A Leisurely Saturday Drive

We are blessed to live near some of God's most gorgeous handiwork so today we decided to go for a drive. First we stopped for some lunch and did a little bit of shopping/looking. Then we headed toward a scenic route near the coast. We never got as far as the coast today but we were near farm land, bays, bayous, and rivers.

The first photo opp came near Point Clear where we saw a beautiful old church building.


Next we drove by a horse farm so we pulled off to get some pictures of the horses. I felt so sorry for this one in particular. I think he thought I had an apple or some grain for him. He followed on the inside of the fence wherever I walked on the outside of the fence.



Here are more of his friends who kept their distance but they were gargantuan, graceful, and gorgeous even from afar.


From there, we decided to go to a little restuarant in Magnolia Springs called Jesse's. We had eaten there with friends a few years back and we liked it then and weren't disappointed at all today.



Across from Jesse's there was an old community center (over a hundred years old and it probably started out as a residence and is now a community center) and another old church building. As we left, the church bells were ringing. I wonder how many times those bells have rung over the years.



Lastly, leaving Jesse's and before heading home, we drove over the Magnolia River and saw this OLD boat which looked as if she's seen better days. However, she may still be "seaworthy", but, nevertheless, she looked majestic just sitting there on the bank of the river.


What a delightful way to spend a Saturday with my hubby!!

Just Another Day at the Farm

It was time to go back to the Farm to mow and check on all the animals and to just "go to the Farm" because I get withdrawals if I don't go fairly often. When we drove up, we noticed how dry everything looked. The hydrangeas that were blooming in abundance a few weeks ago were wilted and the blooms were fading. In many areas the grass looked twisted and dry and the ground was dusty. However, there were still some lush areas of grass and some very healthy weeds that needed mowing. The pears, figs, and muscadines were all beginning to ripen---too bad we missed more of them being ready to eat!!




One thing that never changes, rain or shine, dry or wet, hot or cold, the animals are always glad to see us and are always hungry.



Somewhere not in any of the pictures are the two geese. Now that the one goose has a partner, he/she no longer thinks she/he is a goat and the two geese hang out together all the time. There are also two more cats that aren't in the pictures either. So, there you go---all God's creatures great and small.

And, to make the day even more perfect, just as we finished mowing and doing all the other chores, it "came up a cloud" and we were able to sit on the front porch and listen to the rain fall on the tin roof and feel the cool breeze blowing down the "dog trot" hall in the old house. While we were there, only one car passed the entire time. It was a perfect day at the Farm!!

Beach Week 2009 (Part Two)

Thursday we watched the Blue Angels practice. Some of our guys played tennis, some of us rode bikes, some of the children went over to the sound to swim, we ate homemade ice cream, and we began to realize that our week was swiftly drawing to a close. How does this week go by so fast when the same amount of time at work drags by??

Friday we tried to savor every moment by kayaking, watching the Blues' dress rehearsal, swimming, playing wiffle ball, sunning, building sand castles, etc. On the last night, we had the awards presentation for the week long shell contest among the children. There was an award for the roughest shell, the one with the most ridges, the one with the most colors, the shell with the most holes, the shell easiest to paint, and the smoothest shell. There was a prize for each category and the adults were the judges. We also sat down by the water and played charades telling our favorite part of the week. That was so much fun and most of the children had more than one favorite so they got to go several times.

Saturday morning was time to leave. We packed up and moved out but not without taking LOTS of fun memories home with us.

Beach Week 2009

Even though we live on the Gulf Coast only a few minutes from the beach, our family rents a beach house every summer for a week. We forget we're only a few minutes from home and totally relax. A friend actually commented to me yesterday that she noticed I'm able to let my OCD go while we're at the beach!!

Since we got to the beach house on Saturday, we've watched fire works, eaten, played tennis, eaten, had our own family worship service (very meaningful and moving),eaten, had some friends out, eaten, gone out in the kayak and a canoe, eaten, watched dolphins, eaten some more, caught crabs, and played in the gulf (and eaten some more). This afternoon we had "game time" and had two teams. We played egg toss, carry the egg in the spoon, over and under relay, etc.




Tuesday we did much of the same as well as had a game of kickball. Two of the grandchildren, Ashlyn and Hannah, divided the teams into Tigers and Yellowjackets and even told us what color to wear. It was lots of fun and I'm pretty terrible, but still loved it. Tonight for dinner Ann and Stephanie (my sister-in-law and niece) planned a "make your own pizza" night which was fun and delicious!





Wednesday, we took all of the children to a huge water slide on the gulf side and they loved it. It was fun to watch them slide down and run around to climb up the HIGH slide and go down again. By the time we'd been there for about 30 minutes, their "running around to climb up" again slowed considerably. Also, Wednesday night, JD and Jennifer took all of the children for their annual game of putt-putt. This year one of the cousins was missing because Drew decided he'd rather go fishing. He caught two black snappers which we cooked and they were delicious.



Thursday we watched the Blue Angels practice. Some of our guys played tennis, some of us rode bikes, some of the children went over to the sound to swim, we ate homemade ice cream, and we began to realize that our week was swiftly drawing to a close. How does this week go by so fast when the same amount of time at work drags by??

Friday we tried to savor every moment by kayaking, watching the Blues' dress rehearsal, swimming, playing wiffle ball, sunning, building sand castles, etc. On the last night, we had the awards presentation for the week long shell contest among the children. There was an award for the roughest shell, the one with the most ridges, the one with the most colors, the shell with the most holes, the shell easiest to paint, and the smoothest shell. There was a prize for each category and the adults were the judges. We also sat down by the water and played charades telling our favorite part of the week. That was so much fun and most of the children had more than one favorite so they got to go several times.






Saturday morning it was time to leave. We packed up and moved out but not without taking LOTS of fun memories home with us.