Spread Your Wings

May you always trust in the Lord with all your heart, and never lean only on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him as Lord, and He will direct you in the path He wants you to take.

Credits list

Spread Your Wings Collection by NLD Designs
Font is Edwardian Script

I used one of the quick pages and added some clusters and elements

Abby, 10 yrs. old and growing up way too quickly!

Credits list

Spread Your Wings Collection by NLD Designs
Word art is my creation
Font for journaling is Arial Narrow
Photo by my daughter, Elisabeth Palmer

 

 

 

Fun Summer

Done for the Mask Challenge at Just Art
Journaling reads:
It was wonderful to have Jessica with us over the weekend. She lives 6 hours away from us, so we don't get to see her family too often. Sitting on the porch just chillaxing!

Credits list

Mask by Happy Scrap provided for challenge at Just Art
Font: Arial Narrow
I used both the black and colored "Fun Summer" mask. The black one I used as the photo mask. The colored one I layered on top of the photo behind the frame and cut the photo area out, leaving just the colored portion of the mask.
The kit I used is from the 52 Inspirations 2021 Subscription at O'Scraps, 52-2021-25 Love in a Jar mini kit by Simplette Scrap

Photo is mine

 

Hanky Panky

Elisabeth and family had a photo shoot yesterday, July 20th.  Some of the 4-legged family members didn't  want to cooperate!

Hanky Panky

Hank wanted no part of sitting still for a family picture, so he just walked away!

Credits list

Spring Party Collection by Vero
Beachy Days Accents by Vero
Garden Party Accents by Vero (changed hue and saturation)
Fonts: Castellar Bold, Cathleen Script, Arial Narrow

 

Done for a challenge at Just Art

Journaling reads: One of the things that makes me so very happy is being able to spend time with both of my girls. It is wonderful to be able to be their mother but it is also wonderful to know that I will always have them as friends! Thank You, LORD! <3

Credits list

Summer-ish Take 2 by Vicki Robinson, in her shop at O'Scraps, here: https://www.oscraps.com/shop/Summer-ish-Take-2-Collection-by-Vicki-Robinson.html

Font: Arial Narrow

Weekend Happenings

Jessica brought the kids down for the weekend to get another visit in before school begins next month!  It's hard to believe we are thinking about school again already!  It seems they just broke for summer vacation!  She got in late Thursday night and left Sunday afternoon!  It was a nice visit!  And since Elisabeth lives closer to us now, we got to see them lots, too!

Friday, Elisabeth and the kids came over.  The kids messed around in the woods and also wanted to do some painting.  I helped by drawing a few characters on some of the canvases.  I fixed a late lunch of sloppy joes, mac n cheese, baked beans and tater tots.  Elisabeth had to leave around 3 because their church was having VBS last week.  Jessica's kids wanted to go home with her and they all went to VBS, then spent the night with the cousins.  Jessica, Mark and I played Rummikub at the house.

Saturday, Jessica went to Elisabeth's and they took the kids swimming for a couple of hours.  Afterwards, Elisabeth took her kids home to get dressed and Jessica and kids came back here to the house.  I had pizza fixed for them.  They did some more painting before Liz and family came over.  It rained off and on.  We planned to eat hotdogs at the fire pits and let the kids ride the Palmer's 4-wheeler.  Fortunately, the rain did not mess up those plans.  Later, before it got too late, Liz and Brad took all of the kids back to the house so everyone could get showers for church.

Noah spent the weekend with us.  His mom went out of town for the weekend so he had to take care of the dogs at his house.  Plus he is working part time now, so Mark took him to work and picked him up as needed, so he didn't get to go swimming or spend as much time with the kids as he would have liked to.  He had to spend the nights at our house instead of with the rest of the kids.

Sunday, the Sheriff  of Davidson County, Richie Simmons, was our speaker in the morning services.  Brad and Elisabeth planned to come and listen to him since they are new residents of Davidson County.  But, Elisabeth was sick all night with fever and chills, so she stayed home as everyone else came to church.  She watched on line.  Mr. Simmons did a wonderful job.  The Parks family was together for the weekend, so they sang specials during the service.

After the service, we all went to Zaxby's for lunch and then everyone parted ways.  Another wonderful weekend with family!

Pictures:

Painting on Friday

Saturday afternoon

Rain

Hair dye

Fire pit time Saturday evening

Finishing up the job

Copperhead Noah found and Mark killed

Sunday at church, then lunch at Zaxby's

Parkses singing a special

Bro. Daniel Parks reading scripture from 1 Chronicles 29:10-27

Sheriff Richie Simmons

Parkses sang the closing hymn

Thank You, LORD, for Your many blessings from day to day!  I am especially thankful for my family!

