Looking for colorful leaves? Hoping to catch the fiery fall colors before they fade?

We are too. This weekend, we plan to capture some of nature's most colorful beauty in photographs. So we'll arm ourselves with our Canon digital camera, tripod, zoom lens, macro lens, adjustable flash, freshly charged battery, and a spare memory card, then we'll be hitting the backcountry roads of Tennessee!

More leaf-peeping tips for ALL states!

The good news for Tennesseans like us is this state is filled with places that display spectacular Autumn scenery. The bad news is that you'll have plenty of company out there. People tend to head to the mountains in search of the best Fall color. In fact, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg gets 1 million visitors each and every October alone!

Some of the less popular places that are highly recommended for their colorful fall foliage (and much smaller crowds) include:

Asheville, North Carolina area (2,000 foot elevation), including Hendersonville and Brevard. The unique thing about this area: the abundance of waterfalls! Many of the waterfalls are located right along the main roads, and others can be accessed within state parks like the Dupont State Forest.

Balsam Mountain -- just outside of Cherokee, North Carolina.

Cherokee National Forest (from Chattanooga to Bristol along the TN/NC border).

Closer to home, around Nashville Tennessee, you can take a drive on the Natchez Trace Parkway, motor along the winding roads within Edwin Warner and Percy Warner parks, or take a stroll through Radnor Lake State Natural Area for the most peaceful and quiet experience you can find.

Around Nashville, the third week in October is typically the "best" time for viewing Fall colors at their peak.

Whether you make a concentrated effort to get out and explore nature's beauty, or you just decide on a spontaneous drive to a nearby park to check out the awesome color... I encourage you to at least take a brief moment to appreciate life's colorful rewards!

Is it just me?...

Today I received my notice for vehicle registration renewal. With the "new" wheel tax added this year it will cost $74.75 for tags. Add to that the $10.00 Emission Inspection and you are looking at $84.75 a year for the privilege of driving a vehicle in Williamson County.

We've known about Bellevue Community Church (BCC) for a couple years now, and we've been telling people about it ever since.

Well, it seems the word is out... and in a BIG way!

BCC was recently rated by Nashville area citizens as the "Best Place to Worship in Nashville." This comes from The Nashville Scene, a local newspaper which conducts an annual survey of Nashville area residents by gathering community opinions on all the best stuff in and around Nashville.

Hot off the press!...

Here are some of the photos we took tonight at the world premiere of Billy Bob Thornton and Tim McGraw's movie (opening October 8th) called "Friday Night Lights".

Attention Nashville residents (and especially Mark & Erin -- the only pseudo-professional restaurant reviewers we know), you'll be delighted to learn that our favorite all-u-can-eat Chinese restaurant (yes, the one that serves cockroaches on occasion) has officially closed its doors.

Bummer for us. Good news for you and yours who have steered clear of this "fine dining establishment", choosing foods of the pizza-pie formulation over oriental-seasoned crusty crustations.

Listen to Bud Light's Real American Heroes "Mr. Fortune Cookie Fortune Writer":

These are some of our favorites that have appeared in The Scene's annual listing.

You Are So Nashville If... 

• You helped make "Dixie Chicked" a verb. --Joe Scutella
• You started a prayer circle at church that the Titans keep Eddie George. --Jennifer Castleman
• You've driven down Music Row listening to a CD full of illegally downloaded songs. --Zack Bennett
• You know where all the country music stars live. --Unknown
• Your church congregation is referred to as "the studio audience." --Sharon Kasserman
• You look at karaoke as more of an audition than a fun night out. --Unknown
• The mariachi band at your favorite Mexican restaurant knows "Rocky Top." --William C. Carter
• You slip your demo tape into the bags of trick-or-treaters. --Rowland Stebbins
• You have a picture of yourself touching the butt of one of the "Musica" dancers on Music Row. --Matt Land
• Your town's biggest attraction is a memorial service. --Unknown
• You took a demo tape to Johnny Cash's funeral. --Unknown