Sunday Reflections

" 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,'  declares the Lord,  'and will bring you back from captivity.' "

This inspires me to consider what has "captivated" my heart, then bring it to God, seeking Him with all my heart, knowing that He keeps His promises & that He will bring me back from captivity.

Cycles of Life

If you'd have told me even 10 years ago that I would get on a motorcycle, I'd have told you, "No way!"

But when my hubby said (almost sheepishly) that he'd like to get a motorcycle (about 8 years ago), I told him to go ahead.  I think that was the most shocking thing he'd ever heard from me.  I'd been adamantly against any kind of motorcycle for the more than 30 years we'd been married.  But when he mentioned the motorcycle I thought, "I have been cautious about many things in life... " (though he has always been known as "safety-man" in our family).  So I said, "Your children are raised, your insurance is paid up, & I know you'll be a good driver."

I never dreamed that I would get on it!

But it really is fun!

And I even have my own helmet, jacket with body armor, & gloves...

that also fit my daughter!  Who would have dreamed that she would get on it???!!

(That's her waving on the second picture).

The one constant is the driver... my Honey!  I have no desire to have my own motorcycle & I'm perfectly content to ride with him.  And he is a very careful driver!

A Hand Up

One part of our adventure that had us all laughing so hard was trying to "maneuver" the rocks in some places.

This rock was not easy to climb, but giving each other "a hand" helped out (an 11 year old & a 9 year old "lifting up" a 200+ lb. man was kind of funny...)

But once he was up there, he helped all the rest of us up.

For some it wasn't too hard...

For some it was really easy....

For others...

it was a bit more difficult...

but determination won out!

and neweveryam my sweet daughter found that laughing as you climb can make it a bit more difficult.

After you twist & pull every muscle in your body, the laughter just adds to the pain...but

"A happy heart makes the face cheerful,... the cheerful heart has a continual feast." (Proverbs 15:13, 15)

(Notice there are no pictures of me climbing up this one because I was taking all the pictures... but I think it took at least 2 of them to "pull" me up on it... just sayin')

Victory Update

I realized as I looked back over recent posts that I had not taken you on the marvelous hike UP the Hebron Rock Colony!  It was quite an experience...

 It's not someplace you would "just happen upon".
We followed directions from friends who had recently been there...
(Well, we didn't follow directions because I was in the backseat & had the directions that I had written down in my personal shorthand that no one else could quite read but those driving & in the front seat were "in charge" of getting us there, so when I suggested we turn right we turned left & when I suggested we turn left we turned right...so we went farther than we needed to... but if we had followed the original directions we would have missed some unbelievable views from the high road).

Then we stopped in a small parking lot of a church where it looked like what they had described and...*ASKED someone (there was a stream & they were getting ready to picnic.. I think.)  They seemed rather vague, but gave some instructions.. so we went on & eventually pulled into another parking lot where there were some fishermen.  They gave very specific directions & seemed familiar with the area.  We continued upward, driving around many turns, seeing some breathtaking views, & finally arrived at the trailhead.
(*I want you to realize how important this was: we had  MAN with us & HE asked about the directions...)

We hiked way back to where the trail started.

It started near a stream & was fairly flat.

Then it began to slope & became rather steep...

So we skidded, tumbled, grabbed tree roots, held onto tree branches, & whatever else it took to maneuver the trail (it was marked with a red dot on trees as we went along, so we knew we were on the trail... otherwise we sure wouldn't have guessed it!)

              It's not a place to go to alone....!

Then we began the hike UP the ROCKS!  It was an incredible sight.

This gave new meaning to the phrase, "rough & tumble"...

And the farther up we went, the more beautiful the scenery looking back down from whence we came!

It was a hard climb, but SO worth it!

There was some decision making to do to figure out which way to go...

A few places that were a tight squeeze (yes, we came right through here & this is looking back down)...

But our fearless leader took us upward & onward!

We not only saw the fall colors, but also some interesting sights...

Yes, this was growing right up through the rocks!  There were also flowers seemingly growing right out of the rocks in places.

We finally neared the top (where we saw people coming in from a much easier trail...)

where the sound of rushing water...

greeted us in our VICTORY!

And when we got back (via a much easier trail), we went directly to a BBQ place where we all felt...

just like this!  famished, tired & thrilled that we had "conquered" the Rock Colony!

Tomorrow I'll share one more piece of this adventure...

No & Yes

I'm sure others have figured this out... & not sure why it took me so long...

NO...

YES!

NO...

YES!

YES!

For turning this....

into this.

'Cause these are so much easier than a knife & they come apart for thorough cleaning.  I use them for SO many things, including cutting up the chicken into small pieces for soup after it's cooked.

Just in case you didn't already know that...

What tools do you just love?

A Better Country Store

Yesterday I promised to show you where you can truly find some southern hospitality in the mountains of Ashe County, NC. 

And here it is: Phipps Country Store.

It is a beautiful setting, the epitome of friendliness, & a place that makes you want to come back.  (The owner, James Wood, lives in the house in the background)

It is delightful inside...

and has a little of all kinds of things (the baskets on the upper left are hand made, as well as many other items).  I loved dipping into the candy jars (on the bottom left) to get some hot cinnamon balls & some butterscotch balls. It reminded me of when I was a little girl & my grandparents ran a country store in Indiana.

These are local hams!

We spent about an hour & a half at this store...

and this man is the reason we did (BTW, he says that most folks call him "Dawg")!  He greeted us before we got in the door, was so friendly, had lots of great stories, & made us feel so welcome.  He spoke to everyone who came in, calling many by name (it is obviously a place where many come in often).

They have music there on Friday nights, & though he was humble, I have a feeling that he is quite a musician himself.  We hope to go back one Friday evening & enjoy the mountain music by whoever is playing (the previous evening the place had been packed! He showed us a video of some musicians who had played.)

This is out the back door...

and so is this...  

Her name is Shiloh & she is the NC state dog: a Plott Hound (I thought about making you guess what the state dog is, but decided to give you a "freebie"...)

She is very loved by her owner & he told us all about Plotts; the history, the lineage, the difference between them & blue ticks (or any other types), how strong they are, how much energy they have & how long they will run, & most importantly, that they are the best dogs to hunt down a bear.  Now I don't like to think about bears in our mountains, but I know they are around from time to time... though Dawg said he & his wife are the only ones who have never seen one on his farm.

This is the view across the street from the store...

Now you know which country store to seek out when you are in Ashe County...

And now you know the rest of the story.