Hiking Goforth Creek

Well, this post is just a big photo album of the day Joe and I hiked Goforth Creek a couple of weeks ago.

Hopefully on your screen, they're not too dark. They look one way on my computer at home, and much different on my computer at the office...

Anyway... come hike with us:






























The first 3 or 4 hundred yards we were rock hopping up the river...

...until we finally crossed over on got on a trail.

A couple of miles up the trail, we crossed the river again.

Doesn't this look like two pictures stitched together? It's not. The right is lush and green and the left is barren and woody. Weird.

The creek got really gentle at this point.

Look at that forest floor covered in fern!

I wish I had also taken this shot with the fern in focus - I think I would have like it better than having the trees in focus. Next time.

Hmmm, wonder what he's looking at...

I like this one - we're headed back down the trail where the falls are rushing.

Pretty mountain ivy (somestimes called mountain laurel).

We both really enjoyed that hike!

The Exploding Rhodies

Remember the other day... I was whining about how quickly Spring passed? Let me just show you why.

I posted this picture to reveal those tired, spent Rhododendron...





Well, can you imagine that the following picture was taken just a week prior?


This was taken from the balcony. Besides the rhodies, we have climbing rose on the left, and blooming peonies on the right (behind the wall, in front of the rhodies), and you can see just a little bit of the lilac shrub on the far right behind the chair.
This was all gone by the time the girls arrived. Boohoo. (Well, the roses were - and are - still blooming.)


Check out this succession...


This was mid-March. Look at those big, pointy buds (on the right).



Then this happened the first week of April! I thought I'd never see those beautiful buds open.

But lo and behold... this is mid-May!

(Why, oh why did Mrs. Smith plant pink on the right and nearly lavendar on the left? It jangles my senses. What could have been delightful symetry is now tainted. {sigh} )

We enjoyed these phenomenal, colorful shrubs for about 10 days.

Well, I'll know what to expect next year and be prepared to relish it even more!

The Little Church

The first Sunday that Joe and I were in town, we visited this friendly little baptist church that sits up on the hill.

When we entered, a couple of gentleman greeted us at the door; we exchanged names and they welcomed us.

Joe and I found a seat. It was a small community church with about 30 in attendance.

A few minutes later, the service started. One of the men who greeted us stepped up to the front and began with the welcome and announcements. He was the pastor, and proceeded to welcome us from the pulpit... by name. "We'd like to welcome Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien to our congregation this morning." Hmmm, we were surprised by the intimacy of the welcome.

We were even more surprised when after the service, the pastor asked their guest speaker, a missionary from Mexico, to step to the back with his wife so everyone could greet them on the way out... "And Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien, why don't you join them? I'm sure we'd all love to say hello."

Huh? Uh, okay.

We haven't been back... and it would seem that's the reason why. But not really. We didn't mind. We're looking for a church that offers a sense of community, a familial feel. But that was just a little too small.

It looks like we may end up at First Baptist Church of McCaysville. It's the only one that has received multiple visits so far. It feels like home... it reminds me of what FBC Cape Coral was 15 years ago.

I've gotten used to contemporary services, but that's not common place up here. FBC McCaysville offers a traditional service where the choir (not praise team) still wears robes and the organist is situated on the right, with the pianist situated on the left. There are no guitars, and there are no drums. It's okay... gotta love those old hymns, rich with history and gospel truth.

Last Sunday we sang How Great Thou Art. One of my favorites.

When I consider the lyrics of this verse, and then the chorus; I realize it reflects my exact sentiments...

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

(history)

... and I realize how blessed I am that I live in such a place!

Happy Birthday

to our Fabulous Foursome!

Seen here at about 4 weeks...

...our precious little meatheads turn 2 years old today - and while we might expect their puppy antics to soon be behind us... they'll always be The Puppies.

I don't have time today for a long post... but I couldn't let the Big Day go by without acknowledging it!

This was June 2, 2007, the day they arrived. What an exciting day that was; Kristiina and I were Zeila's "midwives," and in seventh heaven!!

