Fancy Gap Fences



I really like a good fence, don't you?

This one is six feet tall and separates my yard from my neighbor's.

Actually, no one is living next door at the present time.

But it's still a nice fence...that is, if you don't want to see your neighbors...

...if they lived there.

This past weekend, we were at our cabin in Fancy Gap and let me tell you,

I was never more aware of all of the fences!

Today, I'd like to share a few of them at Theresa's Good Fences link-up.



This little waterfalls is part of the creek that runs along the gravel road.



This is the same part of the fence, as you come down the road.

The creek is on the right, through those trees.

Directly opposite the creek on the other side of the road,

 is a hill where some friendly cows always are usually grazing.

They must have thought I had something good to eat.

One by one, they all came down the hill to see me.

They gave me dirty looks when they found out that I had nothing to offer them.

So...here are a few more random shots from around the area.



I loved finding this old fence all covered with twisted vines.

...and finally, I loved the quiet sense of peace I felt when I came upon this place.



It was a beautiful weekend in Fancy Gap.

So, until next time...

Give Me Jesus

This is an edited and re-titled version of an early post, shortly after I started my blog.

I actually had to go back and re-read it because I needed the message for myself. 

The past few days have been pretty emotionally draining for me...

...a little family drama.

But God is good and He's already working on it!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

Psalm 5:3


Morning. Even before the sun makes it's way above the horizon and shows it's face...

...it is my favorite time of the day. 

It's the only time of the day when everything is new.

A fresh start.
A new beginning.

How many times have you gone to bed with a heavy burden on your heart?

Maybe even cried yourself to sleep?

Your world seems to be crashing in around you and the answers you need just don't come.

You pray for peace.

You awaken when it's still dark...
...just the way it was when you finally were able to restlessly drift off...

...with the tears on your pillow.

But there's just something about the morning.

Somehow, something seems different.

Somehow, even though you know that the burden is still there,

it doesn't seem quite as heavy.

Something has changed.

Your spirit seems brighter...your countenance, more peaceful.

There seems to be hope now.

What happened while you were sleeping?
How did things change during the night?



Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

Jesus came to you while you were sleeping.
That is what happened.

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Sky Shots: A Note Card Collection

Hello friends! I hope you all are having a great week so far!

Each month, I look forward to linking up with Vee's Note Card Party!
It's always great fun to see what others are going to be sharing, don't you think?

 It seems I got a little ahead of myself as I was rushing around getting my post ready.
That was last Tuesday.
I was ready to hit the publish button when I realized...
 ...I WAS A WEEK EARLY! :[

~*~*~*~

So...the other day when I was going through my files, I realized something...

...I have taken A LOT of photos of the sky.
 

When I was little, I remember getting a blanket and a pillow and lying on the grass...

...just gazing up into the clouds through my sunglasses...not a care in the world.

Reflecting on some of the days that I have been having lately,

I can help but think, wouldn't it be wonderful if life was that carefree again?

 (sneaking in this pic of me doin' my thing :)

And speaking of sunglasses, that brings me to my first shot.
 

I took this through the front windshield...and through the lens of my sunglasses.

Not to worry, my hubby was at the wheel :)
 

This one is also from that same road trip...without the sunglasses filter.

 

Then there are those times when you're at just the right place at just the right time.

Here's how it works...while sitting at a stop light, roll passenger side window down...

...extend arm, camera in hand...click.

Finally, this was an unexpected gift on my way home from work one evening.

It almost appears that the woods were on fire, doesn't it?
It was all I could do to keep my eyes on the road.

Do I scare you? (lol)

~*~*~*~

So remember...take some time to look at the sky.

And always keep your camera handy...OR...you just might miss something!

Apron Strings: A Mother's Day Tribute

I have been posting a lot about my mom lately, I know.
I really miss her, especially today.

When I think of her, I think of aprons...among other things.
I wrote about my memories of her and her aprons last year on my other blog,
Memories from my Childhood {and other blessings}.

I have re-published an updated version of it.
 There, you can read Apron strings...the ties that bind if you like.

