These photos go back to about 1976 or so.That is my little boy who is now all grown up with a daughter who is older than he is in this shot.
I can not be totally sure where this is,but it would have been in the USA as we were coming back from a trip to the Denver,Colorado area.
The Grand Tetons are truly grand in every way.This photo was taken back around 1969 or 70.
Again I am not sure of the location,but I love the shot.
Since Jake did some travelling before I came into his life I really have no idea where this is,but I liked how he framed the scene with the out of focus leaves.
This is Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies.From the smoky look,I'm guessing that it was when he travelled through there in 1971 with a friend.
Memories are good,but each day is a gift from God.
Thank You God for blessing me much more than I deserve.
My husband,Jake loved photography of almost any sort,but I think if he would have had to choose only one subject it would have been the White-tailed Deer.
He used to be an avid hunter,but the day came when he was out hunting these animals with a high powered rifle,hoping to get some meat to fill the freezer,when he suddenly found that he couldn't pull the trigger on a deer.
I remember so well,when he got home,he set his rifle down and announced that he was done with hunting.I am not knocking anyone who hunts,as I grew up with hunting and eating wild meat.
After that day,Jake bought a new camera and took up hunting of a different sort.
Always hoping for that perfect shot,he spent countless hours,dressed in camouflage,waiting for the deer to be at just the right place.
This doe has no doubt seen the photographer,but paused long enough to get a few shots.
Something has got their attention,but who knows what.Just a reminder,all these images were taken long before the digital era.This was a time when each picture was carefully weighed to make sure you didn't waste film.
Here is another one who seems to know that someone is there,but waits just long enough for a photo.
This is probable one of Jake's best shots.The only improvement would be if the doe was looking at the camera,or at least straight ahead.
The White-tailed Deer is a beautiful animal and the only deer we have around here.I love to see the spotted fawns early in the spring.
A verse that kind of goes with these pictures.
Your heavenly Father knows your needs,
He will give you all you need from day to day.
Luke 12:30-31
As God provides grass for these animals,He also provides for our needs.
Beginning with this post,I have a series of posts showing photos which I have not taken.I am however closely connected to the photographer.My late husband,Jake was an amazing photographer and I thought it was time to show some of his work again.
I may have shown some of these pictures before,but in my mind,a good picture is worth sharing more than once.
A picture like this may go back 25-30 years or more.These were all slides that have been scanned onto the computer,so I don't have the original date.
The location for this picture is at the edge of the Pembina Valley.
This is a slightly different angle,but taken at much the same place.
I have a fairly good idea when this picture was taken.This is our yard in town.The place I still live at.This was likely taken the winter of 1992-93.That would have been our first winter in town. It is interesting to see the place now and realize how much those trees have grown.
Back to the valley.Frost was covering the branches and creating a winter wonderland.
This is likely on the yard as well.A warm sunny winter day was causing the snow on the tree to melt and formed these beautiful icicles.
Too often we get tired of winter,and complain about the snow and the cold,but I found a quote that puts it all into perspective.
Lord,thank You for winter,even though it can be cold and cloistering and inconvenient.Without it,the balance of nature would be thrown off.You promised that as long as the Earth endured,there would be both summer and winter,and I accept Your wisdom.
In southern Manitoba,we expect snow and wind in winter,and we are usually not disappointed.
This winter has had a variety of weather,some snow,some wind,some bitter cold and lots of mild days as well.
The fury of winter came on January 8th.We had some snow and then of course the wind.The snow was quickly blown into drifts. I must add that this has thus far been the only storm of the winter,so that is pretty good,BUT,winter is not over yet.
On my yard,the snow drifts form right across my driveway.This one was big enough that I didn't feel comfortable tackling it with my car,even if it is a four-wheel drive.
This photo gives a better perspective of the drift across the driveway at the west end of my house.I had to get someone to pick me up and take me to my bus so I could take care of my route for the afternoon.By early next morning my snow clearing guy had opened it up really well.
Yes,we have storms,but we also get to see the beautiful side of winter.On a recent drive out of town,I came upon this scene in the roadside ditch.I thought it was a stunning scene.
I zoomed in on the snowbank and noticed all the ripples and texture in the snow.
A wider angle view,once again changed the look of the scene.I love those blue shadows on the snow.
I have not had many chances to get photos of a Snowy Owl this year,but this lady was very cooperative.Can she turn that head any further around?
I moved forward with the car and she turned around and gave me this beautiful pose.What a magnificent bird!
I look at a bird like this and I see a beautiful creation,made by God.
The quote I share today is one I need to remember.
Today I want to share a few photos of my Amaryllis.I had two plants this year,one a bright red and the other very softly coloured.
