more cat pictures

2nd Degree Black Belts

I should post my Advent Hymns, but I post this instead. Chaos and Entropy tested today for 2nd Degree Black Belts in Tang Soo Do Mu Duk Kwan (and we are pretty sure they passed..)


Entropy breaking boards. What you don't see here is that each are holding TWO boards -- they are doubled.


Chaos doing some awesome kicking break. Her boards are thicker and doubled. She sent the third set of boards spinning off into the studio, as they didn't just break, they splintered into pieces.


Master Long, Grandmaster Kwan, Black Belts, including those who just got their first belt. Only three were testing for 2nd degree and only 5 in the picture are 3 degree or higher. I don't know the statistics, but I know that many kids start this, but few obtain a black belt. Of those who obtain a black belt, only a few go on and get a first or second degree. Chaos is only a handful in her school who train and who have a black belt; she may be the only 2nd degree in her school of 3500. I am proud of them!

Pictures I Should Maybe Not Post

Critter is an exceptionally well behaved kitteh. She loves the car. Most of the time she spent either on my shoulder or under my chin or in her bed that we placed on the center console. Not yowling, no scratching, biting or shredding of anything or anyone. No accidents. She loved to look out the windows and watched intently the windshield wipers. A couple of times she ended up under my chin while I was driving -- and went to sleep. (Slow driving with little or no traffic, I will add.) The LH couldn't resist taking a picture.

Pictures of our Days

What it looked like almost all the way to WVa. Srly.


Our new Expedition comes with a passenger side kitty ear warmer. Isn't it cute.


Athena Crittenden Coleman, better known as Critter, enjoying her Thanksgiving.

More Pictures of Lexington

Grateful for #8: Sunflowers and Cameras

I do love Sunflowers -- and I really enjoy taking pictures.
Looking at my Sunflower pictures, I decided I like this one best. It's in good focus and I love the bee going in for a landing. I cropped it so that it's nicely framed in the picture (using the law of thirds). It's becoming my favorite picture of the year.

I enjoy the creativity of taking pictures and cropping them, adjusting the lighting and color balance. I find it a soothing activity. I think I'll go take some pictures today of the beautiful Fall color.

55 pictures of Sunflowers

On Sunday, I took 55 pictures of sunflowers. In Oglethorpe County, right off of Buddy Faust Road (said "foss",btw), there are about 90 acres of sunflowers. It's an amazing sight.

Pictures from Halloween

Entropy whacking the Pinata


Cereal Killer


The LH helping the kids to whap (not whapping the kids...)


The Goldfish Game


Goldfishes (goody)

Entropy came home with "Fred" the goldfish. Today has been consumed by cleaning the 7 gallon tank, conditioning the water and getting "Fred" acclimated. He was rather traumatized by the Goldfish game. My dear friend who came up with this idea? There is a place for her ... a very dark and hot place. Thanks! I really needed a goldfish in my life!

Continuing Explorations of North Georgia

In my continuing adventure as a circuit riding Methodist minister, my family made a "little" (NOT) detour to Washington, Georgia in Wilkes county today. I've don't ever remember being in Washington before, but I know that my family has ties there: some distant cousins, I believe. I do know that in the 1970's my dad bought up a huge load of bricks from the old Washington ice house. It had been built before the Civil war and so you could still see things like hand prints in the bricks and know that they probably were made by slave labor. I would look at those bricks and imagine a life for that person. Daddy made a huge monolith of a fireplace out of those bricks -- 3 flues and 3 stories tall. There is a family story about how Jeff Davis' fabled Confederate Gold was stored in the ice house, but I don't know that it is really true. In fact, there is supposedly a vault under one of the buildings around the square that contained the gold. It is one of those things that the veracity will never be known. But it is still a thing to think about, to dream about, to imagine.

We passed by the Washington Wilkes County airport. I remember this airport well. One of my first solo cross country flights was to this airport. It just happens to be exactly 51 nautical mile from the old Stone Mountain airport. One of my parishioner's grandparent's house was used for the FBO (Fixed Base Operator) until just very recently. Directly across the road is Callaway Plantation. It is frankly beautiful. I found an old picture on the net and it's directly above. The city of Washington was given the property, has restored it and is now operating it as a living museum. I love the architecture. I think I will go back sometime soon and take pictures.

Washington's square is lovely. It reminds me strongly of Abbeville, SC. I can't wait to go back and explore more. I know these things are not new -- they are just new to me. I am sure generations of architecture buffs have admired the beautiful symmetry of Callaway Plantation's Greek Revival architecture. But it is indeed new to me. I still dwell in the thought of these hand-made bricks; of the glimpse of the slave cabins just behind this lovely brick building. I think of tabby cats and tigers: of how bricks can be used to build or be used to break glass windows.

What else are we just not aware of that is there for us to discover? Things that are old and beautiful, but are new to our eyes? Things of grace and wonderful proportion, with fearsome and awesome symmetry? Things perhaps frightening found within their beauty; maybe even vicious as was slavery; things that have hopefully found atonement and redemption?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears,
And water'd heaven with their tears,
Did He smile His work to see?
Did He who made the lamb make thee?

What beautiful and gracious thing lays just around the corner?

More Pictures

Carlton, GA, Memorial Chapel at a cemetery off of Lexington-Carlton Road, Glade Baptist Church, Old Sanctuary at Glade UMC, the steeple at Glade UMC, our singer and preacher last night.

For QP

This is the front door at Simpsonwood in Norcross, Georgia. I love the fact that you have to grab Jesus' hand to open the door.

From my old camera -- I'm now used to such bigger pictures. I also am used to better and sharper pictures than the previous posting. My good lens was dropped and I haven't replaced it yet. Or perhaps I'm just a perfectionist.

Revival at Glade UMC

Last week we had revival at Burts UMC. This week, it's revival at Glade UMC. I'm glad that we opted to have guest speakers for two of the nights each week, otherwise I'd be preaching 8 days out of 10. That would be a tad much.

Here's some pictures.

Early Morning Drive on Highway 78. The sun is just beginning to rise -- but we've been up for more than an hour and a half.
Sunday afternoon exploring -- this is the old Sanctuary at Glade UMC, built as early as 1857. It's pretty untouched and I think it's pretty rare to find one this pristine. Beautiful.
Rev. Jim Spooner reading as the singers for the next evening practiced at the Baptist Church across the street.

One of Glade's member's store. It is just a bit down the road. She sold the store many years ago and the new owners have now died. The store is in probate, as I understand it.

Yellow flowers in the meadow next to the church. I don't know exactly what they are -- they resemble milkweed or a margarite. There is an entire field of them along with a purple flower that looks like a lantana relative.

On our first night we had a nice covered dish dinner followed by a concert from a band named "God's Law" -- appropriate because they all (mostly ) work in law enforcement. They are very good -- and we had really good attendance.

Look! Methodist CAN clap with the music. It's true!

Looking into the sanctuary from the front drive -- like a light beaming into the darkness. You can just see the bass guitarist and little Gracie dancing along.