Friday Fotos After All from Lake Swan Camp

 After last night's post, I wasn't sure if I'd have anything new to share with you today...but it was such a beautiful day we decided to take a little ride this morning and get out and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.

We rode up to one of our favorite places to visit, Lake Swan Camp.  I've shared stories from there before, as we have a history with this place that goes way back to our children's first summer camp experience, and you can read about that and other visits again if you wish at the links down below the pictures at the end of this post.

As you can see, it was a glorious day...look at that lake...and that sky! Wow! Absolutely stunning and perfect! The temperature was about 65 degrees, with the sun shining and low humidity...the days we wish would last all spring and summer long!

And then I noticed this...the Cross...oh yes! The Cross...this is what makes Lake Swan Camp such a special place...so many lives changed here at this camp...children,  youth, and adults too...even our own kids when they were there so many years ago...

Oh look at this Cormorant sitting on the raft...

He was enjoying this perfect morning also!

He decided to jump in the lake for a swim...

These birds will dive down under the water and come up some where else. They also love to sit in the sun and spread out their wings to dry in the sunshine. 

But today he just wanted to swim!

It was a perfect day for it! Glad we got to see him!

It was just beautiful all the way around!

Oh, lookie what I found!

Who remembers this poem? 

The Swing

By Robert Louis Stevenson

How do you like to go up in a swing,

Up in the air so blue?

Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing

Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,

Till I can see so wide,

Rivers and trees and cattle and all

Over the countryside—

Till I look down on the garden green,

Down on the roof so brown—

Up in the air I go flying again,

Up in the air and down!

Source: A Child's Garden of Verses 

It was a little low to the ground and tended to go cockeyed, but other than that, it was perfect!

Doesn't  take much to make me happy! LOL.

This also makes me happy:

Now that's what I call a beautiful sight!

Next we walked over to the fire pit/devotional area...a place where I'm sure testimonies are shared around the campfire...Oh, how I'd love to be there when that's happening...I can just sense the Presence of the Lord in this place...

Such a beautiful, prayerful setting...

I kind of wandered off into the woods by myself while hubby went to check out the "facilities"...

Found this lovely clearing with some more benches...and I can just imagine sitting there to pray and meditate on God's Word...just me and God in His woods...I really could have stayed here all day and have been perfectly happy...

Oh, look at those beautiful azaleas blooming off in the distance,  so of course I had to go check them out:

Oh my, aren't they gorgeous? Right out here blooming in the woods for the glory of God!

Really perfect!

Then I made my way back to the cross...really, life begins at the cross...and it ends at the cross...in a sense.  While I was writing this post I was listening to our Easter Cantata so I can get more familiar with it. And one of the songs in the cantata is "It Is Finished"...an arrangement of the original song by Bill and Gloria Gaither.  (Actually, that's the title of the whole cantata, come to think of it!)  When I came back to this picture at the end of the post, that song was playing..."It is Finished..."   and even though that may seem "coincidental", it really isn't.  

As I said in the beginning, the cross is the place where lives have been changed, people have been saved...where God tells His children, "It is finished! The Battle is over! It is finished! There'll be no more war...It is finished, the end of the conflict;

It is finished and Jesus is Lord"

It Is Finished

The Gaither Vocal Band

"There's a line that is drawn through the ages

On that line stands an old rugged cross

On that cross, a battle is raging

Or the gain a man's soul or it's loss

On one side, march the forces of evil

All the demons, and all the devils of hell

On the other, the angels of glory

And they meet on Golgotha's hill

The earth shakes with the force of the conflict

And the sun refuses to shine

There hangs God's son, in the balance

And then through the darkness he cries:

"It is finished, the battle is over

It is finished, there'll be no more war

It is finished, the end of the conflict

It is finished and Jesus is Lord"

Yet in my heart, the battle was raging

Not all prisoners of war had come home

These were battlefields of my own making

I didn't know that the war had been won.

Then I heard the king of the ages

Had fought all the battles for me

And that victory was mine for the claiming

And now praise his name, I am free!

