Now You See Me...

Visiting one of our local river parks this week, we were very disappointed at the lack of visible wildlife, flora or fauna.  We cut the walk short and trekked back toward the car.  Hubby happened to notice movement in a small drainage ditch and directed my attention there.  I waited a minute and out popped a toad!  When I moved toward him, he slipped back in the culvert, but I knew he would surface again soon, so I stood very still, camera at the ready.  I was rewarded for my patience with this view.

He was a pretty good size...as you can tell in this other photo with the leaves...I don't know much more about him, other than he was green and big!

Linking to Camera Critters.

It's Friday Fences!

Charleston, SC - a city of romance and old world charm - is the setting for my fences today. We spent a week there in November of 2010.  I am so ready to return - I adore Charleston!  However, I did learn that if you are an early riser, there are very few places to eat!  Charlestonians are definitely NOT in a hurry!

This isn't technically a fence...but, it was so pretty..

Linking to Friday's Fences.

Thursday Theme Song

A different meme for me this week...just trying it out as a result of a suggestion from Anni over at Hootin' Anni's.  The idea is to match a song lyrics with photos...

Climb Every Mountain...

(by Rodgers & Hammerstein)

"Climb every mountain,

Search high and low,

Follow every byway,

Every path you know.

Climb every mountain,

Ford every stream,

Follow every rainbow,

'Till you find your dream.

Linking to Thursday Theme Song.

Wordless Wednesday

And then she said.....

Linking to Wordless Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday but With Words.

A Pink Barn?

When was the last time you saw a pink barn?

I am not sure, but my guess is that this lovely barn started out life as something more traditional...what do you think?  Whatever the reason, it sure made for a double-take for me!  I called it Barbie's Barn!  Unfortunately, it was a drive-by, so there was no chance for any additional shots.

For more interesting and charming barns, visit Tricia's Barn Charm.

More Hometown Murals

Still hanging out at home for today's murals...these were painted by local artist, Sam Welty.

This is entitled The Cost of Freedom, painted on the Upper Deck restaurant in Virginia Beach, VA.  It is 2 stories high and shows modern soldiers carrying a wounded comrade, with shadowy figures representing wars from America's past. Although it is a very nice mural, I feel that having the "menu board" in the middle of the painting, detracts from it.  I guess you have to work with what you have!

 This second one represents the Battle of Great Bridge, from the Revolutionary War, and is located in Chesapeake VA.

Linking to Monday Murals.

Shall We Gather?

Beautiful River
Shall we gather at the river,
Where bright angel feet have trod;
With its crystal tide forever,
Flowing by the throne of God?
Yes, we'll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river,
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.
....song in the public domain

And yes, they gather at the river...boaters gathered on the Nantahala River that runs through North Carolina.  

But this gathering is not the river as mentioned in the above hymn.  Nor is the next one...

As beautiful as this river is, it cannot hold a candle to the river that flows by the throne of God.  I pray we all meet there together someday.  Blessings to you and yours on this Lord's Day!

Linking to Spiritual Sundays.

Papa is Angry!

Out on the Elizabeth River, in Chesapeake, VA, in our pontoon boat, we always enjoy watching the ospreys.  This particular day, we got to see the pair on the nest...and as we moved closer, the male (at least I think it was the male...he appears to be a little smaller) was giving us a piece of his mind!

Okay, we're leaving already!

Linking to Misty'sCamera Critters.

Fencery

Tricia, over at Barn Charm coined a word that I am using this week!  Fencery...what a great word!  I think the definition would read something like this:

FENCERY  (noun) The result of photographic journeys in which people with cameras wander the countryside looking for a barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., usually made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent entrance to, confine, or to mark a boundary.


Having established this definition, here are my offerings for this week's Fencery!

I can't even imagine the upkeep for a fence this long - painted or stained!

Or this one...see how it winds back and forth over the property!

However, this one, in spite of the rough wood, is my personal favorite!  This is a fence with character!

Linking to Friday's Fences.

That Outfit!

The prompt I chose from Mama Kat's Pretty Much World Famous Writer's Workshop was the 1st one listed. It just jumped off the page at me..."Describe an outfit you LOVED wearing"...

Once upon a time, many years ago, I was shopping with my mother.  Mom has always had such an incredible sense of style - wears everything well.  I, on the other hand, have often felt like I was just a little bit late with the style, not quite shaped right, too short, too thin (or now, too fluffy).  Whenever Mom picked something out for me, it was usually a wonderfully chosen outfit - just the right color, style, everything.  Except this one time...