For more on the Puppy Saga (and a bajillion pictures), see the post from last year that commorated their 1st birthday.

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Spring, It's So Peculiar

I love the constant change in the landscape, the beautiful color and fragrance of the flowers. But, I'm disappointed that the rotation of blooming shrubs and trees is so quick. I wish they'd hang around and let me enjoy them a while!

For example, last weekend my mom, aunt and cousin (xoxoxo) were here, and one day when we were driving down my driveway, my cousin and I noticed some pretty weeping purple flowers at the edge of the woods. Neither of us were sure what they were, but they were so pretty!

Just this morning I discovered that they're wisteria! Oh, cool. To me there's just something etheral and dreamy about wisteria. I went to take a picture of them to show Alana again when I tell her about it (hi Alana!), and they're already starting to fade. Geesh!


Hence, this wisteria picture is not mine, but one I found on the internet.

That seems to be that way with all of them. Here a week and then they're gone. Take the rhododendron... I have been watching those buds grow for two months and was so excited when the first couple started to open.... I was anticipating enjoying them for as long as I waited for them. but alas, that was not to be. They bloomed for barely more than a week and started to turn brown and fall. Hmpf.



Actually, here we are in front of those poor, spent rhodies...



Here's what has come and gone in the nine short weeks that we've been here...

daffodils
bradford pear
crab apple blossoms
tulips (not in my yard, though. next year)
red bud
lilacs
cherry blossoms
irises
dogwood
peony
rhododendron
vibernum
azalea
lily of the valley

Right now the creeping roses are in bloom. Whoa! Have I got creeping roses! There are a few in my yard, but I just discovered when I went to take the wisteria pictures, that I have them all along the edge of the woods lining the driveway and climbing up the hill... that's about the length of a football field! There are tons of them!


Again, not my image. Hopefully soon I'll capture some worth sharing.


So, even though the various beauties are brief, the satisfying part of it is all the new discoveries. And, I'm thankful that they come in stages so there's always something in bloom.

I wonder what I'll find in bloom next week!!

By the way... Mountain-Man Bob stopped by yesterday. He came to check on my cherries for me. He said they should be ready to pick in about 2 days... if I want to, he said I can get the darkest ones today and probably have enough for a pie! I may be cherry-picking this afternoon!

I Want Chickens

These are Glen and Candy's chickens... their hens on the left and roosters on the right. Aren't they pretty?





Here are some of the girls. Candy raised them from little chicks. That's what I want to do, too. Start handling them early so they're comfortable with us.





The thing with getting them when they're little, you can't tell if they're boys or girls. Like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates... you never know what you're gonna get. Glen and Candy got four handsome roosters from their nine chicks!


Yup, I need to convince my Mr. Douglas to build us a chicken coop soon so we can get started!

Farm-fresh eggs... Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm!

- - - - - - - - - -
The day I took the chicken pics, was the day we went to their house for skeet-shooting and four-wheeling.





This is the view of their property from the balcony. We were just there again for a BBQ two weeks ago... boy, oh boy, does it ever look different now! The landscape is totally changed with the trees full of leaves, the pond full, the garden growing... It's beautiful!






We decided to take the four wheelers over to their neighbors' house. They raise peacocks.




This one saw me coming near with a camera and decided to make his getaway. He hopped the fence and ran across the yard toward the woods. I was afraid he'd get lost, but was told they do it all the time. Candy said they often end up at their house hanging out on the porch beneath the balcony!

Country life... a different kind of adventure!

We Did It Again!

We were out meandering... just seeing what we see, when we came upon a sign for a yard sale. Sometimes we like to pop in to those just to see what's being offered. Most of the time it's a lot of junk... but other times there are great finds.

So, as we pull up to the house we see that they're just wrapping it up. But, as always, we strike up a conversation.



In no time, we were invited up on the porch and provided something cold to drink.





We sat and chatted for two hours with the homeowners, Pepi and Lynn (this is Pepi)!


Okay, since this happened before at the goat farm, you're probably thinking we're buttinskies who don't know when to leave, but I promise that's not the case. "We really should go," we said. "No, no," they say, "Stay, have another drink."





