Welcome Kittens & Dawgs! A couple of years ago you may recall DH & I went to Gatlinburg on Friday afternoon and if not you can check out more photos here from that visit. This picture I did not share. It was just beginning to get dark. I used the magic of Pixelmator photo editing to create a night fall illusion.
Next is my Wednesday Hodgepodge segment hosted by Joyce. This is an excellent way to get to know your fellow blogger and you’re invited to play alone.
1. Where have you found unexpected magic or delight this holiday season? I can’t say that I found either because I always look for the magic and delight of Christmas whereever I am. Usually, it’s not hard to see both present at the same time.
2. What’s your favorite type of holiday gathering? Will you/have you gathered in your favorite way this month? I prefer quiet gatherings with initmate family members. My prayer for 2018 is to be in a bigger home to have more room for our expanding family. Sometimes, I think wouldn’t it be awesome to have a place which can accomodate our family, parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews even if it’s just once in a blue moon. Then, I remember Christmas Vacation and don’t want things getting out of hand. lol
3. Time has named ‘The Silence Breakers’ (women who came forward with stories of harassment) ‘person of the year’ for 2017. Would you agree? If not, who do you think deserves the title? Sadly, this topic while certainly needs attention, those who often time makes claims is motivated by greed not out of a sense of seeking justice. Who do I think deserves person of the year? I have no clue who to give the title to but honestly, do we need to?
4. How did you spend your time this year? Are you happy about that? Elaborate. I spent my time preparing for the holidays in increments which always makes me happy. Anytime I’m not stressing or pushing myself beyond my sanity level then all is good with the world.
5. Bid farewell to 2017 in ten words or less. I don’t think I can say good-bye to 2017 in so few words but assuming I don’t have to prefix my sentence with the words Goodbye 2017 then I’d say… lessons learned with sights on greater things in 2018!
6. Insert your own random thought here. From the same trip as my featured image, I took these photos. You can see clearly (woman in lower right corner wearing a sleeveless blouse) how mild the temperatures were the afternoon we visited Gatlinburg. Neither of us wore a jacket but by the time we got to the car the air was nippy. It was tolerable. We had a wonderful time. Anywho, the birds flocking to the sign fascinated me. I couldn’t get the exposure right. I tweaked these two image slightly in Pixelmator.
How many birds do you see?
Have a good day and please come back tomorrow for a new Christmas album feature!
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Gatlinburg is on my list of destinations I want to take my family to. I think it looks amazing and awesome and so many things to do. I also want to visit the nearby Dollywood.
Morgan,
Thanks for dropping by for a visit. The Smoky mountain foothill communities are excellent family vacation destinations. Y’all are sure to enjoy your time in my Appalachian mountains. I know these mountains do not belong to me along but sometimes that’s the way I feel. 😀 We have yet to visit Dollywood but it’s rather spectacular I’m told, especially at Christmas. I’d love to go sometime but the expense and cold sorta kill it for me. lol Maybe, we’ll come into some extra money in the future to take in the lights at Dollywood in the future and if that happens then I’ll just bundle up to brave the cool night air. 🙂
Love The Village. I would love to explore there.
Love all your answers.
I hope you and yours have a very Merry Christmas. ♥
You would enjoy Gatlinburg, Sandee! It’s a lovely little community. 🙂
The more I look, the more birds I see. 🙂 Visiting here from the Hodgepodge. A very Merry Christmas to you and yours and a Happy New Year, too.
Ellen, welcome to my little humble niche to read my responses to this week’s Hodgepodge lineup. I’m heading over to your blog home next.
Beautiful pics there. Thanks for hosting and I hope that you and your family have a very Merry Christmas. Blessings to you and your family.
Thank you, Patrick! I’m looking forward to unwinding and relaxing with DH. I’m sure we’ll have a very nice Christmas.
