Lately. . .

It's spring! I'm supposed to be lively and energetic, but I'm not. I've been fatigued, yawning my head off, and feeling irritable! It's called Spring Lethargy. The opposite of Spring Fever, where energy levels rise! Leave it to me to do the opposite of everyone else! I've been trying to overcome this ailment through photography.

So, here's a list of twelve things I've found or done lately.

1. I went to a photography exhibit featuring Ansel Adam's early works. Very impressive and inspiring. Makes me want to take more black and white photos!

2. I worked in my shade gardens getting the last of the fallen leaves removed and burned.

3. I picked one of my mom's peonies to bring in the house to enjoy. Of course, I waited until the bee left.

4. I walked in the woods a little. Not much, the mosquitoes are out in massive numbers. I had to wait for a cool, windy morning!

5. I found some honeysuckle and tasted it. Did you do that as a child; hold the honeysuckle in one hand, pinch off the end,  pull out the stamen and then lick the drop of nectar?  I did! For some reason though, they don't seem to be as sweet and tasteful as when I was a child. This photo makes me laugh. The bloom on the left looks like it's sticking it's tongue out trying to get rid of the spider web!

6. I mowed again! The weeds seem to be winning the battle!

7. I did a little traveling. As Jerry drove, I took pictures out the window. I enjoyed the beautiful spring greens surrounding my favorite barn!

8. I finally purchased a plant I've been wanting for a long time; a hellebore. They aren't showy flowers, just very simple with elegant colors and lines. They do like to keep their heads down which makes photographing them difficult. They remind me of myself when I'm walking; always keeping my head down. There's such interesting things on the ground, but I miss the view that way!

9. Quite by accident I was able to go into a small, old post office (someone left the door unlocked.) It was once the Detonti post office and now sits with an old church and historical home in a town near me. There's not much inside, a bulletin board with old pictures and papers, a typewriter, and a book, The 1932 edition of the Postal Laws and Regulations. Among the papers was a copy of an old envelope. The postmark reads North Hollywood California Feb. 4, 1946. The postage was only 3¢. The fascinating part is the address: This letter is going to Uncle Lee down in Tull, Arkansas, Grant County, between Mud Creek and Saline River, and across the field from Uncle Hardy's, better know as Detonti, Arkansas RR#1. Uncle Lee got the letter all the way From His Nephew Grady DuVall out in California! Wasn't the world simpler back then!

10. I've been watching for the buckeyes to form on our buckeye tree. We had three last year, but the squirrels got them first! This year there are several and also a strange looking bug!

11. We took our car to the shop where it will getting it's new upholstery. You can't tell by this picture, but there are six people in this little car. Jerry, our son, and four grandsons! Just so you know, no child was on the road for the making of this photo! They met Jerry at the end of our long driveway and road to the house. I say that because there are no seat belts yet and three of the boys were on their knees facing backwards. There is no back seat!

12. And lastly a fun surprise as I was driving down some country back roads. I spotted a camel enjoying himself in the spring sunshine. I imagine he was glad to be done with winter! The strangest thing is he doesn't live too far from me and I've never seen him before! Maybe he was there to bring me a laugh!

That about wraps it up! I'm trying very hard to get through these few weeks of low energy. All will be well as soon as I adapt to the seasonal changes. I'm hoping your spring is filled with beauty and that you're enjoying it RIGHT NOW!

Where ya wanna go?

Where ya wanna go?

I don't know, where ya wanna go?

North, east, south, west?

It doesn't really matter, just get in the car and let's go.

That's what my sister and I did one chilly morning. All we needed to be sure about was that we had our cameras and food. We never go without food! As we wandered west and then north and then east and then south we stopped when we wanted and took lots of pictures. We stopped at four churches. At least I think it was four, may have only been three. My sister has started a project photographing church steeples, so when we spotted a church we stopped.

We photographed an old barn which looked like it might not be standing too much longer.

We wandered through five old cemeteries

including one where some of Jerry's ancestors are buried. It's a small family cemetery, the Rose Garden Cemetery or better know as the Wilheim Cemetery. Jerry's ancestors that are buried here are the first generation of Hubmanns in the US. They immigrated from Switzerland, in the late 1800's. 

They originated from the German speaking section of Switzerland, near the border of Germany. Several of the gravemarkers are engraved in German.

As we made our way home we decided to stop at a garden center. I've never stopped at a garden center just to take pictures. I've been afraid they'd tell me to take my camera and leave, but not here, they welcomed us. We met the nicest lady who also loves photography. She gave us some pointers on where to look for good pictures, which was a big help since the center covers 30 acres.

She also let us use a golf cart to run around in. We hesitated about driving the golf cart. Neither one of us had driven one before and we knew it was pretty simple, but when we're together we can get ourselves in some unusual fixes. Did we dare?  Sure, we'd just be very careful and not drive off into the creek that cut through the property. There was a lot of laughing, but we made it safely around the center. It was beautiful with an amazing array of colors.

