Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Stone Mountain- A Blooming Good Time!







Our son took our photo in front of these pink blossoms which were just at the base of the walk up trail at Stone Mountain.  Anybody know what they are?  They were breathtakingly beautiful, whatever they are called!   (Note...it is a Chinese fringe flower   (Loropetalum).


Come on now, we have almost made it to the top...can't stop now!

The views from the top are amazing but sometimes the clouds deserve just as much attention.

Always time for a quick call to my Dad!  It was very windy on this day so it took a few minutes to get the call through to him.  When I phone him and ask him if he knows where I am, he always says the same thing..."On top of Old Smoky!" (Stone Mountain!)







We walked up but we took the cable car down this time.  (And not to worry, we walked some more on the Cherokee Trail after the cable car ride!)  


Look, we were just on the top of that big rock!  It is an amazing sight to see that gray stone against the sky!





The cherry trees were in full bloom and they were lovely.





Walking back along the Cherokee trail we saw the first greening of the trees (buckeyes). Such a welcome sight!  (See the outline of Stone Mountain on the horizon?)


 We have now come full circle, back to this beautiful bright pink flowering shrub.  I don't know what this is called but I love it! (You might think it is an azalea but it isn't...and Richard is very good with his flowering shrubs!)  UPDATE AS OF MARCH 27TH, 2016...Thanks to my blogging friend, Bob from Scotland for the flower ID!  This is a Chinese fringe flower (Loropetalum). Well done, Bob! :-)  

Hope all of you are having a blooming good time wherever you are.
Happy Spring to you all!   


"Should I Pray"...Christopher played this for us in the car on the way to Stone Mountain.  It is by the Trash Can Sinatras and Carly Simon is singing with them.  
(Hope my friend on the Isle of Lewis will like this post... and the Trash Can Sinatras are a Scottish band!)

50 comments:

  1. Gorgeous, gorgeous photos, Kay! I love that one of you and hubby in front of that bush. That is a perfect color for you!!! Blessings - xo Diana

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    1. Thanks, Diana! Blessings to you, my friend! xx

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  2. That is a beautiful pink wall. Obviously spring is near.

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    1. We were THRILLED with those flowers, even those who hardly ever notice flowers were taking pictures of them!

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  3. OMG all that PINK! So gorgeous! I have no idea what it is.

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    1. If I find out what they are, I will come back and edit this post, I must try my best to ID all the flowers in the world around me! :-)

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  4. It does look like azalea, doesn't it? Just a bit more fluffy. Looks like you got your exercise that day. And thanks for the lovely song.

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    1. Hey Pauline!
      We love to walk all over and around the mountain, it is one of our favorite spots. Glad you liked the song too!

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  5. Gorgeous post, Kay! The picture of you and Richard by the pink flowers is wonderful; but you two outshine the flowers! How I'd love to climb Stone Mountain! Take care!

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    1. LOUISE! Come to Atlanta and climb with me! It is beautiful during every season of the year, I promise! Happy Easter to you, my friend.

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  6. Kay, these are - as always - wonderful pictures of a wonderful place! I am glad you had a chance to go on another walk there, all three of you this time.
    My first thought when looking closely at the flowers was that it looks like some KIND of Azalea (not the "classic" type you see more often in gardens and plant pots), or Rhododendron. The green leaves certainly look like it, and I know that the blossoms do come in many different shapes.
    The first tender green on the trees in the woods makes my heart swell! No cherry blossoms here yet, but I know they will come eventually.

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    1. You are right, it was even better with our son with us!
      I hope to find the name of the flower, I will let you know if I do!
      "Now The Green Blade Riseth" is one of my favorite songs, and it is very old and very beautiful. Your spring is around the corner!

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  7. I love spring better than any other season, but as a pastor I am swamped by Lent, Holy Week, and Easter (gladly because it is the gospel) but it gets in the way of gardening and flowers. I thought the song was interesting and so I looked up the lyrics to get them for sure. A lot to think about. Thanks for this post.

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    1. Everything always happens at once, doesn't it?
      Glad you found the song interesting too. When I first heard the song, I thought of "Its A Wonderful Life", you know where the little girl asks her mother if she should pray, and she replies, "Yes, Janie, pray very hard". I think of that line often these days.
      Happy Easter to you, Dennis.

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  8. Those pink blossoms are glorious.
    I love the music, too. :)

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  9. Love the pink flowers. At first I thought azalea, but then on closer inspection - no. Not red bud either. Have no idea, but so beautiful. The cherry is nice too. :-)

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    1. Hey Kay! So nice to see your comment here, very happy you are blogging again!
      I love blossoms of any kind, I might not know every tree and shrub but I love them!