The lighter one,called Apple Blossom,had only one stem of flowers,but the flowers were huge and the stem was very tall.
The red one didn't have a name,but it was very pretty. It sent up two stems,so they remained shorter and the flowers were a little smaller.
Unfortunately,I did not get to enjoy the red flowers to the fullest.They started blooming just before I left for Nashville and were mostly done by the time I came home.
I like the detail in those petals.
Just for good measure,I will add one more photo from the Christmas arrangement I had.
Flowers have a way of brightening the room and lifting the spirit. I hope you enjoyed this small glimpse of my flowers.
At Christmas I received an arrangement and today I want to share a few photos from that.
The centre of this Mum is so tightly packed and beautiful. Sunlight lightens the the outer petals.
The same flower from a different angle.It was a very large flower.
Still the same Mum,now looking trough those pristine white petals.
Here is one of the other blooms in this arrangement,with sunlight causing its thin petals to glow.
On a cold,but sunny winter day,this is a scene I just don't get tired of.I see this from my living room window and each time I look outside,I marvel at this beauty.
The above is a morning scene and I am reminded of the following quote.
Thank-you Lord for another amazing day full of so many blessings.
By now you all know that I got to visit Nashville,Tennessee a little while ago.
This was a week filled with firsts.
I took my first ever flight,had my first visit to Nashville,or for that matter anywhere in Tennessee.
I got to meet George and Betsy for the first time,and they took us to Cracker Barrel,which was also a first for me. This was a place I had often heard about and now I can say I have eaten there.So Cool!
I initially made the plans to go,because I wanted to attend Legacy Five's New Year's Eve celebration at the Gaylord Opryland hotel. I was very excited about attending this event,but long before I left to go there another event stole the show.
I have posted the next two pictures before,but since it was such a special moment in my life,I have to share them again.
My dear friends George and Betsy Adams made the effort to drive to Nashville to meet with me.Their smiling faces only tell a small part of the story. I was beyond thrilled to finally meet them,after all these years of being blog friendsThey are just the sweetest couple and the hours flew by too quickly.
George was gracious enough to get this picture of Betsy and me.I do hope this was only a first visit and hope that somehow we can meet again.Oh,and Cracker Barrel wasn't bad either,in fact Gwen and I took a taxi back there on New Year's Day.
This is a look at the room where the events took place. Apparently there were 1400 people in attendance. Acoustics were really good and even though I was not in the front row,as I like to be,we had a fairly good view of the stage.
I will be including several videos for your enjoyment.
This is The Jubilee Group.The groups here are Greater Vision,The Booth Brothers and Legacy Five. Each group is good on their own,put the three together and the sound is amazing.The firsts continued during the concerts.Well, lasts and firsts.This was Jim Brady's last time of singing with the Jubilee Group.
During part of that segment,the Booth Brothers sang together for the last with Jim Brady.
This is a different time and place but this short clip will help to explain the hats.
Shortly after that performance the New Booth Brothers stepped on stage with Paul Lancaster joining them. They sounded great.
Jim Brady has not quit singing,but rather formed a new group,The Jim Brady Trio,and they too sounded amazing. On January first they made their stage debut,so you can see this was a time of firsts for me and many others.
The event is hosted yearly by Legacy Five,so I had to add at least one picture of them.
I have many more pictures,but for now these 5 posts will suffice.
I came away from here with a heart full of memories and that is as any good vacation should be.
I hope you are not getting sick and tired of all these pictures. I promise,I am almost done with the ones I plan to show now. I won't be sharing all my photos as that would be way too many.
Once again I ask you to join me at The Opryland Hotel.
The beauty of this place is astounding.This is all inside,so that makes it even better.,
This Poinsettia tree was standing in one of the lobbies.
I really like how this one turned out.I have the giant tree and the tiny one standing close together.
Still indoors,we have these pretty lamps,all decorated for Christmas.
I never did promise that all the pictures would be beautiful.I just had to get my picture taken with the Smoky Mountain Santa.I found out that this Santa happens to love Southern Gospel Music.
I was walking along inside and was impressed with the beauty of these shiny leaves.
At another place in the hotel was the area for the conference/ballrooms.I loved the lights and subdued decorations here.
Now we step outside to see what is on display there.
This huge manmade Christmas tree was amazing,especially from a distance.
Displayed on the front lawn is a larger than life sized Nativity scene.
It warmed my heart to see this so prominently displayed.
The angels were there to herald the birth of the Christ Child.
I was truly impressed to see this display.An open Bible with the birth of Christ as written in Luke chapter 2 was there,front and centre. Upon stepping out of the building one could hear this story being read from the pages of the Bible.
With all the talk of taking the Bible out of our courtrooms and schools,this was like a breath of fresh air. The Word of God will endure the test of time.