Among the pots and birdbaths was the biggest lantana bush I have ever seen. It is taller than I am. We had to check it out and yes, there's just one plant there. I love lantana, since it's so hardy it does well in my unattended yard.

The pansies, what can I say about the pansies? They are the happiest little flowers and they were certainly wearing their best colors!

It doesn't matter which direction we head, we always find interesting and amazing things and places. At the end of the day we're tired, but we feel so relaxed and so grateful for the time we can spent together.

Where ya wanna go next time?

I don't know, where ya wanna go?

Reed's Bridge

I was never very interested in history as a child. It seemed that history only consisted of memorizing names, dates, and places. I never was very good at memorizing and struggled through every history class I took. My interest in history peaked later in life. As I've grown older, I've taken the time to read about and visit historical places and I don't have to memorize a thing! One such place is a short drive from home near Jacksonville, Arkansas. Right outside of town is the Civil War Battlefield of Reed's Bridge. Reed's Bridge crossed the Bayou Meto which is a tributary of the Arkansas River. It is a low stream with a miry bed, abrupt banks, and a heavy growth of timber on the sides. 

On the battlefield site a small homestead has been reconstructed. The main log cabin has one room downstairs and an attic for sleeping. When my sister and I arrived the cabin doors were locked. I had been here several years ago and it was all open, but due to vandalism they are now locked. We were a little disappointed that we couldn't go inside. Much to our delight one of the battlefield preservation society members happened to drop by while we were there. He was so kind and opened the doors for us. The inside of the cabin was only lit by the sunshine coming in the two doors. In the attic, the only light was from our camera flash! Therefore, these pictures are really grainy.

The last time I was here I sat in one of two rocking chairs on the back porch and ate lunch. The chairs are no longer there. I wonder if they were destroyed or stolen. 

Behind the main cabin was the cookhouse. The preservation society really did a pretty job of decorating the cabins for autumn.

One of the cabins that had been there several years ago is gone. All that is left is the chimney.

Beside the cookhouse was the garden. 

A beautiful garden still producing vegetables. I've never seen such black, rich soil and I've never seen a garden so healthy in late October!  Someone spends a lot of time here!

 On the other side of the garden is the barn . . .

complete with an old red wagon.

We had a great time exploring the homestead and walking a nearby trail, but as we walked through the battlefield we became more and more quiet. Men were wounded here and lives were lost in the battle to keep the Federal Calvary from crossing the Bayou Meto on their march toward the capital city of Little Rock. At the end of the day the Confederate Army were able to hold the field and the Federal Calvary retreated. There is a feel to this place; a feeling of sadness and loss.

Just Me And My Dad

"I want to go home."  How many times in our lives have we said that simple sentence? My dad, he says it all the time. Going home to many with Alzheimer's disease is wanting to return to their childhood home. Dad wants to go home to Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he was born and raised. I had the chance to take him one day this week and he was thrilled.

The first stop we had to make was at Antioch Cemetery where my dad's parents and brother are buried. It's a small cemetery next to the Old Union Primitive Baptist Church. The church itself has family connections. My great-grandmother attended school in this one room schoolhouse/church. I don't know when the building was built, but my great-grandmother was born in 1879 so it had to have been built in the late 1870's to early 1880's. One other pretty cool thing I learned while researching the church and cemetery is that my great-grandmother's middle name was Kathryn. My name is spelled differently and I wasn't named after her, but I still like the fact that we have the same name.

The church doors are always unlocked, so after parking my dad in a lawn chair with a snack I went inside for some pictures. The interior is painted a soft green. The only furniture is the pews, pulpit, and an old upright piano. As I pulled back the dust cover and opened the little door that led to the piano workings, I wondered how many times these hammers have struck the strings.

I wondered how many songs have been played on this old piano while worshipping our Lord. The red songbooks that were scattered around the pews were called "The Good Old Songs; The cream of the old music" It was compiled by Elder C. H. Cayce with a copyright date of 1914. I picked up a hymnal and if fell open to the song "Happy Day."  That's a good title for this day with my dad.

My dad doesn't really understand my need to photograph things. When I stopped in the middle of a bridge and took a picture of the creek below he was really quite confused. I was safe about stopping. On the eight miles we drove after we turned off the main highway we didn't see a single car. It's pretty isolated out there. After I'd taken pictures of the church, the cemetery, and the creek, he wasn't too surprised when I pulled over and took a few pictures of an old barn. None of the pictures turned out very good. The day was overcast and dark and I had other camera issues. Mainly, I pulled out my big camera, started to take a picture, and there on the back was the flashing words "NO CARD!"  Frustrating!  When will I ever learn to check my camera before I leave!  I did have my point and shoot camera with me, but honestly, it's just about worn out and doesn't take great pictures anymore.  At least I have pictures to go with the memory of "going home" even if they are dark and grainy!

