Search Results for: Annual Photo Fun Blast Off

Annual Photo Fun Blast-Off: Captions, Please!

IMG_7706That’s right—it’s time once again for Summer Photo Fun!

For those of you who may be new to my blog, Summer Photo Fun has become tradition around here the past few years. During the weeks between my husband’s summer school session and the start of the fall semester, life is anything but normal at our house. What better time to do something a little different here on the blog—and make things easier on me at the same time, right?

For the next few weeks (until mid-August), photos will be the focus here. Knowing me, I’ll always have something to say as well, but my remarks will be brief. Or at least that’s the plan :) I’ll be posting a variety of shots—everything from old photos to cool wildlife shots to fun with loved ones—but I’ll also try to add a scripture or a little something else word-wise to refresh your spirits or nourish your souls with each post.

Since we had fun last summer suggesting captions for one funny photo, we may do even more of that this summer. In fact, let’s kick off this year’s Summer Photo Fun by tapping into your caption-creating prowess again!

See the sweet cardinal couple above? How would you caption this photo? Go ahead, knock yourselves out. I can’t wait to hear your wit at work. Can almost hear your creative juices flowing!

“‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.’” Revelation 4:11

*My photo

2013’s Last Summer Photo Fun Picture: Caption, Please!

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Summer days fly by faster than any other, and believe it or not, it’s time to bring Summer Photo Fun to an end. Since we kicked off our photo emphasis this year with some caption fun, why not go out on the same note?

How would you caption the photo above? Feel free to have some fun with it since this is the last caption-this-photo hurrah for awhile. What do you think this little guy is up to? What might he be thinking—or saying if he could talk? Can’t wait to hear your ideas. Your captions always make me smile :)

Hope you’ve enjoyed Summer Photo Fun the past few weeks. I’ve sure enjoyed showing you some of my photos. It’s a chance to share more of our lives with one another, isn’t it? You see more of my life through my pictures, and I get to know you better through your comments. I’d say that’s a win-win.

Be sure to check back later in the week for a little giveaway I have planned to help kick off a new season of blogging, a new season of refreshing spirits and nourishing souls. You all are such a blessing to me. Thanks so much for joining me here throughout the year!

“I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” Romans 1;11-12

*My photo

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, came out the first of August. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right!

Summer Photo Fun: Birds, Birds, and More Birds!

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If you know me, you know Summer Photo Fun wouldn’t be complete without featuring a few feathered friends. Since getting a different camera with a great little zoom lens a couple of years ago, I’ve had all kinds of fun taking photos. And since birds are always nearby and provide lots of photo ops, I’ve developed a real interest and appreciation for the amazing creatures they are. What an awesome Creator our God is, huh?

I took most of these photos right here in my own yard. I don’t have to go far to enjoy one of God’s niftiest creations. After all, birds fly! Wouldn’t it be fun to be able to fly wherever we wanted to go? Plus, birds sing! I love to listen to their music. Just look at the cardinal above on our basketball goal belting it out for all he’s worth.

So here they are—birds, birds, and more birds. Enjoy!

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This male House Finch let me get super close to snap his photo.

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Hello there, my little Carolina Chickadee!

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The Blue Jays really enjoy our bird bath. Isn’t this one a beauty?

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Nope, this isn’t our yard. Thank goodness :) Saw this Killdeer up in Yellowstone National Park last summer. Gotta love those long legs.

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Captured a shot of this male Bluebird and Summer Tanager together at Mom and Dad’s last summer.

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Look at the sleek Gray Catbird. They also love the bird bath but are not as commonly seen as the Blue Jays.

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A pair of White-breasted Nuthatches have discovered the feeder this summer. The chickadees and the nuthatches are not as skittish as some of the other birds.

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“Are you lookin’ at me?” asks this Northern Mockingbird.

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And finally, a robin basking in the early evening sunlight. I thank God for allowing us to enjoy the beauty of his creation each and every day!

“‘Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?’” Matthew 6:26

*Do you have a favorite bird? What bird have you seen lately that you usually don’t get to see?

*Photos are mine.

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, came out last week. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right!

Summer Photo Fun: Enjoying History in Tennessee

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As we enjoy Summer Photo Fun here on the blog, I’d love for you to enjoy some of the Tennessee history we enjoyed while on vacation in July. I love a little history mixed in with the family love and the beauty of God’s world we experienced while getting away from normal life for awhile.

