Nature Walk

Due to Hurricane Gustav, some of our family left their homes from the gulf coast area and visited with us for a few days. We thank God that the storm was not as bad as predicted earlier during the week. Jeanie and Gray did have a tree fall on their house. They have wonderful friends that are taking care of the situation while they are away. Jeannie says she wanted to remodel that part of the house anyway. Even though the circumstances are not the greatest, we are enjoying all the company.

Gray finally got a chance to walk in our woods.

We found a colorful assortment of mushrooms and a bee hive in a hollowed out tree.

Garden Spider Lays Eggs

We found a garden spider on our house recently and she was getting very fat. We thought it was because she made her web below a light which attracted lots of bugs. However, she soon produced an egg sack. She looked quite exhausted afterward.

Facebook??

I recently joined facebook. I wanted to know what my kids and others found so intriguing about this media communication tool. I know it has been around for a while but I've never had any interest until now. I kind of like it. I must say it makes me feel older than I am. So far, all of my friends are younger than me.

Tee and Phillip move in together

Our house has one less adult as of yesterday. Phillip is now our second son to move out of the house. He has moved in with his older brother Tee and a few college buddies. I can see the excitement on his face. Oh and like any parent, I also listen to pieces of his conversations while he is talking on the cell phone.

Beth is a little bummed and so am I but I know he is past the point where he needs to move. Their other roommates are great guys and seem to be good influences. We are very fortunate that he and his older brother are only minutes down the road. However, "Phillip and Tee, if and when you read this, I hope you know, when you need to do laundry, have a craving for a home cooked meal or just want to have a conversation with Mom and Dad, your welcome home anytime"....." just call first".

Reese Orchard Blueberry Farm

Blueberries are almost out of season but we managed to pick some early Monday morning. The kids actually got up early enough to not only enjoy the sunrise but to beat the heat and be with their dad. It was the first time I saw blueberry bushes and got a chance to pick them straight off the tree.


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Kenya Mission Trip

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There was too much to write about Kenya but I was able to sort through the 2500 images that I saved and pick a few good ones. When this slide show is finished if your interested you can visit the blow by blow daily walk into my journey to Kenya via another blog. I haven't started posting just yet but I hope to begin posting soon. Enjoy

Far East

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We are far east of town we live right on the county line. This slide show is from the month of May.

Piano Recital

Michael and Julia's piano recital went well. Julia played "Etude in A Minor" and "A Day in Vienna". Michael played the theme from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean "He's a Pirate".

Michael and Tee

I had to take this photo to show how tall Michael is getting. We're taking bets that he will reach 6ft before he is 16. Both Michael and Tee had long hair for a while but thought it best to get buzzed for the summer. I guess there is no doubt that these guys are brothers.

Froglet?

Julia raised a tadpole for a few weeks that was born in a lab. It was called a froglet. Not sure what it was genetically but it looked like a cross between a glass catfish and a frog. We didn't get a chance to see it live to adulthood.

Wildlife on the River

Our family visited some friends on the Tombigbee river Sunday night and witnessed some of God's creation. Awesome! My friend gave me a canoe ride and stopped when I wanted to take pictures. It was my first good photos of a Bald Eagle.

Visit to Shiloh and the Dobbs

Beth and I with Michael and Julia visited the Dobbs in Corinth Friday night. Saturday we all went to Shiloh national park to see some civil war history. We had a great time.

Julia's ride

Julia upgraded to Michael's bike. Michael got a bigger one for Christmas so we dusted off the smaller one for Julia. She really likes it.

Phillip and Aaron

Just a lazy day. Phillip and his friend Aaron wanted to know what it was like in the kayak. So they floated in the pond for a while and relaxed in the noonday sun. I had fun snapping a few photos while they weren't looking.

Sam and Maggie 10mm lens

A friend of mine let me borrow his 10mm lens for a few weeks. Needless to say I am having a lot of fun with it. Maggie and Sam up close and personal.

Butterfly and Squirrel

Signs of spring are everywhere. I love this time of year. This tiger swallowtail butterfly was in a field of flowers and the squirrel was in our backyard looking for anything to eat.

RUF Crawfish Boil

Don't worry, its not real!

At the annual RUF crawfish boil, Phillip was playing in a band called Suicidal Margarine...(you know when you open the door of your refrigerator and the margarine falls and hits the floor...). No relation to the music they play, but it sounds cool... sort of. Anyway they sounded great and played contemporary Christian music as well as some oldies. They are planning on playing again soon and Phillip really enjoys it.

Doctors Without Boarders 5k

Tee and I ran together in this weekends 5k. It was my first race for the year and in about 6months. His time was great and he did very well for a hilly course, needless to say he was way ahead of me... (for the first time I might add.) He is in great shape and I hope he runs more often.

