The Pond

Now that I've finished our trip to the mountains of NC from last Summer, I'm skipping the year in between and following the last series with a new series of visiting TN where my Daddy (and the whole Ketron side of the family) is from.  

In June, we decided to make our way up there to visit some of our family's land that we might not ever see again.  Our first and most important stop was the pond behind Grandma's house.  Many memories were made at this pond and when I think of it, I'm reminded of my childhood, when everything was easy and nothing was complicated, and how special it was to take the trip to Grandma and Papaw's house for some time spent with close family.  I can only imagine the fond memories my Daddy and his brother had growing up in the beautiful fields of the land that surrounded their home - what an absolute treasure memories are and what a gift from God!   

I don't know if you can see the beauty that I do, but nothing can replace the feel of actually being there. We got there early in the morning, and I asked God to let us enjoy and savor this time.  As always, He granted us a glorious time, and I'm more than grateful!

It's hard to tell, but this is the path that leads from one side of the pond to the other.  I love how the sun is shining on our experience.  Even though we chose a weekend when the temperature was supposed to  be above 100 degrees, it was tolerable that early in the morning!

Love the reflection here as Daddy fishes across the way - makes my heart happy!

Don't look if you're squeamish!  This was the first fish I caught - about 4 inches long.  The rest of mine looked about the same:(  No prizes for me!

And I believe this was Daddy's first fish.  Please don't scroll up, so you can compare the two!  Yes, the fish is a bit muddy, because as Daddy was reeling him in, he got stuck in the cattails and we had to drag him out!

I'm not sure if there's a more beautiful and serene place.  The only sounds were the bugs waking up and the birds singing.

And let's not forget the blackberries!  One of my favorite things as a kid and even now is coming across a ripe bunch of blackberries!

And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. ~ Genesis 1:31

Last But Not Least!

We've finally reached the end of my family's trip to Clyde, NC where we rode horses, visited historic sites, and climbed mountains!  Most of my immediate family (we missed a large part of them including my sister and her family) took a tour around Clyde and decided to stop at Max Patch a straight shot up a large hill/mountain that doesn't look steep at first, but the climb proves that first estimation wrong!  

First, say Max Patch three times:)

This was the view from the  parking lot.  Not so bad, right?

This stool separated the parking lot from the beginning of the path up the hill/mountain.  That was a task in its self.

The family taking a break halfway up:)

Once we reached the summit, the view was amazing!  There was a breeze that felt wonderful after climbing to the top in the heat.

Cathy and I were proud of our efforts!

Mom conquered the mountain!

Love that you can see all of the surrounding mountains - truly God's work of art!

Palmer House and The Overlook

This was our next to last stop in the Cataloochee Valley.  Palmer House was near the entrance, but we visited it last because the first time we passed it, we were more interested in the elk!  As you can see, I failed to take a photo of the sign, so I had to look up the name of this house and found a neat video about the area.  Check it out here.  The white building to the left of the yellow home was an information center about the families that lived in the valleys.  

The large opening you see in the middle of the house was a breezeway that basically split the house in two.  Below you'll see the architectural gems that have stayed in decent condition.

A barn or likewise for animals or crops.

I believe the spring or some sort of water source was here, but I wish I had written it down or done this post sooner, so I could remembered the details!

This was our last stop in the Cataloochee Valley; actually, it was on our way out of the valley.  A great overlook of the beautiful mountainous region.

Not really sure what I'm pointing at, but I am pretty sure it's because...

delirium, from waking up at 4 or 5 in the morning, had set in!

Next, and the last of the photos from this "Cousins' Trip 2011" is a family trip to...

++ Next Stop: Palmer Chapel ++

A lesson on the important virtue of patience:  A couple of weeks ago, I went with my parents to TN to visit the Ketron side of my family.  Since then, my dear cousin Jamie has been bugging me to see the photos that I took while I was there.  I can't wait to post them on this blog, but I'm determined to carry out my mission of finishing my "series" on the Cataloochee Valley trip of LAST Summer (taken with the same side of the family)!  As soon as I finish this series, I will skip everything else in line to be posted, for Jamie's sake!  'Til then: STAY TUNED!  

