Old Falls River Road, Rocky Mtn. National Park

On the morning of September 17, 2012,  we headed back from our motel in Fort Collins to the ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK.  We had tried to go up the unpaved Old Falls River Road when we were there in 2011,  but it was closed last year due to snow.  This year,  we had had a little snow the night before we drove up that road ---so we were afraid that the road might be closed again... BUT--luckily for us,  it was open!!!!

This is OUR type of road,  a non-paved road up the mountain with many pull-offs along the way to enjoy the surrounding area.  We don't like crowds --and we love 'back roads'... This was OUR type of road.  For that reason,  I will have TWO posts showing you the area.

Hope you enjoy our photos.  Be sure to click on them for enlargements.   IF you have missed other posts from our latest trip out west,  go to my sidebar and scroll down to Favorite Sites and click on West Trip 2012...

The picture above shows you what the OLD FALLS RIVER ROAD looks like...  More pictures are below.

BEFORE we got to the the Rocky Mountain National Park,  we were driving along one of the beautiful Colorado scenic roads... GUESS what we saw that morning???? Some BIGHORN SHEEP !!!!!!

Of course, we stopped and both of us took alot of pictures of them..  The neatest thing to me was seeing them climb those STEEP rocks/cliffs.... AMAZING!!!!  (It was steeper than it looks!)

Once we got on the Old Falls River Road,  one of the first things we stopped to see was of course a WATERFALL.   "Chasm Falls" is another one of our NEW waterfalls on this trip.  However,  the main trail to the falls is being renovated --so George did ALOT of bushwhacking in order to get pictures of several of the drops of that beautiful waterfall.  Above is only one of several he saw..  I think he called this one  "Lower Chasm Falls".

The views going up the mountains were awesome...  The weather had started out cloudy (since they had had some rain/snow the night before)---but it gradually cleared up so that we could enjoy a fabulous day!

One can get an 'up close and personal' view of the ROCKIES from the Old Falls River Road.  I love seeing those peaks!

We actually took a short hike in this area---enjoying the beautiful Lodgepole Pines and a small creek,  complete with some  cascades... It was so pretty.

George is on the trail where we took a hike.  It was such a beautiful area --even though it was getting cooler and cooler---the higher we got up that mountain!!!!

Look at this pretty MOSS.  Everything looked so green and lush up here.

Higher and higher we go!!!!!!   WOW---look at that!!!  Betsy sees some SNOW on the mountain!!!! WOW!!!  Isn't it pretty behind those beautiful blooming ASPENS????

MORE to COME!!!!!  Hope you are enjoying seeing photos from this marvelous trip!!!!

I also hope that each of you had a fabulous THANKSGIVING.  We ALL do have much to be thankful for... Beauty is all around us!!!!!  Thanks be to God.



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A Happy Mom on Thanksgiving --with son Mark and family at Fall Creek Falls

We had a nice Thanksgiving this year --enjoying FAMILY, FOOD,  and FELLOWSHIP --plus being together with my Sweetheart,  and continuing our wonderful life together.

Hugs,
Betsy

Jeff and Dawn's Wedding

"Me thinks there is going to be a wedding here."

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey B. Wilhite (my youngest son) got married on October 6, 2012 at the Central Church of Christ,  Dalton, GA.  The wedding was fabulous from beginning to end --and this Mama just smiled all weekend!!!!!  I am so happy for these young adults --and am so blessed to have Dawn as a member of our family..

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy.  Be sure to click on them to see enlargements.

Rehearsal Dinner

First came the rehearsal dinner (for about 35) in the Fellowship Hall of the church.  Dawn and Jeff's colors were blue/navy and yellow.  Dawn's favorite flower is the Sunflower --so you will see many of them throughout these photos.

The groom's family (George and I, Mel--Jeff's father, and wife Sally) were in charge of the dinner.  Sally furnished the gorgeous table decorations;  Mel prepared some home-made lasagna,  some bread, drink and salad;  George and I furnished fruit trays, veggie trays,  and cupcakes for dessert.  We all --including son, Mark, from Texas set-up for the wedding and then cleaned it all up...  Everyone seemed to have a good time ---including all of Jeff's family.  The bride and groom look so happy,  don't they?

The Wedding Book

Jeff and Dawn had a great wedding book --which they will continue to add to as the years go by... All of the guests were asked to sign the book (anywhere they wanted to).

