Anna Ruby Falls
This waterfall is named after the only daughter of the gentleman who discovered it and is quite a popular spot.

It was only a short drive from Amicalola and we were still feeling energetic after our first climb of the day. And there are several more falls to see in North GA. This ascent was much easier than the first and only one half a mile one way.




All in all I think I only walked about 4 miles (adding together the two parks), but that is not enough. Now I want to return and do the five mile Smith Creek Trail.













Wanna come?

Day Hiking

Spurred by my reading of Leslie Mass's book, DD#3 and I took off for Amicalola Falls today. It's about one hour's drive from my home.



We started on Creek Trail and proceeded straight up over six hundred steps to the pinnacle. It is truly spectacular! One of the Seven Wonders of Georgia!


Then we came down the other side of the mountain on an old logging trail, ending at the arch. This structure marks a trail called The Approach to the Appalachian Trail. It's 8.5 miles to Springer Mountain, the Southern Terminus. One day I'm going hike the *approach*.


Perhaps later I can post more pictures of our hike. The mountain laurels were blooming and created a beautiful canopy over the trail. At the top of Amicalola Falls, there is a lodge where we played a game of checkers and ate a Snickers Bar for lunch.

Also, I discovered a couple of 5 mile (10 roundtrip) hikes that I could use for practice in my *training for the 8.5 miles approach hike, which would really be 17 miles, since I don't plan to spend the night out!

What did you do on Memorial Day?

J.O.E.

















DH and DD#4 depart on a school-sponosored backpacking trip this weekend. J.O.E. stands for Junior Outdoor Expedition and is one of the highlights of the girls' high school education. Read more about it here. This photo is actually of DH and DD#3 from 2005.

I stay behind and hold down the fort. I'm the welcoming committee, when they return, the party organizer for the celebration, and the prayer partner for hiking safety. DH usually stages another trip around the Fourth of July (his b'day), requesting a big steak or rib dinner upon return. How can I get ready for that if I've been out in the woods with him for four days?

So, I read all about it.......In Beauty May She Walk: Hiking the Appalachian Trail at 60 by Leslie Mass. which I am really enjoying (btw). I can tell that I am not a thru-hiker at the core, but think I might like to do some day hikes associated with the AT...some day.

My nephew is a week into his AT hike.

I wonder what is trail moniker is?

Fashion Fine Friday








My ears are not pierced, so I am always on the lookout for comfortable clip earrings. This Erwin Pearl brand does not pinch at all and I can wear them for 8 hrs or more! What a find!!

It was almost three years ago that I first ran across this *brand* in an airport giftshop, but didnt actually buy any until this month. This is called delayed-gratification :)

Check out these *huggies*. They are reversible, too!

Friends for the Journey














Last Thursday my mother and I traveled to visit a dear friend whom we have know for over 45 years! MF worked for our family for ten years in the sixties and then moved to the Pacific NW for 30 yrs, recently returning to GA.

We had the best time reminiscing, telling stories, laughing, eating, and just plain reconnecting. MF is a care-giver par excellence, having worked in the childcare industry for over 20 years (after rearing us!) and having *adopted* several special needs children. Futhermore, she is a super cook.

Look at this spread! Back in the back next to the German Chocolate Cake is a tin of sweet potato cobbler. OH.MY.GOODNESS. So, very yum!

And I got to take home leftovers!!















I look forward to keeping in touch.

I am a Sunflower What Flower Are You?

"When your friends think smile, they think of you. There is not a day that goes by that you can't find something good about the world and your fellow human."

Harry Truman Home

Touring this Victorian home was actually more interesting to me than the Presidential Library. And since Madeleine Albright was receiving the Truman Leadership Award last Thursday, I cut my visit short at the library to avoid all the commotion.



As you can see, there is a Park Ranger who is the tour guide. Mine was very funny and told some good stories.


Harry Truman was born in 1884 and died in 1972, dates which correspond with both of my grandfathers. He was a soldier in WWI as was my paternal grandfather and they both married within one year of one another. Making these small connections to my own personal background make the larger historical picture more tangible.

Harry and Bess had only one child, Margaret, the writer. She's about 83 and lives in New York. Her married name is Daniel and she had four(?) sons.

Have you read any of Margaret Truman's mysteries?

Sculpture Park Walking Tour
Wednesday was Art Museum Day and I covered the gamut from early Egyptian and Chinese to modern and post-modern. Outside and around the Nelson-Atkins were numerous sculptures and a walking trail which made for a charming stroll in a beautiful city.

This grouping is by Magdalena Abakanowicz and is obviously very unusual. It made me pause.

I admit to seeing only a portion of all the sculptures around the museum because I ran out of time. But I did have time for lunch in the beautiful courtyard.

City of Fountains
Walking has been an enjoyable source of exercise for me, so I was determined to incorporate it in my Kansas City sightseeing.

One brochure listed over thirty fountains, whereas this website lists over two hundred to see around KC. Searching them out while walking to a museum or locating a restaurant only added to my familiarity with the city.


Have you ever taken a walking tour in your city?

Dead Sea Scrolls
Fascinating exhibit!

This picture was taken at the end of last Monday, when DH and I were headed out for KC BBQ. I had also watched an IMAX movie, The Mystery of the Nile at a special theater in Union Station, where I didnt even begin to experience Science City.

Now I'm back home and plunged into playing catch-up with all my duties.

Check back for a *Picture-a-day* which is all the time I can afford to spend on computer-scrapbooking.



Cheerio!

Kansas City, MO


DH is taking a Board review course and I'm tagging along to help him study :)

Stay tuned.

The Pasture
by Robert Frost
I'm going out to clean the pasture spring;
I'll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I shan't be gone long. -- You come too.


I'm going out to fetch the little calf
That's standing by the mother. It's so young,
It totters when she licks it with her tongue.
I shan't be gone long. -- You come too.



Headed to the public library, I am returning a box-load of books checked out to undergird my April Poetry Month postings. But just like Cindy and Carmon, I still have one more I want to highlight. This Frost is just the perfect invitation to enjoy the change of the season.

I think I would have like to have come along with him.


Photo credits to my cyberfriend, Jean, whose pictures of her farm and family I really enjoy.

National Day of Prayer

Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray for the great sleeping giant, the church, who even now has begun to shake herself from her sleep. I pray that she would awake to righteousness and holiness in every denomination, in every body of believers, and slumber no longer.

I pray we would begin to unify under the blood-stained banner of the Cross and preach the gospel of the kingdom clearly and boldly in every highway and byway of our nation.

I pray that we will not only stand up and speak up but that we will begin to reap a great harvest in our nation, bringing multitudes to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

May the revival of the saints be so all-encompassing that it affects the spiritual complexion of our entire nation and influences our politics, our economy, our media and our entire society.

AMEN