Chilly Start, Another See 7 States Afternoon

• If it weren't for Winter coming next, I'd say this is my favorite time of year. As it stands I still choose Spring #1, but Autumn in the Tennessee Valley can't be beat. These last couple of afternoons have been spectacular. So I drove over to the brow of Signal Mountain to snap a couple of quick pics. Here's one of them. After such a hazy, hot summer it was nice looking over the Tennessee River to the south and all the way to the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east.

Brrrrrrrrr this morning. As of 6 am some of the chillier readings:

• Bledsoe State Forest 39
• Blairsville 40
• Blue Ridge 43
• Ellijay 43
• Sale Creek Mtn. 43
• Cohutta 44
• Prentice Cooper S.F. 45
• WRCB-TV 3 49

Today: Mostly sunny and pleasant. Southeast winds 5 - 10. High: 77

Tonight: Fair and cool. South wind 5 mph. Low: 57

Friday: Partly cloudy and breezy, with a 20% chance for a light shower late. High: 79

Saturday: Mostly cloudy with a 40% chance for showers and storms. High: 82

Sunday: Scattered showers and a few storms. High: 78

Monday: Mostly sunny and pleasant. High: 74

On this shift I'm loving the darkness coming early as I usually hit the sack around 7:30 pm. But I noticed the dwindling daylight while mowing the yard. I had a light sweatshirt on which felt good in the shady areas. There wasn't enough daylight left to finish. (At least that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.) So today it's out with the bagger for the first time. Already a lot of leaves down in my yard. I hope the color ends up being as vibrant as last year's show. Already there are touches of bright reds showing up, and with lows in the upper 30s and low 40s like we had this morning, the curtain is rising on the Fall Foliage Show '06. Let's hope it lasts longer than last year's brief but beautiful display.