Journey Through the Walk of Life

Well, it's been a busy week for me, and not in the best way. My step-son and his family had a house fire this past Monday morning that started in-between the walls of their fireplace. It slowly burned all of Sunday night, and was not discovered until Monday morning when they heard crackling in the wall of the fireplace. The family is so blessed that this fire did not take their lives in the middle of the night while they slept, as my two grandson's room was directly above the fireplace wall. I believe the house is a total loss, as what did not burn, was heavily damaged by smoke and water. Times like this are so devastating to people, to the point that you can't even think of what to do next. I cried when I saw the devastation to the house, as it was once home to me, my husband, my daughter and my step-son. It was also the last place we ever saw my other step-son alive, as he passed away last year at the age of 26. So, I have been busy with a "go-fund" fundraiser that I organized on Tue. to get my step-son and his family some emergency needs, as they have lost everything in this fire. I posted the "go-fund" on facebook, and the out-pouring of of donations and support have been truly amazing! We are already more than halfway to our goal. So many people have offered clothes, coats, shoes, etc. that we also had to set-up a central location to drop off donations. This week has taught me about love and support of total strangers. There will never be a way to thank all of these people enough for all that they have done to help my step-son and his family. It's hard for a man and woman, with their 3 children to look at what once was. Now, they are taking a new journey into what is the unknown for them. Our family is strong, and they will literally rise from the ashes in time. This is just another "Journey Through the Walk of Life." Happy Thursday everyone!

Bridging the Gap

This is another fall photo taken at one of the parks I frequent all year-round. I loved the look of this scene because of the many colors that were on display for fall. The bridge goes over the man-made lake that has fountains sprouting through it in the summer. Even in the winter, when the fountains are off for the season, I always find something interesting here to photograph. Hope you enjoy!

Washed Away

It seems like when the Fall season starts, time changes in preparation for Winter. This particular Fall seems like it is going by much faster than I can ever remember. I went back to the cider mill for the last time this fall, and was really surprised as most of the trees are already close to bare. It was cold and windy, so the river was flowing pretty fast that day. While I stood there watching the river, I saw a fair amount of leaves being "Washed Away" down the path of the river's current. In this photo, there is a clump of leaves that got stuck on a rock, and had not yet been washed away. Enjoy!

Through the Path of Colors

Fall is a special time of year in Michigan, where everything changes in preparation for Winter. The air outside is crisp and fresh, the leaves on the trees change from green to golden yellows, oranges and reds, just before falling off and covering the ground with a great deal of leaves that crunch under your feet as you walk the ground around you. This is a photo I took in the park a few days ago as the winding path was a backdrop of gorgeous fall colors!

Fall-The Last Sail!

I've been to about 5 different parks in the last two weeks, just to go see all of the beautiful fall colors! Each park has something different as far as the colors go. There is a great variety of colors at each park. Some of the parks have water, as they are my favorite kind of parks. This one, I took a few days ago just sitting in front of the Coast Guard Station at one of the marinas. It was extremely cloudy outside, but the sun was still shining. This lonely sailboat caught my eye, as it appears to be the last boat in the water. The colors of the trees around the area of the boat, created a pretty photo. Hope you like it!

Fall Morning Mist

After seeing all of the beautiful fall colors once, I went back to the cider mill on Friday. I didn't go for the cider this time. I went because I realized what a beautiful photo background the river created for the fall colors. I went early in the morning this time. After I was greeted by the goats, (pics in future post), I headed down by the Clinton River to see what the colors looked like once again. The first thing I saw was that the sun was just starting to show through the trees and on the river. The effect of the sun-rays created a gorgeous foggy mist on the river! It was a beautiful way to start the weekend!

Fall Along the River

Yesterday I had the chance to get outside and go visit one of many cider mills in the area. However, my favorite is Yates Cider Mill which turned 150 yrs old this year. I have visited this cider mill every year since I can remember. I love the large wooden water wheel, the smell of apples inside, and being able to sometimes watch the mashing machine as it presses the apples into cider. I also love the warm donuts, you cannot eat just one! On the outside of this particular cider mill runs the Clinton River for miles and miles. There is a trail that can be walked, which seems to go on forever. This is one of the photos that I took while walking down off of the trail and right along the river. The fall colors are beautiful, and the sound of the river makes it feel like a place you would want to sit for hours and hours. Hope you enjoy the beauty of fall in this photo!