Blazing, beautiful autumn.

This weekend, I headed up to Harpers Ferry for one last taste of autumn. (Until Virginia tosses summer right back in my face this week, that is. 80 degrees? Really?) The weather in Harpers Ferry, however, was perfect; just spectacular.

I climbed all over the ruins of the Shenandoah Pulp Factory...

...and walked through the beautiful woods and along the sparkling Shenandoah River.

What are men to rocks and mountains? -Jane Austen

Overheard in the restroom line at the Ren Faire...

A young woman was talking to her mother about how her son has hit the terrible twos and she's certain he gets his bad behavior from his father… 

Young Woman: Did I throw fits all the time?

Her Mother: Yes. All the time. I used to have to call your dad at work to talk to you.

YW: But that's not because I was horrible; it's because I wanted my daddy.

HM: You were horrible.

YW: I was sweet, though.

HM: Honey, you put a puppy in the oven.

The Niagara of the South

On Friday, I went to visit Great Falls National Park and what a beauty it was. Had I waited a week or two, the leaves would have been more colorful, but the weather was so fine I couldn't take the chance of missing out.

There were some really beautiful trails along the canal.

And the trees, despite being more green than orange or red,
were really beautiful.

The first overlook reminded me of Devil's Den in Gettysburg,
with lots of big rocks to scramble over.

It was a lot of fun. Also fun? Watching people in dress shoes
trying to navigate these boulders.

The falls are gorgeous and also really powerful. It's hard to tell  from
 a still photo, but the water rushing over those rocks was ferocious.

Also, the Potomac River apparently drowns people left and right. Tucked into my national park pamphlet was a warning card, letting me know that the river was lying in wait, hoping to claim any victim foolish enough to pass too close to its shores.

Try not to drown, okay?

Then, as I walked to the first overlook, I saw this sign:

Seriously, you guys, please don't drown.

Finally, on the way to the second overlook, this huge poster plastered across the footbridge reminded me that the Potomac was desperately trying to murder me.

This is not a drill. We have both capitalized and underlined
the word "deadly."

Deadly and beautiful.