Roses For You

In my last post I mentioned,finding unexpected photos on my memory card,well,here are a few more.

I had bought myself a bouquet of roses,mainly for the purpose of getting pictures,but also for my enjoyment. I don't think these pictures need any further words,so,enjoy.

Not all of us can do great things,but we can all do small things with GREAT LOVE.

Stepping Back to Find New Images

I recently emptied an older memory card and was surprised by the pictures I found. I did not realize that I had images on there from spring. So,come with me as we step back into spring and look at a few flowers.

It is quite appropriate that I post these images today,as it is the first snowy day we've had so far and what could be more uplifting than flower pictures.

Lilacs a springtime favourite of many,myself included.

The Tulip seems to be the flower of spring.I had a few blooming in my garden this past spring and really enjoyed them.The blurred corners on this image are because the picture was taken through the lattice which surrounds my deck.

This is the same flower as the previous picture.I like looking down into a tulip.The patterns are as lovely on the inside as they are on the outside. This is like some people.They are beautiful on the outside but just as beautiful on the inside.

The simple flower of the Geranium is still beautiful.

I am not even sure what the name of this flower is,but I do know that I like their bright and cheery color.

Here is a quote which I really like and I trust it encourages some of you.

When you are at your weakest,God is strong.
When you are down,God can lift you up.
When all seems lost,God will help you win.
Strength is available when you need it.
BELIEVE IT. EMBRACE IT. RELY ON IT.

ONE LEAF AT A TIME

I am still working my through some fall pictures before the snows come and I transition to winter.

As I wandered around my yard,I was impressed with the beauty of individual leaves.

A lone Maple leaf highlighted by the sun. This is from a tree in the middle of my yard called a Silver Maple.

A reddish Amur Maple leaf cuddled up with a few other leaves.

This is a large leaf from one of my Hostas. In summer it is a bright green,but has now changed into it's fall color.

You must know by now that I enjoy the three Amur Maple trees I have at the edge of my yard.

One of those trees gives me more yellow than red,but all are beautiful.

Here is a quote you may need to be reminded of:

You are a masterpiece,you are hand picked by God,you are loved,you are a person of extreme value and significance.

Leaves and Loves in My Life

It's November 1st.Seems like it was just October 1st,but that's ok. Life is moving along in a normal way and I have learned that normal is good.

I still have  a few more pictures to share that were taken around the middle of October,so here goes.

I enjoyed my Mums,which I purchased in early October,they added a splash of color to my front door.

I am always looking for bright color,but when I saw these subtle leaves They caught my attention with their gentle beauty.

The Maple tree standing in the middle of my yard is so pretty,through all the seasons. 

Steve and Kai were over and Kai found the fallen leaves to be of interest.

Steve ,of course had to get a casual picture of her,and I had to do my duty and capture the moment.

Normally I would have put this picture in the trash,but on second look,I kinda liked how it turned out.It is obviously Kai in the foreground. What I really like are the hooked shapes of bokeh.

Have a beautiful,love filled November.

God is good,all the time.

BEAUTY AT HOME AND AWAY

I guess the title should be reversed,since I am starting with the 'away' beauty,but that didn't sound right to me. Be warned that this post contains more than my usual five pictures.

I wanted to share a few more pictures form my Minnesota trip.I did find some spectacular beauty.

These trees were at a rest stop that we had stopped at. I thought they were gorgeous in the blue sky.

Detroit Lake had some beauty as well. I had imagined a calm body of water and beautiful reflections along the shore.Well,that was not the case,but I persisted in finding beauty none the less.

Some flowers and grasses along the shore aided me in finding that beauty.

One more look at the lake,through the grasses.You can see there is still some color on the far shore,but it was quite windy so no calm water or reflections this time.

These colourful trees were on a parking lot of a hotel.Guess I was getting desperate to find color and beauty,but I liked how they looked.

All vacations must come to an end,but not the beauty. This is an early morning sunrise,taken with my phone before I got the bus ready to roll for the day.

One more sunrise,phone shot.Here you can see part of another bus.I was just in awe of the beauty of that morning.

Meanwhile,while back on my yard the Geraniums are still blooming.This picture was taken on October 10,and as I am writing this,October 30,they still look just as beautiful.

The Amur Maples on my yard were very pretty,but by now have lost most of their leaves.

This last picture speaks to me at a different level. Yes,I like the color,but what I really see is that even though the leaves may be a little tattered they still have beauty. This reminds me that even when I feel a little 'tattered',I can still show the beauty of the Lord to those around me. I still have value,even though I am not perfect. And,by the way, so do you.You and I are precious in God's sight.

USA and CANADA

I found material for a blog post recently.Something I had never thought of before.

First let me say that I am so thankful to share a border with the USA.There is no other country in the world that I would rather have as a neighbour.

I live about 15 miles from the US border now and grew up living even closer than that.

According to the internet this border is the longest international border in the world,spanning 5,525 miles.

Now here is the interesting part,to cross into the other country we need to have a passport and follow all the rules laid out by each country's government.I have no problem with that.I do however also know that getting from one country to the other would be very easy for someone who wanted to bypass the law.I am not trying to give ideas to anyone,but just stating facts.

 Driving along,recently,southwest of where I live,I came upon several posts like this.I knew all along that they were there,but had never really thought too much about this.

You can see that on the side I was,it says Canada.The opposite side would say United States of America.This post and the others I saw,are standing on the border.

