The Natural Beauty of Hollow-ween

   Before getting into the meat of today's post, I thought I would show a little party/yard haunt update. The new cemetery sign is up in it's new resting place and I think it looks great.

   We are also making progress on the wicKED weeKEnD party coming up in just 3 days. Here are some of the new place cards for the new dishes we are planning this year.

   This year's party is shaping up to be the biggest (and hopefully best) yet. Now, onto the real post!

   Miranda and I took a walk through the woods near our house over the weeKEnD. Our target was to document some of the local natural beauty that comes out in the mountains this time of year. I think we succeeded. 

   We have the good fortune to live in the beautiful and historic mountains of Virginia. There was a traveling journalist from Vermont, that came through in the 80's, who dubbed the Powell Valley, "The New England of the South". I have traveled all over the world, and still the mountains of my home town call me back. 

   Living in the Powell Valley (pictured above), one is surrounded by natures beauty, especially in Autumn when the trees are in full color and the fog rolls in. Numerous little "hollows" (pronounced hollers by us locals) dot the country side like Baum Hallow, Pardee Hallow, and Hoot Owl Hollow.
   The above picture is of the Norton Virginia Overlook in the early morning. This tourist stop looks over into the Powell Valley (I can see my house from here). Here are some more pictures in the daylight.

The ramp leading up to the Overlook

I really liked the contrast of the pine against the maple.

One of the many farms in the valley. My uncle used to tell me the round bails of hay were "cow eggs". He would justify this by saying in the winter, when they were busted open, there were always a group of cows standing around it.

Panoramic view from the top

We headed back into the valley for our walk in the woods. Our trip took us by the South West Virginia Museum along the way. They were all decked out for fall and putting up the tent for the Ghost Story event they host each year :

The museum is reported to be haunted.

I have friends from Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida who complain about feeling claustrophobic being tucked down in the valley when they visit.

 

Looks like there is a creature at the base of that tree!

I wonder what strange ritual it is performing?

What a great old creepy tree. 

Miranda falls victim to the creepy tree.

The squirrels were out in force that day!

This one even threw a few twigs at us.

Despite frost at night, we still have wild flowers.

The drawbridge over the Powell River. After the standard bridge was washed away three times, they came up with this one that can be raised when it floods.

I love the flat woodlands around the river basin. The long shadows always remind me of Fall.

A very crooked tree.

There are so many huge crooked trees along this path. I wonder what cause this strange growth?

We had a cold snap followed by a few days of heavy thunderstorms. It took it's toll on some of the Sugar Maples.

Great spot to do nothing for a long time.

Is that a tree spirit peeking at me through the boughs? 

   Time to get back to work. It's getting closer to the witching hour. The closer we get, the busier the days become. I hope everybody is has a wicKED Wednesday.