Catching Up

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Life has been so busy recently (a very good busy) that I'm terribly behind with my blog. The last post we were at the beach for a week with all of our family. I posted Blue Angel pictures, but I never posted any pictures of our family time while there. We had a wonderful week and it went

by much too fast.

Every evening the "oil workers" would unload near our house and seemingly march to their work area for the night.

Drew, our nephew, was only able to stay two days because he's taking summer classes in college and had to go back to school.

Aubrey showing Addison the Gulf of Mexico and she loved it!

Ashlyn and Hannah enjoying the gulf at sunset

Addison and her daddy

David

Lots of fun memories were made that week. This week our grandchildren are with us for Cousins' Camp. Later I'll post about that. Hopefully, even more fun memories are being made this week!

Watching the Blue Angels

With the oil reportedly covering the Gulf Coast beaches, it was even more impressive to see the Blue Angels flying last Saturday. Since this is their home, they felt even more compelled to fly one way or the other to bring more people to the area since oil has hurt our number one tourist attraction, our beaches. And bring people it did. We came the long way around to the beach from our house (usually a ten to fifteen minute trip) to avoid the traffic jam of people trying to get to the beach for the Blues. When we got to the beach house, this is what was behind our house. It really was a welcome sight with all the negative news recently. We have had oil on our beaches, that's a fact, but it hasn't closed the beaches and this week there is nothing. A couple of weeks ago, there was oil behind the house and up and down the normally pristine white sand, but it's been cleaned up and we are having a great time this week with family. We've been playing in the gulf, on the beach, eating FAR too much, watching the sunset every night, feeding the sea gulls, and just enjoying being together. How thankful we are that the oil hasn't kept us from having a great time this week. Here are some of our outdoor pictures, and, please join Susan at a Southern Daydreamer for more outdoor pictures.

Blue Angels Beginning Their Show

People in Their Boats Watching the Show

People on the Beaches with Their Tents Set Up (I had to get a close up of the Auburn tent--War Eagle!)

Lot of Tents

Our Beautiful Beaches--A View from the Top Deck of "Our" Beach House

What a View!

Last weekend we went to a family reunion in North Georgia. We sat outside on one of the decks most of the time eating and talking (it was so much fun to all be together). This year all of our children and grandchildren got to go so it was really lots of fun to have them there with all the cousins and for the family to meet our newest member, Addison, and to see our other grandchildren again. It made this mamma proud!

The view from my cousin's deck is unbelievable. Throughout the time we were there, deer would wander into their backyard to graze or eat the watermelon that had been tossed back there. Occasionally a bear visits them and climbs up on one of the decks to eat the bird seed but not while we were there. We were making far too much noise for a bear, I'm sure.

Below are some pictures taken from their deck. Also, be sure to visit Susan at A Southern Daydreamer for more outdoor pictures.

Life Goes on Here on the Gulf Coast

Be sure to visit Susan at A Southern Daydreamer for more Outdoor Wednesday pictures.

Saturday we decided to go bike riding on the beach with some of our very good friends. We left early that morning (early for me, but not necessarily early for the rest). We drove to the beach, parked, and got ready to ride the 15 miles round trip down to Ft. Pickens and back. As everyone knows, all we've heard in the news recently is about the tragic oil spill. It makes us all so sad, but another thing that makes us sad is the bleak picture that the media insists on presenting daily. Our beaches are NOT closed, and, at this point, there is not oil all over our beaches. In fact, we didn't see any oil nor any tar balls. When we got to the fort, we got off our bikes and walked on the beach until we got to the pass---the place where the bay empties into the Gulf of Mexico. People were fishing, others were sailing, others were on a pontoon boat, and still others were swimming. The shorebirds were nesting, the blue herons were searching for food and watching people, the ospreys were taking food to their new babies, and the sand crabs were dashing to safety in their holes as we walked near. Life on the beach looked amazingly normal. I'm posting some pictures of our day. Let's all pray that the oil spill is taken care of very soon and that we will continue to be able enjoy life on our beautiful Gulf Coast.

