Mesa Arch
Mesa Arch, Canyon Lands, Utah.
I really enjoy road trips. I have travelled across the country 5 times now, along with smaller trips up the East Coast to Maine and down to Florida; roundtrip to Illinois which included a trip into Windsor, Canada; a roundtrip up the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco then over to Sequoia and back home. There are so many wonders to see as you transverse this great land, from your first look at the awe-inspiring expanse of the Grand Canyon to the deep, dark caverns of Mammoth Cave in Kentucky; the power of Niagara Falls and the sheer beauty of White Sands, New Mexico. Louisiana, Washington, Vermont, Alaska and Hawaii remain on my list of states to visit.
As much as I love these trips, I enjoy the special time with my family as we take in the sights along the way. My daughter, Bonnie is a great road trip buddy. She loves to plan the trips, charting our course so perfectly that we get the best out of our journey. We've explored canyons and caves, mountain forests and city streets, smelling the roses as we go.
I really enjoy road trips. I have travelled across the country 5 times now, along with smaller trips up the East Coast to Maine and down to Florida; roundtrip to Illinois which included a trip into Windsor, Canada; a roundtrip up the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco then over to Sequoia and back home. There are so many wonders to see as you transverse this great land, from your first look at the awe-inspiring expanse of the Grand Canyon to the deep, dark caverns of Mammoth Cave in Kentucky; the power of Niagara Falls and the sheer beauty of White Sands, New Mexico. Louisiana, Washington, Vermont, Alaska and Hawaii remain on my list of states to visit.
As much as I love these trips, I enjoy the special time with my family as we take in the sights along the way. My daughter, Bonnie is a great road trip buddy. She loves to plan the trips, charting our course so perfectly that we get the best out of our journey. We've explored canyons and caves, mountain forests and city streets, smelling the roses as we go.
Wood Ducks
These Wood Ducks were posing so nicely for me, heads tucked and standing on one foot. This was taken in Boise, Idaho at a city park one Thanksgiving. The fall colors were on their way out as the trees were shedding their leaves. Fall is my favorite season.
I enjoy the crispness in the air and the colors that emblazon the landscape. It has always given me a sense of nostalgia. Why? I don't know. My second favorite season is Spring and the emerging leaves colored in new green. A fresh new life burgeoning forth from what was seemingly dead.
The Early Bird
I'm a bird watcher...I have a few bird books and try to record when and where
I see these winged marvels. I enjoy watching the swifts at night as they chase down all the flying
insects that harass us; Red tail hawks circling in the sky as they scan the brush for critters;
Crows as they float on the currents of the wind. From the tiniest Hummingbirds to the giant Condor, they are a glorious creation. Even the flightless varieties are amazing in their own right,
from the Ostrich and Emu to the humble chicken. I can't help but chuckle when my hens run.
They are a rather voracious flock and it is all about the food.
This photo was taken in Buffalo, New York as I walked down the street one morning. The Robin
is an eastern bird that I miss out here in the west. They were always the sign that Spring was here. I also miss the Blue Jay, Carolina Wren, Chickadee and the brilliant Cardinal. I have traded them for the Road Runner, California Quail, Scrub Jays and Western Bluebirds. I enjoy them all.
Angel Oak
I love trees!
I love to climb them. (I fell out of one at the age of three)
I love to sit under them.
The towering Redwood and Sequoias; the majestic Live Oak;
the graceful Willow swaying in the breeze...I love them all!
Angel Oak is estimated to be approximately 400-500 years old. Its home is on
John's Island near Charleston, South Carolina. I took this picture on a trip home
in the spring of 2011. It's spreading limbs twist and turn over sandy, coastal soil
covered in leaves and acorns. The squirrels scurry in and out of hiding, collecting
the fallen treasure.
Just standing there, my mind wandered through history.
What a tale this tree could tell!
I love to climb them. (I fell out of one at the age of three)
I love to sit under them.
The towering Redwood and Sequoias; the majestic Live Oak;
the graceful Willow swaying in the breeze...I love them all!
Angel Oak is estimated to be approximately 400-500 years old. Its home is on
John's Island near Charleston, South Carolina. I took this picture on a trip home
in the spring of 2011. It's spreading limbs twist and turn over sandy, coastal soil
covered in leaves and acorns. The squirrels scurry in and out of hiding, collecting
the fallen treasure.
Just standing there, my mind wandered through history.
What a tale this tree could tell!
Jock
One of the hardest decisions I ever made was the one to have my
faithful friend, Jock, euthanized this Summer. My little guy started having seizures
and did not stop. I don't like having to make decisions of life and death.
