This and That,,,,About West Virginia!

Let's talk West Virginia today, shall we?  It's a state that is near and dear to my heart. Even though I have lived in the beautiful mountains of my present state for 32+ years and consider this home, I spent the first 24 years of my life in West Virginia. So hey, you know this girl has a soft spot for the Mountain State!!

It's unfortunate that WV sometimes gets picked on as being a backward place. There are many beautiful sites to visit and cultural events to attend there. Having grown up there, I know the many opportunities I took advantage of with music, theater and the arts. I'll try to feature more pictures of the area in some upcoming posts, but for now I found a historical map of Parkersburg, WV to show above, which was listed as being in the public domain. 

And speaking of cultural opportunities, I'm excited to share that Goldenseal Magazine, a magazine published by The Cultural Center of WV about WV traditional life, will be publishing an article I have written in their Fall issue! The article pays tribute to the GREAT music program that Mr.thisandthat and I enjoyed growing up in the 70's in WV. I can't share the whole article here because copyright will be owned by Goldenseal, but I can say that the gist of the article explains about the dedicated teachers who taught all of us students to play our instruments (mine is violin and Mr.thisandthat's is trumpet) and supported our musical growth with a variety of musical groups, bands and orchestras. These teachers gave of their time and talents and supported us as young musicians. As their students, we learned not only about music notes, rhythms and intonation, but also about how to get along and work together as a team for a common goal. Pretty important lessons to learn, right? 

Unfortunately, due to financial cutbacks, many music programs, including those in WV, are in danger of being phased out. That's why I'm doubly excited that my article is being used in support of the VH1 Save The Music Program in West Virginia. You can read more about the efforts of VH1 here. It was a happy coincidence that my sending the article came at the same time as the VH1 effort. And I'm happy to report that Mr.thisandthat and I continue to enjoy listening to and making music with our instruments all these years later!

                                                                 

                                           

This and That....Proverbs!

It's such a beautiful morning. I feel happy and blessed to be alive! Sharing a scripture passage from Proverbs 3:5-6 this morning.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

This and That....About The Rockies Part II

Before I get off the topic of summer fun, I want to share a little more about our trip to the Rockies! The scenery is so awesome there and everywhere you look is another great view to capture with a camera. Following are some photos I took.

This is Lily Lake. I really enjoy walking around the lake and the scenery can't be beat! I tried my hand with nature journaling while I enjoyed the view. I'm not much of a sketch artist, but it was fun to try! I like my photograph better than my sketch!

Sailboat on Estes Lake in Estes Park, CO.  I get my exercise walking around the lake. The Estes Lake walking trail is used by locals and tourists alike and is a great way to get a flavor of Estes Park life!

Beautiful view of St. Malo church just outside RMNP. Love seeing the mountains in the background. We have visited this spot before and it is always a peaceful and reflective place.

And, of course, the Rocky Mountains! This is why we come to this beautiful place!

We have been blessed to be able to travel here the past few summers. Each visit has allowed us to experience the tremendous vistas and awe inspiring hiking that this area affords visitors. While I enjoy shorter walks and quiet contemplation, Mr.thisandthat does the rugged hiking. This summer he made three out of four peaks and would have made the fourth peak but had to turn back due to a storm coming. He made the right and safe call by turning back which keeps me from worrying when he's out hiking! I'm proud of his accomplishments!

This and That....About The Rockies Part I

I'm excited to be able to share some of the summer fun I have had on my new blog! One of the fun moments was 12 days spent enjoying beautiful Colorado. Part of our visit was dedicated to sightseeing and hiking in the beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park. One great experience was seeing the elk on Ute Meadow Trail. While Mr.thisandthat took professional quality photos, I snapped my own humble photos which you will see below. I was enamored by the herd of mostly female elk which were grazing nearby. One female elk decided to venture really close to me. Although I was apprehensive at the closeness and ventured further down the trail, I needn't have worried as she was simply curious and meant me no harm. She is absolutely beautiful as you can see in the photo!

Here are more elk on Ute Meadow Trail, seen in silhouette.

My heart did pound, when the herd decided to run past me down the mountain and across Trail Ridge Road! I don't have a photo of the whole herd, but here are more pics to give you the general idea!

This experience reminds me of the verse from Genesis: "And God saw all that He had made and it was very good!"

This and That....About Mary's Lake!

Enjoying the beauty of God's nature at Mary's Lake in Estes Park, CO close to nearby Rocky Mountain National Park, Summer 2015! I actually have my eyes open in this selfie! It was a great day to be hiking around Mary's Lake and enjoying time with Mr.this and that!