A Day with Nature

We went to Callaway Gardens and spent the day enjoying its beauty.  Weather was great and flowers are already blooming and it’s only the first part of February.  It is amazing what being out in nature does for the mind and soul of man.  We can walk through the woods and enjoy nature at its finest and feel the peace of God’s creation.  On the weekdays it is almost like the entire 13,000 acres of nature are ours.  Isn’t it refreshing when the only noise you hear is that of the wind in the trees or the ducks talking to each other.  So we just want to share some pics of the things we saw with you.  We hope you enjoy as much as we did and hope you each have a great weekend.

             

             

             

             

             

             

            

                                   

             

Finishing our Hike in the Woods

            

As we rounded a bend we came across an area with a lot of camellia bushes and thought we would share some of the flowers that are now in bloom.  It was a pleasant surprise to find them on our hike.

            

           

           

           

           

           

            I backed away to take a picture of a little creek bed falls and was able to get this picture of Gerri texting or reading a text from our son.

           

As we ended our hike, we came to an area that was created about 10 years ago in the gardens.  Although there were no azaleas in bloom at this time of the year, the view is still very peaceful and serene.

         

Thanks for tagging along as we finished our hike.

A Walk in the Woods

Today Gerri and I went for a hike on one of the trails at Callaway Gardens Resort.  It was sunny, windy and cold, but the hike was very refreshing.  

          

Along the way we passed a small creek bed with neat little waterfalls.

          

          

As we were following to the creek to where it emptied into the lake we came across a tree that a beaver was working on taking down.  It was interesting to see how well the beaver can accomplish it’s task.

         

We hiked our way over to the Butterfly Center to walk through the climate controlled area for the butterflies and we saw quite a few beautiful butterflies.

         

         

         

           

On the way back to our car, we walked through an area of the gardens that is full of blooming camellia bushes.  Tomorrow, we will share some of those pics as well as pics of the rest of our hike.

Thanks for letting us share our hike and sights with you today!

Happy New Year

 

               

Gerri & I wish all our friends and fellow bloggers a very Healthy, Happy New Year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  John 1:1

                        

And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. John 1:14 

 

Gerri & I would like to wish all our friends and family a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy Happy New Year!

The Bug Got Me!

 

There is a “bug” going around and it found its way to me!   I have had it for over a week.  A wicked, mean “bug.”  A deep, down in my lungs, type cough.   I lost my voice and just felt really awful.  Now I’m having trouble eating.  This isn’t the flu or a cold it is probably some type of virus.  One of the meds the doctor prescribed contained codeine so I don’t remember much about last week.  I slept my way through most of it.  I have tons of blogs to catch up on.  Just wanted you to know why I haven’t commented.

Sunday, as I drifted in and out, I noticed a beautiful bird at our little bird bath by our sunroom door.  It took a minute or two for me to finally realize it was a Bluebird.  I love Bluebirds and have tried to lure them to our yard.  We had a few drop by this past spring/summer but they went on to better pastures.  That might be the problem.  We have a very woody back yard and blue birds like open areas.  But on this chilly Sunday afternoon there sat a beautiful Bluebird.  As luck would have it…I had NO camera.  I did call Mike to come and look because I didn’t want to be accused of hallucinating on my meds.  I wasn’t sure any stayed around in this area during the winter but apparently one did.

Same day but a little later……I was once again waking up from my codeine induced slumber when I noticed this larger bird sitting on top of one of our bird houses.  I looked at him for a minute or two and then realized he was some sort of hawk. 

            

I called Mike to come take a look and he also thought it was a hawk.  We got out our binoculars and quickly noticed why he was perched on the bird house.  He was having lunch.  Obviously he had killed his prey and was dining on top of the bird house. 

         

 

                                  

Mike got his camera and we began to snap a few pics.  We think he was a juvenile Red Tailed Hawk but we are not certain so if any veteran birders out there have a different identification please let us know.  We are still in the learning stage!

            

So the excitement for the week has been, to sleep rest and begin to feel better which is just what is happening.  Today is Wednesday and it has been my best day so far. 

Now I need to get my Christmas shopping done….quickly!!

Reflections on Change

                

                              

I received my monthly bulletin from Wild Birds Unlimited today and as I was reading the article titled “Reflections on Change” I started thinking about the concept of change.  In the past year and half “change” could have taken on our middle name.  We have certainly experienced some during this time.  However, I started thinking about change in relationship to Christmas.  The message of Christmas is timeless.  It has not changed in thousands of years.  In all the “change” that has occurred in our lives and in the world around us this message remains a constant.  God remains the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  He does not change and isn’t that a comforting thought in this world of constant change?? 

            

            

               

                

So this is our first Christmas in our new home.  It has been fun to unpack many of the cherished items of Christmas’ past.  I have enjoyed finding just the right spot for items we have bought through the past 29 years.  Then there are the ornaments given to me by students that I have taught through the years.  What a joy to remember each child!!   I can’t forget to mention the little handmade items Stephen made as he journeyed through grade school.  All special, and all part of our lives.  It has been fun but the thing that makes it special is the love felt by this family.  It is the same love we felt last year and the year before and so on.  It is a love that binds us through life’s rough times as well as the smooth times.  Even though it has been fun seeing all my cherished “things” this is not what has made it special.  The family and friends make it special.  This is a beautiful lesson I learned while full-timing.  It is all about the heart, the people, The Love!

As we enter this Christmas season I am reminded of the blessings of Christmas.  These blessings are constant.  They were with us when we decorated our motor home for Christmas, they are with us now in our new home.  It is certainly not the size of the “home” that determines the blessings.  It is the love!

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!!