That's why I didn't become a veterinarian.
I am thankful, though, for the ten years we spent together. He was a
great little buddy. I could not look at him with out smiling. He was a perfect
mixture of Eeyore and Tigger...slow and gloomy or bouncy, bouncy, bouncy.
And always a true Scot!
Potatoes from My Garden
I am an interested gardener. Not a very good one...yet. I get somewhat giddy when something I've planted comes to fruition. It's a sense of wonder at the whole mystery of life. How our Creator, with a word, spoke it all into being. And, not so much that He created it once, but, that He instilled in each creation the ability to be fruitful and multiply.
It is also a sense of History. Many of my ancestors were farmers. There is still a farm that bears my family's name. Hunter's Farm in Cinnaminson, N.J. began with my 5th great-grandfather, William Hunter. His 3rd great-grandson, my Grand-Pop Hunter, was a gifted gardener in his own right, but his greatest gift was planting the seed of the gospel in the hearts of men.
My southern roots date back to Jamestown and more farmers. They mostly grew cotton and tobacco.
My Granddaddy Bigham cross-bred Camellias and filled his yard with beautiful flowers from Azaleas to Hydrangeas that we were not allowed to pick. We were allowed to pick up the fallen blooms and would place them in tin pie-plates filled with water and watch them float. I enjoyed that!
The gardening touch has been passed down through the generations but, so far, I just have the desire.
It is also a sense of History. Many of my ancestors were farmers. There is still a farm that bears my family's name. Hunter's Farm in Cinnaminson, N.J. began with my 5th great-grandfather, William Hunter. His 3rd great-grandson, my Grand-Pop Hunter, was a gifted gardener in his own right, but his greatest gift was planting the seed of the gospel in the hearts of men.
My southern roots date back to Jamestown and more farmers. They mostly grew cotton and tobacco.
My Granddaddy Bigham cross-bred Camellias and filled his yard with beautiful flowers from Azaleas to Hydrangeas that we were not allowed to pick. We were allowed to pick up the fallen blooms and would place them in tin pie-plates filled with water and watch them float. I enjoyed that!
The gardening touch has been passed down through the generations but, so far, I just have the desire.
Santa Rosa Plateau
Santa Rosa Plateau- Murrieta, California
This is a beautiful place near my home. It is a 9,000 acre reserve that is home to coyotes, cougars, tarantulas and many species of birds. It boasts a vernal pool that contains two types of fairy shrimp; one of which is found no where else in the world. I enjoy hiking in the spring when the pool is at its highest and it is covered with Red-winged Blackbirds. It is unusual not to see or, at least, hear coyotes. I once played a game of peekaboo with a group of four coyotes as they would peek at me from behind a small hill. I saw my first wild tarantula there as it scurried into its borough. I love to sit and watch the hawks soar overhead, scanning the grass for varmints. I once watched a coyote sniff out and capture a rodent, completely unaware or undisturbed by my presence. I usually end up at the old
cowboy bunkhouses that are the oldest standing structures in the county. It is shaded by a huge tree that is dated back to some 400 years. This is a photo I took on one of my hikes through this beautiful place.
This is a beautiful place near my home. It is a 9,000 acre reserve that is home to coyotes, cougars, tarantulas and many species of birds. It boasts a vernal pool that contains two types of fairy shrimp; one of which is found no where else in the world. I enjoy hiking in the spring when the pool is at its highest and it is covered with Red-winged Blackbirds. It is unusual not to see or, at least, hear coyotes. I once played a game of peekaboo with a group of four coyotes as they would peek at me from behind a small hill. I saw my first wild tarantula there as it scurried into its borough. I love to sit and watch the hawks soar overhead, scanning the grass for varmints. I once watched a coyote sniff out and capture a rodent, completely unaware or undisturbed by my presence. I usually end up at the old
cowboy bunkhouses that are the oldest standing structures in the county. It is shaded by a huge tree that is dated back to some 400 years. This is a photo I took on one of my hikes through this beautiful place.
The Moon
The moon is my favorite celestial body. As a child, we would take long trips to visit my Daddy's family. That's when my friendship with the moon began. I would watch it out of my car window as it followed me wherever I went.
I am not sure to whom the credit for the following quote belongs. "We, like the moon, are to reflect the glory of Jesus and the presence of God as the moon reflects the sun."
I do know that Jesus said, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16
Everything we do should bring glory to our Father and lift Him up to a place that those around us are drawn to Him.
I don't know if I will ever reflect God as well as the moon reflects the sun, but that is my desire.