Happy Birthday, David!

David, our only grandson, turned 8 years old last week. This is his cookie cake that he took to school to share with his classmates. We were there so we were able to eat with him on his real birthday. David LOVES anything Lego--Lego Batman, Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Star Wars---so that's what he got for his birthday. His imagination is unbelievable and he can play for hours just pretending. He is a sweet, thoughtful little boy, When we stay overnight at their house, David sleeps with me. He always says, "MomMom, can we snuggle and talk?" How could I turn that down! We snuggle and talk and he tells me SO many things. He loves to read and often tells me about the book he's reading. It's hard to believe he's 8 years old already, but time marches on. Happy Birthday, David!! We love you!

David looking at his birthday gift

He read every word of every card he got!

Eating lunch with his friend Brady at school on his actual birthday

Oil, Oil, Please Stay Away

Yesterday we decided to ride out to the beach late in the afternoon to just sit, have a picnic, and watch the sun go down over the Gulf of Mexico. We watched families playing in the water, people fishing, others walking or jogging, and fish jumping. We watched the shorebirds trying to find their last meal of the day. It was hard to believe that just 30-40 miles offshore there are thousands of gallons of oil floating in the Gulf of Mexico. Man can really mess up God's beautiful creation, but we're hoping and praying the oil stays away from our gorgeous emerald coast.




Be sure to stop by Susan at a Southern Daydreamer for more Outdoor Wednesday posts.

Honor to Whom Honor is Due

I know the title probably leads one to believe this will be a Memorial Day post. Lest one thinks I have forgotten the fallen troops who have so bravely given their lives for this great country, let me set that straight. I am deeply grateful to all who have given so much and am proud to be an American. However, this is not about Memorial Day but a time today to honor someone dear to our family.

This afternoon we drove to my hometown to attend a surprise birthday party for a sweet family friend who turned 80 years old. This lady truly is someone near and dear to many. She has three children of her own and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In addition to her immediate family, she has so many of us who have benefited from her wisdom and kindness over the years---too many to even count. I was honored to be invited to be a part of her celebration.

This sweet lady and her husband lived on our farm when I was growing up. For those of you who didn't grow up on a small farm in the South, this may sound strange, but to those of us who did, we know this is the way it was. The land owner (farmer) often had a family live in a house on the farm land and farm "on halves" with him. That's exactly what Margaret and her husband, Grantt, did. They lived in a small house on our farm. Even though intelligent, Margaret's husband had not had an opportunity to receive any education and couldn't write his name, only sign with an "X". However, they were such hard workers and made the most of every opportunity. Over the years and through much hard work, they were able to build a nice brick home. By this time, we were no longer farming and Grantt was working somewhere else. Grantt died many years ago, but Margaret is still doing well. Her children are all very successful and have good jobs, good educations, wonderful families of their own, and Margaret is the one who they credit for everything. However, they will quickly tell you it's not actually Margaret, but her prayers for them and God answering her prayers. Her encouragement, her steadfastness, her Christian example have led her family to a relationship with the Lord. She exemplifies the woman in Proverbs 31. Her children truly do rise up and call her blessed. So do the rest of us who have been blessed by this very special, soft-spoken, godly lady. Here are some pictures from her day.

The beautiful invitation done by her daughter.

Margaret when she walked in. I know it's a bit blurred but had to include this. She was really surprised!

There were well over a hundred people there to celebrate Margaret.

Margaret's older daughter and me-We were good friends and played together growing up. Sadly, we grew up in the days of segregation and went to different schools. However, we had fun playing together in the afternoons after school.

Margaret and Me

A Whole New World

Our new puppy, Spirit, has opened a whole new world for us. We've been to doggy parks and now a doggy beach. Other dog owners are so nice and always interested in a new dog. No one has been able to determine her breed---we've had all kind of guesses------border collie, Burnese mountain dog, Australian shepherd-----but no one has actually recognized her as an English shepherd because they're not at all common around here.

