Thursday, January 31, 2013

The Road Home

On our drive home from Georgia...

 Through the Windshield

Southern billboard

Birds on a lake in Tennessee

Lake and train bridge, Tennessee

Steep grade

Famous local restaurant

Louisville, Kentucky

Downtown Louisville, Kentucky

Chick-Fil-A sign (boy, their classic misspelling burns me...)

Vehicle bridge

We had an uneventful ride home, except for a huge accident on I-65 near Indy.  Praise the Lord for road signs indicating the accident, and my new smart phone's navigation that helped us get around it.  :)

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

A Cat, A Path, An Idea

Another day, another golf cart ride!  At least that's the way of things in Peachtree City.  First, though, a quick shot of the moody G.K., who despite his haughty personality, posed very nicely for the camera.


The gray day did not deter me from catching a shot of the lake.



Ooooohh--look!  A pony!  A decent knowledge of cars and you'll know that this is a Mustang.  What car does this logo belong to?


This one:


Ha!  Had you fooled.  There's the proof that there are Mustang golf carts!

On to another subdivision.  This one was treeless and reminded me a lot of the Chicago suburbs.


We drove on the path past a street, then back again.  But we missed the cart path.  There was no going down into the ditch to get back to it.  Oh, what to do?  Dee just drove along the edge of the street.  I took a picture of us breaking the law.  Well, she broke the law, anyway.


We were soon on the cart path and headed home.  We arrived 15 minutes early, but our guys were waiting for us anyway!  Fernando looks like he's picking his nose, but he's really just making a face at us.  Silly guys.


We began another fun evening by going out for barbecue--it was yummy and sustained us through another several hours of games, popcorn, and movies.

In this post title, I mentioned an idea.  While out on our cart ride, Dee and I reminisced about past years, past golf cart rides, and pictures I took in the woods--of--well, I can't tell you yet!  Ideas have a way of catching hold, and maybe this one will.  Then again, maybe it won't.  :)

You'll just have to wait and see, along with me.


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Down a Golf Cart Path -- Part II

Part One ended with me getting lost.  I didn't get lost.  I just ended up that way.   Then I realized--I had a smart phone!  With maps and navigation!  I pulled up Google Maps and that pretty blue arrow glowed my exact location.  The best part--all the golf cart paths were on the map!  Good thing I love to read maps.  I soon found the next path to take.


I came across a crepe myrtle with its orange-red limbs.  So pretty in winter!



One quick trip through another subdivision--is this burning bush?


Then it was back on the cart path.  The below is something I don't see in Chicagoland--trees covered in vines.  I took pictures both vertically and horizontally, since I'm limited with my 50mm lens.



Twiny vines.

As I emerged from yet another cart path, I got "chased" by the Boston below.  I decided to take its picture with the sign.  I like it!


Another crepe myrtle--closer up.


I stopped along this path to capture the orange of the pine needles.




Now on the familiar path back to Dee's home, I spotted this flag, which I hadn't seen when I first passed by.  Someone had stuck it in this cut-off tree trunk.


I had a nice hour-plus walk, and with temps in the 60s it was positively spring-like!  Once Dee and her parents came home, we ate dinner and commenced another word game--a more familiar one this time.  :)




Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Monday, January 28, 2013

Down a Golf Cart Path -- Part I

After a rousing game of Alphabet Dice, my sister Dee had to run some errands with her parents.  After waiting for a while, we figured they'd be gone a long time.  I wandered outside and headed down the golf cart path with my camera.  Oh--here's the new word game I played:


The golf cart paths in this town run everywhere--behind every house, under highways, into shopping centers.  There are even golf cart parking spaces!

At first, I hesitated to wander out, since the streets are twisty and I never know where I'm going.  (Give me Chicago-style streets any day of the week!)  I finally started walking down a path, and figured I'd simply turn around and follow the path in reverse.


Even in January, I spotted color amid the orange-brown pine needles and gray overcast skies.



Street signs caught my attention and I took a few shots.  I'd love to live on a street with this name!





A rosebud!  In January!!


The path I was on eventually led into a cul-de-sac, and a subdivision.  I was now on the street.  Literally.  Oh, well.  I kept walking, snapping pictures as I went.  I loved the flowers in the window box below.


Ooh--a mailbox with an "S" just for me to shoot!


Pine trees literally infested this back yard!  Among them was some tall grass, barely waving in the almost still air.


A pretty birdhouse sat atop an iron pole.


I got to the end of the street, turned--I think--then went down another.  Finally, I stopped.  I was lost.


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Friday, January 25, 2013

Outside Our Cozy Georgia Retreat

On my family blog, I shared about the beautiful apartment that friends of my sister Dee graciously allowed us to use for a few days before the wedding of Dee's daughter.  It was such a pretty and peaceful retreat, and I enjoyed every minute of the time we spent there.

After a refreshing sleep that Friday night, we set about making breakfast, purchasing some needed groceries, and "hanging out" for a little bit before we had to get ready to go to the church for Joanna's and Jonathan's wedding.

Given that we were in Georgia, where that Saturday's temps hovered in the 50s, we were definitely set on exploring the outside of Dave's and Kris' beautiful property.  Of course, a photographer never leaves home without her camera...

The family dog, Taffy, was out and about, and Thomas took the opportunity to give her some exercise.  She was very friendly and full of energy, being only a year or so old.  She reminded me of our family dog, Buck, from my teen and early adult years, with about the same coloring and size.


I had my macro lens on for this exploratory walk, and I loved being able to find flowers in January!



The family keeps chickens!



Yeah, they have a pool for those hot Georgia summers.  Sweet, huh?


Aaand, they grow grapes!  I really like this family.



Their property was ringed with woods, tons of pine and other trees and grasses.



On the back porch, cut firewood awaited its turn in the fireplace inside.


Flowers (yes, more flowers!) bloomed in a barrel.


The children had been out playing recently, and I spotted this triangle of kickballs.


Baby pines grew at the edge of the woods.


Around the front yard, Danny and I found a very social cat.


I took a few quick shots of some holly and berries.


I found another rose bush, but the roses had long since bloomed.  I still took a picture or two, and kept the below, my favorite even without any petals!




Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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