Wordless Wednesday: Hotel Tree Dressed for Autumn

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

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Such a Gorgeous Award!

OK, I have to start out by apologizing to Smiling Sally, the gorgeous blogger who awarded me the Gorgeous Blogger Award last week. I'm very grateful for the award and flattered she thought of me. And I've been meaning to post my "six things about myself" list, but somehow real life and wonky Internet connections (and a really wonky memory) just keep getting in the way. So, here it is – just a little later than planned. I've done something like this once or twice before, so some of these fascinating facts may be repeats.

1. My memory isn't what it once was (see above). But then, neither is my body, for that matter.
2. I'm part Welsh, part English, part German, and possibly part Dutch and American Indian (Cherokee, I think).
3. My first pet was a chicken who drank himself to death. My most recent was a tabby cat who lived to the fine old age of 23 years.
4. I'm a terrible cook, but a pretty decent baker.
5. I don't much like the color orange. Except on oranges, of course. And on tabby cats.
6. I've eaten snails, rabbit, rattlesnake, and squirrel. It all tastes like chicken. Except the snails. They taste like snails.

And I'll be passing the award on to six other worthy and gorgeous bloggers as soon as real life settles down a bit. Thanks again, Sal!

Friday Fill-Ins #150

Haven't done a Friday Fill-Ins in many weeks, so thought I'd drop back in. This one seems to be a repeat of one of last year's FFs, and you can see my answers to that one here. Tried to come up with some different responses this time, so here goes:

1. The last band I saw live was _____________. Well, as I said last year, this is a tough one. I really don't go to that many live music things. If a symphony orchestra counts as a band, I suppose the last one of those I saw was most likely at a Kennedy Center concert of some sort back in the '90s. Pretty sure I haven't seen any live music performances at all in this century!

2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is (aside from having someone else do the cooking?) the University of Texas / Texas A&M football game on TV (Hook 'em, Horns!).

3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is all planned out but not finished yet.

4. Thoughts of pumpkin pies, pecan pies, sweet potato pies, and mincemeat pies fill my head. Can you tell I haven't had breakfast yet?

5. I wish I could wear this nightie and robe all day, but sooner or later I'm gonna have to get dressed. Bummer.

6. Bagpipes are, as they say, an acquired taste. I love 'em, but I know they make some people want to torch the piper and his pipes.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to possibly dinner out and then new episodes of "Medium" and "Numb3rs," tomorrow my plans include probably waiting around all day for M to call from Chicago, and Sunday, I want to have a nice relaxing day at home, and get some reading done!

Outdoor Wednesday: Big Sky Country

Outdoor Wednesday is hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer. To see many, many more outdoor photos or to post some of your own, please visit her blog.

Just got back from spending a couple of days in Shenandoah National Park. It's a little later in the year than we usually go to the park; a lot of the trees are already bare, and those that remain aren't all that colorful this year (not enough rain at just the right time, I guess).

But it was still a fun visit, and the scenery was still beautiful even if not as spectacular as in years past.

We stayed in the Skyland section, which has some of the highest elevations in the park. It's my favorite place to stay because of the wonderful views, at all times of year.

These are a few shots I took from the terrace of our "cabin" – and even though the days were hazy and the colors were muted, I think you can still see why they call it Skyland.