365-28 Holding on

Some of the green is holding on in spite of a frost every night.

365-27 "Detail of copper door"

I'd like to learn how to clip the corners on photos, but don't have the proper software for it.

Here's my first attempt at a vignette.

365-26 "Seasons of Life"

In 1840, William Snodgrass erected a log building about 300 yards from his house for specific use as a schoolhouse and a church. Three separate school buildings were to occupy the same level, one-acre site over the next 100 years or so. The log school was succeeded by a frame building with board-and-batten siding of white poplar, painted a dark red, which was in turn succeeded, in 1871, by the 23' by 26' white frame schoolhouse now on the campus of Fairmont State University.
We discovered the schoolhouse when we were letterboxing. 

365-24 "Old Copper Doors"

364-23 "Splashes of Yellow"

There are still trees with lots of color here in West Virginia.

365-22 "Foggy morning at the lake"

I love this time of year with pleasant days and cool nights. It creates some beautiful foggy mornings like the one today.

365-21* Orange

The 365 Project assignment this week is "Orange". Believe it or not, I have several images that qualify and had trouble choosing. It's kind of like when prospective sponsors approach a Compassion International table at a concert or Compassion Sunday. There are so many needy children! Yet God seems to draw people to the child He wants to pair them with.

While I was at the MercyMe/Phil Wickham concert this past Sunday, I gathered up all the child packets in which the child was wearing orange. I chose the brightest. 

These child packets are reserved for concertgoers, but there are many more whom you could sponsor....and make a difference in a child's life. Just go to the Compassion web site and choose a child....by country, gender, age - even a specific birth date.

365-20 "Flames in the Sky"

We often take the beauty of God's creation for granted, especially when we've lived in an area for a while. I love the fall colors and have come to realize that a lot of people have never experienced them. So, here you are, friends in the temperate climates!

365-19* "Simplicity"

The photo assignment for this week was to catch the emotion of simplicity in the expressions of people.

Hmmmm.

People are not my best subjects. They move. They often don't cooperate. So I found an object with one leg and something that resembles arms.

365-18 "Reflections of Blue"

I am on day 5 of a headache, so I've not ventured out much for photographs. Today I've chosen one of my shots from our trip to Montana this summer. I am going to imagine sitting on the shore of MacDonald Lake, sipping sweet iced tea, and gazing at the peaks.

365-17 "Reflections of Gold"

The western sun highlights the yellow leaves, yielding a golden glow.

365-16 "Waxing crescent"

They say you are good at what you like.

I beg to differ.

I've always liked science, but have never been very good at it.  Take the lesson in elementary school on Phases of the Moon. I still cannot remember which name goes with which phase. I'm grateful that I can look it up on my iPhone StarWalk application, though.

So, here you have it: "Waxing Crescent."

365-15 "Take me back to Italy"

Some of my very fondest memories are from our trip to Europe last year. My favorite country was Italy, perhaps because my maternal grandfather was Italian....but he would have said he was Sicilian. Italians identify themselves with their province more readily than their country.

I've been trying to learn Italian, but have a hard time being faithful to continue my education. I wish the Italian program I'm using didn't have so much about ordering beer and wine!

I like the idea of wine, but I haven't really found one that appeals to my taste buds. I should really take advantage of the free tastes they offer at Olive Garden, where we went after our very long shopping trip to Cabela's, a popular sporting goods store in our area.

365-14 "Twenty-seven million"

Part of my work with  Compassion International is to volunteer at Christian concerts where the child sponsorship program is being presented. This week Tenth Avenue North came to Morgantown, WV. Their burden is for the children all around the world caught up in the human trafficking trade. I was shocked to learn that there are 27,000,000 slaves worldwide. Compassion is working to free children from slavery and poverty in the name of Jesus.

This is not a great photo, but the message is important. You can sponsor a child here

365-13

There is a lake near the beginning of our road which is host to a fishing club. The associated buildings are used for celebrations, picnics, and parties. I've conveniently hidden the sign, but this particular building is actually one of the rest rooms. Perhaps not on the level of the rest rooms at Shoji Tobuchi's theater in Branson, but appealing to the eye just the same!

365-12

"Camouflage and adaptation"
aka a short science lesson

With the new season comes change in temperature. Some of us are better adapted than others. I grew up in South Florida and would have thought this to be winter weather and thus bundled up. Now I just don a light jacket or something similar...if even that.

My Dalmatian, Dana, does not adapt well. She sheds year-round. Her job is to populate every dark object in her environment with her white hair. Years ago, a pastor's wife was walking behind me and declared, "Theresa, next time consider a coat color other than black." That coat is probably 20 years old by now and it still hair on it.

Dana gets cold easily, even inside. I bought one of those cuddly fleece blankets with a cute snowflake print and it has been claimed by Dana. It suits her well and provides adequate camouflage, don't you think?

365-11

The oars are stowed away, as are the beach towels and swimsuits. The boats wait patiently for their owners to brave the weather and go fishing. It's quiet and serene and perfect for an amateur photographer to nose around, looking for a photo opportunity.

365-10

My favorite photo subjects are the things which God has created. I find that I have to get more creative in finding those things as autumn chill replaces summer warmth. 


These marigolds are holding on, though, and I seized the opportunity for an outdoor photo with some color in it.

365-9*

"Signs of Life"

After several weeks of no rain, the grass here in West Virginia was browning fast. We usually begin to feed hay to our horses in late October, bur we started in mid-September.

Then the rains came. The grass has greened. The ground sloshes under your feet. And the mushrooms seemingly pop up overnight. Life has returned!

This photo took several tries...like 15! I think  the result is worth it.

365-8

My Mom has told me that if I add any more Teddy bears to my collection, there won't be any room for my family in my house! I've lost count, but I think they number around 150.

This bear's name is Clive, named after C.S. Lewis. I began reading Lewis's works about the time Clive joined my household.

365-7 "Tea with Mom"

Emily, my maternal grandmother, was English. My mother, Lucy, passed on the love for tea with sugar and milk to me. I have many fond memories of drinking a cuppa in the afternoon while I was living at home. Mom, now 96, is in a nursing home, so those days are gone. Mom has given  me many of her English bone china cups and saucers and I treasure them. One must drink hot tea from a bone china cup with saucer. There simply is no other way. It simply does not taste the same from a mug.

I have added to my cup and saucer collection a little bit. When we were in England in May of 2009, Kevin chose a set from Harrod's in London as a gift for me. We also purchased some English tea bags, which have turned out to be my favorite.

365-6

I'm going to confess right up front. I'm not in the habit of taking my camera everywhere I go....yet.

This is a photo I took on our trip to Montana this August. While my husband and son hiked to a glacier, I accompanied my in-laws on a boat tour of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park. I was looking for some fascinating photo subjects and the wake of the ferry boat caught my eye.