Seasons!

Driving home from boxing this afternoon was such a delight! The golden afternoon sunlight filtered through the treetops, as brown, red and yellow leaves danced along in the breezes made by passing cars. Cows grazed sleepily in the fields, as I drove along winding country highways, dotted with houses sporting red bricks or white siding, an ovcasional barn or silo, two story narrow brick buildings (businesses, usually closed), churches with their requisite cemetaries. And of course, beautiful Lake Hartwell, today reflecting the sunshine on its sparkling little ripples, like a child's laughter. I am so blessed to get to live here among all of this beauty. It's like a feast for my eyes. God is so good to me.

Fall has …. Fallen!

Wow! The weather has changed dramatically here on just a week or two. It's gone from low temperatures in the 70s to lows in the 40s, from the green leaves turning yellow, to piles of red leaves on the ground. Two weeks ago, I was running my air conditioner, and today, I turned on the heater! The days are shorter and the scenery is changing, but it's no less beautiful. My lake has changed from a water playground full of people and boats to a serene and restful spot with more of the red clay soil visible along the shore (the lake is "down," as we've not had rain for several weeks, and as the purpose of the lake is to generate hydroelectric power, water continues to flow through the dam). The lake itself is oftem smooth and glassy, with occasional ripples reflecting the sunlight in sparkling, dancing waves that make me think of giggles. In the early mornings, mist rises from the lake, and fog fills the "hollows" and the dips in the landscape. Every season here has its own beauty, and once again, I find myself thanking God that He has allowed me to live here.

Flavors of Fall

Seasons!

Brrr! I'm posting from my screened porch this morning, where it's a chilly 59 degrees, and the breeze is making a roaring, rushing sound as it passes through the treetops. The grass is looking like the lawns in southern California, a mixture of greens and browns (of course, we don't water it here; God takes care of that) and the daily rain showers stopped a few weeks ago. During my twice-weekly drives to Seneca, there are an increasing number of fields that have been harvested, as the farmers "get their crops in" and begin preparing for winter Currently, the trees are just as leafy, although the leaves are beginning to turn yellow and red. The forests are still thick, hiding animals, creeks, ravines, and other mysteries in their depths. A friend told me that in the Winter, there are just bare trees everywhere, that winter here isn't a pretty season. However, I think it will be satisfying, as I often wonder what the fairytale forests are hiding And I'm sure that there will be the anticipation of all the new life that will come in the spring.

Learning about nearby towns

Recently, I found an excuse to drive into Honea Path, a nearby community. My go-to activity while driving is to take note of the names of the streets that branch off of the two-lane highways (see earlier posts for explanations of the quirky names). Here are two of the photos I took in Honea Path, of the historical downtown area, and of a house that I thought was particularly appealing. Here is a list of some of the street names that made me smile: Due West (which I later learned is also the name of a town), Nabors (well, goll-ee!), Tribble Road (was that a Star Trek or a Twilight Zone reference?), Higgins Garment, Henry Thomas Road (wasn't that the name of the boy from ET?), Transylvania, Butterick (perhaps a seamstress was the first resident), Lickville (yuck), Tripe (yuck again), Cannon Bottom, and Chucka Luck Drive. I have also driven past the entrance to Harris Psychiatric Hospital several times. It's away from the city, and buildings are not visible from the two-lane highway, obscured by the forest. From the Facebook group, "Life After Califoria," I learned to leave behind every unneccesary item that could, so I am slowly replacing things through Facebook Marketplace. This entails driving all over the local cities and towns, and I absolutely love it. Driving here is a feast for my eyes, drinking in all of the colors of trees, fields and waterways. My only regret is that I can't take pictures while I'm driving.

I love living on the lake!

This is what I'm talking about! When I drive anywhere near my house, this is how close I am to the lakes. I cannot get over how blessed I am to live here, and I hope that I ever take it for granted. Just as I hope that I will never get used to the blessing of being able to walk without pain (which I have not yet acomplished, but I'm hopeful that within the year, I will be back to walking easily), things that we do or see daily often cease to astonish us. Being abe to see these huge lakes every day, even if I can't swim in them daily, does my soul good.