There used to be an old fire tower on the mountain in the distance. All the teenagers, including my mom and dad used to picnic up there and climb the tower. My great-grandmother's land was on the other side of the mountain.

There are certain rituals that one must keep when you have Alzheimer's. Every time dad goes to Hot Springs he wants to picnic at Gulpha Gorge which is part of Hot Springs National Park. The park is in the deep canyon between Hot Springs Mountain and Indian Mountain  which is rich in history and legends. Once such legend tells of an old Indian Chief who had been in poor health and had come to the Valley of the Vapors for relief from his affliction.  The Valley of the Vapors is what is know today as Hot Springs National Park. As the name implies the springs in Hot Springs are just that, HOT springs. The water flowing out of the springs is about 143 degrees. Anyway, back to the story. The hot springs didn't help him and that night his illness became more severe causing acute pain. His daughter led him to another valley in search of cool water. After drinking this cool water, which by the way is high in calcium, he fell asleep and woke cured of his illness. He renamed his daughter Chewaukla, which means "Sleepy Water" and the springs were known thereafter as Chewaukla Springs.

Our next adventure was to drive up Hot Springs Mountain to the tower. The tower is 216 feet high. I had to laugh. I think we made history as the fastest people to go up the tower, walk around the observation deck, and descend. Dad walked around the observation deck one time and said "I guess we've seen all we need to see."

I remember as a child we'd go up the mountain and climb a 165 foot steel structure. I mean climb, as there was no elevator. I can still remember my shaking knees. Dad and I were thankful that there is an elevator in the newer tower.

(postcard of the mountain tower found on the internet)

On a clear day you're supposed to be able to see for 140 miles. Considering my eyes and the cloudy day, I didn't see near that far! Do you see the clearing right in the center of the upper portion of the picture below? That's the Hot Springs airport. My mother and her family lived just a little east of the airport.

We have a fun day and make some good memories. I was saddened that my dad is beginning to lose some of his memories of Hot Springs. Several times he questioned my route because he couldn't remember how to get from one place to another. Oh, and if you want to know, I know where all the bathrooms are between here and there!  You have to take your time when you're traveling with the elderly. 

Thanks for going along with me on this little trip down memory lane! 

Friday Finds and Random Facts

My Friday Find this week wasn't discovered until I uploaded my day's pictures to my computer. I found that if you're pointing your camera slightly toward the sunset and if you haven't focused yet and if you accidentally hit the shutter button you get a lovely sky abstract!

 

 

 

To follow that lovely find are my Five Random Facts.

Fact  #1

I baked Christmas cookies this week. Yes, you read that right! Due to uncontrollable circumstances I didn’t do any Christmas baking this year. So, this week I made my favorite Christmas cookies.

 

 

Fact  #2

I still have a crystal dish that I got out a Quaker Oatmeal box. Does anyone else remember these? As a promotion cups, saucers, or bowls were packed in oatmeal boxes. It was always a dilemma...do you dig through the oats to see what was packed or do your wait until it's uncovered.

 

 

 

Fact  #3

Fungi has become my favorite thing to photograph in nature. Mushrooms are my second choice.

Fact  #4

Power poles keep getting in my way when I'm shooting out of the car window!  By the way, if you want to buy this barn...its for sale!

Fact #5
I'm glad I don't live at 5th and Goldsmith!


Guess what I'm singing...

 (Ah, ah) Oh, no, don't let the rain come down
(Ah, ah) Oh, no, don't let the rain come down
(Ah, ah) Oh, no, don't let the rain come down
My roof's got a hole in it and I might drown
Oh, yes, my roof's got a hole in it and I might drown

There was a crooked man and he had a crooked smile
Had a crooked sixpence and he walked a crooked mile
Had a crooked cat and he had a crooked mouse
They all lived together in a crooked little house

 Well, this crooked little man and his crooked little smile
Took his crooked sixpence and he walked a crooked mile
Bought some crooked nails and a crooked little bat
Tried to fix his roof with a rat-tat-tat-tat-tat

 Now this crooked little man and his crooked cat and mouse
They all live together in a crooked little house
Has a crooked door with a crooked little latch
Has a crooked roof with a crooked little patch

 (Ah, ah) Oh, no, don't let the rain come down
(Ah, ah) Oh, no, don't let the rain come down
(Ah, ah) Oh, no, don't let the rain come down
My roof's got a hole in it (my roof's got a hole in it)
My roof's got a hole in it and I might drown

 

The Serendipity Singers ~ Don't Let The Rain Come Down

 

 

Sorry, I hope you're not singing it too!

 Have a wonderful weekend!

Linking with  Kim for Friday Finds

and Nancy for Random 5 Friday