Category Archives: Travel

Wrapping It Up…

This will be the final post from our time at Dan’s.

This is one of the horses that live next door coming over to say hi.

Several White Tail Deer come to visit to eat apples, plums or cherries from Dan’s trees.

We are looking forward to visiting again to take care of more projects on the property. Because of weather that visit probably won’t happen till the Spring.

Today I’m thankful for Dan’s good neighbors (besides the horses and deer). These neighbors all look out for each other and each other’s properties. It is good for this mom’s heart knowing even though Dan lives out alone on several acres there are those who know he is there and watch out for him.

The Grace Challenge continues with specific things I am grateful to God for. I’m also thankful for the chance to celebrate Communion today and remembering with gratitude what Christ has done for me.

Day by Day…

We will give thanks for all the wonderful things we’re given and we enjoy.

It’s no secret around my blog that we enjoy food. Food from our own kitchen and food from other kitchens is appreciated and enjoyed. I thank God today that we have the resources to make good things in our kitchen and that we can afford eating out at nice restaurants. While in Chewelah we re-visited The Chalet Restaurant for breakfast. I’m sure this will be a spot we frequent when we visit our son.

I’m also thankful for a free weekend. We don’t have any engagements this weekend and we are happy to just be able to putz around the house.

What are you thankful for today?

Inspiration to Shoot…

I’m thankful today for fellow bloggers who inspire me to look at the big picture and the beauty in the details. Karen at Ocean Soul is one of those bloggers along with her co-blogger Jukavo who inspire me with their photography.

Here are some of my artsy fartsy shots from Dan’s place…

This post and the rest of my posts in the month of November will be connected to the Grace Challenge I’m participating in. Here’s a quote from my brother’s blog about grace:

“Grace may be the word that best summarizes Christianity. In English, “grace” is connected to two other important words that teach us a response to grace: Gratitude and Graciousness.

Here is how it works. First and foremost, our life, salvation and everything in between is a result of the grace of God. Every breath I take is a grace of God. I cannot be saved apart from grace. Grace emphasizes and points to God as the center. Life is all about Him. He reveals Himself to me not by force, but by grace.”

To read the whole post click here.

I want to continue being specific in my thankfulness. I’m really thankful for digital photography. Digital photography affords me failure in photo taking while at  the same time giving me an incredible chance of shooting a beauty. God does the same thing for me through grace. I fail and he picks me up and He lets me try again and with His help He makes things good for me.

Hope your week has gone well. This weekend ends daylight savings. Don’t forget to fall back an hour!

A Month of Grace…

I’m taking part in the Grace Challenge from my brother Steve’s church that begins today. One of the things I’ll be doing is being deliberate and specific about what I’m thankful for.

There are so many things to be thankful for each day. Today I’m thankful for the home God has blessed our son Dan with. Not just the home but the land and and all the equipment that came with the home.

I’m just guessing but I think Dan might be most thankful for his huge shop!

This is the back of the house. We’re discussing new paint colors with Dan and the possibility of building another deck off this part of the house.

He has lots of time to make things his own and according to his style.

What are you thankful for today?

Put Your Boots On!

It’s time for a trek through Dan’s 6.5 acres!

Head past the old barn…

through the gate…

past the brush…

up the rise…

now down the other side of the rise…

keep going across the brush that the deer and the bears enjoy…

keep going…we’re headed to the creek…

past more beautiful fall colors…

through the evergreens…

along the boundary marked by barbed wire fencing…

to the creek…

Don’t forget to look up and see the distinctive Western Larch.

“The largest of the nine larch or tamarack species growing in the Pacific Northwest, the western has pale green foliage, a rather “feathery” graceful arrangement of branches, and an open crown. Brilliant yellow in late fall, the needles drop in November. In fact, this species is one of only two coniferous species that sheds its needles every fall. Its thick bark is reddish-brown in color and features elongated scale plates.”

And speaking of elongated scale plates…

More fencing marking his boundaries with fair warning to those who might pass by…

At the boundary of his property on the old mining road…

We trek back listening to his ideas of what to do with this piece of land…

He describes to us what he has learned about the Western Larch…

I keep exclaiming about the beautiful fall colors that we are enjoying on our trek…

A close up of the Western Larch…

We are shown the evidence of this being a favorite of deer for bedding down at night. I’ll spare you the close up of what they have left behind…

I’ll end this part of our trek at the road and his little stand of “Christmas trees”…

More to come from our time at Dan’s…

We are so thankful to God for his provision for a home and land for our son Dan. We put in lots of hours to organize the shop and house for his comfort. I’ll be sharing more in the future. Our trip over the pass to and from Eastern Washington was good with no snow or significant slow downs.