The Wedding Party

Here is a picture of the entire wedding party.  Jeff's son Landon (to his left) was his Dad's best man.  Mel (Jeff's Dad) is to Landon's left.   Jeff's daughter, Avery,  is on the right side of Dawn,  and my son Mark (Jeff's brother) is to Avery's right.  As you can imagine,  the tiny one (Cameron) stole the show!!!!!

Dawn and the 'Girls'

Here are some cute pictures of Dawn and her 'girls'.. My favorite is the bottom right --where Dawn is seated with the little ones!!!!!   BUT--isn't Cameron just precious?

The PARENTS

Here is where it all BEGAN!!!!!  These are the parents.   To the left are George and I.  Top right  are Dawn's Mom and Dad,  Robert and Shirley.  And the bottom right are Jeff's Dad,  Mel, and wife, Sally.

I want to add here that the wedding service was excellent.  Jeff and Dawn used sand to combine the two families as ONE.  That was a nice change to me from the candles that we used to light to unite the families.

ALSO---Jeff and Dawn had an area in a separate room set aside for the memory of loved ones who have died.   Included here were my parents:  Edith and Simon Banks.  Doing that meant so much to me.  (Thanks, Dawn and Jeff.)

Betsy's Sons and Grandchildren

I'll add a personal collage here..  On the top left is a picture of my two youngest sons, Jeff and Mark.  Our oldest son (Bert) couldn't be here --but we all missed him very much.  To the right at the top is George and I with Jeff.  On the bottom left is a happy Mom with her son, Mark (from Texas).  AND---to the right are two of my precious grandchildren (Jeff's children):  Landon (age 17) and Avery (age 14).  Avery is my youngest grand --and she's growing up so fast and getting prettier every single day.  Landon is a amazing young man --and I am a very proud Grammy!

RECEPTION

Next came the reception,  held nearby at a place called Stages 123.   It was also decorated fabulously --thanks to many of Dawn's friends in Dalton.  There was plenty of food for the 100+ people who attended...  The pictures to the right are the bride's and groom's cakes.  There were two groom's cakes (Carrot and Red Velvet).  The bride's cake was a white cake with white icing --surrounded by --what else, but sunflowers!!!!

First Dance --and a Toast

Here was the first dance between husband and wife ---and a toast to everyone for attending and also for good luck.

It's CAKE TIME

Here are some photos of the bride and groom feeding each other cake...  I loved the wedding cake --so wanted you to see a closer view...  Gorgeous,  isn't it?

Mom and Son Dance

Here's the groom's dance with Mom.  We danced to  "Wind Beneath Your Wings" sung by Bette Midler.  I am so proud of Jeff ---and expressed that to him while we were dancing.

Garter and Bouquet Time!!!

Now it's time to throw the garter (Jeff) and the bouquet (Dawn)....  We won't tell anyone that Jeff first tried to snap the garter --and it went the WRONG direction... Tee Hee....

Bride and Groom Leaving

WELL---the party's over and the bride and groom are leaving.  We all formed two lines and waved streamers as they left....  (That is so much better than throwing rice I think.)

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Bruce Wilhite

Finally,  here's one last picture of the Beautiful Bride and her Gorgeous Groom.  As I write this the day AFTER the wedding,  I hope that these two are enjoying a few days of R&R on the beach...

We did have a great time --and the wedding was PERFECT from every respect...Congrats to this wonderful couple!!!!

Hope you ALL had a great a weekend as we had!

Hugs,
Betsy
NOTE: Any family member or friend who wants any of these photos, please email me at betsyadams@mac.com.

Flowers, Friends and Family

Hell's Fire Iris

As you know (from all of my posts recently from our yard),  Spring has been very good to us here on the Cumberland Plateau.  Right now,  we still have some Azaleas blooming,  some Roses beginning to bloom,  our Rhododendrons are blooming,  AND lots and lots of beautiful IRISES blooming...    I think  (as of now) that we have 16 different varieties of Bearded Irises blooming.   I showed you two of them (Autumn Bugler and Honey Glazed) in a previous post.  Today,  I'll show you a few more of our Irises.... Hope you enjoy seeing them.   Be sure to click on them for larger views...

Clarence Iris

Blatant Iris

Waltz Across Texas Iris

Hemstitched Iris  (my favorite out of this group)

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Max,  Teacher Betsy, Sharon

On another note,  you have to read this story!!!!!  I started teaching high school in 1965.  This was my first job after graduating from college in 1964.  I taught Choral Music and Math at West High School  in Knoxville, Tennessee from 1965-71.   I loved my first job ---and loved the students that I taught...