We were shopping at Sears.  Mom pulled this two piece outfit - shirt and pants - off the rack and showed it to me.  I distinctly remember saying, "Ugh!  I can't imagine wearing something like that!"  The basic color was black with an orange-gold pattern in it.  What made it so strange and abhorrent to me was that both the pants and shirt, in a soft cotton, were in the same colors, but the pants had a kind of circle print and the shirt had half of it in the circle print and the other half in some kind of paisley-shaped print.  (Keep in mind this was in the 80's.) Really strange looking!  Mom hung it back on the rack and we went on.

Move ahead to Christmas - that particular year, I got really ill on Christmas Day and spent most of the day lolling on the sofa while we opened gifts - the family was pretty large, and gift-opening took a huge part of the day, since we opened our gifts one at a time, in age order from youngest to oldest.  When the time came for me to open my gift from my Mom, I struggled to sit upright, opened the box, and pulled out "THAT OUTFIT!"  I was already sick and I honestly thought I would cry when I saw it.  I managed to avoid throwing up, and thanked Mom for the gift, then laid my head back down and made it through the rest of the day.  I regret there are no photos of that infamous outfit!

I know - I was supposed to write about an outfit I loved wearing...here's the rest of the story.

Because Mom gave me the outfit, and because I was taught not to waste things, I decided to be brave and wear it one day. I put it on, knowing I was probably going to get a lot of stares, if not negative comments about what I was wearing.  When I looked in the mirror, I was mildly surprised amazed!  The outfit looked okay!  And it got better...I had so many compliments that day, that I wore it again the next week.  Same amazing thing happened - compliments!  I guess you know by now, that became my very favorite outfit - soft cotton, wore beautifully, never needed ironing, looked classy, fit great - in short, it became the outfit I LOVED to wear!  And I was practically devastated when it wore out and I had to get rid of it.  I have never again had an outfit that I loved so much.  Thanks, Mom!  You always did know how to pick my clothes!

Linking to Mama Kat's Pretty Much World Famous Writer's Workshop.

Wordless Wednesday

(Maybe just one word...CAREFUL!)

Linking to Wordless Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday But With Words.

The Faces of a Barn

This past weekend, we traveled to the western part of the state to visit the Wildlife Center of Virginia.  We passed this barn every time we left the cabin, and I managed to catch several views of it. 

Front view...

Passing by...

Loved the green roof against the red barn...

Then, on Sunday morning, when we were leaving for home, I spied it in the morning fog and couldn't resist just one more shot...

Goodbye, big red barn...you have given me much viewing pleasure this weekend!

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm.

Hometown Murals

For today's murals, I am returning to my own town - or at least my own area!  We have several murals in the area - several cities so close together and inter-woven that you often don't realize you are passing from one to the other!  This first one was completed in 1993 by Wyland - an artist who reached his goal of painting 100 murals depicting marine life in 2008.  This one depicts Humpbacks off the Virginia Coast.

This mural is 280' long by 80' high and was dedicated to Jacques Cousteau.

This one represents a carrier group, and is 1 of three painted by a local artist.  This is on the side of the Flagship Hotel.  The carrier group depicted consists of the USS Enterprise (which just sailed for her final deployment after 50 years in service), USS Leyte Gulf, USS Ticonderoga and the USS Cole, as well as several of the F-14 squadrons.

There are more to come, so please come back next Monday for another installment and be sure to check out Monday Murals to see murals from around the world!

Fortress

An early post for this Sunday - traveling again!


"A Mighty Fortress is Our God
A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing..."
...song in the public domain

When visiting Ireland, seeing the churches so much older than our country, I couldn't help but think of this old hymn by Martin Luther...

Not sure of the location of this one - somewhere on the road from Dublin to Westport!

Another from the road - the walls still standing but the roof missing.  See the elaborate cross headstones?

St. Kevin's Church at Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains outside Dublin.

Glendalough was established in the 6th century by St. Kevin, a hermit priest.   Other priests soon joined him and the location became a monastic settlement.  The buildings that survive are from the period between around 900 AD and 1100 AD.  It was a fascinating afternoon spent there, among buildings and artifacts over 1,000 years old!

The Round Tower of Glendalough

This tower still stands perfectly straight - in the 1800s the top was struck by lightning and the stones fell inside the tower.  It was reconstructed with the original stones.

Gateway - the massive stone entry way to the sanctuary.  It was absolutely amazing to stand under this and realize it was so old and had been standing for over 1000 years!

What is left of one of the monastery buildings...

One of the gravestones inside the monastery walls.

When I see these magnificent pieces of history, still visible after all these years, I cannot help but think about the never-failing love of our Father, strong, and outlasting even these stone walls!

May you always rest in the unfailing love of the Father.

Linking to Spiritual Sundays.