New animal friends

At our little house in Anaheim, the neighborhood wildlife consisted of sparrows, pigeons, and the occasional seagull or opossum. When we moved to Orange, we added hawks, coyotes, and bats. Now, we have deer, muskrats, vultures, eagles... spiders, lizards...

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program...

The delights of a screened porch! This has very quickly become Meredith's and my favorite spot. There's a ceiling fan out there for the warmest days, although the screened porch is shady most of the day. It's a wonderful place to be when it's raining (although we haven't had and really good thunderstorms yet) and a peaceful place to watch the wildlife. My neighbor has told me that there's a group of 5 or 6 deer that frequent the woods around our little culdesac, and I've seen them numerous times.

The iPhone hasn't sent pictures to Google photos in a few weeks, so you'll need to be patient regarding decent pictures of the resident ruminants. Abigail and her friend Alana worked really hard at unloading the 8 x 8 pod that brought our stuff from the west coast, hauling box after box into the coolness of the air-conditioned house. My sister Judy and I worked in the house, unpacking and putting things away as fast as we could. That first week or so was fairly warm and humid, so we inflated the paddleboard and a couple of inner tubes.

All too soon, it was time for Alana to fly home, and Frances to arrive in SC to help Abigail move in to the dorm at Anderson University. My daughters shopped for the few essentials that Abigail hadn't yet acquired (she had met her roommate on AU's social media site, and had gone shopping with her prior to Frances' arrival) and I was so grateful for Frances' help on move-in day, as I was feeling quite under the weather. Fun fact: it is no longer legal to sell ipecac syrup in the United States. Frances and Abigail loaded my van with Ab's dorm room belongings and they drove to the rear entrance of Gaston Hall (are you singing in your head yet? "No one's quick as Gaston, no one's slick as Gaston, no one's neck's as incredibly thick as Gaston..." Oops! I stand corrected; the emphasis is on the FIRST syllable, GAS-ton.)

Everything had to be labeled with Abigail's name and room number, because she didn't get out of the car! A team of students (many of whom were the football players) emptied the car and took everything to Abigail's dorm room, while she and Frances drove the car to the athletic center parking lot and took the shuttle back to the dorm.

Her roommate's parents and older brother were there as well, and helped Abigail to get her bed "lofted," etc. Once the room was all arranged, my girls came home, and now that I was feeling better, I accompanied them back to campus for the "Archway Walk." This is the way that Anderson University commemorates the beginning and end of a student's time at AU. The incoming freshmen gather at an appointed location on campus, then they walk to the front of campus, entering through the arch that says "Anderson University." When they graduate, following the ceremony on the huge green lawn, the grads exit the campus by walking out through the same arch.

More clarification....

Been ruminating all day about the new name and my explanation. Please don't misunderstand me; I do not in any way mean to imply God's gifts are cheap! He paid the ultimate price, He died in my place, paid the penalty for my selfish, stupid choices so that I can spend eternity with Him. I'm simply saying that it's all in how you look at things. Looking at my life through the lens of scripture, staying focused on the blessings instead of the challenges, I am able to see the beauty and the glory and all of the many blessings He has given me. Each new day is a wonderful gift. This way of living may not be for everyone, and some people may even accuse me of being in denial about the not-so-fun parts of my life. But I would rather be Cleopatra (Queen of Denial) than dwell on things that I cannot change, and hey - I am SO glad that you've made the choice to check in on my goofy, silly, happy, wonderful life!

Some clarification

Along with the reboot of the blog, I'm giving it a new name. Life has changed significantly since 2012, when I had last been posting here. My girls are grown up, I have had to retire, and I have relocated. "Life as Seen Through Cheap Sunglasses" reflects the fact that I don't need things that are fancy and expensive to enjoy God's blessings. I have never bought "nice" sunglasses, because I wear them so often and in many situations (pools, lakes, the beach, amusement park rides) where they could easily get broken or lost. I get my sunglasses at the dollar store or discount store, but somehow always manage to find the pair in the same shape, with the same type of lenses that make every color more vibrant, everything more beautiful. I often tell people, "Here, put these on! You'll see what I mean!" I'll look at something, a sunset, the ocean, etc.) and be moved by its beauty, but when I take off my cheap sunglasses, it appears more drab and ordinary. These five dollar sunglasses make my world so astonishing and vibrant and show me such glorious beauty - and I feel as though that's how we should see life, through the lens of God's many blessings. When I look at my life in Christ, I realize that God has given me everything that I ever wanted: children, a home, a rewarding career, foreign language skills, a lake within steps of my front door - and while I have had some unexpected bumps in the road, who am I to be ungrateful, when I am blessed beyond measure? I have to pick up my sweet Abigail Grace from college now. More later! And if you know how to do vlogs or podcasts, (or how to format this blog so that the photos aren't in one long string down the middle of the page), please let me know!