My husband and I spent our honeymoon in Gatlinburg in 2005. We loved it there and plan to go back soon. We lived in FL at the time but now live in GA (near Atlanta) so we’re much closer. We were very concerned when there were the fires in Gatlinburg.
Eugenia,
Everyone was worried last year. We could smell the wildfires burning here in town. I can’t imagine what it was like for those closer by. I hope we never see anything like this again. It was really scary.
We were in Blue Ridge during that time and we could see fires in the distance. It is scary.
That looks like a fun place to visit. I see 3 birds. ?
Ellen,
It’s a fun place! The shops and streets always are so festive this time of the year.
Your pics at the end are beautiful! Have a wonderful Christmas.
We were in Gatlinburg not long after the horrible fires last year. It was rainy but still an enjoyable day. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Jo,
We went down the day after Christmas last year. That was the first time we’d been after the fire and still, I felt teary eyed because of the horrific tragedy. The lost of property, the beauty in the mountains, but those who died in the fire broke my heart. There was a man who lost his wife and two daughters. It was very sad. The mountains are bouncing back but you can still see the scaring. It’ll take time but for the families, it’ll be a long time before the hurt lifts. Thanks for visiting and Merry Christmas to you, too!
I’ve never been to Gatlinburg, but it looks like a wonderful place!
Merry Christmas!
https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2017/12/two-poems-and-quote-about-oranges-merry.html
Deb,
The Smoky mountains’ foothill communities are nice, especially Gatlinburg. It’s also the busiest town. We like going through the week to avoid the crowds. On this day, it wasn’t bad for walking around and no one tried to mow us down. 🙂
Very nice pictures of a lovely place. We went to Gatlinburg when i was young, i doubt i would recognize it now, though it looks like i should go again someday.
So much of 2017 was spent working just trying to stay afloat that i took a break yesterday and went to watch children getting pictures with Santa. It made me smile, i was magic.
Mimi,
Gatlinburg has changed a lot. We’ve been in the area for 38 years and it amazes me of the constant growth year after year. You should try to go again. I think you’d enjoy it. Have a good day and here’s hoping 2018 slows down just a bit, so we can enjoy it more!
Hi, Cathy!
I like how you bid farewell to 2017 in 10 words or less. Learning lessons as you go along helps prevent you from repeating the mistakes of the past. Entering into a new year with optimism and enthusiasm is the only way to fly. A good attitude helps ensure that you can handle challenges that come your way and meet your goals. I hope you and DH find yourselves in a larger home next year at this time. 2017 was a challenging year for Mrs. Shady and me. In September our house took an almost direct hit from a hurricane. In November there was an unexpected death in the family, Mrs. S’s son’s young wife. In December we learned that we will be uprooted from our dwelling and required to search for a new place to live. Fortunately we have found a place and will be moving a few weeks from now, making it necessary for me to take another break from blogging during that time. We are making fresh new plans and are optimistic about the future.
I see five birdies perched on the Candy Kitchen sign.
Have a wonderful Wednesday, dear friend Cathy!
Tom,
WOW, I did not realize that y’all are having to make a move. Will it be in the same area? How long do think you’ll be away from Blogosphere? 2017 has been a difficult one for many. I’m looking forward to the prospect of brighter and better things on the horizon. I think on such encouraging words from the Bible, “If God be for us, who can come against us?” So…with that I feel nothing can come between us and our goals! Thanks for being such a good friend. It’s always so nice to have you drop by at the start of the day. I shall look forward to your return and will pray for a smooth transition into your new home. Have a very Merry Christmas and may God bless you & Mrs. Shady with good health, lots of happiness, and success in all you do in the coming new year!
What nice photos 🙂
I saw 6 birds between the 2 last photos…I think LOL
Have a very Mery Christmas Cathy & Best Wishes from London UK 🙂
Steve,
Thanks for visiting and for the Christmas wishes. It’s a joy to count you as a friend. I pray our friendship and fun adventures in Blogosphere continue to give us much joy. Have a good day, my friend!