Dear is back to work today and I’m trying to get back in my groove. Our niece’s family is still without electricity and running water in their high rise in New York City. Continued prayers are going up for the people effected and for all the first responders who are working hard to restore services to everyone without.

I’m also getting ready to hand out treats to the children in the neighborhood who will brave the cold and wet to ring my doorbell!

Catching Up…

…after 4 days of no T.V. or Internet. We had a wonderful productive time with our son Dan and I will share more after I catch my breath. Here’s one view of his property in Eastern Washington.

I’ll be visiting your posts and see what I missed while I was away. I am praying for friends and family on the East Coast who are suffering from effects of hurricane Sandy. Katie and Andrew are safe in North Carolina. My niece’s family in New York are without power or running water. Thinking about our bloggy friends in New York especially Pat at Mille Fiori and Kathleen at Cuisine Kathleen. How are you doing Vee? Hope everyone else is doing fine. Blessings…

No Internet…

…or TV! I will be way out of the loop until the middle of next week.

Spending time away at our son’s new home. We are walking the acreage, checking out the old barn, spending time in his amazing shop. I’m sure by the time you are reading this my camera is slung over my shoulder and I’m clicking away. My son is shaking his head at me but grinning all the same. I brought my boots along. We’ll see if he likes the house warming gifts we bought. I’ll share some of the highlights next week.

Oakland Cemetery ~ Confederate Section

The Confederate section of the Oakland cemetery, occupies six acres of high ground, it is marked by an 1873 obelisk and a monument to the unknown dead. The monument includes a wounded lion lying on a furled Confederate flag. This was a very sobering section of the cemetery.

If interested, you can read about Evans here.

 WHERE HOOD WATCHED THE BATTLE OF ATLANTA

In 1856 James E. Williams (Mayor of Atlanta 1866-1868), built a residence atop this high ground which later became a part of Oakland Cemetery. From the second story of the house, Gen. John B. Hood, in command of Confederate forces, & members of his staff, watched that part of the Battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864, …

I can’t begin to imagine the horrific loss to the whole country this war caused and what people endured during these times. Just considering the medical care limitations during this period of history makes the suffering unimaginable.

Oakland Cemetery ~ Atlanta

“Less than a mile from the heart of downtown Atlanta, a hidden treasure, a secret sanctuary, welcomes you. This garden cemetery, founded in 1850, is the final resting place of many of Atlanta’s settlers, builders, and most noted citizens like Bobby Jones, Margaret Mitchell, and Maynard Jackson. It is also a showplace of sculpture and architecture, and a botanical preserve with ancient oaks and magnolias. Here in this peaceful place the full scope of the city’s rich and fascinating history unfolds before you.”

Bobby Jones, the golf legend. How do you like the golf balls?

I was surprised to see that Margaret Mitchell died at 49 years old. She was struck by a speeding vehicle on Peachtree Street in Atlanta and died later of her injuries.

Margaret Mitchell was no ordinary writer. The one book she published in her lifetime – Gone With the Wind – sold millions of copies at the height of the Great Depression in America and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937, 75 years ago.  With over 30 million copies sold to date, it is one of the world’s best-selling novels.

I’ve mentioned before that I really enjoy walking through cemeteries. Not new cemeteries but very old cemeteries. The Oakland Cemetery is my favorite so far.

There will be more to come from Oakland Cemetery.

We have had a productive week so far and already have the car packed and snow chains bought for our trip across the mountains on Friday. They are forecasting some snow for us so we will pack warm clothes. How is the weather treating you?

Southern Hospitality…

Our last meal out in Atlanta was at Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint. We were happy that our concierge recommended it. We were treated to some fine Southern cuisine and hospitality.

Juke (Jook) of African origin, meaning “to dance”, jerking movements of celebration.

Fried green tomatoes with okra and caramelized onions, delicious.

Seafood Gumbo with just the right amount of kick to it.

Beef Brisket sandwich on Texas Toast with sweet potato fries.

A close-up of the brisket sandwich. We ended up splitting the sandwich and the gumbo.

We left Sweet Georgia’s full and satisfied and glad we had some good “Southern” food while in Atlanta, Georgia.

Before our lunch at Sweet Georgia’s we had walked to and from the Oakland Cemetery.  The Oakland Cemetery was so full of interesting history I’ll be dividing my photos into at least two more posts to share from Atlanta with you.

We’ve had our heat on for the majority of the day this week. Things have really cooled down. I’ve seen some pretty substantial snow on the ground from bloggy friends in Alberta and other parts of the country. That seems early, doesn’t it?