This blog helps me tie in one of my favorite verses from Jeremiah; one that I love because it speaks directly to my current circumstance and my lack of patience.  You'll find it mentioned below.

    

Our next stop in the Cataloochee Valley was at Palmer Chapel.  Like everything else in the valley, it was quaint and well, adorable!  The sign below was at the edge of a field, where I can imagine the parishioners gathered after service every Sunday.  

This was the view of the church from the road, because it faces the river only a few yards away.  Keep in mind that though it was Summer, it was still pretty chilly that early in the morning, in the valley and near the river.  As you can see, there was a beam of sunlight that shined directly on the steeple of the church with a purpose.  In that spot there was an ominous warmth; the kind that compels you to close your eyes and unmistakably feel His presence.

My sister loves to photograph churches.  When she first told me that, I didn't get it, but I've since come to understand the beauty of a small church with such a powerful aura.

Can't you just imagine the congregation sitting in the pews, listening intensely to the preacher's sermon?

When I took this photo of the Bible, I didn't even pause to see what book, chapter, or verse it was turned to.  In fact, I didn't even take notice until I was editing it to post.  The page is on Jeremiah 43.  Not a chapter I'm familiar with, but in a book that holds one of my favorite verses.

About a year ago, I did a Bible study in which one of the lessons was on the verse Jeremiah 29:11.  As I mentioned above, this verse speaks to me and my impatience with life.  Daily, I find myself frustrated that things in my life have not gone according to MY plans.  At this point, I expected to be settled in  a home, that I own, with my husband.  I expected to have a job that I loved, and maybe even a family of our own.  Yep, the white picket fence would have been a nice touch too.  However, I'm constantly reminded of what God has to say about that,

'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future' ~ Jeremiah 29:11.

I think there's only a couple more stops in the valley, so stick with me!

Ok, ok, so its been a "few" months since I've updated my blog, but when it comes to this blog, I get discouraged pretty easily.  Thanks to Barb who encouraged me to write whether people are reading it or not and Audrey, who told me a while ago that she had noticed I hadn't updated it in a while - your wisdom and encouragement is why I love you both so much!

One of my last posts was about our family trip up to Clyde, NC last Summer, so I want to finish up that "series" before I get to the current events!  Since its been such a long time since I've posted, here's a link to "The Beautiful Mountains of North Carolina" the first of the series, and then there was "Caldwell Place".

I must also pointed out that looking back over my last several posts, I realize that I have learned so much about photography since then.  There's so much to know about cameras and editing that I never anticipated, so I have to say these pictures aren't exactly what I pride myself on now.  Nevertheless, they show where I've come from, and I'm proud of my endurance in learning so much more than I thought I could.

The next stop after Caldwell Place was Beech Grove school in Cataloochee Valley - where all the kids in the area attended.

Here it is: tiny, but definitely what I think of when I think of early 20th century school houses.

This is what I love about history: a little over 100 years ago, children sat in these very desks where I was standing that day.  To be there and see what they saw is such a abstract yet tangible idea for me.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a history lover of any sort, but this was a great experience.

The river flowed right behind and to the side of the school house.  Talk about a beautiful distraction from a student's perspective!

Well, this is it!  My first post in a while and hopefully I can keep it up, but as always, no promises!  

Tomorrow, I'm really looking forward to heading to the beach with the hubs and spending a couple of days with my parents!  Hopefully, I'll get some good shots there!

3 Nice Things

I couldn't sleep last night until I wrote this, so please forgive the rambling:


Sorry to disappoint, but the title of this post is slightly misleading.  Unfortunately for you, you might get bored before I get to anything positive!  The good news: I have a little story to tell - try to follow my stretched metaphor.