One other thing the doggy parks and beaches do is provide a place for my hubby to talk to people. He is a people person and loves to talk to complete strangers, find out their dog's name, history, age, etc. and tell them all about how we got Spirit. Today was no exception---among others, we met an older man with a yellow lab named Charlie. The man said he's been taking Charlie to the doggy beach every day for the last 11 years---summer, winter, rain , or shine. He was an interesting gentleman and obviously a dog lover.

We had been one other time to the doggy beach and there weren't many dog there, but today was a different story. Every breed imaginable was there almost. The big dogs didn't scare Spirit and she had a blast. She loves water so here are some pictures of her at the doggy beach.

Thrifty Treasures for Addison

This is my first time to post on Rhoda's thrifty treasures Monday because I usually don't go to garage sales although I love a bargain. However, our neighbor was having a garage sale and I had to check it out. What does one look for when one has a new granddaughter? Little girl things! So, I immediately spied this Barbie Dream House with ALL the furniture as well as a Barbie motorcycle, spa, and other Barbie related items---all for $13!! Now, that's what I call a deal. SO, now Addison has her first Barbie house and Barbies to play with at MomMom and Pops' house when she comes to visit! I'm so thankful to have a new granddaughter to shop for! Enjoy, sweet little Addison!

Be sure to join Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for more thrifty treasures.

Spirit at the Farm

Today we went to the Farm to mow. Spirit, our new puppy, had been with us one other time, but she mainly stayed in her crate that time. Today, we let her get a real "feel" for the Farm. Let's just say that even though she's a working, herding dog, she needs a little more work to get used to the animals. In fact, I think the cow was much more interested in this little black fur ball than Spirit was in the cow.

However, we walked down to the pond and that is where Spirit found what she loves most about the Farm. She quickly stuck her nose in the edge of the pond, then, she tested it a little more, and soon she was rolling in the mud!! Needless to say, she had to have a bath when we got home. When I was a child enjoying this Farm, I had an English shepherd dog just like Spirit. That's why I wanted to find an English shepherd puppy when we first started looking for a new dog. We hope this will be one of many trips to the Farm for Spirit to enjoy the wide-open spaces of the land that has now been "home" to five generations in our family.




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Gorgeous Day at the Beach

For those of you who have ever read my blog, you know that I LOVE the beach and am so thankful to live right on the Gulf of Mexico so I can go often. And, a bonus to that it that I have a best friend who also loves the beach as much as I do. SO, we go as often as possible and have seen lots of things. However, yesterday we saw two firsts for us. One had to do with two sea gulls and I did NOT take pictures but let's just say there will probably soon be some new baby sea gulls flying around at the beach. The second "first" for us was that we found a LIVE starfish and managed to get him back to where the camera was in order to take a picture before releasing him back into the water (we walked and put him in the water every few steps so he wouldn't die). I'll post pictures, but speaking of walking, we always walk on the beach part of the time we're there and we figure if we walk 30 minutes that's probably equivalent to walking an hour anywhere else. Walking in that sand isn't easy so at least that's what we tell ourselves.

Sea gulls catching bread in the air

Hoping for more food

Starfish just before going back into the water

For more Outdoor Wednesday pictures, join Susan at a Southern Daydreamer for more outdoor posts.

A Different "Outdoor Wednesday" Post

Last weekend we were visiting our children so we able to worship with them on Sunday. Periodically at their church they have what they refer to as WATS--We Are the Sermon. They do not have their traditional Sunday worship service, but they go out in the community to "be Jesus" to those who need help. This particular Sunday they went to an inner city church and worshiped with them, fed them lunch, and then went to the home of one of the elderly members to paint her house and clean up the yard. What a wonderful experience and we're so thankful we were there to be a part of "the church has left the building." For more outdoor pictures from other bloggers, visit Susan at Outdoor Wednesdays . Here are some of our pictures from WATS.