A Fun Afternoon

 Strongheart and I had planned to go to the state park close by us last Saturday.  He had been gone for the majority of the day on Friday with his doctor appointment and then going to our church and taking care of the flowerbeds there as well as planting some new spring bulbs.  

When he came home, he suggested that we go to Coopers Rock that afternoon because the forecast was for rain that evening.  He felt that the rain would take the leaves off the trees and the main reason we were going was because a friend had told me she'd heard that the leaves were at their peak.

I thought I would share some of the pictures from that afternoon.

This was taken from the overlook.  

There were some shadows, so the colors don't all pop.

But this is overlooking the Cheat River.

There are two overlooks...with one being much larger than the other.

Strongheart took this one from the smaller of the two overlooks as the larger one was filled with people!

He took this one from the larger overlook. 

The colors really were beautiful.

A better view of Cheat River

The sun was in my eyes, so there's a bit of squinting going on,

but this entire outlook is designed around this huge rock...

Coopers Rock State Park.

This tree was exceptionally beautiful.

This is the last picture that he took and it's in the parking lot.

The sun was shining, and the colors were vibrant.

From there we walked down to the Trading Post and looked at all of their expensive "souvenirs" and was about to walk out the door when Strongheart spotted their bin of carved walking sticks.  I had told him earlier that I wanted to get one for when we hike trails, and he graciously asked me to pick out the one I wanted.

After that, he took me to our favorite spot to eat when we are in town.  We had a delicious dinner and then came home.  It was a special time all the way round.

From My Journal

 TODAY IS:  4 November 2024

AROUND ME:  After a few chilly days our temperatures are to be back in the high 60s and low to mid 70s again this week.  I'm still able to view some beautiful oranges and reds on the leaves that are still holding on to the trees.

I AM PONDERING: this quote by Dustin Crowe, "When meaningful reflection rather than mindless neutral describes our thanksgiving, we know God in deeper ways."

AMONG MY FAVORITE THINGS:  

Border Collies

While this picture is from the internet, 

this looks just like our Border Collie, Wilma,

when she was young.

We were blessed to have her as part of our family for 15 years.

BOOKS I AM CURRENTLY ENJOYING:   Refreshment for the Soul is a collection of Richard Sibbes thoughts on different topics and is compiled as a devotional.  So, it will be an ongoing reading throughout this year.

The Soul's Conflict by Richard Sibbes  I'm making a bit of progress on this read.  While Richard Sibbes writings as a Puritan are much easier reading than some of the Puritans, I have taken my time on purpose as I've read through the pages.  It's been not only a learning experience, but also a convicting experience as well.

A Place for Weakness by Michael S.Horton  

I AM THANKFUL FOR:  my Redeemer, good health, a husband who loves me unconditionally, a warm home on the chilly mornings, good friends, our church and the family that we have found there among like-minded Believers.

NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN:  that sometimes the best response to an awkward situation is to say nothing.

FROM THE KITCHEN: 

Corn Chowder with Salmon and Dill

 

SOMETHING I REALLY ENJOY:

This blue and white Salt Box that I purchased in June was delivered to me three weeks ago when our son and daughter-in-law came for a visit.

You may read the story about this salt box HERE

A QUOTE TO REMEMBER: 

TO DO LIST FOR TODAY:  More Swedish Death Cleaning (I do this in small chunks of time, but I am making progress), cleaning out the fridge, and a general straightening up of the house after a busy weekend.

"So teach us to number our days, 

that we may present to You a heart of wisdom."

Psalm 90:12 

Be Encouraged

 

The Things That Fun Stuff Is Made Of

 I went to King Arthur Flour's website the other day just to check out some prices and look what I found!

I'm so excited!

I can make six mini-loaves of quick breads,

 and they will have these designs on them!

I know...I'm easily entertained!

The pan was on sale for more than half off the regular price.

 I am already envisioning the loaves I am going to make

and share with some dear ones!

Cheat River Trailhead

 We decided recently to do errands in the town where our county seat is located.  There was a long list of errands...landfill, wash the truck at the carwash, Walgreens, and gas station.  

I requested a bit of fun along the way, which Strongheart was happy to oblige me.  On the outskirts of this little town is a walking trail, known as the Cheat River Trailhead so I asked if we could stop there and do a little walking.  The drive along the Cheat River is beautiful, especially this time of the year, but this particular day I was wanting to do some walking of the rail trail.

I was somewhat disappointed once we got there because there were barricades and "Trail Closed" signs up in every direction, but we did walk around the areas where it was permissible.  It was too gorgeous of a day to not do some walking. 

We started here at this pond.

There's a picnic table right in front of these huge rocks.

I loved seeing the reflection of the beautiful tree colors in the water.

What would a post be without some random colored leaves?

Strongheart had wanted us to be able to walk across this bridge that spans the width of Cheat River.

Fortunately for me, this is one of the areas where there was the "Trail Closed" sign.

You see that there's no railing on either side of that bridge, right?  

Yes, I know it's nice and wide, but, well, just not my cup of tea.

I was trying to get a good shot of the river without disobeying the signs.

If you can enlarge the picture on your screen, perhaps you may be able to see the slightest bit of the water through those trees.

This is a pavilion furnished with picnic tables and also restrooms to the right of the pavilion.  

We eventually came to this area that is clearly marked as the place to put the kayaks into the water...or take them out.

 A bit of information about the area.

In case you aren't familiar, the Cheat River is famous for its white-water rafting.

People come from as far away as California and Washington State to enjoy the rapids.

However, this year, anyone wanting to do so would have had to bring their own water because of how dry our summer was.  

The next few pictures will give you a better idea of how low the river was.

The path down to the river was a bit too steep for me,

but Strongheart was happy to go down and snap a few pictures for me.

Isn't this a lovely spot for that picnic table?  

Next time, I want to take my walking stick so I can navigate the steep incline.

I have a picnic lunch in mind already. :)

To the right of the picture where the water looks white is a little bit of a rapids,

but look to the left and middle of the picture and you will see all of those rocks.

The majority of the river this summer had many more rocks visible than it had water

.

We are so thankful for the several rains we've had in the last month that has given us this much water.

I hope you enjoyed your time at Cheat River Trailhead.