Here's a panorama off the front deck.

Fall Foilage

The leaves were so pretty this calm, cloudy, peaceful, balmy morning, I just had to take a few photos.

A Hike in the Mountains

While visiting a church nearer to our home than our regular church, we got invited to  a brunch at a couple's house, which is kind of in the mountains.  The Ritter's commute a ways to church, but they sure have a nice place to invite people--especially in October when the leaves are starting to turn colors.  After the delicious brunch, we split up into 2 groups.  Some walked on the golf cart path, while the rest hiked along a creek.  We decided to join the hikers.  About two-thirds of the way, we got off the path and got lost for a little while, but it wasn't long till we got back on the right path.  I had left our van at the end of the trail, so finding the right path was good.  At the end of the hike, there were a couple of scratches from falls, a few wet feet from crossing the creek, and a few tired muscles, but it was so much fun!

Fall Camping Trip

     The big kids were out for 3 days this week due to teacher training!  The Lord blessed us with perfect fall weather.  There was a gentle breeze, blue skies and plenty of warm sunshine!
     During the first night, since there were no campers near us, we let Suzie guard the campsite off the leash.  Every so often we would hear her growling and letting out a bark or two.  It wasn't enough to really disturb us.  I tried once to have her stay with us in our tent, but she was too excited.  There were acorns dropping all around and there was at least one nocturnal flying squirrel that I saw helping jar the nuts loose.  The morning of the second day, we heard some wild animals and saw Suzie guarding a tree.   She had treed a pair of raccoons!  Those poor critters had spent the night in the tree and then they slept there the whole day.  There were also deer tracks right next to the girl's tent.
     The second night, more campers had arrived and Suzie was exhausted, so she didn't protest when I made her/ let her sleep in the van.  The raccoons were relieved to get out of that tree.  They waited until we were all safely in our beds before budging.    
   As you can see, we mostly relaxed.  Sure was a blessing to spend that kind of time together!

Atlanta Braves Game

Never would have guessed that the game would have gone 13 innings and end a midnight, but it did. Since Hannah was with us and we wanted to beat the rush, we headed to the car at about 11:30pm. The game had started at 7:15pm. We listened to the game on AM radio in the car and got out of range before the game actually ended. The Braves put up a good fight, but they lost 4 to 3 to the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the Phillies' 102nd record-breaking win in a row. Winning against them would have been better, but at least the Braves made them nervous and made them truly earn that last win. I had not been to a Braves game since 1998.

A couple of observations: 1 - The parking situation has gotten worse. I used to park at the capitol building and walk down. But a traffic cop wouldn't let me / or it was closed. I couldn't tell. Then, all the lots on the way down were unavailable unless I had a voucher. Cash alone wasn't enough. You couldn't turn back nor change lanes easily because all lanes were going the same way. You couldn't see which lane to be in because there were no signs above indicating which lanes fed into which lots. There were no signs letting you know the lots were "voucher only" until you lined up and waited your turn to get into the lots. Then you discovered you had lined up and waited for nothing. It seems if each lot is going to charge $12 to $15 per car, they could afford some overhead signs that let people know what to do.

2 - Is it 1984? If you've seen the movie, you'll know what I'm talking about. Taking my kids out in public has become stranger now that LCD screens are getting bigger and more numerous and speakers are getting louder and louder. There were few chances to actually watch the game and have a conversation during the duller moments because--lest the crowd get bored--we were encouraged to do with something with our bodies and our voices nearly the whole time. It was all conducted with those gigantic screens and enormous speakers. It was fun at first, but since it was a loooong game and the music was often too loud, I sure got tired of it. Being asked to cheer the whole time actually detracted from the overall enjoyment of the game. It was a fun experience, but next time I attend a game, I'll sit closer to the action and hopefully the speakers there won't be as blaring, and hopefully the game will end sooner.

Memory Verse Recitals

One thing I've wanted to work hard on is Scripture memory.  God's Word is so true, so permanent, and so essential to life and Godliness.  We're making the effort to hide it in our hearts as a family.  The kids (and we) can never know enough Scripture.  You may have to click on the slideshow (which takes you to Google Photos) to see the video clips.

The North Georgia State Fair

Today we were blessed with perfect weather for attending The North Georgia State Fair.  It was our first time.  And we had double the fun since the Stenger's joined us for the recreation.  We let the big kids go off and ride the bigger rides while we helped the little ones have fun.  And after the ride tickets were gone, we rejoined each other.  Thank God for cell phones!