Our Harvest Fest took place this weekend and there was plenty for everyone to do. I was especially interested in the Native American Indians who performed on the main stage.

Years ago, I would walk my dog Buffy here. I began to call this area, “Where the squirrels live.”

On the weekends when it was time to go for a walk, I would look at her and say, “Do you want to go for a walk where the squirrels live?” and she would go nuts. Over the years we walked at Kennesaw Mountain Civil War Battlefield many times and we saw lots of squirrels. It is a fantastic place, and Buffy always loved being there. On at least two occasions, she got away from me wildly chasing narrowly escaping squirrels down some hill while I followed at full tilt. We walked the pathway in the above photo many times. So the memories I have of this place run deep.

Even up until the last days of her earthly life, she was still going for walks here and the squirrels were always waiting for her. Cocoa loved Kennesaw, too. In fact, she learned how to go “off lead” in the open battlefields. What an experience that was! She ran on the same ground where hundreds of soldiers ran, walked, and died. If you are near the northwest Atlanta area, this is a great place to visit, hike, and photograph. Cocoa always gives it “five paws” and Buffy would have, too.

I love this time of the year, and Thursday was an awesome day at the falls. We spent most of the day photographing it and the area around it. It’s very dramatic and usually the star of the show. In fact, it’s hard to up stage it. I’ve attended weddings at the falls, and I always come away thinking, “It is more beautiful than the bride.”

I caught a glimpse of a soaring bird above Toccoa Falls yesterday. They love to glide along with the air current above the gorge area and the weather was perfect for this very thing. All week the temperatures have been in the high ’70′s, but cooler weather begins today. Looking back, we spent most of yesterday telling one another that we “are not ready for winter!”

Yesterday I walked up to the falls with our director of landscaping, and we were talking about how beautiful the leaves are this year. The summer was hot and dry but that has just made the colors more brilliant. We both were reminded of the fact that leaves are their prettiest when they are dying. (Some of my friends will understand the analogy.) Few things are more striking than a Red Maple tree in the fall.