of backseat drivers, but Evan . . . .

Well, when you look at me like that . . .
of course  you can have the keys!

Good thing nobody needs to walk up this ramp today.
It's been taken over by a barn raising.  Have you
ever seen a high-rise barn?  Not sure how Claire
got those horses up there.

Evan and Grandma are tuning up for basketball season.

When you need a break from construction, it's
handy to have monkey bars at hand.
(Please don't tell Granny and Granddaddy!)

Evan says he's Roy Rogers riding Trigger.

This must be Claire's favorite horse today.

This white oak tree fell two years ago.  I've trimmed
off some of the branches, but have left several main
parts of the trunk because it's great for low altitude
climbing and balancing.  They can also bounce on
the furthest extremities.  And hopefully never break
any of their own extremities!

So this is a sample of what we've been up

to lately.  And we'll never run out of ideas.

To every thing there is a season. So TURN, LEAVES, TURN.

I'm certain you all have leaves as lovely as

these in your yard or neighborhood.  But just

in case you don't, or haven't had time to enjoy

them yet, here are some shots from around

our property. I'll identify each.

Sweet Shrubs

Muscadine grapes

Crape Myrtle

Redbud

Dogwood

Dogwood

Sassafras

Magnolia.  No, the leaves aren't turning.
But look at those berries and cones!

Dogwood.  Yeah . . . again.

Hickory

White Oak

Winged Sumac

Red Maple

Sourwood

Yellow Poplar (Tulip Poplar)

Red Maple

Bracken Fern

Alder

 We still have some nice fall days ahead, so

get out and enjoy the beauty near you.

Horror in the Uwharries (Mountains, that is)

Fall means it's time for our annual

pilgrimage to beautiful Morrow Mountain

State Park.  Judy and I invited her mom along

for a relaxing day's outing.

We thought it was a little cool for a picnic, but

I scouted out a restaurant in nearby Albemarle

which we had never tried: Off the Square.

It had the #1 rating of over 50 local restaurants
on TripAdvisor.com.  

The outside is nothing pretentious,but the inside has
antique tin ceilings, original wood floors, and a quaint
eclectic selection of antique chairs and dinner plates.
Our kind of place.  Read reviews and look over the menu at
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g29857-d2203722-Reviews-Off_the_Square-Albemarle_North_Carolina.html

Some of the art depicted local historic locations.

Then it was on to Morrow Mountain.

Here's that classic view from the peak.

Judy and Thelma

Me and Thelma

Since our last visit the park has added modern,
convenient rest areas immediately adjacent to the
mountaintop parking area.  

 Even though the leaves hadn't turned as much as we
hoped, Morrow Mountain's view is always gorgeous.

Even the clouds cooperated on this lovely day.

In the distance you can see parts of Lake Tillery,
including the bridge where Highway 73 crosses the lake.

At least the dogwoods were changing.

When we drove through the campgrounds,

we were delighted to see that several families

had their campsites all decked out for Halloween.
(This is the only reference to the "Horror in
the Uwharries" headline)

I think the campground would be a fun place for
 a Halloween party.

Down at the boat landing and fishing dock, things
were very quiet, just the way we like it.  Not a lot of
color, but the setting was totally serene, and we spent
several minutes relaxing here.

Just before we headed for the car, we spotted

a lone fishing boat heading toward us, with

their trusty dog riding at the point.

We figured they were homeward bound,

and that was our plan, too.  A really nice

way to spend a perfect fall day.