Bright and early tomorrow morning, Joy, Pop, and I are leaving on a trip to visit family in NC. Here are the rules:
1. Don’t keep the car at 32 degrees.
2. Keep plenty of Diet Dr. Pepper chilled and ready to use on a moments notice.
3. I call the back seat…by myself…with no body touching me.
(Why, yes, Joy, I realize that it would be hard for me to drive from the back seat…near impossible, I’d say!)
4. I am the older sister, so I am still the boss. (Pop doesn’t get a vote, this is between the sisters)
5. This should be a cultural experience as well as a family visit. Therefore, we should pull quickly into any Shopping Mall or interesting looking shop that we pass. It is perfectly acceptable to turn the car around and go back. Many times there are new and exciting things to discover when you just take the time to go inside and look around. And, remember, they may be closed when we come back by, so we should always stop at first sight.
6. Do not tell me to “get my head out of that book.”
7. It will be the driver’s responsibility to keep a CLEAN restroom in sight …at all times!
8. I am prepared to use my tender, little hands to pump the gas into the car. I will do this out of the goodness of my heart…AND…because my sister is 54 years old and still does not know how to pump gas!!!Honest!
9. Any and all other questions about anything concerning this trip can be discussed by the folks in the front seat. As long as you remember that the back seat passenger retains all veto power!
10. “Pop, keep your hands inside the car!!!”
WELCOME FALL!
This is a beautiful wreath picked out for me by my 2 dear friends, Shirl and Tina.
My front foyer…
This is a fall tree that is filled with mercury glass ornaments. I have it sitting on an antique clawfoot table that belonged to my in-laws. The table sits inside my rear foyer. Last year, I was unable to go with Tina and Shirl on our annual Fall Fling. Don and I had a trip to Hawaii during that week. And, we just HAD to go!!:) Anyway, knowing how I would want to decorate this year in the Creek House, Tina and Shirl spent much time picking out beautiful mercury glass acorns, leaves, and pinecones. And, some other beautiful pieces, as well. We know each other so well, I just gave them my money and said, “shop for me.” And, they did an excellent job. It is sort of hard to see here, but this is not a Christmas tree. It is a small woodland tree that I use for differing collections. Sometimes it holds my flock of birds and birdhouses…and other times it may hold a gathering of beckyard critters.
This is an overview of the dining room and looking into the den…and some close-ups of the pieces. As you can tell…I STILL DO NOT HAVE MY DINING CHAIRS!!!! This does not make me happy. One day…
I bought these last week while Joy and I were in B’ham. They are made of resin. The tall one is 33 in. tall, and the small one 18 in.
Wooden candy corn…very cool!
This is the coolest pumpkin. I bought it last week in Birmingham at a home decor shop in Homewood. It looks just like it is made of wood. So I was surprised when I picked it up that it was not heavy. It is made of a resin material, but if you only looked at it, you’d swear it was old wood. Beautiful…but could only afford one!
Here is a cupboard that is in my kitchen. I think I enjoy this piece of furniture more than any other piece in the Creek House.
This display is on the top of a wall cabinet, next to my sink. The lamb is a special birthday gift from Alex. This is not a seasonal display, but just thought I’d share it since I had my camera out.
And, now, to the outside. I love fall…the colors, the leaves, the cooler weather. I am always ‘itching’ to get my summer things put away, and get out my fall things. However, the weather here in South Alabama will still be very hot for a good while. It’s in the 90’s this week! I guess I can just look at the pumpkins while I’m in the pool!
Here is a full shot of the outside firplace.
And, here is a close up of the mantle. Nothing new here, just things collected over the years. The wreath is made of very rusty tin.
Here is more outside decor…
This is a wonderful piece of iron wall art I got for somewhere outside. Isn’t it great? It is, however, perched upon the back of my porch chairs. Anytime I mention ‘hanging’ something…Don starts twitching! He has some major aversion to nails. I have had to hang all the things inside when he was away. But, when I mention putting a nail into the mortar wash on these brick…he starts sputtering and spewing and turning all shades of red. I will, however, get this hung. I don’t know quite what I’ll have to do to convince him, but it will get hung! 😮
Now, Mom did love fall color also, so, of course, we had to be sure she had some, too. Here Joy and Pop are tidying up around the marker. We just got it in place this week. (Joy is going to LOVE this picture!)