Even Closer

This is the closest I could get.... after this shot I haven't seen these ducks on the pond again. I guess they are on their way north.

Merganser Ducks This Morning

I found out that these ducks were hooded mergansers. They migrate north. I hope they stick around for a few more days so I can get closer next time. From across the pond these ducks are beautiful. (80-400 Nikon VR lens at 400... D200 10mp.)

(From dictionary.com)
mer·gan·ser/mərˈgænsər/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciat[mer-gan-ser]
any of several fish-eating diving ducks of the subfamily Merginae, having a narrow bill hooked at the tip and serrated at the edges.

Also called fish duck.

Pond is getting Deeper

The pond was deep enough to tempt Michael and Joseph to try out the inflatable kayak. It was a beautiful day.

Ice on the Pond

As I was approaching the pond this morning, I scared a flock of black birds. It must have been a little below freezing last night because I saw a little bit of ice on the top of the water.

Gold Finches

We had a bunch of gold finches visit us this morning. This is a shot through the kitchen back door. The birds go crazy feeding this time of year.

Tug of War

Maggie and Julia in a tug of war. To the victor the spoils.

Morning Glow

This is what it was like this morning around 6:30am. A view from my back door. I really don't like the fact that I have cleared land in my backyard until I get views like this. It reminds me of Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world, Gods invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. :o)

Pond starts to hold some water

In October we had the broken dam fixed and created a walking path around the pond. It has been raining regularly for the past two months. We are hoping it will be full this year. The dogs really love to play and we like to play in it too.Julia found this clump of frog eggs. I am not sure the tadpoles will survive the winter but I am sure we will find out soon enough.

Beth teasing Precious.

Kenya, Africa Mission Trip

Click on the link above to read more email and information on the Kenya Trip

Through the years, our church has sponsored short term missions to Kenya, Africa. A few of our church members and other volunteers go to Kenya to build churches and much needed school classrooms. Even though I would admire and support their acts of faith and service, it never crossed my mind that I might go. As usual God works in mysterious ways, and Michael, my 14 yr old son, was touched by the church’s efforts. He asked Beth and I if he could go on the next trip in 2008. Amazed by his conviction and unable to deny his calling, we cautiously agreed to let him go if he and I could raise support and go together.

This photo is of myself, Stu Ross,our mission team leader, and my son Michael. We will meet Stu in Kenya at the Nairobi airport .

8 Days of Hope Waveland, MS

Michael and I went down to Waveland, MS to help out with reconstruction from the Hurricane damage 2 1/2 years ago from the storms Katrina and Rita. We went with a group from the Vet school.

We volunteered to help a family hang some drywall in their home.

They are still living out of a FEMA trailer.

Snowball Fight

Merry Christmas! Click on image.

Family Portraits

This family portrait with our dogs and one of our cats was a gift from God. Everything worked out for that day.  I am a photographer but getting my family together for portraits is tough. This time we had an extra challenge adding the pets. Sam was wanting to chase the cat and Maggie wanted in on the fun. We got a neighbor to stand behind the camera and take pics.

Phillip, Michael, Tee, Julia

Archeology Museum Visit

We visited the Archeology Museum with our homeschool group

Early morning Run

Sam is lit by the early morning sun and he is ready for his run.

Bethlehem...Calhoun, MS

Thanksgiving

Beth's Mother and step Dad visited for Thanksgiving. We had a great time.

Fall Color

It's nice to have fall colors in November.

Images from Noxubee

I had to test out my new 80-400mm VR lens. Awesome!

Reformation Day

October 31 is really the day but since that didn't fall on a weekend we celebrated on the 27th. It was the first time we held this church event at our house. We had the traditional play, hayride and bonfire. Some of us even dressed for the occasion.

Huckleberry hideout

This swing set was not your Daddy's swing set. We had to take this whole set apart and rebuild it on site when we moved. I kept the lumber in the barn until I could work on it. We were having a big party at the house and that was incentive enough to get it built. The timing was right. Michael and Phillip helped a lot.

Fall Camping

The weather was next to perfect and we enjoyed our stay. We are fortunate that there are some campgrounds nearby that are beautiful.

Run for Rabies 5k

Beth, Michael and Julia went Saturday morning to the Run for Rabies 5k event here in town. Michael and Julia took photos while I was running with Sam. It was perfect weather. Sam came in first.

Photo Contest

Michael took these photos for the Refuge photo contest.

We went out specifically to phototgraph alligators and cattle egret, we ended up finding both.

The great egret/alligator shot took second place and the mushroom shot took third. Way to go Michael.