Friday Foto Friends~A Special Day

Happy Friday everyone!! Even though I don't work outside of the home anymore, I am still always happy to see Friday roll around for some reason! And especially today! But I'll get to that in a few minutes.

This morning we decided to take a ride to a park and location that we've never been to before. Our kids had told us about it, and so we thought we'd check it out.  There's a boat ramp that leads to a lake, and also a very nice park (that even has restrooms! That's always a plus! LOL)  

Here's the boat ramp and dock, which, as you can see, has practically no water  up to the ramp.

The drought that we've had has taken its toll on the lakes around here as well as our pond, but this white Egret didn't seem to mind...

There you can see the lake out there beyond the trees...

Oh, the Egret decided to fly to a different spot to fish...

I hope he finds whatever he's looking for!

I found something else to look at...this beautiful Pickerel Weed growing in the water.

Update Saturday morning: Do you see the lizard in that picture above? I just noticed it this morning!  He photo bombed my picture! LOL.

And in the picture below, do you see the little butterfly on the flower?  Sometimes we have to sit back and take a second look at things to see the full picture! Isn't that like life? We don't always see everything that God is doing the first time, but after we have time to think about things, we can more fully see the Big Picture that God sees!

And this cluster of pink eggs belongs to the Island Apple Snail, which is considered an invasive species of the Apple snail..: "Because of damage to crops, the channeled apple snail is listed as one of the world’s worst invaders. There is also concern that the snail’s haphazard appetite for large amounts of aquatic vegetation could alter aquatic ecosystems. In Florida, an additional concern is the possible displacement of the native Florida apple snail."  I noticed some other clusters of these snail eggs there, but wasn't aware that they were considered something invasive. I'm sure the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is well aware of them, but it makes me want to report them to someone! Oh well...some things need to be left to the experts!

There is a beautiful hiking trail at this park, but we didn't come prepared to go hiking in the woods. The insects (mosquitoes in particular) are still too bad for doing much hiking in the woods unless you have appropriate insect repellent and/or long sleeve and pants, so we declined to walk in the woods.

This is where we were. I'm sorry it's too small to read, but you get the idea. This LINK will tell you more about this area if you are interested.  It might be interesting to visit again in the fall when it's not so hot and buggy!

This is the kind of trail it would be:

The Park is called "Owen's-Illinois Park", and is a lovely place for a picnic, with a beautiful playground for the children, and as I said, clean restrooms!

The whole park is shaded by a canopy of these beautiful old live oak trees, which makes for a most lovely setting year round.

We enjoyed just walking around in a very peaceful setting...

The goldenrod is already blooming!  So pretty!

After we left the park we drove down the road a little further to a lovely old community called Windsor:

"Windsor was named by English cotton planters who settled the town in 1846. New residents from both northern and southern states were attracted by the development of citrus culture in the area. By the end of the Reconstruction era, Windsor was prospering, and in 1884 a post office was established. The town had a population of over 400 in the mid-1880s.[4] In the 1890s the town boasted a doctor, three stores, a real estate office, a grist mill, two sawmills, and factories producing boxes, cedar baskets and fertilizer. Severe freezes in 1884, 1895, and 1899 devastated the orange groves and as a result Windsor's population declined. The post office closed in 1936.[5]
Events
Windsor is known for its annual Zucchini Festival in May.[6]"

Update:  I had to look  up the Zucchini Festival to see if they still have it, and yes, apparently they do still do this every May! HERE is a link to their Facerbook page about this event. We may have to to next year!  "The festival is held the 2nd Saturday of May each year. It is the major fundraiser for the Windsor Fire Department... Windsor FL. and hosts our famous FRIED ZUCCHINI!"   Sounds like fun!

I was amazed to see some of these beautiful old historic homes that remain from it's heyday:

This house was amazing.  It had two octagon shaped porches on each end of the long beautiful front porch:

Here is another gorgeous old home.  I wasn't able to stop and take a picture since I was driving and there was no good place to stop and take the picture, so hubby took the picture for me as we drove by.  His eyes are still a little sensitive and he's not real comfortable driving  right now.

Next to that house above was this lovely old church building. I did pull over and get out and take some pictures of it.  There's no sign to indicate what kind of church it was, but it is so quaint and beautiful...

