I was out cleaning up the night's manure when I heard a clacking sound that I now recognize. Our next door angora goats, Frankie (black goat) and Pickles (white goat) were having a morning's play. By the look of their little tails wagging they seemed to be having fun.
Young animals are always great video subjects. And, I've seen dogs in sprinklers and even raccoons. Check out these moose and a lawn sprinkler. Watch what a loving mother the female moose is to her two youngsters.
Sometimes we get caught up in what the world thinks are big things - politics, world unrest, what movie is number one in the box office, who will win on American Idol.
These are really small things in God's eyes. The big things are finding time to spend with our children or grandchildren, finding time to listen to our neighbor or friend who is going through a hard time, giving the harried waitress a smile and a bigger tip that she really didn't 'earn.'
And in the case of the video below, writing a song and singing it to your 18-year old daughter who is dying of cancer. This is a hard video to watch, but, as I have said before, a mother's love for her child is the closest thing to God's love for us on this earth. This is a big, big thing.
...We all scream for ice cream!
After lunch, Jane, Hack, April, Jory, Betty and I drove out to the country to Chaney's Dairy. It's a dairy farm that started a home made ice cream place 10 years ago. Now it's a destination place for a lot of people in the surrounding areas.
I had a shake made with chocolate and bourbon crush ice creams. It was delicious. After we ate our ice cream we went out to the play ground in the back.
Here are a few photos and a short video from today...
And, finally, as you read this we're on our way home! Yay! It's been a great three weeks, but a long three weeks. There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place...
We had our first full day's visit with my sister Jane, her husband Hack, our niece April, her son Jory and our nephew Kelly (who joined us for dinner). After lunch we went to the Train Park, a restored train station in Bowling Green.
Up to the middle part of the 20th century, Bowling Green was a major depot on the L&N (Louisville & Nashville) line. Besides restoring the train depot, they are slowly restoring an L&N train. The cars that are finished and available for a tour are the mail car and a pullman (sleeper car). They are still working on the engine, the caboose and what is called the Jim Crow car. The Jim Crow car goes back to a sadder, segregated time when blacks had to ride in their own car.
Here are some picture from our visit... First, the outside of the restored train depot...
While we were there, a freight train came by and added to the ambience...
I realized I haven't posted in a few days - since Monday.
Tuesday was a rainy morning in Franklin, Tennessee, but it cleared up as the day went on. Margie, Nita, Betty and I went to lunch at Puckett's Oyster House in downtown Franklin. I had Coconut Shrimp and they were delicious. We just rested and visited the remainder of the day.
Yesterday, Wednesday, we stayed with Nita and Margie through lunch. Then we drove to Bowling Green, Kentucky to visit with my sister Jane and her husband Hack for a couple of days. We fly home on Saturday and we're looking forward to getting home. There's no place... you know the rest.
Friday, we left Seaside and drove up to Greenville, Alabama which is South of Montgomery. Margie, Betty and I met their brother Bill and we had dinner at Ruby Tuesday's. Our youngest son Chris came in about 9:30 PM that night. We all stayed at the Comfort Inn.
On Saturday, Betty, Margie and I rode with Chris over to the farm house where Betty's father grew up. It's located in the little town of Carlowville, Alabama, South of Selma. The house was built in 1839 and has been in her family ever since. Her cousin Bob and his wife Jane live in the house now and they have made many great improvements to the house while maintaining it's old charm feel.
Besides Bob and Jane, Betty and I and Margie and Bill, Bob's son and daughter and their families were there. Another of Betty's cousins, Ted and his wife Debbie, their daughter and grandson, were also there. Later in the day, Betty's younger brother Jim and his wife Melissa came over from Atlanta.
Here are some pictures - actually a lot of pictures...
Our first stop on our drive to the home place was St. Paul's Episcopal Church where all the Wade family has attended for almost 175 years. The church was built in 1838, the year before the Wade house was built. Most of Betty's ancestors, including her Mom and Dad are buried there.
Then we drove over to the Wade place for the reunion. Here's the drive into the place. The trees are pecan trees which still produce.
This is Mollie, a King Charles Spaniel who belonged to Bob's son, Rob, and his wife, Sarah. She is the cutest and sweetest dog. She's sitting in my lap. Later, she came and slept in my arms. Great dog!
Sunday morning Betty, Margie, Bill, Jim, Melissa and I all had breakfast together at the Comfort Inn. After a nice, long visit we all headed our separate ways - Bill back to Santa Rosa, Florida, Jim and Melissa back to Atlanta, Georgia and Betty, Margie and I back to Nita's house in Franklin, Tennessee.
We arrived at Nita's about 3:30 PM. It was a great week, but a tiring one. It will be a nice, restful day tomorrow - looking forward to it.
Today, Thursday, was our last full day at Seaside. Betty and I went down to the beach for the last time while Margie went to the pool. It was a good morning. Just as we were collecting our things to walk back to the house we heard a commotion and we noticed people were heading down to the water. Two guys down from us grabbed their fishing poles and headed out to the water. We noticed that the water looked darker close to shore.
It was a tremendously large school of small fish that stretched down the beach for quite a ways.
We finally had to leave the beach for the last time and this was our last view......
In the evening, we went to Nick's Restaurant where we met Bill and Noel for dinner.
Another good, and last, day.
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