It is finished, the battle is over

It is finished, there'll be no more war

It is finished, the end of the conflict

It is finished and, Jesus is Lord"

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Gloria Gaither / William J. Gaither

It Is Finished lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing

Link to previous visit to Lake Swan Camp

Another Link telling more of our history at this camp

Final thought...Is it finished for you?  Is the battle really over?  Is Jesus your Lord?   There's no time like the present to accept the free gift that Jesus is offering you...let Him fight your battles for you, and let Him be Lord, both now and forever. Amen.

Matthew 11:28-30

"28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: 

and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Friday Foto Friends: November~The Season of Blessings

November is here! The season of blessings and thanksgiving! Also the "season of change", according to this John Sloane Country Seasons calendar!

What a beautiful house and yard...and I guess for some of you up north, your yards probably looked like this this week. I know some of you had snow already, and possibly all the leaves have not yet fallen off the trees.  I know I just had a wonderful LONG phone conversation with one of my dearest "old" friends up in Ohio...she called me just to get caught up...something we try to do at least once a year.  She said the snow fell on top of the leaves that had fallen before she had time to rake them up, and there are still more leaves on the trees waiting to fall. I remember those days from way back when we lived up north. November is an in between month...transitioning from autumn beauty to the starkness of winter, which has its own kind of beauty, even if it is freezing cold! LOL.

Now here's a place that I would dearly love!!!I love everything about this place, except maybe for the huge mountains in the background! those might be a bit too much...but that house on the lake is gorgeous! Too big for me nowadays, but I would love to visit there!

Amen!

This is a lovely autumn garden somewhere!

And then there's this sweet little Susan Branch calendar...I love these pictures.  I guess I didn't get the photo close enough to read what it says:

"Now go outside for a big breath of fresh air~come back in and see how good your kitchen smells".

"Things taste better in small houses." Queen Victoria

"God bless thee when winds blow; Our home and all we know." Florence Bone

Here's the lovely picture from the Teapot Calendar...

"Tea! Blessed ordinary everyday afternoon tea!" Agatha Cristie.

Wouldn't you love to sit and have some afternoon tea with dear friends? I know I would.

Yes, November is the season of change...it was downright chilly this morning when we woke up, so we turned on the fireplace and had a hearty big breakfast of fried ham and eggs, grits, and toast with blackberry jam. It was yummy!

Oh, and we must also remember to change our clocks this weekend!  Fall back one hour, which means we gain an hour of sleep, so they say.  I've always felt like no matter what we gained or lost, it always takes about a week to get back to some kind of normalcy, and I really wish they'd just leave it one way or the other!  That being said, don't forget to turn your clocks back when you go to bed Saturday night! I know, it's a pain...going backwards is harder than going forwards, but if you don't do it, you will be very early to church!

Today was such a lovely day after the sun came out...it was cool but not too cold, sunny, and no humidity! Hubby was feeling well enough to want to take a little ride somewhere and get out and walk a bit.  After a month of mostly sitting and not going anywhere, we have both had cabin fever and we are so thankful to finally be able to get out and about.  So we rode back to this little boat ramp park where we've been once before, "Kenwood".  Here's a few pictures I took to show the little signs of fall here in Florida:

This Cormorant was busy diving and fishing for his dinner.

As soon as I'd get the camera focused on him, down he'd go...and then he'd pop up again way beyond where he dove in. 

This is actually where I was watching him...

This is a beautiful stand of Bald Cypress trees. They are gradually changing color and will soon drop their leaves...

These are the trunks and "knees" of the Bald Cypress Trees. I especially wanted Debbie a.k.a. "From My House to Yours",so see these trees, as she showed a picture of a beautiful clock that she has from her parents that I believe was made from the trunk of the cypress tree.   So, Debbie, this is how the tree looked before it was cut up into slabs and made into clocks!

It truly was a lovely morning, and I was so glad we were able to get out and take this little ride and walkabout this park...

They also have a beautiful picnic pavilion with BBQ grills and tables. It would be a fun place to bring the family for a nice picnic...especially if we had a boat and could go out in the water!

You do need to watch out for the Manatees.  Especially as the weather gets colder, they come into the warmer waters to stay warm, and too often they get hit by boaters who don't see them there under the water.

So today I am thankful for this season of "change", the beautiful  weather, and for my hubby's recovery, which gets better with every day, Praise God!! We are so very thankful for the ways in which God has blessed and healed above and beyond our expectations. 

Ephesians 3:20-21

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 

21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. 

Have a happy November,  Friends!!