I was also noticing this very old and large pine tree next to it.  My prayer would be that it doesn't ever fall down on that church building. It's much too close for comfort.  UPDATE: On second look, I think that might be a cedar tree instead of a pine tree. The bark is wrong for a pine tree. Either way, it's too close to the church building! I noticed in the description of the town that they used to make cedar baskets in this community back in it's hey-day. Makes me think there probably were a lot of cedar trees here at one time. 

I was trying to zero in on that tiny little stained glass window above the back door:

Here's what I have been able to enlarge.  Is it the dove of peace, which would be symbolic of the Holy Spirit descending down at Pentecost, at least I think that's what it is. As far as I could see there were no other stained glass windows, but I couldn't really see the other side of the building.  I wish I could go inside and see if anything has been preserved.

All in all, it was a lovely ride in the country this morning, and thankfully we made it back home before the rains started. We were hearing thunder all the way and there was some light rain, but the worst of it waited until later in the afternoon.  

Thankfully we were able to get Blackie back inside the house before the storm started. He headed straight for the couch and hid behind the pillow and went to sleep. 

I guess he felt safe there from the thunder and lightning. Bless his sweet heart. 

I decided it was a good afternoon to bake this "Sock it To Me" Cake".  (click the link for the recipe).

It makes a good coffee (or TEA) cake! Not overly sweet, and nice and moist!  

Also, I was happy to see this rose blooming! It's been a while since it bloomed because it's been so hot and dry, but with all the nice afternoon rains we've been getting, the bush is starting to look healthy again.

So now, why is today such a special day?  Well, because today is the day our first bouncing baby boy was born, 55 years ago today!!  He now qualifies for the senior discount at some places! LOL.

And YES! He was a BIG bouncing baby boy! LOL.

Here is his hospital picture. He had a lot of hair, and the nurses in the nursery were having fun styling it differently everytime they brought him to me! LOL.

Here we are at home a week or so later..yes, that's a week old baby...LOL He just kept growing and growing!  And the 2nd picture was at 3 weeks, with his daddy.

This was at 3 months...

 3 months and then at 12 months...

And then his 1 year birthday! (Little did I know...or I may have just found out, that I was already expecting our #2 son at this time!!! Oh boy! Things just got more and more exciting and interesting!)

And here he is nowadays...with his sweet wife Rose. (and my niece Debbie in the background. )

And another recent photo... He really hasn't changed much, has he? LOL.

So, we aren't getting together today to celebrate because he and Rose had the day off from work and they wanted to take a ride somewhere and do something different...however, they kind of got their plans rained out too, but they still had a nice day and they went out to supper.  We will celebrate with them on Sunday after church, when our son Scott can be here too.  I will be baking another cake for that day. He said he wants devil's food with white icing. Sounds good to me! LOL.  We also plan to pick up those delicious ribs from Hog Wild again for lunch.  So that's easy!

I wanted to thank you all for your kind comments on my post yesterday about Dolly Parton.  And I also wanted to mention the horrific avalanche and mudslides and flood in Nepal and Tibet this past week. The death toll keeps rising and it was truly a major disaster.  My heart goes out to those who have lost family members  and for the rescuers who continue to try to find survivors.  There are so many disasters happening around the world lately...so many earthquakes in various places as well as floods and other serious natural disasters.  

One can't help but think about the passage in scripture where Jesus is talking to His disciples and answering their questions about the "end times".

Matthew 24:3-14

"3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for [a]all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, [b]pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

If this doesn't describe much of what we are seeing in the world today, I don't know what does. 

But a little later in his discourse, he goes on to say this:  (Matthew 24:36-44)

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of [f]heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what [g]hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what [h]hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Jesus says that no one knows the day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, "but My Father only." But he warns us to be prepared and ready, because none of us knows when our Lord is coming..."Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."
Dolly Parton had no idea what day and hour the Lord would call her home. Others who have recently passed away, whether young or old, sick or healthy, did not know either. The important lesson for us to remember is to be ready at all times. Make sure we have made things right with our Lord and with our fellow man. Don't harbor grudges or unforgiveness in our hearts. Say "I'm sorry", and mean it. Repent of our own sins and take care of things that need to be accounted for. The signs of the times are very strong that Christ could return at any time, but even if He doesn't, our own souls could be required of us at any moment. Never put off to tomorrow the things of the heart that need to be taken care of today.

Well dear friends, I guess that about wraps up this day.  Maybe too much to contemplate, but this is what I felt led to write.  Be sure to tell your loved ones that you love them every opportunity you can. None of us knows when it will be our last opportunity.  

Be blessed my friends.