Lighthouse FotoBook

I got the pages done for the lighthouse trip Mark and I made in June.

Lighthouse FotoBook Credits

Anna Aspnes

 

Cover – Front

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I am working on pages to have printed from our lighthouse trip in June. Journaling reads:
Our goal was not to climb the lighthouses. I just wanted pictures of them up close and personal! Our main reason for the trip was the trip itself.....a new place to take the bike.....and the ride.

Credits list

1. Currituck Beach Lighthouse
2. Bodie Island Lighthouse
3. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
4. Ocracoke Lighthouse
5. Cape Lookout Lighthouse
6. Oak Island Lighthouse
7. Old Baldy Lighthouse

 

 

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June 7, 2021 We left the house a few minutes after 7 a.m. The weather was a cloudy 72 degrees, but that changed pretty quickly, temperature wise. We had clouds most of the day which gave a reprieve from the sun beating down on us constantly, but we still got sunburned.
We tried to make several stops along the way. Our bum and bones get stiff sitting forlong periods straddling the bike. Our plan was to see the Currituck and Bodie lighthouses today. And, of course, we try to stay away from the major interstates due to the beating we take following other vehicles, and especially semi-trucks and their turbulence! Mark added the restrictions to the GPS of "no highways" and "no tolls." There is also another option to avoid, "no ferry." We knew we were going to have to take a ferry to one or another of the lower lighthouses, so we left that alone.
We traveled 518 miles our first day. The GPS took us up into the bottom portion of Virginia and then back down into North Carolina when we got closer to the coast. In the map of our travels, the blue line going across the top is the route to the lighthouses. The red line going back into North Carolina is where we spent the nights at the Road Trip Motel in Plymouth, NC. Appropriately named, don't you think?
1. Tying down the waterproof luggage bag.
2. Ready to go.
3. Cloud-cover.
4. Currituck Sound.
5. Our shadow as we rode.
6. Ocean view.
7. Currituck Beach Lighthouse
8. Bodie Island Lighthouse

 

 

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In order to save money, I booked a motel that was about an hour away from the coast in Plymouth, NC. The Road Trip Motel was completely sufficient for our needs since all we did was sleep there. By the time we got there each evening we were worn out and went to bed pretty early! The motel is not fancy by any means, but there were not many people spending the nights there. It was definitely off the beaten path.....the coast! Randy, the guy who checked us in, suggested we eat at the Golden Skillet restaurant which was two doors up from the motel. We walked there and I got a good fried chicken dinner and Mark got seafood. They were pretty busy, which is always a good sign!

After dinner we walked back to the motel and got ready for bed! I think we slept 12 hours!

 

 

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Tuesday, June 8, 2021
We got up, got ready and left the motel by 9:30. We stopped for gas and got breakfast at McDonald's before heading down the road and back to the coast. We had at least an hour of travel ahead of us. The motel was the cheapest and closest place and sort of centrally located to the lighthouses. And at $49 a night, we got our money's worth, even though it would have been nicer to have been closer to the coast! At least US64 is a straight shot, which is the main drag through Plymouth, NC!
More cloud-cover. I cannot tolerate the heat, so I am always grateful for the clouds while on the bike!
We traveled 297 miles today. We passed the Bodie Island Lighthouse again since it is at the entrance to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the "nation's tallest and most recognizable lighthouse, and is commonly referred to as "America's Lighthouse.""
From Hatteras, we took a free ferry to Ocracoke Island to visit the Ocracoke Lighthouse. The white-washed lighthouse is the nation's second-oldest still-active facility. "The village is steeped in history, only accessible by water or air and was once a safe haven for the infamous pirate Blackbeard."
1. Breakfast at McDonald's
2. Cloud-cover
3. Bridge to cross over Roanoke Sound
4. Sunburn reflection in the bike mirror
5. Wind surfing in the Roanoke Sound

 

 

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1. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
2. Amphitheater of stone in view of the lighthouse has the names of the lighthouse keepers carved in them.
3. The ability to climb the lighthouse staircase was not possible as the lighthouse was under renovation construction.
4. The keeper's home and museum.

5. Sand dunes along NC HWY 12 that runs the length of the Outer Banks.
6. Aboard the ferry to Ocracoke Island.

 

 

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After visiting Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, we drove on down NC HWY 12 to catch the ferry to Ocracoke Island.  It took an hour and we passed another ferry every 15 minutes.  I have always loved riding on a ferry since I was a kid.  I’m so glad I had my good camera with me!  I stood up front so I could see and capture good pictures.