Since I hadn’t researched the Smoky Mountain National Park area in order to decide where to vacation (we decided the travel destination for purposes of a family reunion), imagine my surprise and delight when we encountered old homesteads and mills and the like while driving and hiking through the Park. The photo above is the corn crib at the old Ephraim Bales Place found along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Ephraim and his family lived there from around 1890 to 1930.

Don and I also got to experience a different kind of history as we stopped in Nashville for a couple of days on our way home. We took in the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum as a belated birthday present for my country music-loving husband. I’m not a huge country music fan, but I know enough to appreciate some of the basics—and we got all that and more while there.

Enjoy these glimpses into the past with me, won’t you?

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Here’s my nephew Cody standing in front of the historic Old Mill Restaurant in Pigeon Forge. Gotta love history when it tastes this good. I had corn fritters for the very first time in my life. Yum!

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This old homestead, also just off the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, was tucked away in a pocket of natural beauty. Absolutely gorgeous.

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Beyond the cabin in the picture above sat this step-back-in-time stable/barn. The surrounding woodlands made me think of the Garden of Eden. Truly the feel of another time, another place.

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We even got the chance to go inside the cabins in the area, including this one on the Ephraim Bales place.

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First time ever for any of us to hike along a portion of the historic Appalachian Trail.

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So much fun during our time in Nashville to see the historic Ryman Auditorium, built in 1892 and home to the Grand Ole Opry for thirty-one years.

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Gene Autry’s 1926 Martin 00-42 guitar displayed at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

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Dolly Parton’s original handwritten lyrics to Jolene, a #1 hit in 1973-74.

Hope you enjoyed sharing in some of the history we found in Tennessee!

“Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past.” Deuteronomy 32:7a

*What slices of history have you enjoyed while on vacation?

*My photos, except for the one our son-in-law Shawn took along the Appalachian Trail.

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, came out last week. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right!

Summer Photo Fun: Tennessee Vacation Beauty

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 How about continuing Summer Photo Fun with some more photos from our vacation? This time I’ll showcase the beauty of our destination—Tennessee—rather than the people I enjoyed it with.

Take a tip from me—if you’re going to plan a family reunion vacation, you might as well plan to meet in a beautiful place. That’s exactly what we did when we set our reunion destination for the Gatlinburg, TN and Great Smoky Mountains National Park area. Let me just say we were not disappointed.

If you know me, you know I love the majesty and beauty of the Rocky Mountains  and the Grand Teton and Yellowstone areas . Their beauty is hard to beat as far as I’m concerned. I found, though, that the Smoky Mountains have a beauty all their own—almost like a wonderland.

The woodland areas we hiked and drove through were lush and green and enchanting, and we discovered they call these smaller mountains the Smoky Mountains for a reason. Clouds and fog hovered over the peaks daily and added to the dream-like feel of the area (as you can see in the photo above).

These photos don’t do the beauty justice (they never do), but here’s a peek into God’s handiwork found in the Gatlinburg, TN and Great Smoky Mountains National Park area. Enjoy!

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The early morning view from the front door of our cabin.

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Our first morning there, a bear came strolling by our cabin drive. I was the only one awake and was so excited I ran up the drive to try to get his picture after he walked out of sight. I was in the midst of my insane escapade before it dawned on me how dangerous it was. Very thankful for the Lord’s mercy in keeping me safe. Good grief! :)

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Wildflowers near our cabin. A little safer than a bear, huh? Does anyone know which wildflower this is?

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One view from our cabin deck but zoomed in a little. We weren’t as close to those buildings as it appears.

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One of the beautiful sights we saw along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

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Saw wild turkeys a couple of times in the national park.

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Loved spotting the Bee Balm wildflowers in the area.

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Believe it or not, I hardly saw any birds while there so was happy to get this little guy’s photo. I think this may be a type of flycatcher called an Eastern Phoebe but am not sure.

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One beautiful scene like this after another greets you in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. If you’ve never visited there before, add it to your must-travel-to list. In my next post, I’ll show you some of the historical touches in the area. I think you’ll enjoy those, too!

“Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy;” Psalm 98:8

*What displays of God’s handiwork do you most enjoy?

*Photos by me

*The newest issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out today. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign up is free and to the right!