Road Trip to the Lake House, Day 5, July 31

We were treated to room service breakfast, and took our time geting ready. Then, it was off to Atlanta, to The World of Coca-Cola! I was interested in what their current movie would be (when we were there in 2014 during the Epic Road Trip, the movie had been about how Coke products are distributed all over the world). The girls were eagerly anticipating the opportunity to taste all of the Coke products available world-wide.

None of us were disappointed. The current movie is set to Imagine Dragons' "On Top of the World," and features military family reunions, skydiving, "Dude Perfect"-type of achievements, marriage proposals... Whoever makes these movies knows how to reach us emotionally! And the girls had a blast in the tasting room. I was in frequent contact with the property management company, as today was the final walk-through with the tenants. Mid-afternoon, we got the green light that the house was cleared, cleaned, and ready for us to move in! Atlanta is less than two hours' drive from Anderson, SC, so we were there by about 5 pm. The cats arrived shortly thereafter, and my sister Judy pulled up at supper time. The pod didn't arrive until the following morning, but that gave us time to unload our cars and do the laundry from the road trip.

I FIGURED OUT HOW TO LOAD THE VIDEO! GO, MOM, GO!

Road Trip to the Lake House. Day 4, July 30

This was another lo-o-o-ong day, because we didn't leave Memphis until after lunch. We drove to Marietta, Georgia and spent the night in a regular hotel. Gorgeous view of a golf course, fabulous beds, and a lightning show in the black skies as we arrived. We did not stay in Atlanta, because like Los Angeles, Atlanta has no free parking at hotels, and we had two cars.

Road Trip to the Lake House, Day 3, July 29

Well, I can post stories, and some photos, but not ALL of the photos. Apparently, photos that I personally did not take, but which others have shared with me, despite being saved into the photos on my phone and Google photos, are not accessible to the blog (despite blogspot being a Google app). Oh well. I'll do my best! And when I insert a photo, it shows up on the draft as a long series of numbers, letters and shapes. Hmmm...

This day we left Texas, and drove across a bunch of states. One of them was Oklahoma and we passed the off-ramps or county highways which led to Talequah (where my mom went to college), Warner (where my grandma grew up and where my great grandfather had a general store), and Stigler, home to Connors State Teachers' College (my grandparents both got their teaching licenses there). This was a really long day of driving, from Amarillo, TX to Memphis, TN. There was a reason: I had booked a room for us inside the Bass Pro Shop pyramid, at the Big Cypress Lodge!

It was so fun! The interior of the pyramid is like being inside of the Pirates of the Carribean ride at Disneyland: perpetually twilight. It's huge, and designed to look like a cypress swamp. All of the boats they sell are floating in water, with 6-foot catfish swimming beneath them. There are bridges and trees and boardwalks, a shooting gallery, a restaurant, the requisite aquarium, and then in the center of it all is the tallest freestanding glass elevator. Hotel guests can ride in the elevator at no charge, and it takes you up to a rooftop restaurant! We had lumch there, enjoying delicious food and spectacular views.

After thoroughly exploring the Bass Pro Shop, we headed for Georgia.

Road Trip to the Lake House, Day 2, July 28th

We woke up and headed to historic downtown Gallup for coffee, and then we were back on the 10, a.k.a. Route 66. Headed east, we began the trek through Texas. Our destination for that night was Amarillo, at the Big Texan Steakhouse Ranch! They also have a motel, and there's a Buc-ee's on the other side of the freeway, so we picked up a few souvenirs. We did not swim in the big pool that is shaped like the state of Texas.