Barns and Farms, a Church & Oscar

Oh I hope you all watched the Oscar's on TV last night.  It was entertaining and I do think Seth McFarlane did an admirable job.  How would you like standing up on the stage, hosting the biggest award show of the year in front of all those actors, directors, Hollywood types and not feel like you were being judged?  It's usually not a winning situation....many have bitten the proverbial Oscar Host dust, may I just mention James Franco.....what were they thinking???  In my younger days, I know back in the dark ages, but we did have electricity and TV, Bob Hope was the perennial Oscar Host. Between 1940 & 1977 he hosted 19 times, always widely praised and well received.  We should have cloned some of those old favorites, maybe some were corny but they provided us with good, clean laughs.  Unlike what we see today.

OK done with the soap-box...I joined my daughter, son-in-law, 2 grandgirls, 1 boyfriend, and 2 good friends for an Oscar night fiesta....well not exactly a fiesta since Lisa ordered Chinese food.  But then the Chinese New Year festival was on Feb 20, 2013 this year, so we will stick to fiesta.  Whatever, there was a lot of food and fun.  Lisa had score sheets for everyone....we each threw in $5.00 and whoever picked the most winners took home the loot.  There were 24 categories, Sam (son-in-law) had 20 correct, why he hasn't won the Lotto yet, I'm not sure.

Since there was still snow on the ground I decided to drive out early and see if I could find some barns along the way.  Ofcourse I can find barns, all you have to do is drive down any country road and you are going to find barns around here....after all this is corn country.  And I was blessed with a gorgeous day, the sun was shining and the sky was a brilliant blue, perfect.

Before I even found my first barn I came upon this sweet little country church, you know those old-fashioned kind with a cemetery right next door.  The sun was positioned perfectly in the sky making the church look like it was glowing.

No one out swinging today...

Spotted this farmer preparing his fields for the spring....

 There is something so visually esthetic about a red barn with snow on the ground and a bright blue sky....

And a few more from my trip to NC....these was somewhere near Lexington, KY.

Love all these black fences...you can tell these are horse farms.

Grey or dark grey barns seem to be real popular in this area of the country.

Hope everyone has a great week ahead....

Linking to Trish's Barn Charm

"Do you know why a car's windshield is so large and the rear view mirror is so small?  Because our past is not as important as our future."

Until next time.....

Roaming the N Carolina Countryside

Sunday in Asheville was cold and windy....reminded me of Chicago.  It was in the 20's and eventually the sun came out, but the wind howled most of the day making it a miserable day to be out photographing  But since it was our last day there, we had no choice, it was today or our opportunity for roaming the N.Carolina countryside would be lost.

The day began quite cloudy, but the sun could be seen peeking through the clouds...it had snowed the night before leaving little bits of white.

Discovering beautiful fields of golden grasses was a treat to the eyes....

As we rounded a bend we came upon a flock of about 50 wild turkeys...what fun that was.  I don't know if I have ever seen a wild turkey let alone a whole flock.  Mr. Tom was in his glory.

Whenever we stopped to get a picture of the local animals we were always met with stares...somehow they knew we were either foreigners or they wanted their best side to the camera...not sure which.

Well at least they had running water....

Then finally the sun emerged and boy does that create a glorious scene in the mountains.  You can really witness God's glory in these mountains.

Believe it or not, I still have more to share, but not today.  It snowed last night, the most it has snowed all year and I am off with camera in hand to capture that beauty.  Happy Friday everyone!!

Please stop by my collaborative blog Focusing on Life where I am musing on TRAVEL. And since I have so many fence shots have linked up to Jan & Jer's Friday Fences.

"Prayer is not a 'spare wheel' that you pull out when in trouble; it is a 'steering wheel' that directs us in the right path throughout life."

Until next time....

A Lovely Walk

On Saturday while in Asheville, NC, Catherine drove off with her realtor looking for property to purchase, leaving me with a day of finding my own treasures.  Besides finding old barns, another one of my favs to do is walking old historic neighborhoods, and in Asheville there is a perfect one. Montford is filled with historic homes, most built between 1890 and 1920, many that have been restored and some are now sweet B&B's, perfect for a romantic getaway.

