A Closer Look

In my last post I shared the wonderful Me & McGee Produce Market I found.

I thought you might like to see a little closer look at the many displays.

Every where you looked there was a pumpkin peeking out.

This was one of my favorite displays.

I really like the metal flower in the middle of an old window frame.

There were pumpkins in every shape, size and color,

veggies,

Arkansas black apples,

 and flowers too!

These didn't even look real, but they are!

The pumpkin I brought home was a smaller one.

I loved it's color and it's bumpy texture.

This cut little guy came home with me because of it's wonderful little stem!

My rule: When buying pumpkins you must always find at least one with a curly stem!

I love autumn!

I love the colors,

the smells,

and

the cooler air!

I sincerely hope you are enjoying your autumn!

Me & McGee Market

It's cloudy, cool and windy, so grab a light jacket.

It's muddy from recent rains, so put on your old boots and

come with me to

Me & McGee Produce Market.

I needed a pumpkin; not for carving, but for a fall decoration.

I discovered this gem of a place on Facebook.

When I pulled in the parking area, my heart did a little bump, bump!

You know that "oh, this is perfect" feeling!

Me & McGee is a family run old-fashioned produce stand.

We were fortunate to meet several of the McGee family.

Mom McGee makes the breads.

Daughter creates the beautiful fall settings.

Granddaughter runs the stand.

Son makes a variety of pork rinds.

It's either a daughter or daughter-in-law that makes jellies and jams.

There are more members of this family involved.

I even met a future daugther-in-law.

They are a wonderful family and they've created a wonderful business.

So, I went for a pumpkin and came home with

zucchini squash bread,

peach cobbler jelly,

peach salted caramel jam,

a really cute jar of honey,

cookies,

two fried pies,

Arkansas black apples,

four small gourds,

and

my pumpkin.

I mentioned that I brought home fried pies.

Well, I ate one fried pie while sitting under a large pecan tree and talking with my sister. We decided we couldn't wait till we got home to try one.

It was OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD delicious!

Perfect pastry filled with a coconut cream,

drizzled in chocolate and topped with sliced almonds.

Appropriately named

Almond Joy.

Never will I buy a pumpkin at Wal Mart again!

I'll be retuning to Me & McGee!

Hmmmmm!

I wonder what fried pies they're making this weekend!!

Don't Fight The Wind

This year will not go down in the record books as a gorgeous autumn. Once again it's been too dry and the temperatures too warm. The rains came and the temperatures finally cooled down a bit, but it was just a little too late. The last few days have been windy with overcast skies and a little rain. The gusting wind today has the leaves falling from the trees and dancing across the yard. I think my neighbor's leaves are all dancing over to my yard!

In spite of the wind, I was determined to take some leaf pictures before all the leaves were gone. In order to not get super blurry pictures of blowing leaves, I started looking for leaves that were caught on something.

Much to my surprise, they were everywhere. All I had to do was get out there and look.

Naturally a good majority of the leaves I found were caught on the branches of small bushes and vines.

There were also quiet a few caught on our neighbor's chain link fence.

My favorites, though, were the ones caught in the Juniper tree. The dark green needles made the color of the leaves brilliant.

I'm glad I finally decided there wasn't any point in trying to fight the wind. I just needed to get a little creative and find a way to work around it!

~

"Autumn doesn't always promise that Winter will come,

but she works hard until every colored leaf

has reached its destination."

~ Terri Guillemets

October Skies

"From out yon nimbus cloud, the mighty sun

Sweeps o'er the raptured woods his golden beams,

And wakens in my soul such dulcet chords

As harp or breathing organ never swelled."

~ James Rigg  1897 ~

I love the rich colors of autumn:

orange pumpkins,

red, yellow, and gold leaves,

green cedars and pines.

Autumn colors are all beautiful, but my favorite is blue; the rich blues of the skies this time of year. It's the perfect background for the beautiful clouds that been sweeping through.

I read something this morning that said to reduce stress, share something you love with others. So here I am, sharing what I love . . .  clouds, skies, and quotes. I hope you enjoy them!

"They never stand still—

but they're not

in a hurry either."

~Terri Guillemets

"Clouds on clouds, in volumes driven,

Curtain round the vault of heaven."

~Thomas Love Peacock

"It's wonderful to climb the liquid mountains of the sky.
Behind me and before me is God and I have no fears."
~Helen Keller

"Hardly a day passes but we may see
in the sky above us
that God is producing scenes of perfect beauty,
or of glorious majesty,
which so far as we know
are only produced for the sake of
giving us pleasure."

~Alfred Rowland, "The Clouds: God's Angels of the Sea,"
in The Sunday Magazine (London), 1884

"I thank you God for this most amazing day,

for the leaping greenly spirits of trees,

and for the blue dream of sky

and for everything which is natural,

which is infinite, which is yes."

~E. E. Cummings

I encourage you to go outside, look up,

and soak in the beauty of autumn skies.

Seeking Color

I anxiously await as I go through the long hot summer for cooler days and the brilliant colors of fall. Only this year in Arkansas, it didn’t happen. There are a few trees that have some color, but overall we didn’t get fall colors. We’ve had an abnormally warm fall and have been very dry which has caused the leaves on the trees to just turn brown, curl up, and fall to the ground. As far as fall colors go, this year was a bust! So, I had to turn to other things for autumn color such as pumpkins and mums. I knew just where to look for them . . . Garvan Woodland Gardens.

