Downtown Murphy

Just a couple shots showing end of fall/beginning of Christmas decorations:

It's the day after Thanksgiving

And this Tom is probably really happy he made it thru another year.......and can continue to chase this hen, after dealing with the annoying car on the side of the road.
There was snow on top of Big Frog in Georgia,
and snow on Waucheesi Bald, in Tennessee. (This could be rime, but considering the drizzle late yesterday, and the below freezing temps at higher elevations, I suspect snow. This stayed all day in the sun.)
Still color around Apalachia Lake and some other areas near water.

Backroads in Unaka and Suit

Cherokee Lake

This little lake, formed from Persimmon Creek where it runs into Hiwassee Lake, is always full because of its runoff dam. Color near the lake is nearly gone:

The low section in middle of the dam always has water flow (especially now since we had a pretty good rain Wednesday), but normally there is water overflowing the whole dam. Not so now.
There is nothing left of Hiwassee Lake in this section.
Just over the hill, much more color.
The road to our house has had lots of changing colors for several weeks now.....

In between the rain showers

Color reaches here

The hills around us, here at lower altitudes of 2000 ft. or so, have suddenly become color patchworks: the next few days should be best of this fall, although it will be cloudy and (hopefully) rainy. The maples are redder than I remember in other years:

By the river

In Asheville, this weekend, the studios at the River Arts District had an open house:
I love seeing the old buildings used without many changes:


"Performance art":

Last flower

(Taken Tuesday. We've been spared on the hill from the frosts in the valley below the last few days, but last night temps reached the 20s, so there won't be any more flowers this year...)

More color

Cherokee Lake.

A glorious weekend

The color is perfect at about 3000 ft altitude: such as here, along the Blue Ridge Parkway and roads leading up to it:



Not so colorful in lower valleys.
Fall camouflage.
Pumpkins and mums decorate the AT stopover at Neel's Gap in Georgia.

Fall backwoods ride

From the top of Buck Bald, just over the Tennessee line, Big Frog in the distance.Turning the other way, the Hiwassee Valley.
Just to the right of the last shot, a long long distance view shows the tower on top of Brasstown Bald, in Georgia.
Zooming in.....
Shuler Creek.
And, another backwoods road.

The maples have gotten brighter in many places but so far there hasn't been much more color change; rain and wind last week removed some leaves but it seems the peak is still to come.But the lower altitudes are getting more color, and the mountaintops may be near peak.