November in Dixie

One afternoon after I left work, it was such a beautiful day, I decided to drive up to Dixie to see if I could find any pretty trees in fall color.  So far, not so much……..

But, as always, I  found plenty of beauty. I spent about an hour wandering, just enjoying the blue sky and fresh air. Here are a few things I happened across.

This pretty view of the bayou with some cypress trees in color.

Here are those cotton fields, no cotton, but neat rows lined up ready for the next planting season.

As I was driving down the levee, I saw this fellow grazing in the afternoon sun.

He was not alone…….

He was accompanied by his family. This cute baby kept sticking his tongue out at me.

 Maybe he didn’t like having his picture taken!

Some lovely cows were also munching on the grasses along the levee. Most of them ignored me,

 but this lady was a little curious. I just love her bangs.

What fun! Those round bales of  hay make a colorful turkey to celebrate Thanksgiving.

 How could anyone drive by this and not smile?

Old Glory waving in the afternoon breeze and in the background, some beautiful fall color.

I headed for home refreshed, the stress of the day somehow had disappeared as I was out and about enjoying this beautiful world God has given us.

 Just one of the many things I have to be thankful for this season.

Foggy Morn

"The fog comes on little cat feet."

This line from the poem Fog by Carl Sandburg comes to mind any time I wake to a morning like this one. Here is a look out my window with fog hovering over the swamp.

It is soft and quiet, and moves as stealthly as a cat.

Fog takes the hard edges off the world for a while. It was a serene and peaceful way to start my day!

The fog comes on little cat feet.

It sits looking over harbor and city,

On silent haunches and then moves on.

                                        Carl Sandburg

Father Tim is Back

I have never given a book review on my blog before, but I have just finished this wonderful

Father Tim book by Jan Karon. I highly recommend it!

It is an easy read, set in Ireland, funny in places, sad in others, a wonderful story of family reconciliation.

If you are a follower of the Mitford Series by this author, you are probably already reading it!

I was hooked with the first Mitford book and have been an avid follower of Father Tim, Dooley, Puny, Uncle Billy & Rose and of course Cynthia and Violet the cat and all the others whose lives became so real through the talented pen of Jan Karon. I have missed them as I would old friends and I loved catching up with them once again. I hope this is not the end of Father Tim's adventures!

Fowl Family

Have you ever found something that you fell in love with the moment you saw it?

This sweet little family had been rejected by others at an auction, but immediately found a place in my heart.

It is time worn, a little chipped in places, but that makes it all the more dear to me.

They have the sweetest little faces, and even though the color and glaze is not perfect, it's that imperfection that attracts me.

They have been around a while as evidenced by the crazing in the glaze, but I imagine for a time, they graced someone's kitchen and brought a smile to a lady's face every now and then.

 So now they will live in my kitchen for a while and I do admit, they bring a smile to my face too!

VETERAN'S DAY

In honor of all our veterans, who served our country to ensure the freedom we so cherish,

many giving the ultimate sacrifice.

 We say thanks.

Veteran's Park, Shreveport, LA

A WALK IN THE SWAMP

The busyness of this time of year has been more pronounced than usual and I haven’t had much time to stop and catch my breath or capture any moments with my camera.

This afternoon, I took a little walk through the swamp. We had some rain last week and it is finally cool enough that I don’t worry as much about snakes.  I thought I would share a couple of pictures with you.



Nothing in particular, just things that caught my eye like these pretty leaves. We have very little leaf color this year so these stand out.

 
A piece of a dead tree among the millions of leaves.



A reflection of the dock, sky and trees. The seeds and the layer of leaves  add another dimension.
 
Behind my neighbor’s house are swamp flowers in abundance. I have been planning to take pictures and haven’t had time. Now that it has finally rained, it is too wet and swampy to get in close.  Just imagine a swamp full of these pretty yellow flowers.

I apologize for the quality of these pictures. The wind was blowing and the light fading so they are not as sharp nor the color as clear as usual. I enjoyed the short time I had outdoors so much, I decided to share anyway.  I hope you enjoyed it also.

LEISURE

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like stars at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

                                       William Henry Davies

I have been reminded lately how important it is to take time to notice the beauty around us.

Hope you make some time to "stand and stare" this weekend.

Golden Blooms

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote "What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."

 The drought conditions in our area have left us without much color this fall season.

