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The picture above was taken this past Thursday (October 27). It shows two of our irises in bloom in the flower bed near the road in front of the house.

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This picture, taken in August, 2006, when we were at Old Stone Fort State Park near Manchester, Tennessee, shows my beautiful, and favorite, hiking partner. How can anyone look at this picture and not smile back?

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Earlier this month Betsy and I got up before dawn so we could see some of the autumn color of the Smokies in the morning light. It was cloudy overnight, but the sky was expected to clear during the day. The clouds were still brushing the mountain tops, but the light was breaking through the clouds when we arrived at this overlook on the Gatlinburg Bypass.

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The temperatures here on the Plateau dropped to near freezing a couple of times last week, but our roses are still trying to beautify our home. This picture of Moonstone was taken this past Friday (October 21) afternoon. Moonstone is one of our newer roses, but we have come to love this white rose with the pink edges.

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When Betsy and I visited my daughter and her husband in Buffalo last month, Kelly took us to Squaw Island, a park in the Niagara River near Black Rock, New York. While walking along the river I captured this picture of the clouds above a railroad trestle connecting Canada and the U. S.

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The Crystal Forest is a section of Petrified Forest National Park that was once covered with petrified logs, many of which contained beautiful quartz or amethyst crystals. Many of the petrified logs disappeared before the park was established, but enough remain to show the beauty in the park.

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Another rose that is trying to give us some autumn beauty is Sheer Bliss. It's a very pale pink that has provided us with many beautiful blossoms this year.

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We're beginning to see signs of autumn color here on the Plateau. I captured sunlight through the leaves of our dogwood tree earlier this week. I like thee result, so I'm sharing it with you.

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Our newest flower bed contains a variety of plants -- roses, irises, lilies and day lilies. They all put on quite a show this year. I got this picture of this pretty lily -- Touching -- in May of this year. We were delighted that it bloomed while we were home and could enjoy it.

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We don't have as many roses blooming once cooler weather arrives, but a hardy few keep going for us. When Pink Promise starts to open, it's possible to see a hint of pink on the edges of the petals. The pink darkens and spreads as the blossom ages.

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Step Falls is one of three waterfalls in Old Stone Fort State Park near Manchester, Tennessee. We visited the park during a drought, so there wasn't much water. But the falls were pretty just the same.

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Zion Canyon in Utah was carved out by the Virgin River over the millions of years. When we visited Zion National Park in June, the river looked quiet and dreamy -- not at all like something that could form that deep and majestic canyon. This picture of the river was taken on the Riverside Walk along the river near the head of canyon.

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Acapella is one of our newer roses. It is a red blend hybrid tea, and we have it in a container along our driveway. Acapella also has a pleasant fragrance, and it is quickly becoming one of our favorites.

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Evenings in the mountains can be sublime. I got this picture of the sky after sunset near Franklin, North Carolina. God is a marvelous artist with light and color.

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The days are getting cooler here on the Plateau in Tennessee, and we've had frost advisories at night. The trees are beginning to show autumn color, and we have iris in bloom. This picture of our Blatant Iris was taken last Friday.

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This is a view of the Painted Desert as seen from Blue Mesa in the Petrified Forest National Park. The mesa gets its name from the layers of blue clay that make it up. Some of that blue clay can be seen in the valley below the mesa.