Come with me as I take you on a quick pictorial tour of some of the homes in the Montford area.  It was cloudy and cold as I walked the neighborhoods, but it was obvious to me that the residents that lived here enjoyed their neighborhood...most all had comfortable furniture on their front porches and I passed  many people walking their dogs.  The dogs were as friendly as their owners.

I would love to know the people that live in this house....anybody that knits hats and scarves for their cement birds has got to be a hoot.  It's difficult to see, but each fence post had a bird sitting atop it, each one wrapped in a hat & scarf.

One of the sweet B&B's I found along my walk...

This one has not been restored and is in definite need of a loving hand.  Hopefully sometime soon it will be brought back to it's original beauty.

I love how colorful the homes are...  Each home either has a brick wall, fencing or a definite delineation along the front sidewalks.

Another lovely B&B...

I think this one may have been turned into offices...

Even their fire hydrants are colorful....

An apartment building...

These are just a few of the many, many homes in this neighborhood.  I could have walked further but it was cold and a little windy and I wanted to feel the warmth of the car heater.  The neighborhood is beautiful in the winter-time, I can only imagine how lovely it must be in the spring, summer and fall with all the trees, bushes and flowers that must be in bloom.

More of my travels tomorrow....

My sweet friend, Joanne gave me a page full of wonderful quotes to live by.  Here is one of them.

"All things in life are temporary.  If going well enjoy it, they will not last forever.  If going wrong don't worry, they can't last long either."

Until next time....

Springtime Sighting

At 6:30 AM Catherine and I loaded up the car and began the 10+ hour journey to Asheville, NC.  We barely made it in to Indiana when the snow began to fall...from that point on it pretty much either snowed or rain, making the driving rather tedious most of the way. Driving thru the "wind farms" in the Indiana fog and rain they had an eery look to them....many were standing completely still resembling large beings from outer space.  After Indiana we picked up a snip of Ohio, then on to Kentucky where the barns and farms were plentiful.   Driving I would spot one and point, then Catherine would spot another one and point, but we kept driving.

 Finally at Berea, KY I said,

"That's enough, I can't stand it....we must pull off and take a pic or 2 of some Kentucky barns".

We drove down the first rural looking road we saw (altho most roads in that area are all pretty much rural).  We were not disappointed...almost immediately we found this.....

And then this...the fences surrounding these barns were so overgrown, in the summertime you probably can't see anything past the fences.

And this one....

Along with the falling down barns we were also blessed with our first springtime sighting....

Growing along-side the road was a patch of daffodils, all coated with raindrops....sweetness!!  And then these gorgeous berries were calling to have their portraits taken too!  And since Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday challenge was to use one of her Downton Abbey collection, I added "Cora" to the purple berries.

And then....back into the car for another few hours of driving, and stopping for dinner ofcourse,  finally arriving in Asheville, NC at almost 9:00 PM with 2 full days ahead of us to enjoy.  More tomorrow!!

"Notice and marvel at the small beauties and gifts in your life.  When you do, you become an active participate in life and one with all of Life."  ~  Madeleine Kay

Until next time.....

Six States Later

I have returned from my whirlwind trip to Asheville, NC.  We had a terrific time, ate good food, saw lots of sites, took a bazillion pictures, and watched Matthew Crawley from Downton Abbey smash his lovely roadster, wiping his name off of the line-up for next season's episodes.  For those of you who are not watching Downton Abbey, (there are probably only about 2 people left who are not) we, who are Downton fans, are now in mourning for the passing of the 2nd member of the Grantham household during this season....which was far too short I might add.

On our way home today, driving very close to Lexington, KY, we took a little detour into horse country,   finding rolling hills, beautiful horses, and grand stables and homes.  We turned on Crawley Ln., which I thought was quite appropriate in honor of Matthew's passing and found this splendid horse farm....(it was really just pure luck that we happened to turn at this corner and I couldn't resist stopping to get a quick pic)

Isn't this a beauty...and with that Kentucky sky, wowzer.

Here is a close-up of the horse barn....they sure do know how to treat their horses in Kentucky.....the home of fast women and beautiful horses (or so they say).

Linking with Trish's Barn Charm....off to bed now, pretty darn tired after driving back and forth through six states.  Will catch up with everyone soon.

Until next time.....