On the grounds at Fort Monroe in Hampton Roads. I am not pleased with the photo but so far this is the best I have been able to coax out of the image. Sometimes you are not really done when you are done.
Yates Mill Number Three (and last for this series) /
The pond has been here for decades. It is about 20 acres with a bridge across the inlet portion and a nice, easy trail around the rim. The day we were here it was Rudy Duck Day, apparently, because the lake was awash in them. This view is not much different than in 1756.
Yates Mill Number Two /
Same mill but below the dam. Yates Mill is a fully restored, circa 1756 gristmill on about a 20 acre pond south of Raleigh. It is one of the oldest structures in the area. It operated as a grist mill (and often a saw mill) until 1953 when it closed. Now it is a regional park and much of the original land an experimental farm for NC State.
Yates Mill Number One /
I have a couple of different photos on the Mill and a bit of the history tomorrow.
Cypress on the James /
This is taken from nearly the same place on the river as the earlier lone cypress. I love the location and hope to shoot some more from this area.
Happy Christmas /
"And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
a light has shined.” Matthew 4:16b NLT
Eve /
Not that Eve, Christmas Eve! One of our less traditional nativities - this one came to us from a place similar to 10,000 Villages. The actual country of origin is not on the figures, which are rather tall, about 8 or 9 inches high for Joesph. It was a gift we have enjoyed each year.
"and they bowed down and worshiped him." Matthew 2:11 NLT. I hope you will do the same this day.
Different /
I wrote a couple of days ago about our eclectic memory tree so I thought I would share just one more this year. It is not the norm for a star. And if you try and place it near the top of a tree, look out because it is heavy. A few years ago two friends and I rode the GAP trail, (Great Allegheny Passage) from Pittsburgh to Cumberland. That Christmas my daughter-in-law gave me the star made from a bike chain. Really a nice memento to remember that super trip.
Forgot! (2 photos) /
It is also critical to your event to have neighbors, friends and family. Thanks for stopping over!
New /
We have a new ornament this year, a gift from a good friend. There is a cardinal on the top and a cardinal on the ball. It looks nice on the tree. Nearly every ornament on the tree has a bit of a story. Some people have theme trees our "theme" is eclectic. We have things our kids made, our grandkids made, we made the first year of marriage, from our parents, grandparents, relatives and friends. So, perhaps, our theme is "memories."
So what did we serve? (four photos) /
Mint Bars and Peppermint Bark
Cheesy sorts of things
Homemade cookies supplemented by Trader Joes
Miniture chocolate mousse and pumpkin cake with ginger sause
Preparation (two photos) /
Nice to welcome folks to our home occasionally. We had friends and neighbors in last evening - and it was fun.
Christmas Week 2 /
A snow storm and decorated light in the Merchants Square area of Williamsburg.
"John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light." John 1:8 NLT
Christmas Week /
Check in each day for the next 9 days for Christmas themed posts. Or at least something I make up and call a Christmas theme. Today qualifies for the latter. But I love the red berries. They remind me of this season. So, here are your red berries of the season!
"All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’)' Isaiah 7:14 NLT
Shadow President /
Mrs. Roosevelt was a force on her own and quite an amazing woman. I found one quote that said she was the "shadow president" because of her influence and intellect. So, at the FDR Memorial in Washington DC this shot of Mrs. Roosevelt in the shadow seemed very appropriate.
Lonely /
This cypress tree is along the James River but in an inlet at the end of Flying Point Bridge Road on the south side of the James between Surry and Hopewell. A land that time forgot.
Rosie (two photos) /
This is one of the life-size dioramas found at the Rosie the Riveter /World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, CA. While this was once a huge site with ships rolling off the line day and night, the park is a tiny sliver of that space. I felt it deserved a more complete story than the space allowed. Several of the old buildings still stand but they are now used in modern settings. You drive past thousands of cars - waiting to be loaded on to trains just to get to the site. Still worthwhile for an afternoon.
Edgy /
Another photo from the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument - again, not a National Park site, but huge and in the news recently. Lots in interesting canyons and cliffs. Found this tree having on to the edge of one cliff.
Flow /
Another place in the Smoky Mountains. This was just along a stream - not named on a map, on the way to Cades Cove. I walked up the stream about 1/2 mile and took several shots.
Slot /
Located in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (not National Park Service site) in Southern Utah this huge area of canyons and mesas and few people is fascinating. CJH and I drove to this slot canyon on a dirt road that went several miles - a portion along a steep cliff yet well worth the effort.