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  10. Spring has definitely sprung in your part of the woods. The only thing blooming here at the moment are some daffodils. Thanks for sharing those beautiful pictures !

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    1. Ah but those "daffs", as my mother in law calls them, are so lovely! Happy Easter to you! xx

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  11. My gosh...those pink flowers, Kay...stunning! Spring has definitely arrived in your area. We still have a little while to go but it'll get here.

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    1. Yes, Martha, your spring will come soon! :-)

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  12. This is amazingly beautiful! I have no idea what the pink bush is, but it's gorgeous and your spring is so far ahead of ours! But spring will come here soon and it's always worth waiting for.

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    1. Our spring does not last long, it is summer before you know it, and that is why we have to get out while the blossoms are out! Happy Easter to you.

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  13. Such beautiful scenery over there. Colorful flowers, too.

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    1. You should know of pretty flowers! Aloha! :-)

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  14. Wow, whatever that shrub is it is very beautiful!!! I was going to suggest an azalea of some kind, so other than that I have no idea other than to say that it is stunning!! xx

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    1. I love the flowers in England also, I drive everybody crazy snapping photos of them while I am there!!

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  15. Spring has put on her finest, you have so much beauty there!

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    1. And you can bet I try to get see it as much as possible!!

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  16. Spring is such a beautiful season.

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    1. I do agree! My birthday is in the Spring and even as a child, I loved it being so!

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  17. Your Stone Mountain really is incredible - it reminds me of Uluru in the centre of Australia. The gorgeous pink shrub is really unusual, and a lovely setting for your photo. Hopefully someone will know its name.

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    1. Uluru, that is the proper name for Ayers Rock, isn't it? My sister climbed it when she lived in Australia. Would love to see it!

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  18. I would have said azalea, too - it is so pretty, whatever it is. Rhododendron?

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    1. You should go and see this before it loses the blooms! (If not this year, make sure to see it next year!!)

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  19. That looks like a fun and beautiful day in more ways than one. That view is gorgeous and so worth it.

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    1. Mark, you should go on a nature walk and appreciate some of the beauty that you will see! THEN, tell me what you have seen and it will make my day!! I love flowers!

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    1. Thank you so much for your comment here! I just read your blog and I see that somehow, your blog was hacked and your LOST all your posts? I am so sorry!!
      I am a new follower on your blog now!

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  21. Oh Kay that was just the perfect post for me. I so loved Stone Mountain when we visited it (twice). As for that pink bush - haven't got a clue but maybe if John Edwards sees it he might be able to tell you. He has helped me with naming plants in the past - which reminds me I have not heard from him in a while - must email him.
    Thank you for that wonderful walk up Stone Mountain. Keep walking the walk! xx

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    1. Hey Pat!
      Yes, please email John Edwards and tell him I said hello! John is the one who told me that the lovely trees on the Cherokee Trail at Stone Mountain were BEECH trees (which I did not know until he told me) and he has also identified several butterflies for me! He is wonderful!
      So happy that you saw this post and you know I will keep walking the walk, as long as I can!!
      (And speaking of emailing, I MUST email my friend Pat on the Isle of Lewis!!) xx

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  22. I always enjoy open high areas with big skies overhead.Can't beat spring for making you feel good inside.

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    1. We don't have too many high spots around here so we appreciate Stone Mountain! :-)

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  23. P.S. Try looking up Loropetalum or Chinese Fringe Flower Kay and see what you think.

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    1. YES! I am so pleased, did you know this already or are you like a Sherlock Holmes for flowers? I think you are absolutely correct, a Loropetalum or Chinese Fringe Flower it is! Thank you, Bob!

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  24. Hi Kay! Like you, I love those bushes too ~ in fact, I have a bunch of them in front of my house. Those pink blossoms come out at the beginning of Spring and it's so lovely!!! Hope you had a beautiful Easter! XOXO, Audrey

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    1. Hello Audrey! So happy to see your smiling face photo here with your comment! I hope you had a wonderful Easter with your sweet girls and lovely hubby!
      And if you have this same bush at your home...I read that they can can grow very, very BIG...so I hope that will be okay in your planting space! :-) xx

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  25. It's always good to be re-united with 'Old Smokey'. John's good (relatvely) but he's not on the computer much at the moment because he is waiting for surgery on his second eye having had his first one done a little while ago.

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    1. Oh, I knew that I had not seen many posts from John lately! Thanks for telling me! I hope all goes well with his second surgery. And glad to see you can still walk up the mountain with us, Graham! :-)

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