This beach ball has caused me angst - believe it or not - in the last few days and I finally realized its purpose, so let me back up.  The other day, probably a week ago or so, I noticed this beach ball leaning against our building (we live in a condo).  I thought it was odd, because not only were we the youngest people in the entire complex until recently, we are certainly the youngest in our individual building.  Plus, I'm pretty much the only person in the "neighborhood" that spends any time outside, so I really couldn't figure out what it was doing there.  In fact, I was so baffled, I was annoyed.  Then I thought about our neighbors and how every once in a while, they have children, which I assume are their grandchildren, come to visit, so I decided it was theirs.  Therefore, I rolled the ball towards one of their cars and walked inside.


The next time I saw the ball it was resting on the air conditioning unit that cools my apartment, so I was not only annoyed that someone had inconsiderately left their ball behind, but then the "What Ifs" started flying around in my anxious head.  "What if the a/c catches fire?", "What if it melts to the a/c, and we have to pay for a new unit?", "What if the whole building explodes because of this beach ball?!"  Once that negative, worst-case-scenario spiral starts, it is hard to control!  So I pushed it towards their car again; only this time, the wind was gusting that day and before I could walk away from the nuisance, it had blown into a corner of the building where we had recently had some water problems.  So, you guessed it, the "What Ifs" started right back up, "What if the ball clogs a pipe?", "What if I'm the one that causes it?", and so on.  So, of course, I pushed it and ran into the house, before I could see where it landed.

I didn't think about it again, until I pulled into my parking space a couple of days ago to see it mocking me from afar.  Ridiculous, right!?!?  I have let a beach ball cause me anxiety!  Not a lot, but enough to feel taunted each time I parked my car in my spot.  There it was resting where it could do absolutely no harm.  In fact, after a couple of days of it sitting there, I started to like the scene.  An object, sitting in the weeds, with a nice background - including a fence.  Wow, what a golden opportunity for me to practice my photography!


Then, tonight at the end of an ongoing conversation I've been having with Billy about how negative I tend to be, how I find the bad in everything, how I worry to the point of exhaustion, I remembered what my Dad used to make me do once I'd spit out something judgmental or negative about someone or something "Now, say 3 nice things about...".  Ouch!  I knew it was coming if he was around to hear my ugly words, but it was always a slap in the face.


My first thought was, "I better get out there tomorrow and practice my photography on that bright and colorful ball.  I'll put it on my blog and post something positive".  My second thought was more of a realization:  I tried to control that ball, I let the "What Ifs" get the best of me, and ultimately, regardless of what I did to make sure it didn't cause anyone harm, it was out of my control and in the hands of God.


I guess God will use just about anything, including a silly ball, to get his message across to me!

Here goes:  My negativity brings me, and everyone around me, down, but

1.  God is so good!
2. My husband loves me!
3. Someone will read this and understand my thought process!   

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. ~ 1 Peter 5:7 

                                                            

Caldwell Place in Cataloochee Valley, NC

As I said, Cataloochee also had some houses and other buildings remaining from when it was a town before the 1930s.  Caldwell Place was the home of what seems to have been an affluent family in the area.  As you'll see, the house has some characteristics that show their prosperity during the time they built it.

Mama on her way up to the house.

I was pretty surprised to see the teal trim on this house.  I think the color is original, and I've never seen such a bright color on a historic home.

Another one of the many intricate characteristics that I've never seen on a historical site.  This railing isn't what I would expect on a home from the early 1900s.

Inside the designs were very impressive too.

I was pretty sure my hips were going to be too wide for this steep and narrow staircase!

Notice that many people have visited and thought it was appropriate to carve their name into the walls.

My Daddy just barely fit in the doorway.  Meanwhile, if my hubs had been there, he would have had to duck to get through it!

This was so neat!  Again, I was very surprised to see wallpaper in a home this old, but maybe it was common and I'm oblivious - very possible!  The wallpaper seems to be a combination of newspaper and an actual design.

Looking out to the barn from the front porch

I didn't see this sign until after we left the house, but how true it is!

I tried to get a good angle of this spiderweb - thought it was neat!