Fall Sunsets - Salisbury, NC

One evening after have a blast playing at the Dan Nicholas Park we caught the most gorgeous sunset. We were driving on Bringle Ferry Road and caught it just as we crossed over the High Point Lake.

It was so stunning that we had to turn around to really appreciate its beauty! We pulled off just as it was dipping behind the trees in the distance.

It was sad to see the impact of the drought on the lake. The kids loved checking out the shoreline since the water had receded so much.

Such a stunning sky full of sorbet colors!

The night sky was so beautiful!

Found only two lousy ducks.

Words cannot express how much I love these people!

Fall Trees Everywhere-North Carolina

Fall is amazing in North Carolina because of all the incredible trees and their colorful leaves! This year due to the heat the fall leaves came later than normal, but they still packed a punch.

(my backyard beginning of fall)

Love the colors of our neighbors trees especially as the sun rises.

(my front yard middle of fall)

Triad Park was full of fall colors.
(middle of fall)

Delaney loved this tree the most because it has "blood red" leaves just like a vampire. She is a little obsessed with vampires right now. Can you tell?

Just love all the various hues of color on the leaves of this one tree! 

One our way home from the Triad Park we caught the most magnificent sunset over my favorite part of the drive.

The fall leaves didn't last long, but even as they piled upon the ground they were still beautiful. Love the deeper colors.

(end of fall)

Delaney was the only one willing to take photos with the fall leaves. So grateful she did since this is our last fall in North Carolina.

We will definitely miss East Coast fall leaves when we move West this spring. The leaves are just incredible to behold.

Syon Abbey - Blue Ridge Parkway, VA

There usually are many trees lining the road along the Blue Ridge Parkway. To our surprise the trees open up about Milepost 145 to a huge green field and a stunning monastery in the distance. Syon Abbey is a Benedictine monastery that sits on 243 acres and houses. There are no signs naming or calling attention to the monastery or the monks that live there. It took me a while to find its name and learn about this monastery. Privacy clearly is important to these monks. You can contact them and arrange a visit if you follow the link above. Wish we would have known that earlier.

I love these kids! Thanks for appeasing me with some photos!

After stopping to admire the Syon Abbey we headed into Roanoke for our last visit there before moving in the spring.

Braxton always is my photography buddy!

We love the Roanoke Star and have a family tradition of always taking a photo with it when we visit Roanoke, VA.

Roanoke, VA is so picturesque!

Rakes Mill Pond - Blue Ridge Parkway, VA

We love the Blue Ridge Parkway!

One of the stops along the Blue Ridge Parkway is the Rakes Mill Pond at Milepost 163.0. It has a lovely, gentle waterfall. 

Love these kids and the way they dress themselves.

Our family's favorite reasons for visiting Rakes Mill Pond are the salamanders. My kids get the biggest kick out of finding them. The water happened to be quite murky on this visit, but Hotch succeeded in finding one salamander. Love its little orange spots!

Glad we were able to make a stop here. It is always quiet and peaceful.