Anyhow--to make a long story short,  through Facebook,   I caught up with a couple of my favorite students.  Max and Sharon were 'sweethearts' in high school.  After they graduated and when I left Knoxville,  I lost total contact with them.  This past weekend,  they came to Crossville to camp---so we met back up --after 43 years...

What JOY for me!!!!  This couple did get married at age 18/19,  and are still very much in love after all of these years.  They have 2 married sons and I think, four grandchildren now.  Both Max and Sharon are retired and live in Maryville, TN.   They are such wonderful people --and I'm so glad that I could catch back up with them. 

They were so complimentary of me ---and what a difference I had made in their lives.  That makes me feel so good --since none of us know how we can affect others as we go through life.  I do know that I loved teaching ---and tried to do a good job sharing my deep love of music with all that I taught.

The funny part now is that I'm only about 9 years older than they are... As their teacher,  I'm sure they thought that I was much older back then!!!!! Isn't that a hoot??????

Thanks Max and Sharon for the wonderful visit!!!!!  I am so proud of the great Christian people you became. You two have obviously done alot to make a difference in the lives of others.  God Bless You both.

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Dawn and Jeff

Besides meeting Max and Sharon this past Friday,  George and I also spent part of Saturday  with son Jeff and his fiance, Dawn.   I don't know if it's because I am so happy in my marriage or if it's because Jeff had a rough first marriage,  but I am SO excited for this couple.   It's almost as if  "I" am getting married all over again!!!!! ha

Dawn is 'everything' a mother could ever ask for as a bride for her son.  These two are like George and me----they are good for each other and compliment each other.

The picture above is one of MANY pictures they made to use as 'engagement photos'... Isn't it a great picture???? I'm sure I've mentioned this many times,  but their wedding will be in October!!!!

Have a great day ---and thanks to so many of you for finding my two  surprises (the heart and the teeth) in my last post...  I often wonder how many people actually 'read' my blog --and how many just scan it.  (I hate to admit it, but I have been guilty of scanning blogs too on occasion when I am in a hurry!!!! ha)

Hugs,
Betsy

Kids and Grands

The picture above is of my three sons, and it was taken in late 1971.  Bert (who goes by Tre now--since he is a III) is about 8.   Jeff (the baby) is about 4-5 months. And Mark is almost 2.  I had Bert in July, 1963, lost a child between Bert and Mark,  had Mark in Jan. 1970, and had Jeff in May of 1971.  There's only 16 months difference between Mark and Jeff.  Bert was a great 'older' brother!

This picture I think was taken in about 1981.   Bert would be 18 here,   Mark -11 and Jeff -10.

And this picture was taken in 2007,  the LAST time I have seen all three sons TOGETHER...   That's Bert and Mark seated and Jeff standing behind them.  I love my sons more than life itself --and miss them so much!!!

This past Sunday,  I got to see one of my sons (Jeff) ---and three of my five grandchildren.   We met in Knoxville for lunch.   All five of my grandchildren are growing up so fast.  The five are:  Bay Lee-17,  Landon-almost 16,  Chris-15,  Brooke-14, and Avery-13.   Bay Lee and Brooke belong to Mark.  Chris belongs to Bert.  And Landon and Avery belong to Jeff.  The three grandkids in this picture who came to see us were Avery,  Brooke,  and Landon.  I was THRILLED to see them....  I cried all the way home because I miss them all so much.

Here's a picture of  these three wonderful grandchildren with me and son, Jeff.

Can you see the smiles on George's and my faces?  We enjoyed our little visit so very very much.  We don't get to see any of them very much --so when we do,  that time is extra-special!!!

Finally,  Jeff took this picture of all five of the grandchildren,  taken when they were visiting their other grandfather.  From left to right:  Avery,  Landon,  Chris,  Bay Lee, and Brooke.    Isn't that a great group of 'cousins'????   They are all growing up so fast.  I'm so proud of all of them.

Hug your kids and grands ---and if they live nearby,  be thankful that you are there to watch them grow as they go through their busy lives!!

Call me totally crazy --but I am now on Facebook.   I truly don't have time to do something like this ---but my kids/grands are all on Facebook and that seems to be the only way I can keep up with them and hear from them....  SO---if you are on Facebook,  I would love to be your 'friend'....  Go to my sidebar and click on my site!!!!!

Hugs,
Betsy