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Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Travel Theme: Tiny

For the theme this week of 'tiny', I traveled a tiny distance.  Just down the way to the lake!


The water striders are zipping along the edges of the lake... you have to be tiny to make a dent in the water that you can stand on!


Nearby are limestone rocks full of tiny crinoid fossils.  The bigger ones are about a quarter of an inch across.


Not sure what sort of flower this is but those 'stars' are quite tiny.


The flowers of this dead nettle plant are smaller than a pea.  They look just like tiny little orchids.


A tiny but very fast beetle.  Wouldn't his color be great on a car?

Hope you enjoyed this little post!








Sunday, June 28, 2015

After a Month...

... Little Miss Persia has fit herself in as though she has always been here.  

"Why yes... I do own this house!"



Saturday, June 27, 2015

Out and Around Cole's Forge

There is so much eye candy around Cole's forge that it really does take more than one post to show it off.   So here are more shots to enjoy...


I'm not sure why, but I really like this shot.


So much character in this doorway.


Beautiful!


Different angle.

His wife has decorated an old storage shed.


How fun!  I want a cute little shed to decorate!

Oh yeah... I do have a shed.  But it's so BIG...


Just look at all the cute things.


Chippy shutters and a kerosene lamp.  Perfect.


I think that is an oil can.


Chippy rocker and an old tobacco basket.  I'd love to get my hands on a tobacco basket!


Fabulous texture!


A peaceful vignette.


And a beautiful magnolia tree.

It's such a lovely yard to walk around in.  Every where you look is another little patch of pretty.



Friday, June 26, 2015

Cole's Forge

Himself's blacksmith meeting in May was out at the forge of his friend Cole.

I love his shop!  He's been blacksmithing for about 30 years and makes very high end stuff.  His shop is loaded with eye candy so I zipped in before the meeting started to take some photos.








Fun stuff, eh?

Then it was time to get the iron hot.


Straight out of the fire.


Look at how the heat makes an image above the glowing iron.


He keeps working the metal until it comes out just as he wants it.


In this case, a beautiful cross.


Isn't that fantastic?


Next part of the meeting is show and tell.  I'm not sure what was so interesting about that anvil but it had the guys looking hard.


Then it was time to show off the challenge pieces.  See that fork on the right?  That angle makes it PERFECT for getting steaks off the grill without frying your knuckles.  I was so over the top about it that the man who made it slipped it to Himself to give me as a present.

THANK YOU!!


The last order of business is the 'iron in the hat' raffle. 


Folks bring in this or that, tickets are bought then dropped into the cup next to the item.

I won THREE things this meeting, including that jar of homemade salsa you can see on the table.

Then it is time to stand around and visit.


The guys talk about guy things...


...and the girls talk about interesting stuff!


Til next time!




Thursday, June 25, 2015

Doodle Style

Last week I decided I was tired of my Bible case.  Not its function... in that way it was perfect.  But it was sooooo boring.


Bleh from the front...


... and bleh from the back.  

Though my photo-bombing kitten is a distinct improvement!  LOL

Then an idea came to me as I was getting ready for church.  I doodle as it helps me to focus on the lesson (otherwise my monkey mind wanders no matter how interesting the subject).  Instead of drawing on an index card as I usually do, why not work on my Bible case with a Sharpie?

So I did!



Nothing like a bit of ink to bring in some style!











Tuesday, June 23, 2015

The Big 5 for Little Hoss

Somebody is turning 5 years old today!


Little Hoss - 4 months old.


And our Hoss now!

Happy Birthday!!



Monday, June 22, 2015

Travel Theme: Old Fashioned

Time for another travel theme photo album.  The topic selected this time was "old fashioned".


This is a wooden water tower in North  Dakota.  It sat along the train tracks and was used in the days of the steam engines.  I don't know for sure but I'd be willing to bet it is no longer there.


An old International fire truck in Clarksdale, Mississippi.  I got so many great shots of it.


An ox cart in Nicaragua.  I found the yoke over the horns unusual.


From ox power to horse power.  Taken on Mackinaw Island.


Also in Clarksdale, MS.  Taken through an old, old screen door.  (Check out The Shack-Up Inn... eye candy everywhere).


Old fashioned tourist stop... Wigwam Village in Cave City, KY.  A very fun stop-over.  This is one of three left.  The others are in Holbrook, AZ and somewhere in CA.


A bridge of Madison Co. (Iowa).


A Hungarian 'horse shepherd' near Budapest.


Missouri.


The Jacobite Steam Train in Scotland (aka The Hogwort Express).


Reproduction of an ancient 'black house' on the island of Lewis, Scotland.


Peter and his wife and son.  Long story I'll tell another time, we met Peter through a circumstance and offered to drive him to his boma.  There we met the whole family and were guests in his home.  Our Kenyan driver was amazed... "This just doesn't happen!"


Gathering salt at Lake Magadi, Kenya.


Lake Baringo, Kenya.  This is an Njemp fisherman, one of a dying people group.  The boat is made of balsa wood and is very light and buoyant.


Harris tweed weaver.


A weaver in Nanyuki, Kenya using a drop spindle to make yarn.


A horse drawn hay rake on Himself's uncle's farm.


In Debre Zeit, Ethiopia more oxen who just a short time before were pulling a wooden plow.

So much is 'old' or 'common' just from which side of life you are standing on.  Here where we live there are many small communities of Amish and Mennonite folks.  Their ways seem old fashioned to us... yet they will tell you they are living much more 'modern' than their parents and grandparents.