1806 Old Log Church

My work yesterday took me to the Schellsburg, PA area. Nearby there is a historic log church built in 1806 & restored in the last few years. This church is still used from time to time. I can remember being inside several years ago & noted the pulpit is raised well above the log pews. It is surrounded by a large, very old cemetary. The church is open for viewing in the summer months. I think this scene lends itself well to black & white.

Home

As I traveled for my work today I stopped to photograph a scene that I have wanted to capture many times. To me, this view was "I'm home" for many years. Although I now live on the other side of the mountain, crossing the top & seeing this view always makes me feel good - I'm home!

A Bit of Sunshine

The past couple days have been kinda dreary & cloudy. Thought I'd share a bit of summer & sunshine. As I rounded a curve in the road last summer I found acres of sunflowers - just beautiful!

Remembering

Aunt Margaret would have celebrated her birthday today. We lost her 1 year ago on February 1. She lived at a distance from our family- about a 3 1/2 or 4 hour trip before super highways. Aunt Margaret never married, but seemed happy with her many nieces & nephews, brothers & sister, & parents. She was the "go to" person at Christmas, many lists were sent her way. Many years Santa would make a Christmas Eve stop to personally grant our wishes. A couple times a year we would pack up & go to visit Aunt Margaret & Grandmom, quite a job in those days, I come from a family of 10 children ! And the excitement when she came to visit! We anxiously watched for her. If she could not be around on our birthdays, we got a package in the mail. Many times I remember sittng on our front stoop watching for the mailman. Aunt Margaret was no softie, what she said was the way it was. But as I grew older I can remember this "in charge lady"shedding tears as we said goodbye once again. I visited more frequently after I could drive. Between her & grandmom, I learned our Hungarian heritage. She also managed to introduce this country girl to city ways. My cousin, Donna, who lived nearby & I would spend nights in the attic bedroom, the same room our fathers shared many years before & talk about everything, in our romantic minds (we were teenagers!) we wondered why Aunt Margaret never married & came up with a few ideas, if I remember correctly! Again, as I aged my new husband & then my children were introduced & welcomed. I watched Aunt Margaret assist with nursing Grandpop suffering with throat cancer, & again, care for Grandmom as she suffered the effects of aging - she stuck with both of her parents til the very end. By this time Aunt Margaret had aged, differences in her cognitive function were evident. This very strong, very special lady was failing. As time passed it became necessary to allow others to care for her - that strong will remained intact. The last time I saw her was at another Aunt's (her sister's) funeral. She was wheelchair bound, we talked. I had been warned she likely would not know me, in my heart I know she did. Happy birthday, Aunt Margaret. We miss you.

The Quilt

On a trip to a nearby thrift store I found a beautiful quilt. It is hand worked, although the edge hem is by machine (doubt that it was an electric one!) & it is quite old. Someone, many years ago stored this treasure away in moth balls for safe keeping. The pattern is maple leaf & it is done in browns, green & tan. The fabric has taken that wonderful aged look that only time can produce. My first thought when I seen it hanging on the rack was "Oh my, how can someone part with this piece of their history, a relative sat for many hours to create this piece of art". As anyone who has walked through our home can tell you I have a love for anything from our past. I display many pieces of our family heritage; pictures, gassware, furniture, even my Grandmom's apron hangs from my Hoosier cupboard (overseeing the baking of her kiffle recipe each Christmas). So many treasures! Sometimes my collections are from flea makets, auctions, or resale shops - bits & pieces of other folk's family heritage. As hard as I tried I could not let this quilt hang, & for only $10! So, I adopted this little bit of someones history & proudly display it with my own. I have made my self believe that whoever lovingly packed this quilt away was probably the last of the family line & sorting was done by strangers. Quilter, wherever you are, your artwork lives on. Welcome to my family.

Something Different

Rather than a photo I am posting something that I received by e-mail some time ago. My work with our local Area Agency on Aging has shown this to be true. Many, many times I have seen that beauty shine through.

A Wordless Plea

Can I Granny, can I please.......................

Macro pine cone

I think I mentioned before my camera has 2 macro settings & how tickled I was to have that feature. Here is a close up pine cone from Sunday's journey. Can't hardly wait to try close up flowers in the warmer months!

More from yesterday's outing

A couple more photos from our little journey yesterday. The lake from the mountain top & some red berries to brighten things up.

Amazing Scenery

I rode along with my husband while he patroled a local state game lands. Of course my camera (& his) went too. We were on a mountain top not usually accessable to motor vehicles - although ATVs manage to trespass illegally. Those were the bad guys we were looking for today. We took a short hike to enjoy the scenery looking out over the valley & then enjoyed a view of the lake in the other direction. I have a dislike of manmade things-like telephone poles, wires, even roads in most instances, in my photos & had stated how unsual it was to not have to try to eliminate those kinds of things. Unfortunately, a few steps later, 2 water bottles & some other trash were lying near a rock. What a disappointment!! Hunter? Hiker? ATV rider? Photographer? While you enjoy what you do, please remember "leave only footprints". I am posting a couple photos of the view & the "trash" photos. As for you bad guys running ATVs, you made it today.........you may not be so lucky next time!

Successful hunt

My husband & a friend enjoyed a successsful waterfowl hunt this morning.

A couple more pictures

I noticed the flags flying against the beautiful blue sky yesterday & had to take a shot or two. The second image is the fog laying in the valley below my house when I left for work this morning.