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

Color...a little or a lot

Greetings, friends!

I'm joining Donna again this week at a Personal Photo Challenge...
...and she has left it w-i-d-e open!

The theme is COLOR and this was kind of a tough one for me.

After going through my photos, this is what I came up with...

...and it's about as original as it gets for me. 

For the most part, my photos are quite colorful but so are everyone else's, right?
So it got me to thinking...how much color do I want in my photo?

Actually, there are times when I like to remove some of the color to feature a specific part.

For this edit, I used the Focal  B&W effect in Picasa 3.

I also use Picmonkey quite a bit but I personally think Picasa 3 is much more user-friendly.

You start out with your fully colored photo, add the above effect,

 and adjust the area where you want to keep the color.

I really love the look of this...it puts all of the focus on the flower alone.

Sometimes, all that's needed is a soft pastel...
... like these lovely little baby blue flowers that have nearly overtaken my yard this spring.
I'm not complaining though...when you live in the woods, grass doesn't grow well...
...but I'm glad other things do!
The sun was also filtering through the tree, creating the variations of green.
The only editing was softening it up a bit using the Soft Focus effect in Picasa 3.

I'm breaking the rules here to show you the close-up.
And yes, I was lying on my belly on the ground.

But then there are those other times...

...when you want bold, vivid and bright color...
...like when it's STRAWBERRY SEASON...
...like NOW!!!

No editing needed here!

Have a bright and COLORFUL Mother's Day weekend!

Good Fences

Hey everyone!

I hope you all are having a great week!

Today, I'm excited to be joining Good Fences with Theresa at Run*A*Round Ranch!

She has a beautiful blog filled with lots and lots of great photography of wildlife and such...

...and, of course, lots of great fences, I might add!

I have always been drawn to fences and gates and so I was excited when I came across her link-up.

So...since last week, I have been going through all of my photos (which are a little unorganized)

and pulling out the ones I had taken of fences.

I am proud to say that I now have most of them in a folder labeled...you got it...FENCES!
Genius!



I took these just this week, through the pickets of the fence looking out into my front yard.
The azaleas were still looking pretty good but the blooms don't have much longer, sorry to say :(

Last week, when I was on my way back to work from lunch break,

I pulled up to a stop sign and just had to snap this as soon as I saw it.

I just love the mailbox...U. S. MAIL...well, of course it is!

You should have seen me....I had the windows down in my Jeep,
reaching my arm out here and there... just snapping away!

You won't catch me texting and driving but you will may catch me snapping and driving.
It's easy to do with my point-n-shoot and every now and then, I get lucky :)

These last two photos are from a post from last fall when I took an early morning stroll...

...down the road that leads to our cabin in Fancy Gap.
The misty sun rays were gloriously filtering through the trees...a heavenly sight.

Just what is it about a fence anyway?

So...this is my first fence post! (sorry...I couldn't resist)

Have a good one!

Saturday Afternoon at the Movies

source

I had an experience today I'll not soon forget.

The hubby and I went to see a movie...

...not just any movie

We went to see "God's Not Dead".

(click on link for preview)

Never have I worshiped in a movie theater...

...until today.

I don't want to give anything away for those of you who haven't seen it.

I am still reeling from it actually.

I have that drained feeling...or you may call it spent...

...you know, like how you feel after you have cried a million tears.

Tears of sadness, yet tears of joy.

How blessed I am at this very moment...

...believing with every fiber of my being that there is a God who loves me.

 That He will never leave me...or forsake me.

My heart breaks for those who choose not to believe.

Please join me in praying for those lost souls.

Many of them, we don't know...some of them, we do.

 The Lord is not slow to keep his promise. He is not slow in the way some people understand it. 

He is patient with you. He doesn't want anyone to be destroyed. 

Instead, he wants all people to turn away from their sins. ~2 Peter 3:9

So, if you haven't yet seen this movie, I highly recommend it.

You will laugh. You will cry (a lot). You will worship.

Love to all, 

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