Ice Pictures pt 2

Pictures just don't capture the magic! Everything looked like it was covered in silver tinsel, especially trees that had weeping willow type branches.

The first day of ice, I stayed inside. The 2nd day, I ventured out, but there was no sun to create the diamond effect. The 3rd day, the sun did come out but then things started melting. I had to pick one location and go for it.

I went to one of my favorite spots because it's close by yet has a lot of nature. It's a running trail that goes through a natural wetland area. It was so quiet, except for the sound of falling ice or the crunch when I stepped on ice covered leaves.

It was like the world was made of glass.

I took at least 100 pictures but tried to pick a few that represented what I saw. This was a special treat; being able to enjoy the beauty & quiet without the danger of ice.

A Song of Ice and....Only Ice

I'm such a geek for the book series, A Song of Ice and Fire - also known as HBO's series, Game of Thrones. "Geek" is probably a tame description; obsessed might be more accurate :)

Ice and winter are central components to the story. When winter comes, nobody knows how long it will last. It awakens dormant, scary beings called "White Walkers." Just before Christmas, we had an ice event. Not really a storm, it just steadily rained all night, freezing as it fell. We were fortunate not to lose power and to just be able to appreciate the magical beauty of an ice covered world - one without White Walkers and knowing it will soon melt!

 
The neighbor's tree always does this thing of creeping towards our deck when it's heavy with ice. It's kinda eerie. A couple of these branches eventually broke under the weight.

The ice stayed around for almost 4 days! It was odd to be able to go out & about, with everything around you absolutely glistening.

I took a lot of pictures. It's so hard to choose which ones to post, but I suppose to you, one ice covered tree looks pretty much like the other.

Our internet is really slow tonight and photos are taking forever to upload. Will try again tomorrow. In the meantime, stay warm!

First Snow!

 

It's the first snow of the season!

And while it's very pretty, it's rather inconvenient. On a selfish note, there were two events I was really looking forward to attending and they were both postponed.

There's a funny video that's gone viral from a newsperson in Denver. He rants about people who live in the most beautiful state in the nation but the pix they send in are snow-covered patio furniture. Out of humorous spite, I had to snap this.

The next most popular snow shot, after kids, is probably the family pet. But you have to admit, my gray afghan hound in the snow, with the weathered fence as a background, makes for a pretty picture.

As for me, this is as close as I care to get to the snow today!

Thankful

We started our Thanksgiving day at a local ministry to the poor. It's one we've been personally involved with for over 20 years, so we know first hand where donations go, how things are done, and the integrity of the couple who run the ministry. They've always given out turkeys & food boxes the week of Thanksgiving, but a few years ago decided to provide a hot meal with all the trimmings in addition to food box.

 

My husband helps every year. Sometimes I do & sometimes I stay home and cook. This year we went together. I was assigned the happy job of taking pictures of the event. (It's at this point I'll confess something - I can't stand kitchen commotion on a large scale; i.e. lots of people buzzing around, the mess of food prep and especially cleanup. It just really makes me nervous.)

 

So here's just a couple pictures from the event. I try very hard to not exploit people for photo ops on occasions like this, where people have come for help. I'm very discreet, always ask if I can take a picture of their children, or take the photos from the back and I never post their faces in the blog or social media.

 

The room was warm & cozy. Tables were set and candles lit. A local pianist volunteered his time, as he has every year, to play background music.

The volunteers gathered in a circle to start the day with prayer. It's amazing how many people came to serve!

People started lining up at 9:30 a.m.  Lunch was to be from 11 - 1.

It was moving to see people sit at a candlelit table, where servers came and took their order special, rather than have to trudge thru a cafeteria style line and take what was plopped on their plate. They sat quietly, politely, looking peaceful and relaxed in a safe place, with family, friends, or friends from the street. Some had small children. The little ones don't know any better. They were well behaved, smiling, posing for my camera and chowing down.

About 270 traditional Thanksgiving meals were served, complete with pie and whipped cream.

As people left, they thanked the servers and expressed gratitude to the ministers who host this dinner every year. They didn't just leave with full tummys either. On their way out, they received a box of food, a whole ham, 5 lbs. of potatoes and a huge bag of apples to take home.

I am thankful to have been part of this day, to witness the goodness of others, to see people experience even an hour of contentment.

When we got home, we had so much fun making our holiday dinner together, talking, watching tv and texting with family out of town.  It really has been a day of giving thanks.

Vacation Comes to an End

Just some final shots from Georgia.

 

We had taken the excursion train early in the week of our visit. On the return run, I noticed some train cars parked on the off track. I think they're going to be restored and added to the excursion train.

 

 So on our last day, after lunch in town, we went back here and I got my pictures.

You've seen pictures like this in a previous post, ones that I shot here at home. Old, rusty trains have a certain character.

This would be a great backdrop for family or senior pix! Hubby & I took some of each other but I never post people-pix on the blog.

And that's it. Had a great time! The next day we began the journey home.

Scarecrow Invasion

Wow, the year is going so fast! Next week is Thanksgiving. I figured I better finish out my fall pictures. Pretty soon it will time for something more Christmasy!

So here's the story...while on vacation in Georgia, we were looking for a certain store, got a little off track and wandered right into the most charming little town. It's called Ellijay and they were celebrating their annual "Scarecrow Invasion."

Scarecrows were everywhere! All the businesses participated. We saw people decorating their homes and the light poles lining the streets. It was like something out of a Hallmark feel-good movie. This is such a pretty little town; it has lots of interesting shops, antique stores, etc.

The scarecrows were dressed to reflect the business they represented. So without further ado, here are a few examples of the whimsical side of Ellijay, GA.

(couldn't resist a shot of the purple door)

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving from Popeye & Olive Oyle!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, and....Pumpkins

This post is about pumpkins. Nothing but pumpkins.

Big pumpkins. Little pumpkins.

Orange pumpkins. White pumpkins.

Rows and Rows and Rows of Pumpkins.

 

Obviously this is not a picture of pumpkins.

 

 But as you'll see, wheelbarrows were needed to haul some of these mega-pumpkins.

We drove by a field of orange on our last day in Georgia and just had to stop and see what it was all about.

It was the biggest pumpkin patch I've ever seen!

Rows and rows of pumpkins, sorted by size and color.

 

It was a sight to behold.

I've never seen white pumpkins before.

Decorative corn and huge bins of gourds were available too.

I just loved all these pictures. Couldn't choose which ones to post, so ... you got to see them all. Well, most of them. There were actually more!