Littlest Warrior's first airplane trip
Finding a van to rent that would fit us all (and our luggage)!
Plantation homes in the south. Made me feel a little bit like I was in Tara.
My dearest husband (and how he indulges my photographic whims with such grace) :)
Playing miniature golf with my children on this fun "Great Locomotive Chase" themed golf course. If you haven't seen the Disney movie, it's a good depiction of a famous Civil War story.
A glorious early morning hike with my older girls around the base of Stone Mountain. Gorgeous fall colors were still left here.
The first morning of our trip we woke up to this and thought we were back home! The tram operator said, "It's like this about 4 or 5 days a year here." Hmmm....how did we land on one of those? This was our only day to enjoy Stone Mountain, so it was quite disappointing weather-wise, but we made the best of it. We could not see the infamous carving, except for standing right up underneath it and making out the bare outlines of it. At the end of the day, they closed the park early due to the wet weather, and the possibility of thunderstorms (this was the eve of the big tornadoes in the Midwest). The thunderstorms never came, thankfully. When we inquired at the desk, they offered to give us a full refund! This was a huge blessing-in-disguise. The next day we had to leave, but we made sure to get outdoors as much as possible, and we were able to afford a second trip up to the top of Stone Mountain so that we could actually see! And God gave us a glorious 60-mile visibility day (and 70-degree temp)! The best it gets up there.
Now we could see that carving in all of its splendor! And the children rejoiced!
Stunning views from on top of the mountain. I realize this picture looks like we are in a very precarious situation, but rest assured...the camera makes it look this way, but there are platforms of rock below and a chain link fence to prevent anyone from falling down the mountain!
More museums. This one was highly anticipated for all of the historical relics it holds and because...
...it is the home of "The General" -- The infamous (real) train that the Union stole from the Confederates for one day. It's the train of "The Great Locomotive Chase." We could look across the street from the museum and see the place where the Lacey Hotel was and the diner where William Fuller and his crew were eating breakfast when the train was stolen.
Overlooking Atlanta from Kennesaw Mountain.
The imaginations of a young boy.
Amazing artwork! This is an original painting by Civil War artist James Walker in 1874. It is amazingly large and detailed. This scene depicts the Battle for Chattanooga at Lookout Mountain.
More mountain-top views. Yes, we spent a lot of time walking and hiking, but we did not climb these mountains all by ourselves. Thankfully, there are roads and tram cars for such things. Still, we tried to imagine how hard it would have been for a soldier. Truly it is not comprehensible.
This part of Tennessee was quite lovely (and still maintained some fall foliage color). I found myself standing up here looking out over the valley and the mountains, feeling quite small, but amazed that I could even have such an opportunity. And that God's people are spread all over this great land.
I am so thankful for such an adventure, for the preservation of so much history, for breathtaking landscapes, and for blessings both seen and unseen.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow.
~ Edward Sandford Martin
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