Blood Mountain

Taylor and I joined with an Appalachian Wilderness Hikers group, climbing Blood Mountain from Reece Trailhead (just to the north of Neels Gap.) Not a very clear day, but got better as the day wore on, and the views from the top were nice.

Nice vistas from high on Blood Mountain.

Taylor lunches at the summit, looking west towards Suches.

Fall sunset cruise

Sunset

Cruising home

Charlie and the Pumpkin Patch

We visited Hillside Farms Orchard this morning and came back with some pumpkins.

Charlie wants a big red tractor for Christmas, just like this one!

Bluegrass at the farm, courtesy of the Front Porch Gliders:

Jake joins the Polar Bear Club

Water temperature, after a week of cool Autumn weather, is 61 degrees. Chilly!

Bungee baby

Johnny-Jump-Up was a big hit with Charlie!

Romney, Obama appear at Mountaineer Festival

Obama overheard whispering to the guy in the green shirt:
'Being a scarecrow is way easier than debating that other fellow!
You think we could sneak outta here and do 18 at Kingswood Country Club this afternoon?'

They call it that good old mountain dew,
And them that refuse it are few.
Well, I'll hush up my mug, if you'll fill up my jug,
With that good old mountain dew.

Rabun Library's scarecrow; reads, of course.
Not so good at keeping crows out of the Old School Garden, though.

Bluegrass band entertains at lunch-time, playing Love of the Mountains:

  

The burning of the green wood on the fireplace

The fallen snow around the red bud trees

The branches of the laurel by the creek bed

And the rippling waters of the gentle stream

Now a bright moon is shining in the valley

   An old wagon leans against a stack of hay

   Two graves on a hillside by the cabin

   My mom and dad are resting there today

Quilt lady puts the sales jive on Georgia . . .

Mantis Momma

Mantis mother lays eggs on broom bush overlooking the hot-tub.
Then she walked off and left her several hundred young-uns on their own.
"Have a nice life, kids!"

From Wikipedia:

The mating season in temperate climates typically begins in autumn. To mate following courtship, the male usually leaps onto the female’s back, and clasps her thorax and wing bases with his forelegs. He then arches his abdomen to deposit and store sperm in a special chamber near the tip of the female’s abdomen. The female then lays between 10 and 400 eggs, depending on the species. Eggs are typically deposited in a frothy mass that is produced by glands in the abdomen. This froth then hardens, creating a protective capsule. The protective capsule and the egg mass is called an ootheca. Depending on the species, the ootheca can be attached to a flat surface, wrapped around a plant or even deposited in the ground. Despite the versatility and durability of the eggs, they are often preyed on, especially by several species of parasitic wasps.