Here is a broader view of the area. Again you can see that I am a law abiding citizen and am staying on the Canadian side,but the field you see is US soil.

I now turned my camera west along,what is the border between two countries.The road you see is in Canada,but just across the ditch is the USA. It is  great to see that two countries trust each other so completely.Once again,let me say that I would not know of another country in the world that I would want to share a border with and definitely not an open one like this.

I love my friends in the US and as far as I'm concerned it doesn't matter which country you or I live in,it only matters that we are able to get along peaceably.

The above scenes look very drab,but that is because it is the fall of the year and even the grass has lost its color.

I have two more pictures to share,neither of which has anything to do with borders or countries.

This is the Thanksgiving display at my church. Someone went to a lot of work to make the church foyer look lovely and inviting.

Of course beauty abounds wherever we look. In fall the trees are clothed in the most gorgeous golden robes.Add some sunshine and the scene is breathtaking.

 Strangers are just friends waiting to happen.

I have met so many friends in Blogland and to each of you I say thank-you for being my friend.

More Minnesota Beauty

On October 3 and 4 I was in the Brainerd,Minnesota area. After a great concert on the 3rd,with Legacy Five,the next day my friend and I spent some time enjoying the scenery in the area.

We really had no idea where to look so we just drove around to see what we could find.I liked this path/road into the woods.It would have been interesting to see where this lead to,but I think it was likely private property.

Where I live,in Manitoba,we have lots of Oak trees,but their leaves turn brown,or sometimes yellow,but here in Minnesota the Oak leaves turned this rich shade of red.

I saw this scene in time to stop along a busy highway and get a picture. The reds in the foliage really caught my attention,because in my area I don't see that as often.

We pulled into a rest stop area and of course I had to make sure to capture the beauty of the trees.

We had  a lot of clouds most of the day,but at this point the clouds had parted and I was able to capture this gorgeous tree against the blue sky.

I like looking up,but I try to take note of what is on the ground as well. No,I did not arrange these leaves into this colourful collection.This is exactly as I saw them,when I looked down.

I my have shared this quote before,but it bears repeating.

Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower.

Fall in Manitoba

I am feeling a little lost today. My iMac needed to be worked on so I do not have convenient access to all my photos.I guess I could take the time to get them on my laptop,but don't feel like going through that bother.

Anyway,just so you don't forget about me,here are a few iPhone shots taken recently.

This is taken at the place where I keep my bus overnight.The early morning sun lit up this tall tree,all dressed in yellow.

The poplar leaves all seemed to gather along the fence which encloses the bus compound.They made a beautiful carpet and sounded so good as I walked along.

The Mountain Ash on my yard is spectacular this year.The color is so rich.

Here is a close-up of one of the leaves.Isn't that a pretty color?

Nestled among the leaves are a few clusters of berries which the Robins seem to have missed.

Today,value the beauty of the changing season.

I would add to this,give thanks to the Creator of all the natural beauty we have around us.

Minnesota Bound

On Friday,October 3,a friend and co-worker,Gwen and I took the afternoon off from bus driving and headed to Brainerd,MN.It was a nice and sunny start to the day,but it seemed that once we had crossed the border into the US that all changed.

This is what we met up with. Snow flurries.Yes,I did say snow.It was not cold enough to stay on the ground but it sure gave some interesting photos.

Here you can actually see the snowflakes.We certainly did not expect this,but that did not deter us from going on towards our destination.

Sometime during the day the clouds parted for a while,but that was short lived.We had a cold drizzle most of the day.

Of course we did not set out on a sight seeing trip alone,we had another reason to be there.

Yes,the next day we did look around and I tried to get some scenic pictures.Those will come in another post.

We had tickets to see these guys at the Tornstrum Auditorium in Brainerd,MN.

Legacy Five came close enough that we decided to go see them.It was only a 5 ½ hour drive and well worth the effort.

They don't usually use a book to sing from,but in this one song they do.It happens to be a favourite of mine,called, 'It's a Grand and Glorious Feeling'.

Pictured L-R Trey Ivey(pianist),Gus Gaches,Scott Fowler,Scott Howard,Matt Fouch

I got the above shot from my seat in the front row,but I wanted to get closer,so I got up and walked to the edge of the stage and look what happened.

They stopped singing in mid-song and gave me this pose. Made my day,I must admit.

The concert was amazing.We came away with our hearts filled with blessings and joy.

Here are the words to this song:

CHORUS: It's a grand and a glorious feeling just to be a child of God.

How His love comes over me stealing making my pathway brighter as I plod.

Everyday I'll tell the old story of His love

I'll ever sing what a grand and glorious feeling just to be walking with my

King.

=======================================================



I am so glad I heard my Saviour gently pleading

Now I'm an heir and child of God I truly know

All the way home His precious hand is daily leading

It's a grand and a glorious feeling as I go.

=============================

Jesus is mine and to His hand I'm every clinging,

I am so glad I plunged beneath the crimson flow;

As I press on the homeward way my soul is singing

It's a grand and a glorious feeling as I go.

=============================

Happy am I along the way to life eternal,

Jesus has saved and washed my soul as white as snow;

Some of these days I'll reach my wondrous home supernal.

It's a grand and a glorious feeling as I go.

=============================



The author of this Christian hymn was Albert E. Brumley in 1942.

This hymn was copyrighted in 1942 to the Stamps-Baxter Music