And, here is a close up of the flowers we chose for her.
I have a few more pieces to place outside…along with the ‘blessings’ sign…but mostly, I can sit back and enjoy until it comes time for the BIG decorating season!
HAPPY FALL, Y’ALL!
Written by Rick Archer, May 2007
“This was a case of “photographer photographs photographer.”
The following photographs were taken by a professional photographer known as Hans van de Vorst at the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Mr. van de Vorst was out on his own photo shoot when he witnessed a man taking a huge risk. He swung his lens and took the shots you are about to see.
The descriptions below are his own. Let me add the identity of the photographer IN the photos is either unknown or deliberately withheld.”
Hans Van De Horst: “As I walked to the edge of the canyon to take my own pictures, I was simply stunned to discover this guy standing on this solitary rock high above the Grand Canyon.
The canyon’s depth is 900 meters here. The rock on the right is next to the canyon and safe.
Watching this guy on his thong sandals, with a camera and a tripod I asked myself 3 questions:
1. How did he climb that rock?
2. Why not take that sunset picture on that rock to the right, which is perfectly safe?
3. How will he get back?”
I found myself unable to move. A morbid fascination came over me. Was I about to witness a tragedy? And should I do something to prevent it?”
“I was not alone. The man’s folly had captured the attention of dozens of onlookers. Now the sun completed its descent behind the canyon’s horizon. The man picked his gear and tucked it under his arm.
Having only one hand available, he prepared himself for the jump. This took about 2 minutes. At that point he had the full attention of the crowd, most of whom had their hands covering their mouths with worry.
I gasped. He was actually going through with this! I lifted my own camera and braced myself for whatever might happen.
He got a little running start and jumped on his thong sandals… The canyon’s depth is 900 meters here.”
“I estimated the gap between the rocks to be four feet apart. After he jumped, for a moment, his body was suspended in flight.
Now you can see that the adjacent rock is higher. I had wondered if the jump down from the higher ledge was so easy that he didn’t think about the jump BACK in the other direction.
Unable to jump upwards, this man tried to land lower and use his one free hand to grab the rock.
I hoped he found something easy to grab. The rock was quite steep. If he didn’t get a good grip, he wasn’t going to get a second chance.”
“We’ve come to the end of this little story. As you can see, he made it. Amazing.
Look carefully at the photographer. He has a camera, a tripod and also a plastic bag, all on his shoulder or in his left hand. Only his right hand is available to grab the rock. Plus the weight of his stuff is a problem.
He lands low on this flip flops. Both his right hand and right foot slips away… At that moment I take this shot.
He pushes his body against the rock. He waits for a few seconds, throws his stuff on the rock, climbs and walks away.
Some people should not be allowed out alone!”
————————————————–
Mr. Archer continues:
“I learned this particular jump has been tried many times. The leap creates spectacular pictures It makes for a great picture indeed because it appears the consequence of failure is almost certain death.
But guess what? There’s a secret to this picture you will want to know.
In reality, it turns out there is a wide ledge about eight feet below that is conveniently out of the camera’s eye.
Although a fall might result in some bruises, there is definitely not a 900 meter plunge to the bottom to fear.
Below is a picture that will give you a different perspective
Hmm, now this kind of changes things, doesn’t it?
I had wondered why there weren’t more Van de Horst pictures. Why just four? Because pictures like this one were conveniently omitted to keep the suspense alive.
So in the case of the foolhardy photographer, it seems our friend Mr. Van de Horst was having a little fun with us. I think he played a joke on us.
And I am glad he did. It was a fun story. “
I am a Christian woman who has survived many years on the planet. God has blessed me with a wonderful family: husband, 3 sons, a dear DIL, and a precious grandson. I also have dear friends to keep me inspired. I am an artist of sorts and am finding my way through the great blessing of retirement. I recently retired after 20 years as a music teacher. Life is good!
Hello, my name is Everly. I am a blogger living in New York. This is my blog, where I post about interior design and decoration. Never miss out on new stuff.
