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!

Embracing Unchangeable

Well, it does not look like the cold weather is going away anytime soon. As I am writing this, it is actually -9 degrees outside. Schools are closed once again, etc. I cannot ever remember a colder winter in my life. The kind of cold that actually takes your breath away, and can cause frostbite in minutes if your not properly covered in the cold elements. I decided to actually take myself outside with my camera because I am going stir-crazy with cabin fever. I didn't go far, just outside my front door. Did I mention, it showed all weekend too? Here is a little photo of me trying to embrace what I cannot change, the winter's bitter cold! I am looking forward to the weekend when the temperatures will be in the 20's. I think it will actually feel like a heat-wave in comparison to the temperatures we have had in January. So everyone, enjoy the day, and please keep warm!

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!

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!

Michigan Weather in Days!

Well, I was really hoping Spring was just around the corner as I saw this beautiful tree while driving down the road early on a foggy morning a week ago. I took the picture as a passenger in the car going 60 mph and was unable to get a really clear shot of this tree. It looked so beautiful and serene just sitting there in a mist of fog. A few days later, it was raining and all of the snow was gone! Getting really happy now, as it really looks like Spring is in the air! There was even a rainbow after this rain, but I could only capture a photo from my front porch. Two days after what I thought was Spring rain, I woke up to two inches of snow. I tell ya, Michigan is so fickle with it's weather. So again, I will wait for the real Spring, to go out and smell the air, soak up the sun, and get out there with my camera!