Not only were there pumpkins and mums, but the azaleas were blooming and the coleus was beautiful.

Notice in the picture below how green everything is. Of course, the garden is watered daily, but my goodness this is the middle of November and everything is still so very green. The plants are loving the warm temperatures.

It was quite a busy day at the gardens. I almost waited too late to see any fall colors, they were quickly being replaced by Christmas lights and decorations. The garden begins its Christmas light show this week. It was quite a challenge to take autumn pictures without Christmas lights in them. 

The Camellia trail was quite beautiful and led to the end of the garden where there’s a spectacular view of Lake Hamilton.

Well, I finally got my fall color fix, so I’m ready to move on. In fact, after watching with fascination, the Christmas decorations being put up I’m ready to go back and see the lights. I’m going to wait a couple of weeks, hoping it will be colder. It just doesn’t seem right to walk through a Christmas wonderland of lights in a T-shirt, capris, and sandals!

"I go to nature to be soothed and healed,

and to have my senses put in order."

~ John Burroughs

Camp Clearfork

Hidden in the Ouachita Mountians down a short gravel road lies Camp Clearfork. The camp was developed in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps and includes several cabins, dorms, and a dining hall. This was the location of the photography workshop hosted by Taylor and Brenda Bellott. As I mentioned in my first post about the workshop, Taylor is a nature/landscape/wildlife photographer. He and his wife put on a fantastic three day workshop. Not only is Taylor an amazing photographer, but he loves to share his knowledge with others. His wife, Brenda, is the perfect partner; while he fed our brains, she fed our stomachs. Oh my, did we eat some delicious food! 

Some might call the location primitive, but I call it rustic. It's vintage, but clean, It smells old, but you can open the windows. It has features that are antique, but the cabins do have running water and a bathroom. Primitive would have been no bathroom in the cabin. There is also no heat or air conditioning, but  the weather was mild so neither was needed.

The first time I went to the bathroom in our cabin I laughed out loud. Instead of the metal rod that locks the door, there was only a very small stick. The stick would only be good for keeping the door shut, not keeping anyone out!

Not all our time was spend in workshops or group photography. There was plenty of time for us to explore and for me to find the little delights of this beautiful area.

After the workshop my sister and I stayed in the area for a while. We walked a trail around the lake until it became very overgrown, then we backtracked. We also went to Camp Charlton which is right across the highway from Camp Clearfork. Charlton is a historic recreation area located on Walnut Creek. The rustic bathhouse was also built by the CCC in 1935. It has the most fascinating shape. As you can see in the picture all the walls curve. From the top they curve in and then curve back out to a wider base. It's not just curved at the corners, but the whole wall is curved.

Walnut Creek is lovely. It was a fun place for rock throwing and looking for fall leaves.

We couldn't have asked for anything better from this workshop. We learned, we took pictures, we made new friends, we laughed, and we ate! I'm already saving my pennies for the next one. A great be thank you goes out to Taylor and Brenda. You made my first photography workshop perfect!

The Scarecrows of Cleburne County

Cradled in the Ozark mountains the small town of Heber Springs is invaded each fall by scarecrows. They are everywhere! They sit on benches, relax in storefront windows, and loiter along the sidewalks. My sister, sister-in-law, and I took a little road trip to stroll through the scarecrows. And yes, take lots of pictures. I don't think it's necessary to add a lot of words below the pictures. I'll just identify them and point out a few things. If you know your Pixar movies you will recognize some of these scarecrows. The Pixar-themed scarecrows entered in a competition. The winner has not yet been determined. As you scroll down through the pictures, pick out your favorite and let me know in the comments.

#1 - Darling Little Remy

 #2 - Sweet Traditional Couple

#3 - World Record Scarecrow Trout

#4 - "Tubby" Buzz Lightyear

#5 - Cousin ITT

# 6 - UP

#7 - The Quilter

#8 Princess Menda

the newest hair stylist in town

#9 - The Mayor

#10 - Jitterbug Joe

beside the Jitterbug Coffee House

His body is an ironing board.

His nose and the details on his clothes are bottle caps and buttons.

His arms are garden tools.

I was fascinated by Jitterbug Joe's hair.

I spotted buttons, snaps, zipper parts, nuts, safety pins, and screws.

#11 - Earl Tea Grey

Relaxing in the Woodgrove Tea Room.

#12 - The Scariest One In Town

Oh wait, that's me!!

Now that you're at the end, I'll tell you my favorite - #10.

I was blown away by the wonderful paint job and all the details.

I got the idea for this post from a sweet friend Debbie. She writes the blog It's All About Purple. One of her recent posts features the scarecrows of Peddlers Village, Bucks County, PA. Her post reminded me about the scarecrows in Heber Springs and I had to go see them. I will say this, the scarecrows of Heber Springs were a lot tamer than the scarecrows of Peddlers Village. Drop by her blog and take a look.

I hope you've had a chance to get out and experience the fall activities near you.

Fall is such an amazing time of the year!