HAPPY NEW YEAR

2010 !!  What an incredible year for Gerri and me.  We physically met some  of the most wonderful folks we have ever met, and through blogging and facebook, met many other incredible people.  Gerri and I are truly blessed.  As we look back, it is hard for words to express a most wonderful year. 

We can only say Thank You for allowing us to be a part of your life and to share in your walk in this world.  We hope each of you have a healthy and happy 2011.  

                                                                          

 

                                                                                     

TRAVEL  SAFELY

White Christmas….

Gerri and I have lived in the LaGrange, Georgia area for almost 34 years and this is the first time we have had snow on Christmas day.  Now I know that is no big deal to a lot of you guys, but for this area of Georgia, that is neat.  So now when I hear “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”, we actually did have one.  It is  7:15 pm eastern time and still snowing too.

Again, wishing all of you a Merry Christmas!

                                      

                                                                  

                                                                 

Merry Christmas

 

 

                               

Wise men and women still seek Him………..

Gerri and I would like to wish all our friends a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Happy 2011.

Be safe and safe travels.

28 Grand Years

                                                                    

Twenty-eight years ago today Gerri & I were married.  It was a spectacular day, and life has gone uphill since.  I can still see Gerri coming down the aisle in her wedding dress.  There was such a glow about her, I would have sworn she was an angel walking that aisle.  You know, she was! Gosh, she sure was beautiful.  Twenty-eight years later, she is still beautiful, and we are best and closer friends now.

Tonight we went to the Plantation Room at Callaway Gardens Resort for dinner. 

                                                                     

                                                                     

If you don’t already know it, Callaway is an extremely special place for us.  At night, they have a great buffet, and the ambiance is so soothing and elegant to us.  Well, the food was great, the ambiance superb, and I dined with my best and dearest friend!  What could be better, and you know, Gerri still has that glow!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

                                          

Gerri & I would like to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for my wife, Gerri and our son Stephen.  We are thankful that we live in America, still a land of freedom.  With all it’s faults, we are still free.  We are thankful to be able to freely worship God at church and in our daily lives and that God created us with remarkable bodies that modern medical science still doesn’t fully understand.  For our minds, emotions and our conscience that no computer will ever match. We are thankful for the gift God gave us in His Son.

We are also very thankful for our friends, though some we have never met. 

An update on Hunter.

Hunter, our 6 year old grand nephew, received his bone marrow transplant Tuesday afternoon from his donor, 4 year old sister, Ronin.  He will be quarantined at Vanderbilt for about 4 weeks due to a near zero level of immunities.  The doctors say it will take 90 to 120 days to make sure the transplant takes.  We are thankful for the great medical staff there and all the thoughts and prayers given by friends.

 

A Ride and Walk into Nature

                                               

Serenity Now!  Gerri and I love this time of the year.  For those who live up north, fall is not in full swing here yet, but what beauty this time of year brings.  Today the high was in the low 70’s and the sky was a crisp clear blue.  We decided to venture out to Callaway Gardens again.      

                                                 

Each change of season is different there and it is so tranquil to ride and walk and be surrounded by nature (about 11,000 acres).  Since this is Monday, there were not many people in the gardens and we had it to ourselves…almost.

                                                

Rather than write a lot, I would love to just share some pics of the tranquility we felt today.  

                                                  

                                                             

                                                                                     

                                                   

                                                   

                                                   

To be with your best friend, who is also my wife, and be surrounded by nothing but nature; what could be better!

                             

Just look around at the beauty before us on such a lovely day.  Sometimes you just don’t want to leave because it is so pretty and peaceful.

                                                   

                                                   

                                                   

                                                   

                                                  

We are so blessed to be able to spend all the time we want in such a natural setting and enjoy the beauty God has set in motion.

In Honor of Bruce & Margie

Rick, thanks for the sincerity and sensitivity of your blog today.  It is very hard to go forward, but we each must in our own way, Margie and Bruce would want nothing less.  In blogging we get to know folks through their blog and their comments, in fact, we sometimes become closer to friends in blogging than the friends we have where we live.

At this time I would like to share a few collages we have created in honor of Margie and Bruce.  If she were here, she would put some together after your tutorial on creating collages.

                                     

                                     

                                     

A Tragic Loss

 

                                                       

 

Words cannot express our feeling of loss.  Although we have never met Margie and Bruce, we considered them dear friends. Margie was usually the first to comment on our blog and always give encouragement.  They were devoted to family and helping where ever there were needs, and they had a love for life.  We are still in shock with this news and there is a big emptiness in our blogging family.  We will miss you Margie and Bruce.

Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go to the family, may God Bless.

Yearly Coach Service

                      

Friday Gerri & I took the motor home to Coachcraft by McDonald to have some service work done. This was our yearly engine service so we had all that done and also had the generator serviced. We had a few other issues for them to check out and fix while we were there. On our way from our host job at FDR State Park, the front windshield on the passenger side had a rock bounce up and crack the windshield. The crack was about the size of a silver dollar, so we couldn’t do the window repair. Since we were going to be at the shop for service, we had them order the glass and replace the windshield while they had it in the shop for service. Luckily, the windshield was covered by the insurance company with no deductible….Whew, lucky us. Well, we waited for several hours for them to get the work done but at least they had a good waiting room. With all the service work done and the other small items we had them fix, we managed to drop $5 dollars shy of $1,000. OUCH!  Well, it needed to be done and if not, it could end up being much more in the long run.

                                                  

                                                  

Today, we went to Church and had a great worship service. I really enjoy the lessons we learn about our relationship with God. He is an Awesome God! The rest of the day, we just chillaxed and enjoyed being outside in this beautiful weather.

                                                      

Touches of Fall

                                        

I really love the fall time of the year.  A gentle brisk breeze, crystal blue skies, color starting to fill the trees, and animals passing through or just on the move.  Gerri & I sat out in our chairs and watched the birds come in for food and just enjoyed some beautiful weather.  We have been walking about a couple of miles each day, but today we bypassed the walk.  It’s great to soak up such beautiful weather, it livens your spirit.

         

                                                          

This morning we went to church and heard an awesome message.  The singing was grand and we just had a wonderful blessing by being there.  Life is good and God is Great!

Questions About My Camera Type

                                   

I have had several people ask the type of camera I am using, so I thought I would do a blog on my camera. Before I go any further, I enjoy and have a passion for taking nature photographs. I am learning and having fun learning about photography. I still have so much to learn, but also am having so much fun with it. It has become my hobby. The best thing about it, you no longer have to pay to have your film developed, so it makes learning easier and less costly.

                           

I purchased a Nikon D60 SLR with the basic 18-55 mm lens. I also purchased the 55-200 zoom lens that I use 90% of the time. I ordered a special lens that I use when I am in a stationary mode and it is a 100-500 zoom lens. This lens is a must for a tripod to steady the camera. When the item or the scene is too far away, this lens brings it in much closer. So when out in nature and you can’t get close to an animal, the lens is a great help in bringing it closer.

                                  

                                   

I am lucky in my photography because I am just learning and many times I take a multitude of pics just to get one or two good ones. The camera does most of the work, and all I do is click the shutter button.

                                           

My advice is to get a good SLR and a couple good lenses and go out there and have fun. Try different settings on the camera, but document the picture with the different settings you use. That will tell you what setting brings the result you are looking for.

                                                          

If I can learn some things about photography, anyone can. Go out, play and enjoy your camera.   There are many other bloggers out there who know a lot more than me about photography, so gather as many tips as possible and enjoy!

Make your vision come alive in your pictures.

                                                          

Thanks for all the positive comments you have given my pics, you are very kind with your words.  Again, for me, it’s just plain old fun.

An Afternoon at the Beach and a Hint of Fall in the Air

                                

We had a chip in our windshield, so we had a company come out  and do their magic.  When they left, the chip was gone. 

                                  

There’s not been a lot going on so we haven’t blogged for a while, but we had a special day at Callaway Gardens today.

                             

                            

This afternoon Gerri & I went to the Beach at Callaway Gardens. No, it’s not an ocean, it’s the world's largest manmade, white sand beach and it covers a mile around the 65 acre Robin Lake. The lake is closed to swimming now, so we had the beach and the area to ourselves. Almost like it was our own private resort. We sat under our private canopy on the beach... even our own bench.

                                     

                      

Wow, what pampering. There was a great breeze and we sensed a bit of fall in the air. Afterwards we walked through our private vegetable garden, although we let four or five other people come through the garden too. This is such a beautiful and peaceful resort. It has several thousand acres of nature, hiking and biking trails, and lakes for fishing, Sibley Horticulture Center, a Chapel on the lake, 2 beautiful golf courses and so much more in a natural setting.

                                                  

                                                    

                                                    

                                                   

If you are ever in this part of the country and you love nature, you would greatly enjoy a day or two at Callaway Gardens.

                         

We hope you have had a good day and are glad you took your time to read of our experiences.