These pretty little flowers along with goldenrod, usually thought of as weeds, are providing most of the color along the roadsides. I think they are beautiful. David brought a bouquet from the deer camp and I put them in a watering can on the back porch to greet me each day.

They make me smile!

Winding up Wyoming

This will be the last of the wonderful Wyoming vacation photos. I could probably post from now until Christmas with all the pictures I took, but that would be a little like being invited over for dinner and being subjected to vacation videos! This is our lovely daughter with the amazing Tetons in the background.



This is a view we had most every where we went. You can just see one of the glaciers on the top of the mountain and the trees…..well words cannot describe.




We visited Mormon Row one morning. It was cloudy and drizzling so the mountains were a little hazy in the background. These barns are some of the most photographed buildings in the area. There was quite a Mormon settlement here at one time and I could imagine their life here at the foot of the Tetons. Their property was purchased to become part of the Grand Teton National Park.





Can you imagine having this view every day? They were farmers, raising hay and farm animals. I imagine their life was hard but also very happy.


Now a few pictures of Yellowstone……



One of the springs called the Heart because of the shape. This one is a really pretty blue, but not all were as pleasant. Some were downright smelly and ugly!



I was amazed at the terrain. I have read and seen pictures but I could not have imagined how beautiful it is in reality. Here are buffalo grazing and the steam coming from the earth in the background along the rim.



The falls in the Yellowstone Canyon. It was breathtaking!



We took a hike along the South Rim of the Canyon and here we are at Artist Point, taking a break before heading back. We had climbed down to the bottom of the falls (over 325 steps!) and once you go down….well that means you have to come back up…..  As I said earlier, the air is mighty thin in those parts and a rest to replenish oxygen was in order.




This is one of my favorite places on the Lewis river. There is a small waterfall close to here, but the river winding through the flats, clear as a mirror with small rapids here and there is just beautiful to me. Fly fishing is a popular sport in this area.



Here is one of  the tour buses from Yellowstone. A cool ride!



Beautiful aspens against the sky. God does know how to mix His colors!


I hope you have enjoyed visiting the west with me. It was a trip I will not soon forget!

Wyoming Wildlife

As promised, some pictures of the awesome wildlife in the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park. Everywhere we traveled, we were on the lookout for the animals. Anytime two or more cars were stopped on the side of the road, you could be sure they had some form of wildlife in their sights!

This black bear was happily eating berries by the roadside and we, with about 50 others, found a safe spot and snapped away.



One afternoon as we were driving through the Grand Teton Park, we saw this herd of buffalo grazing alongside the road. This is what I see in my minds eye when I think of the plains of Wyoming. They were as magnificent as I expected. I could certainly imagine thousands of these animals thundering across the prairie, shaking the earth.





As we were leaving, the sky began to look pretty ominous but looks can be deceiving in this part of the world. This is really miles and miles away. We never got any of this rain.





This fellow was the best surprise. Our daughter’s one wish was to see a moose on this trip. As a matter of fact, we traveled several miles to different parts of the Park following one report after another of “moose sightings”.  She was the one who actually saw this big guy first (and they are BIG). We kept a respectful distance, making sure not to disturb any of the animals, but I think they are used to being photographed and admired. I was so glad she got her wish! There was also a female and a baby who was laying down in the grass. ( I always think they look like they are smiling, don't you?)






How would you like to have an elk cut your grass? We asked a resident if they ever had to mow and she replied, “no, and we don’t have to fertilize either” :)



How about looking out your window and seeing this lady? We couldn’t figure what she was so interested in, but after I looked at this picture, I think she thought there was another elk in the reflection in the window. We saw many more especially at dusk or a little after. At night, there were so many elk on the highway, we had to drive slowly to keep from hitting them. Too bad it was too dark to get good pictures of them. We heard them calling each other and it is the most beautiful sound. It was a real treat to see them up close.

Ok, I think you will recognize the rest, I will just be quiet and let you visit the animals.









 






When I look at these animals, I think they are my favorite part of the trip. Then I look at the amazing mountains, water falls, lakes, rivers, flats, plains and think they are my favorite. Then there are the trees, flowers, berries……and you see it is impossible to choose. God revealed Himself in His amazing creation and I was in love with it all.  I will share one more post and hope you are not tired of vacation pictures just yet!