Sunday, June 27, 2010

Vacation

We went to see my parents this past week, and had a very nice, relaxing time. We had not seen them since Christmas, so it was nice to 'catch up'. I thought I'd show you some pictures of where we were.


This is Humpback Bridge.
It's just outside of Covington, Virginia, where I grew up.
This was one of our favorite places.
We would get a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken and go to Humpback. :)
It's only about a half mile off of I-64, so if you're ever in that area, it would definitely be worth your time to visit.


This is a picture of the inside.
I was very sad to see how people have spray painted it.
I remember seeing initials carved in it when I was little,
but the spray paint is just too much.
I'm so glad no one has spray painted the outside.


A sign with a little more information about Humpback.
It's also a registered Virginia historic landmark.


Can you see the ropes hanging from the bottom?
People like to swing from these into the water.


A bird nest Mom found in one of her hanging plants.


My parents' cat, Calaresi.
I know the name is odd,
but it's a combination of Callie and Reese cup.
She's so sweet. :)


Mom and Dad's front porch -
one of my favorite places to be
when I'm there.


This is their garden.
There are blackberry bushes in the front part of the picture, and all along the fence.
A few other things are in there too,
like rhubarb that Mom uses to make her delicious strawberry-rhubarb jam.
When I was growing up, there wasn't any grass there. It was ALL garden! I pulled weeds, snapped green beans, shucked corn, shelled October beans,... well, you get the picture. We didn't have air conditioning, so when Mom canned, the kitchen got mighty hot! We would retreat to the basement. :) Thankfully, they have air conditioning now.


This is a picture taken yesterday from Afton Mountain at an overlook on I-64, close to Waynesboro, Virginia. It was a little hazy, but isn't that a pretty view?

Katie and I have a party tomorrow with the ladies and girls in the church, and then Tuesday is my anniversary - 19 years! Where does the time go??
I would like to ask you to please pray for some friends in our church. They had a house fire on Friday night. Thankfully, they weren't in bed yet, so they were all able to get out, but they won't be able to live there for a while.
Hope you all will have a good week. :)

Melanie

Friday, June 18, 2010

Nature's Beauty

The weather here is absolutely gorgeous today!


Just look at that pretty blue sky!
These are the tall, straight pine trees
across the road in front of our house.



Perfect weather for hanging clothes. :)



This is my clothespin bag a friend of mine
bought for me last summer when she went to England.
The packaging said it was a 'peg' bag,
but I've always called it a clothespin bag.
Maybe clothespins are called pegs in England.



Oreo loves to be with me when I'm outside.
He's such a sweetheart.



Here he is sharpening his claws
on the locust tree in the backyard.



Our day lilies are beginning to bloom.
I think they're so beautiful!



Our magnolia tree in the backyard.
As you can see, there's a swing in it for Katie.
She and Lilly love it back there.



Beautiful magnolia flower.
They have a wonderful lemony fragrance.



Our willow tree.
It's only a few years old, but it has grown!!



Our fig trees.
Kids love to play in them. :)



See the figs?
They'll be ready around September.
The tree is just full of them! There's plenty to share. :)



I was able to get the bee
on this Rose of Sharon flower.



See the white butterfly on the right?



This yellow butterfly is a little easier to see.


Hope you all will have a wonderful weekend.
Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

Melanie

Monday, June 14, 2010

Summer Vacation!

Summer vacation is finally here! :)

The past couple of weeks have been very busy, but since our church has a Christian school, that is to be expected!
In addition to all of the end-of-the-year school events, our youth leader got married on Saturday. So, needless to say, I am ready for a break!

When my husband was talking to the Kindergartners before their graduation on Thursday, one of the little boys came up to him and said, "Pastor, I like your smell! I like to wear 'cologny' too."
Too cute!

Now that school's out, we can visit our families. We haven't seen them since Christmas. We're looking forward to it! :)

Hope you all will have a great week!

Melanie

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Psalm 19:1

The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Katie took a picture of our sunset today.
It was so much more beautiful than a picture can show.
Hope you all will have a blessed week.

Melanie