Nice view from the porch, huh? This, by the way, is a sheep farm. {{grin}}





And there they are out in the pasture. "You want to see them up close?" Lynn asks. "Sure!"





They've spotted us.

"Mama, what are you doing bringing those strangers out here?!"





Lynn rattles their food container so they'll come in the barn.





"We can't, Mama, those people are there!"





"Okay, maybe if we run past them really quickly!"





Back outside, and they're wondering, "What are you still doing here?"





"Mama, what are they still doing here?!"

"You go home now." (I love the face on the white one.)





Okay, okay, we can take a hint. Let's go see Pablo. He's The Boss around here.





No, he's not a polar bear. He's a Great Pyrenees. Goat/sheep farmers do seem to love that breed. They are evidently great protectors of the herd.





And this is Snickers, Pablo's next door neighbor (she's not in the pasture because she's due to deliver a little one any day).





Meanwhile, with our having left the pasture, the sheep are able to relax.

And we're finally on our way home after a very lovely, unexpected visit with what have become new friends, Pepi and Lynn. We left with two jars of Lynn's homemade jam and one butternut squash that they harvested from their garden last season.

Two days after our visit, they popped in to let us know that Snickers had delivered her baby the night before... "Would you like to come take a look?" Absolutely!





Snickers with her little girl (unnamed at that point), less than 24 hours old. Snickers is shedding her winter coat. Pepi and Lynn say this type of sheep shed rather than needing to be sheared.





Aw, mama and her baby.





Snickers is coaxing her to nurse.





And, of course, before we wandered over to the porch for another long chat, we got to hold her!
Joe liked that a lot...





So did I!

Surprisingly, Snickers didn't seem to mind; though we wore gloves so she wouldn't be put off by our scent.

Meet Mr. Douglas

Yes, this is Mr. Douglas. But he's not the one I'm talking about.





I have my own version of a city-dweller gone country ... my Mr. Douglas.


He's from New Jersey... right on the outskirts of NYC. He thought he was going rural when he moved to Cape Coral, FL. And, truthfully, when he arrived there nearly thirty years ago, it was pretty rural.

Now, it's filled with congested streets, too many traffic lights, and crowded neighborhoods...
at least, to suit what our taste has become.




So, off to the mountains we go where there's a bit more land to stretch out on.


Oh me, oh my, oh... a bit more land to take care of! The prior owners were getting up in years and hadn't done much in the way of yard work for several seasons.




Have we got out work cut out for us...





clearing, trimming, removing...





...the chores! {{sung Green Acres style}}


Then again, with the chores come those big "toys" to get the job done.




This makes my Mr. Douglas happy.

I'm a Conquering Warrior!

That's right.



I donned the armor.

Equipped and prepared for battle, I took an offensive stance and faced my foe squarely.



{{ Drum roll...}}





The ivy went down and I came forth... unscathed!



{{ Hear the eruption of the Hallelujah Chorus! }}





It's all in how you approach it; it requires care and diligence. It's important to know your enemy. Last time, I didn't even know that vicious little plant was lurking (and couldn't really have identified it if I did know) and I forged ahead haphazardly. That foolish move caused me much discomfort!



But, having learned an important lesson the hard way, I came out on top this time!

{{ Cheers, applause! }}



Seriously, though... I've kidded a lot about the garden armor, but for those of you that have had your nose in the bible more than a handful of times... isn't this so allegorically God's armor and the unseen battles we fight in the spititual realm?!

Check this out...

Ephesians 6:10-18 from the NIV:

The Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Isn't that something.

So, as I prepare for the battle in the garden by putting on my so-called armor... it reminds me that to overcome the trials and tribulations of this world, I should also put on the Armor of God...daily.

Something Adorable

This is a treat; guaranteed to make you smile.

A little boy and his dog...
or maybe that should be a dog and his little boy.






Thanks for sending that, Mom!

(Am I just being paranoid, or does it look like they're playing in poison ivy?)