1.      Sandbar loaded with seagulls

2.      Passing another ferry heading to where we came from

3.      Seagull perched on top of the ferry

4.      Seagull hovering above the boat, looking for fish.

5.      A pelican

6.      A fishing boat

 

 

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The best part of the ferry ride for me was watching the seagulls hovering above the ferry.  Some of them hung around the back of the ferry where the paddle wheels stirred up fish, diving in as they saw fish.  It was easy to get some good photos of the seagulls as they hovered above the ferry.

The sun was shining bright and hot, but the breeze off of the ocean felt wonderful!  We got a sun burn from being on the bike so long on Monday, so the sunshine burned our skin, even with sun screen on.

 

1. Birds watching the ferry pull into the dock.

2. Seagull hovering above the ferry.

3. Another seagull hovering and looking for fish.

4. One of the buoys marking the path the ferry takes so as not to get too close to the sandbars.

5. Seagull taking a bath as we pulled into the dock.

6. A couple of jet skis enjoying the water and pretty day.

 

 

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1.      Flowers growing in the sand along NC HWY 12

2.      Selfie standing before the Ocracoke Island Lighthouse

3.      The Keeper’s buildings and house

4.      Seagull above the ferry

5.      Map of the day’s travel route, from the motel and back in the evening.

6.      Traveling back to the motel in the evening.

7.      Setting sun.

 

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Wednesday, June 9, 2021

We drove 565 miles today, and that includes the trip home after the lighthouses we visited (322 mi. to the lighthouses and 243 mi. from the lighthouses to home).  We left the hotel at 10 a.m., stopped at McDonald’s for breakfast and began the trip to Cape Lookout Lighthouse on Harker’s Island around 10:20 with an ETA of 1:10 with straight travel through.

1.      A shot over Mark’s helmet as we head out.

2.      We arrived at the Minnesott Beach ferry at noon.  It is approx.. 3 miles across the Neuse River to Cherry Branch.  It took approx.. 18 minutes to cross the river.

3.      Cherry Branch straight ahead.

4.      Map of Neuse River at the ferry crossing.

5.      Sign showing distance to Cherry Branch.

6.      Thomas A. Baum ferry we rode.

7.      Seagull hovering over the ferry.

8.      Marker out in the river.

9.      Welcoming committee as we arrived.

10.  Seagulls waiting for the fish to be stirred up.

 

 

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We stopped for gas before continuing on our journey to the Cape Lookout lighthouse.  We arrived at the end of Harker’s Island at 1:15.  The lighthouse is not actually on Harker’s Island, but that is where you catch the ferry to cross the Back Sound to get to the lighthouse.  The foot ferry was active, but the car ferry to the lighthouse was closed because the lighthouse is being repaired due to constructural problems.

From there, we followed the coast down to the Oak Island Lighthouse on Caswell Beach, arriving at 6;45.  From Caswell Beach, we looked across to Bald head Island to see Old Baldy Lighthouse.  The ferry to go across to the island was quite expensive, so I was satisfied to zoom in and get a picture.  It was getting late and we decided to travel on home from here, arriving home at 11:42 p.m.

1.      Cape Lookout Lighthouse.

2.      Selfie in parking lot on Harker’s Island.

3.      White Ibis

4.      Seagull trying to get some snacks.

5.      Same seagull.

6.      Ibis pair.

 

 

 

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It was a great trip!  We put in a total of 1,380.2 miles in 3 days!  Half of the time was spent on the bike!  When we get home from a trip like this, we are not too anxious to ride the bike for awhile so we can rest our bums!

When we ride the bike on a short trip, it’s about the journey, not the destination, usually.  But a trip like this, it was about the journey AND the destination!

Our goal was to “see” the lighthouses.  We accomplished that goal!

 

Since we hadn’t eaten lunch yet, on our way down to the Oak Island Lighthouse we stopped in Morehead City at Dairy Queen.  We had lunch AND dessert!

1. We shared a Blizzard at DQ.

2. The sign at the lighthouse.

3. Selfie in front of the lighthouse.

4. Our shadow.

5. Boardwalk to the beach so we

    could look across the way to

    Old Baldy Lighthouse.  I love the

    cross shadow showing on the

    boardwalk.

6. Thunderstorm moving into our

    driving area on the way home.

7. Old Baldy Lighthouse on Bald

    Head Island.

8. Map of today’s travels to the

    ligthouses, but not the 4 hrs.

    15 minutes home.

 

  It WAS a great trip!